Brian Dutcher praises Jeremiah 'Bear' Cherry's toughness after physical San Diego State win

The Aztecs' big man endured a bruising afternoon against Bethune-Cookman, and his head coach had plenty to say about his resilience

San Diego State Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry of the San Diego State Aztecs took everything the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats could dish out, and more. 

The 6-foot-10, 270-pound forward sprained an ankle, got elbowed in the face and fell on his backside during the Aztecs’ 88-75 win against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Wednesday afternoon at Viejas Arena. 

Cherry still managed to score 15 points in 28 minutes as the Aztecs improved to 3-0 after breaking open a tie game in the final eight minutes while shooting 80% from the floor in the second half.

While Latrell Davis scored 26 points and Elzie Harrington had 18, it was Cherry’s toughness that stood out to coach Brian Dutcher. 

What Dutcher said about his big forward

“Yeah,  I mean Bear, it's just when did Bear get hurt?” Dutcher said. “Got hit in the jaw, fell down on an ankle, fell on his tailbone. So, the biggest guy on the floor was falling down a lot. All I know is in the game before that it was a shoulder, but every time, Bear finds his way back on the floor. So he's rugged and tough. He takes a beating in there, but he finds his way back onto the floor to help his team win. So, I'm real happy that Bear can play through some injuries that might set another guy down.”

SHEESH @BearCherry35 pic.twitter.com/sOiThil3kW

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) November 11, 2026

Cherry draws a big foul 

With just more than 16 minutes to go, Cherry was elbowed in the face by Bethune-Cookman’s Mari Jordan, who was whistled for a flagrant 2 technical foul and ejected. 

“He led with the elbow,” Dutcher said. “So I haven't watched the replay of it, but I think he led with the elbow and caught him up around the face and it rose to the level where they felt it was a flagrant 2 and they put him out of the game. 

“I think they told me before I was even asking (that) they were going to review it. You know, if they hadn't, I would have probably taken a timeout and asked them to review it. I thought it was contact above the neck to the face and  obviously I haven't seen the replay to know how significant it was, but obviously significant enough to get an ejection from the game.”

Cherry hit both free throws for a 47-42 lead and then drained a jumper in the key but sprained an ankle as he landed on a Bethune-Cookman player and had to come out for a few minutes. 

Big picture for the Aztecs

The Wildcats are 0-4, but Dutcher said on Tuesday that they would be the most talented team SDSU has faced to date. 

“It was a good test for us,” Dutcher said. “They have a mentality about them, a toughness about them that shows. We had to be ready to meet that kind of intensity and challenge. At times we did, at times we didn't, but this was a good game for us to play on our schedule.”

One of the Wildcats’ losses was 76-58 to No. 19 Texas Tech, although it was a six-point game with nine minutes to go.

“So it being close was not a surprise to me,” Dutcher said. “We made enough plays, like good teams do down the stretch, to get stops and grow the lead. That was very rewarding to see.”

What’s next

The Aztecs continue their five-game opening stretch in San Diego County with a neutral-court game at 1 p.m. Sunday against New Mexico State at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside.