BRIAN DUTCHER	Last Updated 11/10/11
Associate Head Coach/ Head Coach In Waiting 13th Season

(Entering 2011-12 Season)

One of Steve Fisher's first moves as head coach at San Diego State was to hire Brian Dutcher as his top assistant. Dutcher, 52, was a regional scout for the Sacramento Kings before assuming the role of assistant head coach at SDSU.

Now, Fisher's first hire will follow in his footsteps as he was named Associate Head Coach/Head Coach In Waiting in late August 2011.

Dutcher served as assistant coach and later associate head coach at Michigan under Fisher. He spent 10 seasons on the Wolverine staff, establishing himself as one of the nation's top assistant coaches. His first year in Ann Arbor was 1989 and resulted in a national title for Michigan as he assisted then-interim head coach Steve Fisher on the bench.

The Bloomington, Minn., native headed up UM's recruiting efforts in 1990-91 when the Wolverines inked Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber. The "Fab Five" is considered perhaps the best recruiting class in NCAA history. Dutcher helped lead that group to nearly 100 wins, two berths in the NCAA championship game and a regional final over a four-year period. He was also on the Michigan staff for an NIT championship (1997).

Dutcher's recruiting prowess, however, was demonstrated by more than just the "Fab Five" haul. Michigan had the nation's top-ranked recruiting class in 1993-94 and in 1994-95, with a group that included Maurice Taylor and Jerod Ward. The accomplishment marked the first time that a university had the nation's top class in consecutive years, according to recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons.

His efforts at SDSU have quickly gained accolades as well. The first full-year recruiting effort by Steve Fisher, Brian Dutcher and Co., resulted in a class that was a consensus top-40 group. Their second effort resulted in a top-25 recruiting class without counting a pair of high-profile transfers. Seven seasons ago, Dutcher helped the Aztecs attract SDSU's first McDonald's All-American. In 2004, Aztec freshmen Brandon Heath and Marcus Slaughter earned starting spots en route to earning all-league recognition. Dutcher was also instrumental in the recruitment of Ryan Amoroso, who earned all-league honors in 2007, and the three most recent incoming classes, which produced Kawhi Leonard and two-year starter Chase Tapley. Leonard went on to become a two-time MWC first-team honoree, 2011 All-American and 2011 first-round NBA Draft pick.

Dutcher is firmly entrenched as one of the nation's top recruiters after showing that his rapport is as strong with potential student-athletes on the West Coast as it was in the vaunted Big Ten Conference.

Dutcher was born Oct. 30, 1959, in Alpena, Mich. He attended Bloomington (Minn.) Jefferson High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in physical education from Minnesota in 1982. While an undergraduate, he worked for his father, then-Minnesota head coach Jim Dutcher. He then spent one season in the prep ranks at Apple Valley (Minn.) High School before becoming a graduate assistant at Illinois, where he earned his master's degree in physical education and athletic administration.

While in Champaign, Dutcher helped Lou Henson lead the Illini to a Big Ten championship, two appearances in the Sweet 16 and one regional final.

Dutcher's first full-time coaching job came at South Dakota State, where he spent three seasons helping turn around the Division II program before departing in 1988 for Michigan.

His final season in Ann Arbor ended with the Wolverines claiming the first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship.