Where Have All the Seniors Gone? : SDSU Basketball Team Feeling Loss of Five ’83 Freshmen

San Diego State basketball had a big year recruiting freshmen for the 1983-84 season.

The team received commitments from Al Attles (son of Golden State General Manager Al Attles) from Oakand, Gerald Murray and Anthony Sands from Detroit, David Grissom from Gladewater, Tex., Ira Harge from Albuquerque and Steve Holland from Chicago.

They would be seniors in the 1986-87 season. They would be the nucleus of the team.

That’s the way it might have been, except that 1986-87 is here and five of those six are gone. The only survivor is Gerald Murray, a fourth-year junior. The others left the Aztecs by the end of their sophomore seasons.

Consequently, SDSU is a team without senior leadership, and is 2-14 overall and winless in the Western Athletic Conference.

That freshmen have not made it through their senior seasons in the SDSU basketball program has not been unusual. Coach Smokey Gaines has had five senior classes of freshmen he recruited, and a total of five athletes--Michael Cage, Leonard Allen, Anthony Watson, Eddy Gordon and Eddie Morris--have started and completed their collegiate careers at SDSU.

However, this is the first time that virtually an entire “senior class” has been wiped out.

Gaines does not believe that the departure of the five ’83 freshmen reflects a pattern of SDSU’s inability to retain freshmen.

“For one thing, a lot of programs redshirt kids,” Gaines said. “We don’t have an opportunity to do that because we need numbers. If you can afford to redshirt a kid, you’ll probably keep him longer. They don’t get unhappy and they are more patient.

“Kids want to play right away. When you are a disciplinarian, like I am, kids find it tough to deal with you right out of high school. A lot of kids leave (Indiana Coach) Bobby Knight’s program too. When a kid’s not used to discipline, he might say he won’t get a chance to play and he’ll leave.”

Big things were expected from the 1983-84 freshman class.

They expected quite a bit from themselves.

“We had big plans,” said Attles, now playing at the University of San Francisco. “Everyone talked of winning the national championship as seniors.”

Grissom is at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., and Harge at the University of Denver. Holland is academically ineligible at South Carolina and Sands is academically ineligible at Wayne State in Detroit.

Murray, who missed last season with a broken kneecap, is the only current SDSU player with more than a year of major-college experience.

The former Aztecs cited four primary reasons for leaving:

--They were alienated by Michael Brunker, the No. 1 assistant coach.

--They had trouble dealing with Gaines.

--They were upset when Gaines fired Jessie Evans, the No. 2 assistant coach.

--They thought they’d never get to play extensively.

In fact, for two seasons, the potential Class of 1986-87 figured to spend most of its time on the bench. Those were veteran teams, the 1984-85 Aztecs advancing to the NCAA tournament before losing to Nevada Las Vegas in the first round.

If all had remained, SDSU’s lineup today could well be Grissom and Harge at forward, Murray at center and Holland, Sands and Attles alternating at guard.

“Some of the guys who left could really help us right now,” Gaines said. “If we had those guys now, we wouldn’t be going through what we are right now. Too bad they got frustrated during our championship year and wouldn’t wait their turn.”

SDSU seems to miss them more than they miss SDSU.

“We all went to good programs and are playing where we’re at,” Grissom said. “What I don’t understand is how we went from not playing at San Diego State to playing at programs that are equally as good as San Diego State.”

Brunker thought the former Aztecs were overstating their value.

“They should all be contributing at the Division I level,” he said. “Are they?”

Grissom (Old Dominion) is averaging 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds, Harge (Denver) averages 9.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, and Attles (USF) averages 3.6 points and 2 rebounds. Holland averaged 1.9 and 1.0 at South Carolina last season. Sands hasn’t played since averaging 2.4 and 1.0 at SDSU two seasons ago.

Ironically, each of the players said a prime reason for going to SDSU was the opportunity to play. They became frustrated when it did not happen.

“I felt I would never reach my potential there,” Harge said. “I guess it was because my confidence level was down. It wasn’t fun there anymore. Now, I’m having fun and my confidence is up. Even though it’s cold here and it’s not San Diego, I like Denver. It all has to do with your state of mind.”

Attles agreed.

“I didn’t feel I would ever get a chance there,” he said. “I had a defeatist attitude. If I felt everyone was outplaying me, it would have been different. I thought if you worked hard in practice, you deserved a chance. I felt like a practice dummy there. I thought every one of us could play well.”

Said Gaines: “I told those guys to be patient. Those were guys we should have redshirted so they could have adapted to college life. We needed numbers at the time. Plus, I thought the experience they gained on our trips would help them the second time around.”

However, trips and practices were not always the most positive of experiences. The players recall a practice incident involving Brunker and Sands on a Hawaii trip three years ago.

Said Grissom: “Anthony (Sands) blocked a shot by Michael Cage and all of us yelled, ‘Good block.’ Brunker said, ‘It’s not a block, it’s a foul.’ Anthony smarted off and Brunker started to go after him. It was kind of wild. It was like Brunker didn’t have control. They (the coaches) were really on Anthony, especially after that.”

Said Sands: “Brunker charged me as if he wanted to fight me. Jessie Evans detoured him and grabbed him. I never talked to (Brunker) about it because I didn’t care much for him.”

Brunker was surprised when asked about the incident.

