Story by David CorderoSports Editor
Piece by piece. Piece by piece.
Steve Fisher is no miral worker. Already the owner of an NCAAchampionshp ring, the San Diego State head coach knows what it takesto produce a winning college basketball team– and he also knows ittakes time to do so. When he took over last season, he knew itwouldn’t be easy to lead a program with one winning season in the 14previous years to national prominence.
“As a rule, things don’t happen by the snap of the finger,” Fishersaid. “It takes work and time and you earn credibility. And youchange perceptions, I think we’re doing both.”
Local respectability is the first step. Last season, SDSU was thesecond-best hoops team in town, behind the University of San Diego.
The gap was evident. Big time.
At the USD Sports Center the Aztecs were thoroughly man-handled73-45. The Toreros whipped SDSU in every phase of the game.
“They laid the wood to us,” Fisher said.
That theme prevailed throughout the season. The team finished 5-23and was winless in all 14 Mountain West Conference tilts. The averagedefeat in conference games was 17 points.
Bottom line: there were several contests where the Aztecs werejust overmatched.
Someoff-season housecleaning was in order. It was apparent there wereseveral players on SDSU’s roster who just weren’t Division I caliber.
Underclassmen Vincent Okotie, Joe Mann, Jeffrey Berokoff, EricRohwer, Walter Small and Bradley Jackson opted to leave the program.Some were nudged out. Whatever the case, the resulting exodus allowedFisher and his staff a little room to maneuver and recruit.
They’ve seemed to have made the most of that space.
Hoop Scoop magazine ranked the Aztecs’ recruiting class No. 36 inthe nation. In its class were two freshmen (Aerick Sanders and ChrisWalton), two junior college transfers (JC all-state Randy Holcomb andKarlo Kovacic), a major college transfer (Deandre Moore, fromVanderbilt) and a walk-on (Al Faux) who spurned two scholarshipoffers from two Division I schools.
How was SDSU able to attract such talent?
Easy.
“Fisher,” Moore said. “Fisher. He was honest. There are not a lotof honest people in the business. I came to one game, and after thegame we talked for 45 minutes. He told me what he thought of me, whathe wanted for the program, how I could help. Before I had left theroom, I had made up my mind.
“I was coming here.”
Walton made his decision last November, in the early signingperiod.
Part of the reason was Aztecs assistant coach Jim Tomey’s pupilfor two seasons at University of San Diego High School and was on thereceiving end of several eye-catching grabs from point guard DavidAbramowitz, two years his senior.
But what attracted him to the program was more than the familiarfaces, it was the chance to start something.
“I think it’s exciting,” Walton said. “We get a chance to put SDSUbasketball on the map. Hopefully we’ll be the first real recruitingclass coach Fisher has had.”
Perhapsthe crowning jewel of the recruiting class is the 6-foot-9 Holcomb.The junior, who spent his freshman season at Fresno State, gives theAztecs an inside-outside threat they’ve sorely lacked for years. Hisathleticism and versatility provides SDSU a focal point to buildaround.
“In a couple years, we hope to become a powerhouse,” Moore said.”It has to start somewhere and we plan on being the group that startsit.”
Piece by piece. Piece by piece.
Developing an identity
Different players, different attitude.
“We’ll find our identity as we go down the line,” Kovacic said.”Are we the type of team that is going to lay down and die, or are wethe type of the team that’s going to go out and fight and develop akiller instinct.”
The former appeared to be the case last year. The team had aperceived lack of toughness, as evidenced Jan. 22 at UNLV.
Rebel Kaspars Kambala fouled SDSU’s Joe Mann hard — so hard, itbrought the 265-pound Mann to the floor. Although there was noflagrant foul called, most players would have taken umbrage at theseverity of the infraction.
The Aztecs didn’t. Mann didn’t retaliate. Neither did histeammates.
“Somebody should have got in his face,” Wilson said, last year inan interview. “The first person should have been Joe and since itwasn’t, somebody else should have at least said something.
“The coaches were upset about that too. That’s been part of ourproblem: we don’t have enough toughness as a team. Some of the guysare pretty tough some of the time, but not enough.”
It appears that won’t be the case this year.
“IfKambala were to do something like that this year, there would be awhole bunch of guys on him,” Epps said. “All the newcomers have thattype of attitude.”
Last year’s team did not.
When pressure situations came about last season, the team appearedclueless. No one stepped up.
There was no leader.
Though Fisher said he is unsure who will assume that role, thelogical choice would be the point guard, Moore.
“I think our leader eventually will be Deandre,” Fisher said.”He’s going to have run the floor. He has control of the ball, to getus in our offenses and defenses. I think he’s going to step up and bethat leader.”
Said Moore: “I’m working my way into that role. I can’t just comein and try to tell everyone what to do. I want people to feel me outand find out the type of person I am. I believe the guys respect me.Hopefully I can become (that leader).”
Piece by piece. Piece by piece.
Jumpstart needed
Cox Arena can get loud.
Case in point: Jan. 31, 1998. SDSU hosted Fresno State, a team ledby controversial head coach Jerry Tarkanian. A rowdy turnout of11,334 — many of them face-painted students — watched the Aztecsnearly pull out an upset defeat. It was a game that actually had acollege basketball atmosphere.
That has yet to return, with the decible levels at Cox moreresembling a library. The average attendance at home games hasdropped the last two years from 4,312 in 1997-98 to 3,189 in ’98-99to 2,618 last season.
“If we win games, people will come out and watch,” Moore said.”Who will watch a team that doesn’t win? Let’s be realistic. If wewin, a lot of people will come out.”
And this year’s non-conference schedule appears to be a friend tothat endeavor. SDSU will take on NCAA Tournament tested teamsOklahoma State and Fresno State, but will play Norfolk State, UC SanDiego, Florida Atlantic, CSU Sacramento, Morgan State and Texas A andM-Corpus Christi.
Those teams will hardly capture the imagination of fans. Those inthe business call them cupcakes — teams that coaches schedulebecause they know, in all likelihood, their team will come out with awin.
But put yourself in SDSU’s shoes. Your team has gone 9-45 over thelast two years. You figure your supporters are hungry to seevictories.
You schedule winnable games.
“There are people talking about the softness of our schedule, butthe fact is this program won nine games over the last two years,”Moore said. “You have to base your schedule on what was prior.”
It all starts Saturday. The Aztecs will take on Division II UCSDand all students will be admitted free, in an effort to get theminvolved with the program. They will get a chance to see first-handhow the team has improved.
But don’t expect the Aztecs to win 20 games. Several players saida .500 record is a realistic goal, but Fisher said he won’t judge thesuccess or failure of the season on the win total.
“A program, to me, is one that every year is competitive,” Fishersaid. “Some years, you’re better than others. But you want to have acompetitive team that has a chance to compete for a championship, achance to make the tournament. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Piece by piece. Piece by piece.
