San Diego State’s Basketball Recruits Remain on Hold

The prospect of San Diego State recruit Wilbert Frazier being admitted to the university is quite dim, according to Aztec basketball Coach Smokey Gaines. And the three remaining freshman recruits, who are awaiting special admissions, have to retake their college entrance examinations.

“I do know that Wilbert’s test scores were low,” Gaines said. “And it doesn’t look like he is going to make it. We have kids that have a 2.5 or 2.6 grade-point averages, and the only reason they are not getting in is because of test scores. With those grades, out-of-state students need (about) a 1,200 (combined score) on the SAT test.” California high school graduates with a 2.5 GPA need 1,000 on the SAT or 23 on the ACT. All of the Aztec recruits have at least a 2.0 GPA, and thereby qualify under NCAA standards. However, at SDSU, the recruits are considered special admissions because they do not meet the school’s higher admissions requirements.

At SDSU, a student’s high school GPA, college test scores, and a required number of high school English and math courses are used to determine entrance criteria.

Recruit Tracy Dildy of Chicago said he will take the ACT exam in Chicago on Aug. 9, and Gaines said Josh Lowery of Oakland and Johnny Scruggs of Silver Springs, Md., are scheduled to take the ACT exam in San Diego within the next couple of weeks. The test is being offered at San Diego State on Aug. 13.

According to Nancy Sprotte, SDSU director of admissions and records, the ACT exam on Aug. 13 will be graded within three to four days and the results will be applicable for fall admission to SDSU. Classes begin Sept. 3.

Three SDSU freshman recruits have been granted special admission. They are Darryl Gaines (Smokey Gaines’ son), Jeff Bobin of Seattle and Kevin Brown of Grand Rapids, Mich.

However, Frazier may not play for the Aztecs in the 1985-86 season. Gaines said Frazier may be forced to attend a junior college.

“If he can’t go to San Diego State,” Gaines said, “I want him to go to a junior college in San Diego. His mom told me to take care of him, no matter what happens, and I want to take care of him. “

Said Frazier: “Nothing has been verified to me yet.”

Gaines said he hasn’t yet spoken to Frazier about the possibility of junior college.

Said Mrs. Jessie Frazier, Wilbert’s mother: “We’re not planning on it (Wilber going to junior college), and I hope not. It would be very unsettling for me.”

It is a confusing situation. And one that has a number of people disappointed, worried and upset.

One of those people is Hodari McGavock, Lowery’s coach at Tech High.

“It boggles my mind that he (Lowery) could sign a letter of intent, that SDSU should offer him a scholarship, and then we find all this out at this late date, “ McGavock said.

McGavock said that Lowery received a contract offer to play professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians three weeks ago. “He’s (Lowery) feeling real rotten right now,” McGavock said. “If Josh doesn’t get in, we’ll go to play B or C. He’ll play baseball or go to another school.”

Said Lowery: “I’m kind of down. When I signed the letter (of intent), they told me I was in the school. They told me my GPA was high enough to get in . . . I think about baseball all the time.”

Said Melinda Lowery, Josh’s mother: “I hope someone might want him (Josh). After he signed the letter, we thought he was in. Now, this looks like a mark against him.”

Dildy, who had a 2.76 GPA in high school but admitted that he did poorly on the ACT test, still sounded confident about being admitted to SDSU.

“I will do what I have to do to go there,” Dildy said. “I’m capable of doing better on the test, and am confident I’ll be playing for San Diego State this year.”

The Aztecs are also waiting to find out if transfers Steffond Johnson (LSU and Mesa College) and Curtis Gates (Colby Community College in Kansas) will be accepted into the university. Final decisions concerning the players is expected to come from the office of Dan Nowak, the vice-president for student affairs. As has been his policy since last Thursday, Nowak is not returning phone calls.