It was a super-secret, closed-door, preseason scrimmage with no fans or bands or cheerleaders or television cameras or media, or expectations or consequences.

But …

The sixth-place team in the Mountain West last season with a new head coach and a half-dozen new players, according to those who witnessed it, went on the road and handled the No. 11 team in the preseason USA Today coaches poll with surprising ease.

San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher declined to provide the box score from Saturday afternoon’s scrimmage at USC and only spoke in generalities about the Aztecs, but several sources outside the team confirmed it wasn’t close. The game was broken into separate 20-minute halves, and the sources said the aggregate score was 98-76.


It tells you two differences about this team that it has shown on a daily basis in practice all month and now has against somebody else: It is really, honestly, genuinely pushing the ball in transition, and it can shoot.

“Last year was a rough year, obviously,” Dutcher said. “But our guys had the right attitude, starting at the end of the season. They got into the gym, put the work in, got in extra shooting, did extra strength training. So it’s good to see their work rewarded.

“Will it be there every night? You hope so. But it’s a great starting point. It shows we’ve been doing things the right way.”

Dutcher said he started a three-guard backcourt of USF transfer Devin Watson, Jeremy Hemsley and Trey Kell with bigs Malik Pope and Cal grad transfer Kameron Rooks. That’s three seniors, a fourth-year junior and a third-year junior.


Off the bench he had junior Max Montana (formerly Hoetzel), sophomore Nolan Narain and three freshmen: Jalen McDaniels, Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel. Adam Seiko and Montaque Gill-Caesar, who have missed practice all week with various ailments, were the only scholarship players who didn’t suit up.

“Everybody played well at times,” Dutcher said, noting that Kell and Montana were the leading scorers. “They played the way you have to play to win games – rebounding, taking care of the ball, sharing the ball. Half our baskets were assisted. We had 17 assists and only six turnovers. Six turnovers in your first action of the year is really impressive.”

Two caveats, beside this game not counting on your record: SDSU is running a new offensive scheme that USC wasn’t able to prep for, and the Trojans apparently were missing a starter.

“We’re doing stuff differently,” Dutcher said, “so obviously USC didn’t have a scouting report where they could say we’re going to do this and take this away. A lot of the stuff we were doing, they were seeing for the first time. Eventually, teams always take away what you’re best at, so we’ll have to adjust to that down the road.”


And while Dutcher said it wasn’t appropriate for him to talk about USC, sources outside the team said sophomore guard De’Anthony Melton did not play.

That could be due to injury. Or it could be due to the federal indictment alleging corruption within college basketball. (USC coach Andy Enfield and other university officials were not immediately available for comment.)

In September, USC associate head coach (and SDSU alum) Tony Bland was accused of accepting a $13,000 bribe to sway at least two Trojans players toward a specific agent once they turned pro. He also allegedly helped facilitate payments from the agent to their families, which would violate NCAA amateurism rules and potentially lead to sanctions.

The players were not named in the indictment, but one was identified as a sophomore this season. Melton fits the profile: An NBA prospect who is a sophomore and was recruited by Bland.


The trick for the Aztecs now will be keeping a closed-door scrimmage, impressive as it was, in perspective with an exhibition against Division II UCSD on Thursday at Viejas Arena and the regular-season opener eight days later. Looming Nov. 14 is a game at the Pac-12’s Arizona State.

“This was our first chance to see where we are as a team, to see where our deficiencies are and where our strengths are,” Dutcher said. “I don’t think they overreacted. They weren’t celebrating winning a scrimmage. They just went about their work.”


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mark.zeigler@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutzeigler