SDSU’s Effort Rates a 9.5 on Gaines’ Scale

EL PASO, Tex. — Smokey Gaines’ San Diego State Aztecs delivered him an earthquake of a basketball game Friday night, a window-rattling 98-84 win over New Mexico.

“About a 9.5,” Gaines said afterward. “And tell it to the NCAA. They don’t think basketball is played in the West.”

Gaines’ players were in a nearby locker room, doing a post-game version of the four-corners. Leonard Allen was in one corner, Anthony Watson in another, Gerald Murray in a third and Michael Kennedy in the other.

“Just one more game,” they all said. “One more.”

That “one more game” will be this afternoon against Texas El Paso for the chance to represent the Western Athletic Conference in the NCAA’s post-season shebang. For the winner, there will be at least one more game.

However, the Aztecs (22-7) were so impressive Friday night that they revived questions about whether they should be invited regardless of today’s outcome.

“No question,” said Gary Colson, the losing coach Friday night.

Except Gary Colson knew there was question. Colson’s New Mexico team put together 24 wins last year and got snubbed by the NCAA.

After all, basketball is a city game. Right? It shouldn’t be played in cities where grass will grow or cities on sand--either desert or seashore. It’s the game for urban universities, who probably also fancy themselves urbane.

Make that an Eastern city game. Basketball elitists will allow a slight detour down Tobacco Road to include the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Otherwise, forget it.

Folks back East think the WAC is the home of cowboys, hula dancers, skiers, beach bums and probably some bandits.

However, they do play basketball in the WAC, and the WAC had gathered its Final Four Friday night. The Special Events Center may not be The Gah-den, but the natives hereabouts can get worked up even though they don’t get adrenalin pumped fighting their way through the subway system.

Texas El Paso won the regular season WAC championship. These days, however, champions don’t have to wait until the next year to defend their championship. They have to do it as soon as the season ends.

That, of course, is what the gathering here is all about. The winner of this afternoon’s game gets the automatic NCAA bid.

Therein lies the rub. Nothing else is automatic.

The NCAA may ignore the runnerup, leaving it to cast its lot with the National Invitational Tournament. That is akin to taking the homecoming queen’s mother to the prom.

For some reason, the NCAA thinks the basketball world ends at the Rocky Mountains. You get the feeling the Western United States slipped into the Pacific Ocean shortly after John Wooden retired at UCLA.

The Aztecs’ problem is obvious. They have to beat UTEP where UTEP is not often beaten.

These folks here are as crazy as any in the country. They get as maniacal about their Miners as any Carolinian can get over a Tar Heel or a Wolfpack or a New Yorker over a Redman.

The populace hereabouts is distressed because the WAC did now allow the Miners the “home announcer advantage” for the playoffs. It was almost as if someone had told them UTEP would have to try to win it without Coach Don Haskins.

Paul Strelzin, the announcer, is one of those cheerleading homers who stirs the crowd beyond its usual frenzy. The WAC brought in an announcer from the University of Texas.

“We want Strelzin,” chanted the crowd. “We want Strelzin.”

Strelzin stood up and took a bow just as the UTEP-Utah game was about to begin and inspired a rather wild response without even opening his mouth.

These fans are waiting for the Aztecs, who had to literally and figuratively go out of their way to get to El Paso in the first place.

All they had to do was beat hapless Hawaii and lackluster Colorado State in the last two WAC games and the WAC’s Final Four would have been in San Diego. Alas, they played as if they couldn’t wait to get to El Paso, losing both games.

Maybe they just wanted to play in front of a crowd. The Aztecs’ home crowds, while not lacking in enthusiasm, have caused little wear on the seats in the upper reaches of the Sports Arena.

Thus, the Aztecs are in a position where they can (a) solve all their problems with their first win here in eight tries, or (b) rest their hopes in the lap of the NCAA.

“If I was on the selection committee,” said Anthony Watson, “there wouldn’t be any problem.”

As of late Friday night, Watson’s presence had not been requested on the selection committee. The NCAA would make its own decision in its own way, which generally doesn’t stretch way out West.

“I think we’re good enough to play in the NCAA tournament,” said Watson, who already had admitted some prejudice. “I’ve got a lot of friends who play on teams I know will be in the tournament, and I know we’ve got the potential to play with them--and win.”

What the Aztecs have to do, of course, is prove it. Maybe they will get a chance in the postseason. If not, they had better think about upgrading the schedule so it doesn’t get kicked into the wastebasket by the NCAA’s computer.

“What the WAC teams have to do,” Gaines agreed, “is go out and play teams from the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference.”

The Aztecs would very much like to do just that. Next week.