Aug. 1, 2013
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's basketball coaches Justin Hutson and Brian Dutcher are considered among the top Division I assistants, according to poll taken by ESPN's Jeff Goodman. More than 200 college coaches were surveyed with Hutson coming in at No. 8 and Dutcher No. 19 on the list of 21.
With two Aztecs recognized among the nation's best, SDSU joined Duke and Kansas as the only schools with a pair of assistants on the chart. In fact, Hutson is the top-rated west coast assistant and Dutcher is considered the third-best.
Both coaches have helped the San Diego State coaching staff, led by Steve Fisher, put together a collection of players that have been to the postseason eight straight years, including four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, and won 20 or more games eight seasons in a row.
Over the last three years, the Aztec coaching staff has produced two NBA draft picks in Kawhi Leonard and Jamaal Franklin, and mentored Malcolm Thomas, who helped the Chicago Bulls to the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals in 2013. Leonard, who played an integral part in the San Antonio Spurs reaching the 2013 NBA Finals, was a first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall) in 2011. Franklin, meanwhile, was the 41st overall pick and the Memphis Grizzlies' No. 1 choice this past June.