SDSU, Brigham Young Both Worried About Cases of Missing Persons
The difference between the Brigham Young and San Diego State basketball teams could be found in the questions their coaches pondered before tonight’s Western Athletic Conference game.
SDSU Coach Jim Brandenburg wondered how he would make up for the absence of point guard Bryan Williams and reserve forward Juan Espinoza. Neither will be available when the Aztecs play the undefeated Cougars at 6:35 PST.
BYU Coach Ladell Andersen was stumped as to why only 18,528 showed up Thursday at the Marriott Center to watch the Cougars (10-0) open their WAC schedule with a 97-66 victory against Hawaii.
“We had 22,000 to see Central Connecticut (a 109-76 victory) last week and the students weren’t back from break,” Andersen said. “Now the students are back, it’s a WAC game, and we only get 18,000. You figure it out.”
It might make Andersen feel better to know that the ticket office appeared to be doing a steady business Friday afternoon. If only Brandenburg’s problems had such easy solutions.
Still smarting from their worst defeat of the season--an 83-56 loss at Utah in their conference opener Thursday--the Aztecs awoke to bad news Friday. Williams was leaving to be with his grandmother, who has been hospitalized in St. Louis since she suffered a stroke earlier this week, and Espinoza was returning to San Diego for further examination of his sore back.
“When I heard that, I just thought, ‘What else can go wrong?’ ” said forward Rodney Hawkins, who leads the team in rebounding (8.2 per game) and is second in scoring (13.7 points). “But we just have to adjust and play harder. We can’t give up. It’s too early to give up. We gave up last year, and we all saw what happened.”
Smokey Gaines resigned as coach as the Aztecs finished 5-25.
“I’ve said all along that this team was going to face adversity,” Brandenburg said. “This is just another example.”
The loss of Williams leaves Brandenburg with only two scholarship guards--leading scorer Tony Ross (16.6 points per game) and Ty Walker. Neither is a strong ballhandler. The Aztecs’ only other guard is William Dixion, a walk-on from the football team.
That could force Brandenburg to use a three-forward lineup, but his flexibility is limited because of Espinoza’s absence and an ankle sprain that kept reserve center Mitch McMullen out of practice Friday.
McMullen--who, as a senior at Hart High School in Newhall, Calif., signed a letter of intent to attend BYU but chose not to enroll--sprained his ankle in the first half against Utah.
“Sometimes adversity brings out the best in human beings,” Brandenburg said. “Sometimes it brings out the worst. We’ll see what it brings out in this ballclub when it plays BYU.”
In that respect, the Aztecs (6-6, 0-1) might not have been able to find a tougher test.
BYU is off to its best start since the 1941-42 team opened with 13 consecutive victories. The Cougars are averaging 95 points per game and lead the nation in field-goal shooting (56.3%).
“As far as shooting and passing and catching the ball, we’re as good as any team in the country,” Andersen said. “This is a very good offensive team.”
The Cougars are led by forwards Michael Smith and Jeff Chatman. Smith, a 6-foot 10-inch junior, is averaging 23.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He also is shooting 84.1% from the free-throw line and 44.4% from three-point range. Chatman, a 6-6 senior, averages 22.1 points and 8.0 rebounds. He also is shooting 62.8% from the field.
“Chatman is a first-round draft choice,” Andersen said, “and I should know, I’ve coached in the pros (two seasons with the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Assn.).”
The Cougars are one of only four unbeaten teams in the country. The others are Kentucky, Temple and Oklahoma. But there is a difference between those teams and BYU. All are ranked in the top 20 of the Associated Press and United Press International polls.
It is another example of how WAC teams have been slow to gain national attention. Although Wyoming is ranked fifth in both polls, BYU and New Mexico, which defeated previous No. 1 Arizona last Saturday, are merely among those receiving votes.
The lack of recognition for the conference aside, part of the reason for BYU’s failure to crack the top 20 might be found in its schedule. None of its victories (including an 87-70 victory at UCLA) have come against top 20 teams, and seven of the victories have been at home.
“It doesn’t disappoint me or surprise me that we aren’t ranked,” Smith said. “We might be 25th in the country now, but if we continue to win, they can’t keep us down. This way, maybe we can sneak up on some teams. But what really matters is where we are at the end.”