Brandenburg Hopes 300th Victory Comes Easier Than 250th Has

Jim Brandenburg came to San Diego State’s basketball program three years ago in need of 35 victories to hit 250 for his coaching career.

Conceding that 250 is not exactly a magic number when it comes to coaching milestones, it is a measure of just how difficult victories--and progress--are to come by at SDSU.

Given the way things had gone for Brandenburg first at Montana and then Wyoming, it figured he would get that 35th victory somewhere in the second half of his second season.

Not so.

Not here.

Not with this program.

Understand that Brandenburg never had a losing season in 11 years at Montana or Wyoming. In fact, his Wyoming teams won 48 games his last two seasons alone.

But here he is, more than halfway through his third season in San Diego, and the total is now at 249.

Thus, Brandenburg will be on the doorstep of a personal milestone when the Aztecs take the court against New Mexico tonight at the Sports Arena.

But don’t bother him with such trivial stuff. A 250th victory means no more to him numerically than waking up in the morning and seeing that it is now Jan. 18, 1990.

To Brandenburg, this game and the one Saturday night against Texas El Paso represent nothing more, or less, than opportunities to take another step or two along the painful path to credibility and community appreciation.

“These two games,” he said, “could make our season for us in many ways. For one thing, they could put us 4-2 and put us in good position in (the Western Athletic Conference). I’m not sure they could break our season, but they darn sure could make it.”

Understand that UTEP and New Mexico were picked to finish first and second in the WAC in the preseason, New Mexico because it lost only one starter from a 22-11 team and UTEP because it returned eight players from a 25-7 team.

These are two strong teams coming to town against a Brandenburg program that seems to be making the little breakthroughs and turnarounds it needs to make.

For example, SDSU’s victory over Utah two weeks ago was its first against the Utes since Brandenburg’s arrival. The road victory at Air Force last Saturday was only the second against a WAC opponent in Brandenburg’s three years. The 10-7 start is the best in five years.

None of these little steps is dramatic, but each represents a little bit of progress. Remember that this program is coming back from 5-25 and virtually off the map in 1986-87, the last pre-Brandenburg season.

Obviously, a quick fix was not in the works.

“Where the program was when I took over,” Brandenburg said, “I knew it would be a fairly long, hard struggle. You just don’t snap your fingers and have things turn around immediately. And it’s going to take a couple more years to get where we want to be.”

The key is understanding that San Diego State is not an automatic attraction to blue-chip basketball players. Tradition seems to be a much more powerful drawing card among these fellows than weather, and tradition means jammed arenas, stimulated classmates and townspeople and television exposure. If a blue-chip player has to get there by dog sled, he will go to where the heat is . . . and heat, in this case, means a basketball hotbed.

That is what Brandenburg is trying to change, and that is why it takes time. You don’t upgrade to the highest talent levels without making some stops in between and becoming successful gradually.

“We need to have stability and consistency,” he said. “To do that, we need a good freshman class of solid student-athletes.”

One to come is Joe McNaull, the 6-11 kid from Monte Vista High School who had 32 rebounds, 29 points and nine blocked shots Tuesday night against Granite Hills. He has already signed with SDSU.

Obviously, more must come.

Another key is the on-campus arena, which is expected to be ready for the 1992-93 season. Brandenburg is convinced this will make recruiting easier, stir the enthusiasm of the student body and ultimately get the community and television involved.

“We get good, and we’ll start getting the exposure,” he said. “Arizona did it. There’s plenty of room for a fourth power in the West. We’ve got UCLA, Arizona and UNLV and there’s room for another one.”

And who might that be?

You know who.

“But,” Brandenburg said, “nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. It’s a lot more fun to do it the hard way.”

That 250th victory will not be easy either. Playing New Mexico and UTEP in the same week is about as easy as a two-on-three or four fast break, but at least the opportunity is there.

The thing to remember is that beating either or both would be the biggest deal, not the No. 250. Jim Brandenburg is much more interested in turning points and breakthroughs than he is in milestones. They can come later.