Brian James Dutcher (born October 30, 1959) is an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

coach who is the head coach of the

San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball : ''For information on all San Diego State University sports, see San Diego State Aztecs'' The San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team is the men's college basketball program that represents San Diego State University (SDSU). The Aztecs com ...

team at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

(SDSU). He was an assistant under head coach Steve Fisher with the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

and San Diego State, succeeding Fisher as the Aztecs' head coach upon his retirement in 2017.

Coaching career

Dutcher has more than 30 years of coaching experience, including 18 seasons as an assistant to Steve Fisher at San Diego State preceded by nine at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He joined then-interim coach Fisher in 1989 when Michigan won the

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

. Dutcher is credited for having a central role in recruiting the Fab Five to Michigan and for bringing

Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a six-time NBA All-Star, All-Star and a six- ...

to San Diego State. He was named San Diego State's "head coach in waiting" in 2011. Following Fisher's decision to retire, Dutcher was formally named as his replacement on April 11, 2017. Thanks to Dutcher bringing in transfers Malachi Flynn, Yanni Wetzell, K.J. Feagin, and Trey Pulliam, along with the development of returnees Matt Mitchell, Jordan Shackel, Nathan Mensah, and Adam Seiko, the Aztecs started the 2019–20 season 26–0, with impressive road/neutral site wins over BYU, Creighton,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, and Utah State - the preseason Mountain West favorite. This resulted in a #4 ranking for five straight weeks for San Diego State while Dutcher was named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Late-Season Watch List. Dutcher was named

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

Coach of the Year on March 3, 2020.

Personal life

Dutcher and his wife, Jan, have two daughters: Erin and Liza. He is the son of Jim Dutcher, a former head coach at

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutcher, Brian 1959 births Living people American men's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Michigan College men's basketball head coaches in the United States High school basketball coaches in the United States Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball coaches Michigan Wolverines men's basketball coaches People from Alpena, Michigan People from Bloomington, Minnesota San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball coaches South Dakota State Jackrabbits men's basketball coaches University of Minnesota alumni