Brian James Dutcher (born October 30, 1959) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team at San Diego State University (SDSU).[1] He was an assistant under head coach Steve Fisher with the Michigan Wolverines and San Diego State, succeeding Fisher as the Aztecs' head coach upon his retirement in 2017.
 Dutcher posing for a picture in April 2023. | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | San Diego State |
| Conference | MW |
| Record | 184–60 (.754) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | October 30, 1959 Alpena, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Minnesota ('82) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1983–1985 | Illinois (GA) |
| 1986–1988 | South Dakota State (assistant) |
| 1989–1998 | Michigan (associate HC) |
| 1999–2017 | San Diego State (associate HC) |
| 2017–present | San Diego State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 184–60 (.754) |
| Tournaments | 7–5 (NCAA Division I) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Coaching career
editDutcher has more than 30 years of coaching experience, including 18 seasons as an assistant to Steve Fisher at San Diego State preceded by nine at the University of Michigan. He joined then-interim coach Fisher in 1989 when Michigan won the national championship. Dutcher is credited for having a central role in recruiting the Fab Five to Michigan and for bringing Kawhi Leonard to San Diego State.[2] He was named San Diego State's "head coach in waiting" in 2011.[3] Following Fisher's decision to retire, Dutcher was formally named as his replacement on April 11, 2017.
Thanks to Dutcher bringing in transfers Malachi Flynn, Yanni Wetzell, K.J. Feagin, and Trey Pulliam, along with the development of returnees Matt Mitchell, Jordan Shackel, Nathan Mensah, and Adam Seiko, the Aztecs started the 2019–20 season 26-0, with impressive road/neutral site wins over BYU, Creighton, Iowa, and Utah State - the preseason Mountain West favorite. This resulted in a #4 ranking for five straight weeks for San Diego State while Dutcher was named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Late-Season Watch List. Dutcher was named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year on March 3, 2020.[4]
Personal life
editDutcher and his wife, Jan, have two daughters: Erin and Liza. He is the son of Jim Dutcher, a former head coach at Eastern Michigan and Minnesota.[3]
Head coaching record
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego State Aztecs (Mountain West Conference) (2017–present) | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | San Diego State | 22–11 | 11–7 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2018–19 | San Diego State | 21–13 | 11–7 | T–4th | |||||
| 2019–20 | San Diego State | 30–2 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA Tournament Canceled* | ||||
| 2020–21 | San Diego State | 23–5 | 14–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2021–22 | San Diego State | 23–9 | 13–4 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2022–23 | San Diego State | 32–7 | 15–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 2023–24 | San Diego State | 26–11 | 11–7 | 5th | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2024–25 | San Diego State | 7–2 | 0–0 | ||||||
| San Diego State: | 184–60 (.754) | 91–30 (.752) | |||||||
| Total: | 184–60 (.754) | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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*The 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
References
edit- ^ Phillips, Scott (April 10, 2017). "Report: San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher retires, replaced by assistant Brian Dutcher". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "San Diego State's Steve Fisher retires, replaced by Brian Dutcher". United Press International. April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Zeigler, Mark (August 29, 2011). "Dutcher's dream job was here all along". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "Mountain West Announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.