Hey guys, a San Diego State fan here. I have also been following Pelle’s tweets very closely, he seems like a very confused man. It almost seems like he wants to love St. Johns, but at the same time really misses California and is homesick.
Some of you may wonder why the guy would even consider SDSU? Our basketball tradition has not been the strongest, but as crazy as it may sound, SDSU has arguably been the best basketball program in California over the last few years and the future looks even brighter. I’m sure you know the story from last year, the team only lost to BYU and Jimmer Fredette during the regular season and then SDSU beat the them easily in the conference tournament. Then we lost in the Sweet 16 to UCONN. We sent our Sophomore star, Kawhi Leonard to the NBA, and lost three other starters. We will still be very competitive this year, but desperately need a big man - particular after one of our transfers expected to contribute this year, Kevin Young, bailed out last minute to go to Kansas. We are still hoping Polee can get a hardship waiver and become eligible for the second half of the season. But Pelle would also be huge get for the team, although I am concerned about his schooling efforts and whether or not he will ever play D1 basketball.
So here is the connection to SDSU. First off, you know about Polee transferring from St. Johns, now at SDSU. Second, we also got a verbal from Spencer Skylar, who played at Price H.S. with Pelle for a while. We are also a top choice for 5-star recruit Isaac Hamilton, who’s brother Jordan just played at Texas and was drafted to the NBA. Isaac and Pelle are close friends because they played on the same AAU team. It is my understanding that Isaac Hamilton, his younger brother Daniel, and Pelle will all be together at the SDSU game against USC tomorrow night.
SDSU already has one of the top recruiting classes for next year and I know these kids are envisioning winning it all if they can get together. Pelle has even been quoted as saying such, but he later denied it. There is also a good chance we get 4-star small forward Winston Shepard and already signed J.J O’Brien from Utah and Matt Shrigley, a local product. We are talking “Fab 5” part two for Steve Fisher and the Aztecs right now. If you want to play in California, SDSU is simply where it is at right now. Seriously, look at the primary competition in the state, it’s UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal, and St. Marys. Most of those programs have good history but are not meeting expectations right now. Cal is probably the exception this year, although we spanked them on the road last year and get them at home in a couple weeks.
Finally, if you look at other tangibles, San Diego has probably the best weather in the country - forecast is sunny and low 70s this week. But more importantly, the home court environment, including the student section, is second to none. Pelle and Hamilton will experience “The Show” firsthand tomorrow night.
In short, my goal is not to rub salt in the wounds for your loss of Pelle, and to a lesser extent Polee. But do understand that there are a lot of things going on at SDSU right now that many east coast fans may not realize. I think this year’s team will be solid, but next year’s team may be better than last year’s. In the end, I just hope Pelle gets his act together and tries to get an education while competing in D1 ball (hopefully at SDSU). If he has a “one and done” mentality, he will only fail and SJ is better off cutting the rope now versus later.
