A retrospective on the illustrious career of San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee

San Diego State has long been known for producing mid–major stars. Of course, two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard who was twice selected to the All-Mountain West Conference First Team comes to mind.

Since his departure, many Aztecs have tried to match the unique dominance of Leonard, who averaged a double-double of 15.5 PPG and 10.6 RPG during his final year at Viejas Arena.

This includes fellow two-time All-MWC First Team honoree Jamaal Franklin, 2013-14 MWC Player of the Year Xavier Thames, Malachi Flynn during the pandemic shortened 2019-20 campaign and Matt Bradley, who led the program to its first national championship game appearance.

However, none have quite been able to do so like graduate forward and 2023-24 All-MWC First Team selection Jaedon LeDee. Averaging 21.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 1.3 APG, he led the Aztecs to a 26-11 record this season and a subsequent Sweet 16 appearance.

While LeDee’s career culminated with a loss to defending national champions and No. 1 seed UConn at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. last night, it’s been a long journey to this point for the former top-100 ranked prospect.

“I want to say that [yesterday’s loss] isn’t the ending we’re going to remember, it’s the journey because the journey is everything,” San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher said. “I take great joy here with [LeDee, Darrion Trammell and Jay Pal] sitting next to me, in the fact that they’ve won 7-2 on college basketball’s biggest stage. Even though we’re disappointed in the outcome of the game, the game is not the journey and we embrace and love the journey we’re on together.”

For LeDee, that journey began at Ohio State, where he had to battle for minutes as a freshman despite arriving on campus as one of the nation’s highest touted prospects.

LeDee flashed some signs of his star potential as he made his season debut to the tune of 16 points and four boards in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne and contributed a team-leading 16 points in a loss to Purdue.

Averaging just 3.0 PPG and 1.7 RPG while playing 6.6 minutes per game, LeDee looked to transfer for the first time at the end of the 2018-19 campaign with the Buckeyes.

Prior to the 2018-19 season, LeDee transferred to join head coach Jamie Dixon at TCU fresh off the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998.

In Fort Worth, the Houston native showed continued improvement highlighted by an 11-point, four-rebound performance against Oklahoma as a sophomore and later, a then-career-high of 20 points and 11 boards over West Virginia as a junior.

Still managing just 13.5 minutes per game led LeDee to transfer once again after his two seasons at TCU, finally landing with Dutcher as a redshirt at San Diego State in 2021.

While Bradley led the Aztecs to a historic 2022-23 season, LeDee played the sixth-man role off the bench and averaged career-highs of 7.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG.

After securing the Mountain West regular-season title, LeDee was pivotal in helping San Diego State to the 2023 MWC Championship with a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards in the final against Utah State.

Along that historic 2023 NCAA Tournament run, he managed 12 points and six boards in a Sweet Sixteen win over No. 1 seed Alabama and another 12 points and six boards to help down FAU in the Final Four.

In the 2023 National Championship Game against UConn, LeDee contributed seven points in a 76-59 loss.

Unfortunately, LeDee’s collegiate journey came to an end in a very similar fashion on Thursday: at the hands of top seeded UConn in an 82-52 loss at the NCAA Tournament.

While it wasn’t in a Final Four appearance and he hasn’t received the same national acclaim as some of his Aztec counterparts in Leonard, Flynn, or even Bradley, LeDee is an unquestionable mid-major star.

“I knew the severity [of this matchup] and I’ve just got a lot of heart,” said LeDee. “I’m not going to just let [UConn and sophomore forward Donovan Clingan] just go out there and do what they want to do, I was out there competing.”

With an opportunity to finally play the main role for this San Diego State program, LeDee improved drastically across the board and never scored below 12 points in a contest throughout the entire 2023-24 season.

After starting the season with a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton, just a week later he emerged with a career-high 34 points and 17 boards to lead a 100-97 upset of Washington.

Before conference play, on the road against Gonzaga, LeDee led the Aztecs to a season-defining 84-74 win with 20 points, seven rebounds, and a clutch 9-for-12 from the free throw line.

To open the Mountain West slate undefeated at 3-0, LeDee managed three consecutive performances of 20+ points to secure wins over Fresno State, UNLV, and finally, San Jose State with a 31-point, 10-rebound double-double.

“Part of [LeDee’s] results last year were directed towards me because I didn’t give him the freedom I’ve given him this year,” Dutcher said. “With the team we have this year, we’ve given him more freedom and he played great within that freedom.”

Despite receiving just the fifth-seed at the 2024 Mountain West Championship in a very tightly contested season, LeDee carried the Aztecs all the way to the Final with 34 points and 16 boards over UNLV before upsetting No. 1 Utah State behind his 22 points.

In San Diego State’s fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, LeDee took center stage in the Round of 64 with 32 points and eight rebounds to defeat UAB.

Holding off a push from Yale in the Round of 32, LeDee booked the Aztecs a spot in the Sweet Sixteen with a game-high 26 points to beat out the Bulldogs before heading to Boston.

Falling short against UConn, he kept San Diego State competitive throughout with a team-leading 18 points and eight boards to no avail against the defending national champs.

While LeDee’s collegiate career ends with a loss, it’ll be defined by consistent development throughout, a Final Four appearance, and now, lifting the Aztecs to a second straight Sweet 16 appearance.

As Dutcher put it, there’s lots to be proud of along a journey that spans from stints at Ohio State and TCU, to mid-major stardom at San Diego State as LeDee takes the next step in his career.

“He wasn’t selfish,” Dutcher said. “He shared the ball with his teammates. He was hard to guard, and we’re just so proud of how he played for us. We wish him the best, hopefully in a pro career that will start here in the near future.”