As San Diego State’s lone 2016 commitment, four-star power forward Nolan Narain was expected to be an impact player in 2016-17. And Thursday it was reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune that the Canadian has decided to make a move that will best position him to make an impact, reclassifying to the Class of 2015 and joining the SDSU program in time for the fall semester.
However Narain isn’t doing this in search of immediate playing time, and with players such as Skylar Spencer and Angelo Chol being seniors there aren’t many minutes to go around. Narain will redshirt in 2015-16, using the time to learn from the veterans in practice while also putting in time in the weight room.
And if that pays off, Narain will be able to hit the ground running in 2016-17 when the Aztecs have to account for the loss of most of their front court.“For me it was simple,” Narain said. “If I go back to high school and dominate, I felt I’d be wasting a year of development. If I go to university earlier, I can work toward a Master’s degree. I can also work with the staff, build my body and my game to be ready for 2016, have a feel for the system. I can work with the seniors like Skylar (Spencer) and Angelo (Chol), and learn from them.
“I just felt like I would develop more than staying another year in high school.”
Narain’s development became bigger for the Aztecs with the news in July that 2015 commit Brodricks Jones would reopen his recruitment. Jones, who at one point in time was questionable to qualify academically, eventually landed at UTEP and his move leaves San Diego State lacking much in the way of front court depth in 2016-17.
In addition to Narain head coach Steve Fisher will have Malik Pope (who’s shown up on some NBA mock draft boards), Max Hoetzel, who transferred to SDSU after playing one season at Indiana, and Zylan Cheatham. Cheatham, a four-star recruit out of high school, was part of last season’s freshman class but did not play due to injury.