Game Time Ready
The Aztecs open the 2011-12 season with a weekend tournament at Viejas Arena and a celebration of last year's championship team.
The 2011-12 Aztecs huddle before tip off.
The three-day celebration will coincide with the Basketball Travelers Classic, the Aztecs' season-opening tournament at Viejas Arena.
Friday festivities
Prior to the Aztecs' Friday season opener against Bryant University at 7:30 p.m., SDSU will unveil two banners recognizing the team's Mountain West regular-season and tournament championships and a third banner, which will honor its 2011 NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
The Aztecs won a school-record 34 games a year ago, won the program's first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament games and advanced to the Sweet 16.
SDSU was ranked in the top 25 all season long and earned a program-best ranking of No. 4 in the nation during its MW championship campaign. San Diego State finished the year ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today rankings.
Saturday celebration
On Saturday night, prior to the 7:30 p.m. contest vs. Southern Utah University, San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher will be presented with his Naismith National Coach of the Year Award.
The two-time national coach of the year is entering his 13th season on Montezuma Mesa and has guided the Aztecs through its most successful run in the 91-year history of the program.
SDSU has won the Mountain West championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Overall, the Aztecs have won 20 or more games and advanced to the postseason for six consecutive years.
Sunday salute
On the third and final day of the tournament before the Aztecs play University of California Davis on Sunday at 3 p.m., former SDSU forward Kawhi Leonard will receive his All-America award, as well as his Mountain West Championship ring.
The Riverside, Calif., native was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and was later traded to the San Antonio Spurs.
In his two seasons on Montezuma Mesa, Leonard averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds, including a career-best 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds in 2010-11 as a sophomore.
He scored 990 career points, which is the 19th-highest total in SDSU Division I history, and grabbed 716 rebounds, which ranks seventh all-time in San Diego State history and is the fifth most in the program's Division I history.
Remaining tickets
There are currently less than 1,000 tickets remaining for each of the three games. Tickets can be purchased online, in person at Qualcomm Stadium Window E or by calling 619-283-SDSU.
