Aztecs Take to Road With Weary Guards

You won’t find Tony Ross and Bryan Williams complaining about their playing time, unless, of course, they get tired of playing 40 minutes a game.

Ross and Williams are the only scholarship guards left on the San Diego State basketball team.

Both played the entire game in a 56-49 victory at Miami (Fla.) Saturday, and both are expecting similar duty when the Aztecs start a two-game Western Athletic Conference road swing tonight at 6:35 (PST) against New Mexico in the University Arena, known as The Pit.

“If they need me for 40 minutes or, if we go overtime, 45 or 50, I’m ready,” Ross said.

He has little choice.

When reserve guard Ty Walker quit a week ago, William Dixion, a 5-foot 10-inch freshman walk-on from the football team, was left as the only reserve guard. But Coach Jim Brandenburg did not play Dixion against Miami because Walker’s hasty departure did not give him enough time to prepare Dixion for most game situations.

The extra week of practice has helped, and Brandenburg said he expects Dixion to play a little this weekend, mainly as a way to give the starters a brief rest. Dixion is eager for the opportunity. He has played a total of 15 minutes in seven games since he joined the team in mid-December.

“I thought they needed someone to come in and play guard,” Dixion said. “When I found out it was mainly for practice and garbage time, I was disappointed. I’m ready to show what I can do.”

The Aztecs (9-11 overall, 2-6 in the WAC) also could be helped by the expected return of Juan Espinoza, a reserve forward who has missed the past six games because of a stress fracture in his back.

“With two games in two days,” Brandenburg said, “I can’t expect guys to play 40 minutes a night.”

Especially when those games are at New Mexico and Texas El Paso. The Aztecs split their home games against the schools, beating then-No. 18 New Mexico, 64-59, on Jan. 14 and losing to UTEP, 75-53, two nights later.

Both New Mexico (17-8, 5-5) and UTEP (17-6, 6-4) have been inconsistent since. But the Aztecs have no illusions about the difficulty of their weekend assignment.

“It’s mental,” said Williams, who has played 40 minutes in each of SDSU’s past three games. “I know I have enough physical conditioning to run up and down the court for 40 minutes.”

Most teams use a hand signal for players to indicate when they need a rest. With the Aztecs, those signals can go unanswered.

“I did signal one game, and they didn’t send anybody in,” Ross said. “I kept looking over there, and they told me a TV timeout was coming and to just keep playing.”

The lack of competition for the job, however, hasn’t affected motivation, not with the demanding Brandenburg in charge.

“He is the one that really pushes me,” Williams said, breaking into a smile. “With him there, I don’t need anybody else.”