2013-14 -- An Aztec Season, an Aztec TEAM to Treasure!

It began with minimal respect. Picked to come in fourth in the Mountain West Conference; nowhere in national rankings. But that’s not what the 2013-14 Aztec Basketball Team believed. They believed that they would WIN!

And win they did! Thirty-one times, against only five losses. Only three teams had fewer  among all the 351 Division I NCAA teams. Won the full-season MW championship with a record of 16-2, which Coach Steve Fisher didn’t believe anyone could do in this highly competitive conference. Went all the way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament and played impressively until finally losing to the team that may quite possibly win the whole thing.

Having watched 68 seasons of Aztec basketball, seeing way more than 1,000 Aztec games, I’m proud to say I was there for last night’s game, for this entire, memorable season. If I tried to name those who contributed so much to this team’s success, I’d have a page-long list of all our coaches, all players (including those who never played more than a few minutes, or none), trainers and managers. 

The best and most appropriate way is to focus squarely on our Coach of the Year, Steve Fisher. The solid program our Coach has built at San Diego State University in 15 years, with no real foundation to build on, is enough evidence to prove he is the secret to Aztec success. I will leave it at that for now, confident that the best is yet to come!

No, I cannot leave it at that. Despite what I said above, I just can’t stop without singling out our two Super Seniors for their pivotal efforts in this year’s great accomplishments -- Xavier Thames and Josh Davis. Surely they are Aztecs for Life!

I believe that we WILL win!

Xavier Thames, Josh Davis, Steve Fisher (Photos by Ernie Anderson)

GO AZTECS!