News Scrapbook 1984

San Diego, CA (Son Diego Co.) Evening Tribun (Cir. D. 127,454) DEC , " I p (; A

L- •-• .... ,.~hfit rivalry? ask Aztecs, who say beati USD again is not a big goal

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are the type of team, as I remember, that gets up for big games," Martens said. "And I know playing us is a big game for them. So we can expect a tough time, and we'll have to be well-prepared. "When I was at USF, we beat them twice, but we had to go overtime in one game and double overtime the other. And over the last couple of years, they've improved a lot. My feeling is that since they were in the NCAA tournament last year and we didn t make it, they think they should beat us. Well, we have other things in mind." But Martens was the antithesis of a jittery person as he looked ahead to the battle - mirroring the entire squad. "We've just come off two big wins," said Martens, "and we are pretty darn confident. We're not overconfident, but I think we are feeling pretty good about our progress and the way we're playing right now. "A rivalry?" Martens pondered. "We respect them, and we want badly to beat them. But let's just say it's a lot bigger game to the USD guys than it is to us. We aren't real frantic over this. We have bigger goals than beating USD.'' And so it is. The anatomy of a budding rivalry - coolly and adamantly shot down. The remains? Just a very interesting and competitive matchup. ' ' ' Steffan Johnson, a 6-8, 212-pound forward, has signed a national letter of intent to play for San Diego State next fall. Johnson played thr e years at L.5U before transferring to the San Diego area. He has been attending Mesa College. Known as "Baby Magic" when be attended Longview High in Texas, John- son averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds and was highly recruited. But after starting six games his freshman year and 14 his sophomore year at L.5U, he started just six games as a junior, the 1983-84 season. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds a game last year.

"We'll more than have our hands full," be said. "This is no Morgan State, or even Irvine. Let it now be known, we have no more Morgan State's on our schedule this year." The Aztecs, of course, butchered Morgan State by 60 points on Saturday night in a Comedy Store affair to run their record to 2-0. "I'll admit, our team is scared - quite wary of USD,'' Smokey went on. "We started really taking them seriously last year. And we will again this year, I assure you. I saw them beat San Jose State (two nights ago). They trailed by 12 at one point and rallied to pull out a win. That tells me we'll have a project on our hands. We'll probably be underdogs." But the Aztec players seem relatively low-key about the contest - a ballyhooed intracity engagement. ''This is just another game we don't want to lose," said guard Anthony Watson "This is just another team. I don't think anybody on this team is thinking, 'This is USD and we have lo beat them because they are from this town and they are rivals.' We know they are probably better than anyone we've faced this year so far, but they were good last year and we beat them. Our objective is just to go out there and play our best - you know, run and run. We're not thinking in terms of any dumb rivalry." Said center Leonard Allen: "I really think it's more of a rivalry to them than it is to us. I think it's a real big game for them because we've beaten them so many straight times, and because they are a smaller school. "Personally, I have nothing against them. And it's not an especially emo- tior?al game for me, not any more than another one. We know they are a smart team with a smart coach. And we all are looking forward to playing well, because they are a good, tough team. But I think it's a much bigger game to them than it is to us. And my gut feeling is that we will be ready for them. We are starting to build some momentum and some confidence." Aztec forward John Martens played against USD twice three years ago when be was a starting freshman at the University of San Francisco. "They

10,000 or 15,000 people in the stands rooting and screaming, then talk to me about call- ing it a rivalry." Hmmmm. Any other thoughts on the touchy ubject, Smokey? ''To me, this is Just one game," Gaines growled "Our . eason's success isn't pr~i- cated on beating USD, believe me. We will go out and play hard - even give 110 per- cent - and we'd hkc to win. But if we don't, life and the sea on will go on. The truth is, we are trying to build momentum to wm th WAC this year. That's our prior- ity. Not USD. They could beat us 10,000 times, and 1f we won our conference, I'd be a very happy man." The Aztecs and Torcro - a pair of un· beaten teams - cla h tomorrow night in the Sports Arena at 7.30 The Aztl'CS have won the inlerconference confrontation against the mailer, cro ··-town sch_ !_the last five year· and clutch a 13 f> lifetime edge over the Toreros. But the Toreros, currently 3-0, have grown up from wimp1- nes to become big and formidable now And Smokey is aware that USD will be the Aztecs' toughest foe lo ate. Plea e ee A.ZTE , E-

"W 'v

b aten lh rn

five straight

tun they mad 1t to th NC' A toumam ·nt la t year a d we didn't. But we are m a much tough- r leagu , with much tougher sch dule. How would th .y have done in our confer- nc . . huh? We rtainly have nothing to prove rtainly not to them. After th •y'v beat nu f w tun nd we hav , Smokey napped "I reahz

Son Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Son Diego Union (Cir. D. 217,32.4) \Cir. s. 339,7881 0 Jl.lk"'• P. C.

