Derrick Tuskan, Photo Editor

SALT LAKE CITY – A sight I’ll never forget: San Diego State senior captain Trimaine Davis sitting in his chair at the end of the bench, his hands clutching his face. As his Aztec teammates solemnly line up to shake the Indiana Hoosiers’ hands, Davis remained seated, mad, disappointed and frustrated.

At that moment, the words “good game” just weren’t a part of his vocabulary.

SDSU’s athletic trainer Mark Haines had to forcefully yank the 6-foot-9 forward out of his seat. “Don’t go out like this,” said Haines, with obvious concern. “You’re better than that. Go shake their hands.”

The Aztecs’ captain, the team’s emotional leader, gave in, standing to acknowledge the Hoosiers.

This would be the final time Davis would be on the court as an Aztec.

Words I’ll never forget: “One shot.”

With a blank stare directed to the exact spot on the court that Indiana’s Robert Vaden had just nailed a 3-pointer to win the game, SDSU assistant coach Brian Dutcher let those words seep out of his mouth.

Seated beside his fellow assistants to head coach Steve Fisher – Gregg Gottlieb and Mark Hughes – Dutcher would say no more.

The other two coaches just shook their heads and took deep breaths – that play, that one shot, will run through their heads for years to come.

Emotions I’ll never forget: I was there for it all. The preseason expectations. The mediocre non-conference record. The magical Mountain West Conference run. The MWC Tournament in Denver.

And then the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

I followed these guys from the beginning.

So when junior guard Brandon Heath jogged toward the bench after the final buzzer sounded, SDSU’s fate sealed and the season over, I couldn’t help but stare at him.

Heath bleeds Red and Black and when he walked off the court with his head down – almost as if he couldn’t physically manage to keep his chin up, like his emotions were forcing him down – I felt for him.

A finish I’ll never forget: When Vaden shot a desperation 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left in the game – after the ball miraculously found his hands when Marcus Slaughter tipped a pass high into the air – a collective nation of Aztec fans knew what would happen.

The victory was hanging right in front of their eyes. But when it comes to playing smart, careful basketball, SDSU freezes up, forgets the basics. And when Indiana gained possession of the ball with 13.3 seconds remaining – after Heath lost control and the Hoosiers grabbed the jump ball – SDSU might as well have been doomed from that point on.

That the ball landed in Vaden’s hands after Slaughter’s tip was just another part of the script.

When the ball doesn’t bounce the Aztecs’ way, of course it wouldn’t tip their way, either.

A post game press conference I’ll never forget: Heath, Slaughter and junior forward Mohamed Abukar – a trio many on Montezuma Mesa will remember for years – looked like they had just seen a ghost. Well, they had just seen the hopes of winning the first NCAA Tournament game in school history disappear.

When you suffer a loss in that way, I guess you either pour your heart out to someone or you bottle it up. My tape recorder was filled with short, frustrated quotes. They didn’t want to talk – would you?

A team I’ll never forget: There should be immense satisfaction taken from SDSU’s season. It didn’t look like a typical Aztec team. Why? Because most SDSU squads wouldn’t have followed through on its preseason pick to win the conference title. This team did, with a 13-3 conference record.

In the past, the Aztecs wouldn’t have won against Wyoming on March 1 with the regular season title on the line. This team did, clinching its first MWC regular-season title since 1978.

Regularly, SDSU wouldn’t have come through in overtime of the MWC Tournament final. This team did – without Slaughter, the tournament MVP, leading the way.

Most Aztec squads can’t hang with Indiana, they don’t get past the hoopla of playing a Big Ten powerhouse full of tradition.

This team did – and it left an impression on the school, the fans and the conference.

Win or lose.

-Willie Bans is a journalism junior and sports editor of The Daily Aztec

-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec