With Help From Son of Smokey, Aztecs Win

As San Diego State’s star of the game sat in front of his locker Saturday night, he talked about what “working hard” could do for you, which is a concept that Smokey Gaines, SDSU coach, emphasizes.

What a coincidence.

The Aztec star was none other than Smokey’s son, freshman Darryl Gaines. He had season-highs of 14 points, 5 rebounds and 1 blocked shot as SDSU won its second straight Western Athletic Conference game by defeating Colorado State, 72-56.

Of course, season-highs were not difficult for Gaines to achieve. In eight previous games, he was one of two from the field and zero of two from the free-throw line.

“I just tried to get out and work hard,” Gaines said, echoing the words his father often uses.

Before Saturday, Darryl Gaines was rarely used. He had played 30 minutes while the Aztecs were losing 9 of their first 11 games.

“Every time I came off the bench, he told me to take my shot,” Gaines said of his father. “I started looking for it the last game and didn’t get the ball much. I’m starting to shoot better in practice and am feeling more comfortable.”

When the game was on the line against Colorado State, Smokey Gaines felt comfortable with Darryl on the court.

And Darryl Gaines rewarded his father when given the opportunity. He had a perfect shooting night, making four field goals and six free throws.

After SDSU had fallen behind early in the second half, 37-36, Gaines gave the Aztecs the lead for good on a follow shot with 13:33 remaining.

Midway through the half, Gaines scored off a loose ball to give SDSU a 48-40 lead. The next time down court, he fed Anthony Watson for a basket that gave the Aztecs a 10-point lead.

After Colorado State scored two straight baskets, Gaines hit a jumper with 6:10 remaining, giving the Aztecs a 52-44 lead.

“I just came up with a lot of loose balls and put them back in,” Gaines said. “I never played that much before. I could never get loose in other games. When I came in in the second half tonight, I was able to get myself going more.”

In another corner of the locker room, Smokey Gaines was talking about his son as if he was just another kid. Evidently, he didn’t want to be accused of nepotism.

“He has been like the scout team in practice,” he said. “He has been giving people a lot of problems with his jumping and hustle. This is a young team. On any given night, any one of them can do it.”

However, the 11 other players are not sons of Smokey Gaines.

Darryl Gaines was playing because Johnny Scruggs, the starting small forward, was bothered by a jammed right thumb. Gaines replaced Scruggs with 17:09 remaining and did not come out until the final minute. He earned a standing ovation from the sparse crowd of 1,830 fans.

The Aztecs had more to thank than Darryl Gaines for their perfect WAC record. They could also thank the schedule-maker, who provided them the opportunity to open at home against two of the conference’s weaker teams--Air Force and Colorado State.

Coming into the game, Colorado State (1-1, 5-8) was a tired team. It had played Thursday night in Hawaii and flown to Los Angeles on Friday night and San Diego on Saturday afternoon. The Rams were concluding a 10-day trip that began with a 6 a.m. bus ride to Denver’s Stapleton Airport the day after Christmas.

“We tried to utilize as many people as possible,” Smokey Gaines said. “We thought they would be tired coming from Hawaii.”

The Aztecs used all 12 players and four scored in double figures. Watson had a team-high 16 points. Creon Dorsey and Gaines scored 14 and Bobby Owens scored 12.

As usual, the Aztecs were thoroughly beaten on the boards. Colorado State had a 30-13 halftime lead and 47-30 overall lead in rebounding.

But for one of the few times, the Aztecs made up for lack of height in other ways. They had 13 steals to Colorado State’s 1, and were 26 of 29 at the free-throw line. Before Saturday, SDSU was shooting 61.8% at the line.

“We shot 89% tonight,” Smokey Gaines said. “And that’s the same team that has been missing free throws all year long.”

It also is the same team that didn’t know what it was missing when the coach’s son was sitting on the bench all year.