1888 eek to protect string of USD conquests San Diego State has ever gone.

when you play Division I athletics there are a lot of factors besides the game," said USD coach Hank Egan. "A team bas to learn to block those factors out and play the game." San Diego State, meanwhile, is out from under the cloud of NCAA pro- bation that prohibited any post-sea- son play in 1983-'84. "We found out about that in midseason," said Konek, "and that was about it.'' This season, both,~earns have a See AZTECS on hge C-12

meetings. Last time the teams met, m January, a Torero team given a good shot at an upset got drubbed 61- 47 in perhaps its worst performance of the season "We did beat them last season," said Konek, "and that helped ease the pain a little. Actual- ly. a lot." Much has happened since. Ttie Toreros (3-0), who didn't re- spond positively to the buildup be- fore last January's game, have pre- sumably learned how to win a big one. "Unfortunately, or fortunately,

State's mcentive tonight when the Aztecs meet USD al 7:30 at the Sports Arena For the first lime, SDSU's reputation as the top pro- gram 10 the city is truly at stake. 'They're the best team we've played so far this year, but it's not ju t that," said Konek. "Everybody on the team wants lo beat USD be- cause they're USD. If we lose to them ithis time, there's nothing we can say.'' The Aztecs (2-0) haven't lost to USD since 1976, winning the last five

Happen to notice, Michael Kenne- dy' • l SD wasn't a good team last year ' sniffs the Aztec forward. That was chance that they went to the tournament. ' Catch your eye. Jeff Konek? "We all happen to think our confer- ence 1s a lot more competitive," said SD u·s backup point guard. "To me. a big school like San Diego State should have the best athletics. It's pretty much a pnde thrng." It's easy to understand San Diego

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Thursday, December 6, 1984 , Aztec~ Seek to preserve win streak {., ---- · · ) h · th · up the floor like this," said Gaines, Continued from C-1 '1~ vy' K1ki Jackson (14 s armg e scormg h ff d hi l ·1 bl h 1- (1--, load. USD's mobile, flowing defense w O _o ere on Y avai a e sc 0

should help contain Aztec center Leonard Allen (18.5 and 10.S re- e that last game looked like ac;;~ bet, too. "What goes on in the head of an 18- or 19-year old is beyond me," said Egan. "I have no idea what these kids are thinking.'' Gaines, on the other hand, knows exactly what his Aztecs have had on their minds after every one of this season's two-hour practice sessions. They're tired of running. "You guys just came in al the end, and you still got tired just watching us," Gaines told several onlookers after a recent practice. The final half-hour of that Aztec workout did seem more like the Olympic track trials than a basketball session. But that's all part of SDSU's new, quick- draw attack, made possible now that the power-oriented Cage has turned pro. Despite the lopsided margin against Morgan State, the Aztecs are still adjusting to their quickened pace. "Before this, we never had a point guard who could push the ball bounds) down low Of

arsh1p last sprmg to Creon Dorsey, a playmak~r at Texas State Techmcal After two maJor-college games, Dorsey is shooting 58 percent from the floor (the team IS shootmg .563, thanks to a plethor_a of dun_ks Satur- 12, ass!St:s and Just,,three tur~over;:, He s gettmg the~e, said Games, but remember, we ve only playe~ two games. We have 27 more • • • Gaines on why SDSU schedules op- ponents of Morgan State's caliber (i.e., hapless): "People ask us why we play Morgan Stale. I'll tell you why we played Morgan State - to get a (bleep) win, that's why ... And after we played them, I wished we could have played a doubleheader." ... Budweiser and 91-X radio will dis• tribute 5,000 plastic cups at the Sports Arena tonight with SDSU and USD logos imprinted ... Egan, who formerly coached at Air Force, is 1-7 lifetime against Gaines. SDSU leads the all-time season series with USD 14-5. to go. Institute mWaco._ day) and

new look. Egan replaced Jim Brovel- li as USD's head coach after Brovelli accepted the job of building a pro- gram at the University of San Fran- cisco. The Toreros' best player, Mike Whitmarsh. graduated. So did guard John Prunl). farlier this week, Egan l ned that lark Bostic. a starting guard, will miss at least six weeks and pos- sibly the season with a fractured ankle. San Diego State has been forced to respond to the loss of Michael Cage, arguably its finest player ever. Cage • had 26 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Aztecs past USD last season and was picked in the first round by the Clippers, who were then in the pro- cess of moving from San Diego to Los Angeles. Accordingly, last year's power-ori- ented team has been transformed mto a shoot-first, ask-questions-later crew, which is the style Coach Smok- ey Garnes has always preferred. "If I want to pass the ball 10 times, 12 times, 14 times before I lake a shot. I might as well stay home and watch the grass grow," said Gaines. "I think people like to be entertained. In this town, you're competing for the entertainment dollar. If you're onstage, you've got to dance." The dancing got a bit frenetic Sat- urday night during SDSU's 128-68 rout of Morgan State. "That game wasn't close, but I think people en-

Michael Kennedy joyed it, watching us run up and down and dunk," said Gaines. Egan, on a scouting mission for USD that night, wouldn't know. He showed up at halftime, heard the score and went home. That probably won't happen to- night. Unless the Toreros fold like last season, Egan should want to stay around until the end. On paper, at least, this USD team seems capable of snapping the Az- tecs' streak. The Toreros field a more balanced lineup than last sea- son, with sophomore center Scott Thompson (15.3 ppg), senior forward Anthony Reuss (14) and junior guard

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