San Diego State in a whole different recruiting realm

From Percy Allen:

Jeremy Hemsley, a consensus four-star 2015 prospect, shunned the Pac-12 and announced via Twitter that he’ll attend San Diego State.

The 6-4 guard from La Verne, Calif. also considered Washington, Colorado and Arizona State. It’s the second time in as many years the Huskies lost a significant recruit to the Aztecs. Last year, Zylan Cheatham chose SDSU over UW.

It’s one thing to lose top recruits to college basketball powerhouses like Kentucky, Kansas and Louisville. It’s even understandable when Washington is the runner-up in recruiting derbies that include Pac-12 heavyweights such as Arizona, UCLA and Oregon.

But the Huskies have got to question their standing on the west coast when San Diego State is viewed as a more favorable destination for top high school players.

Granted the Aztecs posted a 31-5 record, which included a 70-63 win over Washington last season. They routinely sellout the 12,000-seat Viejas Arena. They’ve made five straight NCAA tourney appearances and advanced to the Sweet 16 last season. SDSU also has three players currently in the NBA.

Still, it’s sobering to believe the new normal is a basketball world where a Mountain West team routinely trumps Pac-12 teams on the court and in recruiting...