Aztecs Trying to Find Ways to Compensate for Loss of Williams

Life without Bryan continues tonight for the San Diego State basketball team as the Aztecs adjust to the idea of finishing their season without Bryan Williams, the senior point guard who was dismissed from the team after his arrest for petty theft last week.

SDSU plays host to Hawaii at 7:30 in a Western Athletic Conference game at the San Diego Sports Arena. The Aztecs (10-12, 4-8 in the WAC) are 0-3 over two seasons in games in which Williams has not played. Saturday, in the first game after his dismissal, they lost to Utah, 80-77.

The loss of Williams has forced SDSU Coach Jim Brandenburg to move junior Michael Best to point guard from off guard and insert junior Tony Ross at Best’s old spot. Rodney Jones, a junior transfer who had seen limited time until recently, also will be counted upon more heavily. But none of the three have the combination of ball-handling, quickness and ability to penetrate that Williams had.

“What has to happen is that Tony must be a little bit more of a (point guard), and Michael must be a little bit more of a (point guard),” Brandenburg said. “Both are going to have to take some increased responsibility for handling the basketball. It’s not just that one guy is going to have to do everything; both guys are going to have to take some turns and make something happen.” But Best and Ross have had trouble in a point-guard role. Best has been one of the Aztecs’ most effective playmakers--he is second on the team in assists with 89, six behind Williams--but his team-high 79 turnovers are not what Brandenburg is looking for. Ross, whose role had been that of a sixth man, has made only 19 turnovers while averaging 21 minutes per game but also has just 19 assists.

Because of their seemingly mismatched skills, Brandenburg avoided playing Best and Ross together for much of the season, but the loss of Williams leaves him no choice. He said he has spent much of this week’s practice trying to make the team feel comfortable without Williams.

“We have to adjust to different guys in the lineup,” Brandenburg said. “It’s just a matter of playing for a while together and getting accustomed to each other.”

Hawaii (14-9, 7-5) should provide as good a test as any for this new lineup. The Rainbows have won three in a row and defeated the Aztecs, 65-62, three weeks ago in Honolulu.

The Rainbows are led by senior center Reggie Cross, who is fourth in the conference in scoring (20.3 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (8.1 per game). Hawaii is off to its best season since the 1982-83 team finished 17-11 and has done so without junior guard Chris Gaines, who was suspended for academic reasons before the start of the WAC season in early January.

This is the Aztecs’ last WAC home game of the season. Their remaining home games are against Florida International Wednesday and U.S. International Feb. 25. SDSU plays its final three WAC games on the road, starting Saturday at Wyoming.

Aztec Notes

San Diego State Coach Jim Brandenburg has closed practice for the second consecutive week. . . . Senior forward Shawn Bell has missed several practices this week because of the flu but is expected to play, Brandenburg said.