 "Photo: Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor")
 "Photo: Lindsey Martin / Assistant Photo Editor")
The jerseys still say San Diego State and the colors are still red, white and black. But the faces and bodies that used to occupy them are now drastically different. There’s no more Richie Williams, no more Lorrenzo Wade, no more Kyle Spain, no more Ryan Amoroso and no more combined 42.8 points per game from the four departed starters.
“It used to be, ‘Well, Richie’s supposed to lead us; Zo’s supposed to lead us,’” senior guard Kelvin Davis said of last year’s SDSU men’s basketball team. “Now it’s like, ‘Well, who’s going to have a great game? Who’s going to speak up?’”
It’s one of the more popular questions surrounding the 2009-10 version of the Aztecs. The team has plenty of talent, but where’s the leadership and chemistry going to come from?
Early on in this season, the answer is still unclear. Against UC San Diego in the season opener, junior forward Malcolm Thomas led the team with 20 points. Against Saint Mary’s, it was hard to find anybody who stepped up in a 22-point blowout. Against Santa Clara, junior forward Billy White seemed to be the man, scoring a game-high 17 points.
Four games into the season, no one really knows SDSU’s true identity. But, according to Davis, that’s the beauty of this year’s Aztec squad.
“We don’t have to go out there and this person has to get 15 shots,” Davis said. “Everybody can score 20 one night and have five the next night.”
Last year, the team had its chiefs and its Indians. Williams led the team on the court, Wade was the leader off of it and Spain and Amoroso were the role-players, filling in whenever Williams or Wade couldn’t. This year, though, things are a little different.
“With this group, everybody came in together, so everybody is together now,” Davis said. “It’s not like, ‘Well, they’ve been here …’ No, it’s a team, it’s like a big family.”
The team hasn’t had much time together because of injuries, which may be the reason SDSU hasn’t found its identity yet. White missed time in October with a bruised wrist, sophomore guard / forward Tyrone Shelley missed time with a foot injury and both Thomas and sophomore forward Tim Shelton missed time with knee injuries.
Everyone except Shelton has returned to the floor, which has helped the Aztecs develop some continuity these past few weeks. SDSU will have a chance to gel even more when it finishes the West Coast Classic today against Pacific and Saturday against Northern Arizona.
“Everybody’s chemistry is coming together because everybody is playing their role really well,” Davis said. “Once we really gel and get everybody on the same page, it’s going to be so much easier.”
When: 7 p.m., today
Where: Stockton
Why to watch: SDSU will keep trying to gel as a team against Pacific.
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