Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
– The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever”
San Diego State men’s basketball: What is it? I thought I knew a few things, maybe not always important things, but at least some idea of the world and our place in it. Now it’s 2017 and honestly I don’t know anything. If you’re telling me you know things, I’ve got doubts. Shit is weird and getting weirder, some great unraveling seems underway, a dark version of history we’re doomed to repeat. On the other hand, American institutions are in doubt, facts are dead and news is whatever you decide it is!
Objectively I can say the Aztecs beat the San José State Spartans 76-61 at Viejas Arena. It’s good to win! SDSU had started 0-3 in conference, which is bad and makes everybody feel bad. So this is better. But don’t hold me to that, who’s to judge, make up your own damn mind.
Jeremy Hemsley, Trey Kell and Max Hoetzel led the Tecs with 12 points each. Kell’s night was notably encouraging for its decent-ness; he went 4-8 from the floor and 3-3 from the line. Montaque Gill-Caesar added 10 points in 20 minutes and looked a bit more like the guy we thought the Aztecs were getting. The team as a whole shot a perfectly respectable 48.1% from the field.
This game started tight, San José State keeping it close early for the teeming multitudes tuning in to ESPNU at 8pm Pacific for the battle to escape the Mountain West basement.
Naturally the preceding game bled into the Aztecs broadcast until 8:15, but we’re used to that! It’s the joy of being residents of the Pacific Time Zone. Can you imagine living on the East Coast? It’s cold, they have to get up super early, everybody is pasty and angry, all that government stuff is there, it’s terrible.
Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see
Local sports person Steve Quis was on the TV call; this is noted because he kept pronouncing Valentine Izundu’s name “Izundo.” I found that annoying! Poor, maligned, ginormous Izundu/Izundo. He had 5 points and, from my jaded perspective, looked kind of okay out there despite being taped and stitched up and those thick frames too, dude has a lot going on. He also shot this free throw:
Put some air in that thing! It didn’t matter in any sense. SDSU cruised to a 42-23 halftime lead and weren’t seriously threatened at any time.
The Aztecs moved to 1-3 in conference and 9-7 overall, a dismal record nonetheless well within range of most of the trashy MWC. SDSU’s goal from here has to be righting themselves enough to get at least fifth place in the conference. That would avoid the Wednesday play-in bracket and four games in four days needed to win the conference tournament.
San Diego State football had their share of rough times in 2016, but they kept battling and finished ranked in the final AP poll for just the 2nd time in school history. Steve Fisher, great person and awesome coach, won’t let his team roll over and die. Stay with this squad. To fifth place and beyond!
SDSU hosts Utah State this Saturday at 7pm, on radio and internet only.
KABEER THIRTY 