Winning Away games continues to afflict the Aztecs

At 9-3 the Aztecs are certainly on the right path in terms of wins and losses. That being said, they were two overtime wins from being 7-5. Moreover, there ability to win on the road remains questionable and with conference play now upon them it looks as if this could be the Achilles heal that prevents them from, once again, making it into the NCAA’s.

A cursory evaluation of the non-conference schedule reveals a troubling trend. SDSU has played 13 games; and of those 13 games, only 6 opponents have records of 0.500 or greater. Furthermore, out of these 6 teams the Aztecs have posted 3 losses and those losses were all away games. The infamous trend that the Aztecs have regarding the inability to perform well away from home seems to be unshakable: An omen that has troubled Aztec teams for years. Good teams find ways to win tough games, especially away games. So, what is required of the Coach to rectify this perpetual problem plaguing the Aztecs?

The basketball paragons of today typically show consistent play both away and at home by supplanting the team with superior talent every year. That talent is a derivative of high schools that generally find their way into the national spotlight via championship games. These high pressure situations tend to strengthen an athletes mindset, giving them the ability to handle pressure situations as well as provide them with the stamina to win under the most adverse conditions. Ostensibly, this athletic trait happens to be a glaring shortcoming in all of Fisher’s teams. Arguably, Randy Holcomb, Marcus Slaughter and Brandon Heath were some of the best athletes SDSU has ever fielded, but even they lacked the killer drive to finish off teams having either equivalent or better talent. This was readily apparent during the 2002 NCAA tournament game against Illinois and against Indiana in 2006 when Branden Heath lost the ball in the closing minutes, giving Indiana the momentum and clutch win. Also, during the subsequent NIT appearance when SDSU played Syracuse ; and more recently, in last years NIT semifinal game against Baylor when SDSU seemed to falter and invariably implode in the second-half. It appears as if the big stage is simply too much pressure for SDSU to overcome. So, what’s the answer? Well, it could be in the recruiting. But the recruiting has to be more than just finding  talented players, but players that possess the moxie to face the game time pressure present in most big time games such as the NCAA’s.

SDSU and Steve Fisher may have found the solution with the most recent class of recruits. SDSU’s 2009 recruiting class has finally broken the proverbial glass basketball ceiling by landing a prized recruit: A goal that has eluded Steve Fisher since last recruiting the McDonald’s All-American Evan Burns in 2002 from Fairfax Senior High. Well, it appears as if Steve Fisher has, in part, achieved his goal of finding that needed superior talent from a well-coached and highly successful high school. Recruiting Kawhi Leonard out of Riverside King is proving to be one of the single most valued recruits in Coach Fisher’s tenor as the SDSU coach. Kawhi has proven to be a valued added commodity even as a freshman. He seems to handle himself well when subjected to pressure situations, as was evident in the USD game (an away game) when he disrupted a possible go-ahead field goal by Brad Johnson. The once absence trait is now highly visible (through Kawhi) and is starting to pay dividends. It also, to some degree, begins to piece together some of the missing parts that have for so long precluded the Aztecs from winning away games against good opponents.

The Aztecs have fallen short this year at away games against good opponents; yet, they have recorded a modicum of success against lessor opponents. The acquisition of Kawhi Leonard and others will hopefully begin, what we as fans hope, a new-found level of success of  more wins away from home against formidable opponents. It’s now up to Coach Fisher and his staff to continually seek out and find, not just any talent, but the talent that can win in the most hostile of environments; under the most demanding circumstances; and, against a top 25 opponent.