Yahoo Sports San Diego State reaches contract extension with coach Brian Dutcher after national title run
Brian Dutcher led the Aztecs to the national championship game last season, though they were knocked out by UConn
San Diego State has locked down head coach Brian Dutcher nearly a year after he led the program to the national championship game.
Dutcher and the Aztecs agreed to a contract extension Wednesday that will keep him with the school through the 2027-28 season.
"I'd like to thank president [Adela] de la Torre and athletics director John David Wicker for the opportunity to continue to mentor and lead the outstanding young men that we have in our program at San Diego State," Dutcher said in a statement. "Our success began 25 years ago when my friend Steve Fisher came to The Mesa and along with my assistant coaches, we have built a program that competes on a national level every night. I got into coaching to affect the lives of young people, and to be able to do it at a school and in a city I love, is all anyone can ask for."
Dutcher is in the middle of his seventh season at San Diego State, which marks his first job as a head coach in college basketball. He’s won three Mountain West regular season and conference tournament titles over that span while making the NCAA tournament four times.
He led the Aztecs on a wild run through the NCAA tournament last season, too, when they got past top-seeded Alabama and Creighton in their region to reach the Final Four. Once there, they beat Florida Atlantic on a buzzer-beater by Lamont Butler to reach the national championship game for the first time in program history. UConn, however, rolled past them in the title game to grab a 17-point win.
Dutcher, who was an assistant for the San Diego State program for 18 seasons before becoming head coach, has led the Aztecs to a 22-8 record this season headed into Friday’s regular season finale against Boise State. They’re ranked No. 21 in the country, but sit in fifth in the Mountain West standings.
In total, Dutcher has compiled a 173-55 overall record at SDSU, which is the highest winning percentage of any coach in their first seven seasons in program history.
“Dutch has been an integral part to building the successful basketball program we have today and last year's run to the national championship was a defining moment for him and our institution,” Wicker said in a statement. “But more than success on the floor, Dutch has built a program based on bringing young men in who also excel in the classroom and the community. I look forward to continuing to see the successes of our student athletes, staff and coaches under Brian's leadership for the foreseeable future."
