How the undersized backcourt of Aztec basketball changed the history of the SDSU program
No surprise to anyone, the 2022–23 San Diego State Aztec men’s basketball team is one that will be remembered. Having a fantastic regular season, they finished with a record of 32–7, heading into the NCAA Tournament as the 5 seed.
While it was most definitely a group effort, it was Darrion Trammell and Lamont Butler who shined for the Aztecs during March Madness. So why is it that these two standout from the other players? There’s two reasons, and both are every kid’s childhood basketball dream.
Trammell’s moment to shine
First and foremost, Trammell’s personal 8–0 run against Alabama in the Sweet 16 was important to the team even advancing in the first place. It’s important to note that before this year, the Aztecs had never advanced beyond the Sweet 16 in program history.
Trammell’s brilliance continued when he hit the game-winning free throw against Creighton in the Elite 8.
“I feel like I’ve shot probably a thousand free throws in the last week. And then today, I feel like I put in the work to be able to step up and have confidence that I’m going to make ’em,” he said.
Secondly, there was Butler. He had already hit the game winning shot against New Mexico earlier in the season, which helped the Aztecs secure their eventual conference championship.
“Just the work I’ve put in. Dutch trusted in me, and I thought I could make a play. Happy it went in, happy we got the win,” he said afterward.
Their head coach, Brian Dutcher, praised both players for being ready to do what was needed to win.
“Obviously, he shot the pull-up. If I wanted that shot, I could have run it for Darrion. But I ran it for Lamont and he took the pull-up instead of attacking to the rim. If he didn’t make it, we would have caught flak for not getting to the rim: ‘What are they doing shooting a 3? They’ve got 6 seconds.’ Once he makes it, all doubt is erased. It was a heck of a play by him,” Dutcher said postgame against New Mexico.
Note how originally the play could have been run for Trammell, as he is just as capable as Butler in clutch situations.
Butler at the buzzer
Fast-forward to the 2023 Final Four, a first for the Aztecs, they are matched up against a scrappy Florida Atlantic University (FAU) squad. With almost 74,000 fans in attendance (according to ESPN data), the game comes down to the wire. Almost like a movie, the hopes of all Aztec fans and now, the city of San Diego, in the hands of number 5 himself.
The clock ticks down as the Aztecs run down on a fastbreak, down 71–70.
Five seconds.
Butler dribbles in and out, then goes toward the baseline with a defender on his hip.
Four seconds.
He dribbles into his defender and steps back, hoping to create some space.
Three seconds.
With time running out, Butler crosses through the legs and goes left in a last second effort.
Two seconds.
Knowing a shot must go up, he rises for the midrange jumper.
One second.
The ball sails through the air, as everyone in the stadium holds their breath.
The buzzer sounds.
With that confidence built upon earlier in the season, Butler sank the biggest shot in program history. A shot so pivotal, it will leave a lasting mark on San Diego State athletics, and the city of San Diego in general.
“He (Dutcher) told me to just go downhill, and try and get something at the rim. They (FAU) did a good job of cutting me off, once I looked up there was 2 seconds left so I knew I had to make a shot,” Butler said. “I got to a shot I’m comfortable with, a one-dribble pull up. I’m just glad it went in.”
“Ball don’t lie” and neither do the numbers
Offensively, both players stood up and performed when their team needed them the most. The thing that seriously allowed both players to shine however, was their defensive efforts. Afterall, San Diego State is known for being a defensive oriented program.
There’s a reason Butler and Trammell both found their way onto the Aztecs, and being both a good defender and a good scorer was one of them. However, qualifying for that title goes beyond your typical box score. This is where advanced metrics come into play.
During the 2022–23 regular season, Butler was ranked as one of the top players in the country. This is according to Evan Miyakawa, a data scientist who posts advanced metrics for college basketball. He posted a graphic that shows Butler ranked 130 using the metric “Bayesian Performance Rating” or BPR.
“Bayesian Performance Rating is an all-encompassing player metric that measures overall value on both ends of the court using individual stats and impact on team performance while on the court, adjusting for the strength of all other players on each possession,” Miyakawa said in the same post.
Simply put, BPR shows how effective a player is, both offensively and defensively. It illustrates the two way players that contribute way more to each game than just a box score number.
With that being said, Aztec Breakdown, a Twitter (X) page dedicated to Aztecs Basketball, posted another graphic that listed the top 25 players in the Mountain West Conference (MW). During the back end of the season, none other than Trammell ranked 11, with a BPR score of 2.62, and Butler ranked 3 with a BPR of 3.25.
A couple weeks later, nearing the end of the regular season, Aztec Breakdown posted BPR scores for just the Aztecs, and the highlight noted was that Butler and Trammell lead the team in Plus/Minus, a stat that shows a player’s impact, represented by the difference between their team’s total scoring versus their opponent’s when the player is in the game.
These guys are experienced players. They know how to win, both players just need the opportunity to show what they can do. This last run in the NCAA Tournament was able to give them that. With the 2023–24 season beginning, it might be time for the Aztecs to run it back.
This project was produced by Jared Knobloch as a published learning experience in JMS 430 Digital Journalism, part of the Journalism and Media Studies Program at San Diego State University.
