In 1989, Steve Fisher was on top of the college basketball world. Fisher took over the Michigan Wolverines basketball program just prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament and he would lead them to the national title. In 1991, Fisher hit a recruiting coup when signed a talented freshmen class consisting of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson to attend Michigan. The group of freshmen would soon be dubbed as the Fab Five as they would take the college basketball world be storm. Led by the Fab Five, Michigan would make the NCAA Title Game in 1992 and 1993. But things would unravel for Fisher in 1997 when he was fired by Michigan amid the Ed Marin scandal. After a brief stint in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Sacramento kings, Fisher resurfaced on the college basketball scene in San Diego, California in 1999.
Fisher was hired without that much fanfare to become the head basketball coach for the San Diego State University Aztecs. Fisher inherited a program that had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1985 and the only way for them to go was up.
In Fisher’s first season in Southern California, the Aztecs were 5-23, but it didn’t take that long for him to get things turned around as he had San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament by 2002. Fisher would take the Aztecs to the NCAA Tournament once more in 2006. From 2007-2009, San Diego State would make three consecutive trips to the National Invitational Tournament before becoming a consistent tournament team.
In the last five years San Diego State has made the NCAA Tournament in each season including their only two trips to the Sweet 16 in school history.
Unlike Michigan, San Diego State has never been a popular landing spot for the top-tier recruits. But Fisher has adjusted to that which has clearly illustrated his ability to coach and teach. Fisher has gone the junior college route along with getting players that flew under the radar coming out of high school and he has made it work. The top high school players in Southern California will typically go to schools such as UCLA and Arizona, but that changed in 2009 when Fisher was able to get the Mr. Basketball from the State of California in Kawhi Leonard to attend San Diego State. Fisher has put several players in the NBA during his tenure and none bigger than Leonard who is currently a member of the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard played under Fisher for two years at San Diego State as he averaged 14.1 points per game before becoming the first Aztecs player since Michael Cage in 1984 to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. Leonard is also the reigning NBA Finals MVP as he helped the Spurs win the NBA Championship this past June which is something that should help Fisher and San Diego State on the recruiting front.
Fisher’s success at San Diego State has led to the school giving him a three-year contract extension and the 69-year old is enjoying every moment of it as the Aztecs are no longer a pushover. Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State is the home of Aztecs basketball and they have one of the best student sections in the nation as they are right on top of the court as they look to support their basketball team that has won three out of the last four Mountain West Conference Championships. So far this season San Diego State is 5-1 which has helped to put Fisher in elite company as he won his 500th game on November 20 when the Aztecs knocked off Cal-State Bakersfield. The Aztecs are currently ranked in the top 25 at no. 15 which was virtually unheard of for them 20 years ago for the school which is a credit to Fisher. San Diego State finished second at the Maui Invitational Tournament this week and there was a time when they would have never been a participant in such a prestigious tournament.
The Aztecs will be favored to once again be one of the top teams in the Mountain West along with an eye on the NCAA Tournament come March. Fisher now has enough credibility at San Diego State that it will solely be his decision to retire, but by the looks of things he isn’t slowing down as he has a solid program with the Aztecs. Fisher has always been relaxed and laid back which fits in to the lifestyle of San Diego, but more than anything he is a proven winner that continues to get it done on the basketball court.
Source: Sports-reference.com
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