New-look Aztecs open basketball practice

“Night and day,” Winston Shepard kept saying. “Night and day.”

The senior forward was talking about the differences between the 2014-15 San Diego State basketball team and the 2015-16 edition as it opened preseason practice Friday. His words were in response to a question about the roster and its potential on the first day of official practice, but they could have applied to the entire program. Night and day.

They’re without fifth-year seniors JJ O’Brien, Dwayne Polee II and Aqeel Quinn, and junior Matt Shrigley is recovering from ACL surgery. And they had five new players on the floor.

They also were practicing in the newly opened Jeff Jacobs JAM Center, walking upstairs from their new locker room equipped with cell phone chargers and ventilated compartments to store sweaty shoes. And not in antiquated Peterson Gym or on a court in the student rec center where, as coach Steve Fisher put it, “you have the entire student body wanting to come in and play a game with you.”

Another difference: They were practicing in the shadow of a preliminary NCAA review of unspecific allegations that went public before its enforcement staff has decided whether it merits a formal investigation.

It took three questions before Fisher was asked about it.

“I was wondering how long it would take,” Fisher said. “What happened a couple weeks ago, you knew when I knew. You heard when I heard, and you heard what I heard. I really am not aware of exactly what they’re talking about. But I’m well aware of the rules and I’m complying with the rules. I feel good about our staff and our players.

“Without going into great detail, as we speak it’s not an investigation. They’re looking into some allegations that they say they get 15 to 20 (times) a week. Unfortunately, they said this one got to the light of day when it shouldn’t have. So you control what you can control, which is what we’re doing now.”

Moments later, Fisher gathered his players and began the first of 30 practices allowed in the 42 days before the Nov. 13 opener against Illinois State.

Fisher has appointed Shepard and Skylar Spencer, his two seniors who have been with the program for four years, as co-captains. Both met with the media. Both offered rosy forecasts.

Spencer: “I don’t know, it could be just a senior talking but I have a really good feeling about this team. We’re just a bunch of guys who are really hungry and going after it.”

Shepard: “I feel like we’ll be better than last year’s team. We’ll be faster, more athletic. We have a true point guard now, we have more guys who can get out and run, skilled wings who can get out on the break. It’ll be fun. I think it’ll be a night and day difference.”

The “true” point guard is 6-foot-3 freshman Jeremy Hemsley, who arrives with big accolades (the Los Angeles Times’ Southern California player of the year) and big expectations. He showed flashes of the hype over the next 2½ hours, at one point turning the corner off a ball screen, driving into the tall trees and muscling in a layup.

“He’s real,” Shepard said. “If we had him last year, we probably would have been a little bit better. That’s my opinion, whatever my opinion means. He’s a true point guard, which is something we lacked. He sets guys up, he pushes, he plays tremendous defense. I mean, he’s great. He’ll be an all-time Aztec.”

Even the returning players looked different. Sophomore forward Malik Pope has added a good 10 pounds of muscle to his wiry 6-10 frame.

“Malik Pope is what you would hope everybody would be when you go from year one to year two,” Fisher said. “Take a look at him. He’s bigger physically, he’s more confident mentally, and he’s a better player. We now need to take him from where he is and help him grow into the player that we’ve all seen little highlights of. But he’s made vast improvement.”