“I don’t remember that,” he said. “What do you want me to say? Sands made some very strong statements when he left here. The kid was very frustrated. He felt he should’ve been playing in front of Anthony Watson (SDSU’s second-leading all-time scorer).”

Harge said there were other instances that caused him to distrust Brunker.

“When I’d talk to him, he’d ask about girls I was seeing and I’d let him know,” Harge said. “Then he’d come back and say you shouldn’t be messing with so many girls. Why would he ask us in a friendly manner, then turn it back on us? He’d gain your friendship and do something to lose it.

“He’d also pit player against player, maybe because of coaching. One time, Gerald (Murray) accidentally elbowed me in practice. When Mike asked me about it later, I told him Gerald accidentally hit me. Mike asked me if I thought it was accidental. He tried to make it like Gerald did it on purpose. He’d pit people against each other, and Gerald and I were roommates.”

Brunker and Murray said they did not recall the incident.

Grissom recalled an incident that angered players after Evans was fired.

“Smokey called some players and said there would be a coaching change,” Grissom said. “He asked me if I thought Jessie or Michael was a better coach. I didn’t know he had let Jessie go, and he didn’t say which one he had let go. He was tricking us.

“I said I liked Jessie better. Smokey said, ‘Why don’t you like Brunker? He recruited you.’ I said I didn’t dislike Brunker, but I liked Jessie better. Smokey went and told Brunker. Brunker was really down on me after that. Smokey called six players I know of and they all said they liked Jessie better.”

“I don’t remember that,” Gaines said.

After hearing what players said about Brunker, Gaines defended his top assistant coach. Gaines had become coach at SDSU in 1979-80 and Brunker followed a season later.

“Sometimes, kids want to buck authority,” Gaines said. “Michael’s not bad people. Sometimes he might say things he doesn’t mean to say. I might say the same thing and they’ll laugh because I’m funny. He might say it and they’ll think he’s knocking them. Maybe it’s the difference in our personalities.”

And Gaines’ personality apparently confused the young players.

“It was sort of love-hate (between Gaines) and all of the guys,” Attles said. “(Sometimes) he’d be the disciplinarian, Bobby Knight type. Sometimes he’d be joking. He was real up and down. His mood could change at the drop of a dime. For some people, his discipline was right. Some couldn’t take it.”

Gaines: “I try to explain to players that when I get on them, I’m not down on them. I want to let them know I care about them. If I don’t say anything, it means I don’t care. When guys get off the track, you have to do whatever it takes as long as you don’t hit them. When they do bad, kick ‘em in the behind. When they do well, put your arms around them and say you love them.”

From the time he departed midway through his sophomore year, Sands has been most critical of Gaines.

“He used to cuss and say all types of obscene things,” Sands said. “I couldn’t understand it. I thought it was crazy. I couldn’t put up with it. I was bewildered. It had me down for a long time. I didn’t know if it was them or me. Finally, I realized it was them.”

Gaines said he is not bitter at Sands or the others who left SDSU.

“I’m a people’s person,” Gaines said. “I can get on a kid for five minutes, then it’s all over in the next five minutes. I don’t hold grudges.”

However, Gaines does occasionally criticize his players in public.

Murray has been under pressure this season for being overweight.

Yet Murray has stayed.

“I still think I made the right decision,” Murray said. “Right now, I’m the guy with the most experience on this team. As far as me staying here, I think Smokey is a good coach. Everything is not all positive. It has been a learning experience. But I’ve come a long way since I was a freshman.”

Murray has started all but three games this season. His 1986-87 statistics--8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds--are better than all but Harge’s elsewhere.

“I think Smokey’s a good guy,” Sands said. “Deep in his heart, I think he has good intentions. . . . I think I would’ve gotten along better with Smokey if Michael Brunker wasn’t there.”

Players said they viewed Evans as the most approachable of their three coaches, and that his departure upset them.

“Jessie was the easiest coach to talk to,” Grissom said. “Everyone was more relaxed around Jessie. He had the most relaxed attitude of the coaches.”

Consequently, players put their trust in Evans.

“You have to have a buddy system,” Harge said. “Jessie seemed to be everybody’s buddy. He’d have you over (to his home) and ask how you were doing and what he could do for you. Smokey and Mike would have us over for lunch and dinner too, but it wasn’t often. Jessie seemed more down to earth. He wasn’t trying coaching techniques or reverse psychology on you.”

Evans had a falling out with Gaines after the 1983-84 season, when he applied for the head coach position at the University of San Diego without informing Gaines.

“San Diego State wasn’t going the way I would have liked for it to,” Evans said. “I had applied for the USD job and Smokey said it was disloyal because I hadn’t told him soon enough. . . . In retrospect, he’s absolutely right. He should’ve been the first one I told.”

Evans is now an assistant coach at the University of Texas. Thus, he has that one thing in common with Harge, Holland, Attles, Sands and Grissom.

He’s gone.

SDSU BASKETBALL CLASS OF ’87 / Where They Are Now

THE ONES WHO LEFT

Player, University Pts. Avg. Reb. Avg. Al Attles, San Francisco 3.6 2.0 David Grissom, Old Dominion 4.1 1.6 Ira Harge, Denver 9.3 7.9 Steve Holland, South Carolina Academically Ineligible Anthony Sands, Wayne State Academically Ineligible THE ONE WHO STAYED Gerald Murray 8.8 6.9