SAN DIEGO – With 47 days remaining until the 2022-23 regular season opener, the San Diego State men's basketball program has garnered both individual and team recognition from two national publications: Blue Ribbon Yearbook and Lindy's Sports College Basketball's 2022-23 preview issue.
Each publication predicted the Aztecs would win the 2023 Mountain West title, which would extend its record of conference championships to 15. Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked SDSU No. 25 in its preseason poll while Lindy's had San Diego State at No. 26 in its poll.
The Aztecs frontcourt, which is anchored by reigning Mountain West (MW) Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Mensah, was chosen by Blue Ribbon as the best in the league heading into the new season and additionally graded out the backcourt and intangibles as an A, while the frontcourt and bench/depth were an A+.
Individually, Blue Ribbon has senior Matt Bradley as its preseason Player of the Year and a first-team All-Mountain West selection. Jaedon LeDee, who Aztec fans have waited a year to see after he transferred from TCU and sat out last season, is predicted to be the league's Newcomer of the Year.
Among the accolades from Lindy's, Matt Bradley is rated No. 28 among the best players in the nation, the preseason conference Player of the Year and a first-team All-MW performer. Senior Nathan Mensah was selected as a second-team All-MW honoree and the league's top defender. In his first year on The Mesa, Darrion Trammell, also a senior and a transfer from Seattle U, earned inclusion on the publication's national All-Defensive Team, is predicted to be the conference's Newcomer of the Year and a third-team designee.
Among freshman newcomers, Elijah Saunders was recognized as the best rebounder in the league and Miles Byrd was named the best shooter and most likely to wear an NBA uniform first.
San Diego State returns fifth-year seniors Mensah, Adam Seiko, Aguek Arop, and Bradley in 2022-23, and four-fifths of its starting line up from a team that went 23-9 last year. In 2021-22, San Diego State appeared in the championship game of the Mountain West tournament for the fifth consecutive year and competed in the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.
In addition to the aforementioned players, SDSU returns starters Lamont Butler and Keshad Johnson as well as newcomers LeDee, who sat out the 2021-22 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Trammell, a transfer from Seattle U., Micah Parrish, a transfer from Oakland, and freshmen Byrd and Saunders.
The Aztecs play an exhibition on Tuesday, Nov. 1, against San Diego Christian in Viejas Arena with the regular season opener set for Monday, Nov. 7, also in Viejas.
For more information on tickets for the 2022-23 San Diego State men's basketball season, contact the Aztec Athletics Ticket Office at 619-283-7378 or aztix@sdsu.edu.
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