bro24
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Post by bro24 on Jun 28, 2014 6:53:23 GMT -8
By the time Smokey's third season rolled around my buddy and I wished he were gonzo. It was clear that he was a snake oils salesman and couldn't coach a lick. I really liked his wife and could never understand the attraction between the two. It never entered my mind to go to some place owned by S Gaines.
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Post by aztecwin on Jun 28, 2014 7:10:16 GMT -8
This thread popped up again and I reread a lot of it. The thing that seems most obvious to me is the lack of support from the Admins at State for Smokey and how badly Tim Vizie was treated. Time dims the memory, but we had a couple chances to grow the program before Steve Fisher and the school screwed it up.
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bro24
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Post by bro24 on Jun 28, 2014 7:26:36 GMT -8
The last player who played for smokey for four years and four years and graduated was not eddy Gordon it was Bobby Owens 82-86. He played one year with eddy gordon two years with Michael cage three years with Leonard Allen and four years with anthony watson. He graduated in 1987. Owens left the team after he and smokey had a disagreement with five games left in the 85-86 season. After he left the team Owens met with AD Miller and explained why he left the team. AD Miller allow Owens to finish his degree on scholarship because he was very close to graduating which he did in 1987.
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bro24
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Post by bro24 on Jun 28, 2014 8:20:29 GMT -8
The last player who played for smokey for four years and four years and graduated was not eddy Gordon it was Bobby Owens 82-86. He played one year with eddy gordon two years with Michael cage three years with Leonard Allen and four years with anthony watson. He graduated in 1987. Owens left the team after he and smokey had a disagreement with five games left in the 85-86 season. After he left the team Owens met with AD Miller and explained why he left the team. AD Miller allow Owens to finish his degree on scholarship because he was very close to graduating which he did in 1987.
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Post by junior on Jun 28, 2014 8:58:29 GMT -8
From the LA Times article:
"Kids want to play right away. When you are a disciplinarian, like I am, kids find it tough to deal with you right out of high school. A lot of kids leave (Indiana Coach) Bobby Knight's program too. When a kid's not used to discipline, he might say he won't get a chance to play and he'll leave."
-Smokey
Uh, Smokey? Just to be clear:
You<Bobby Knight
Sorry, but those years were not the 'Golden Age' of Aztec Mens BB by any stretch of the imagination, no matter how well you might wax nostalgic…
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Post by AztecWilliam on Jun 28, 2014 11:19:45 GMT -8
The degree to which a university's administration supports intercollegiate athletics is crucial. Somehow Coryell was able to recruit quality players. (Of course, he went almost exclusively with JUCOs, so that must be taken into consideration.) SDSU's facilities were pretty bad in those days, if I remember correctly. There was no weight room, I believe; players had to lift weights outdoors.
Only if the admin. really backs FB and BB will SDSU become one of the elite of college sports. Hoops is in good shape in that regard, but how much the president and AD really want FB to become Top-25 on a regular basis is in question. No doubt they would love to have the football team be successful, but that's like saying I would love to lose 30 lbs.; if I don't do what's necessary to become thin again, it ain't happening!
AzWm
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Post by aronoff on Jun 28, 2014 11:59:17 GMT -8
Smokey knew the type of player he could succeed with - he wanted at least 1-2 academic exceptions "projects" every year and a school funded system to support these players to be successful - much like what exists today. He did not get the support and commitment from the University to make his plan work.
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Post by aztecbb on Jun 28, 2014 12:05:43 GMT -8
Last time I ran into Smokey he was selling cards down in Nat'l city.
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Post by aztecbb on Jun 28, 2014 12:06:23 GMT -8
...and Leonard Allen was delivering for Fed Ex
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Post by bearfoot on Jun 28, 2014 13:30:37 GMT -8
The last player who played for smokey for four years and four years and graduated was not eddy Gordon it was Bobby Owens 82-86. He played one year with eddy gordon two years with Michael cage three years with Leonard Allen and four years with anthony watson. He graduated in 1987. Owens left the team after he and smokey had a disagreement with five games left in the 85-86 season. After he left the team Owens met with AD Miller and explained why he left the team. AD Miller allow Owens to finish his degree on scholarship because he was very close to graduating which he did in 1987. Fine, but Mr. Owens was not on the team when he finished. Eddie Gordon is still the benchmark. One could argue that if Mr. Owens had stayed on the team, he might not have graduated, but since he had the sense to chat with Miller, my guess he was solid enough to have completed his degree while playing. Even if we count him, it only shortens the spread of incompletes by a short time.
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bro24
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Post by bro24 on Jun 28, 2014 14:27:41 GMT -8
Mr. Gordon recieved his degree after his playing days were over just like Mr.Owens. Based on that criteria then Mr. Owens was the last person from the Smokey Gaines era to graduate which means it was only four years not eleven years before the next Aztec BB player graduated in 1991. However I do agree with you that the graduation rate of BB players during the Smokey Gaines era was shameful.
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Post by Den60 on Jun 28, 2014 16:26:02 GMT -8
To be honest, he was probably the best we could do considering our facilities.
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bro24
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Post by bro24 on Oct 22, 2014 23:36:03 GMT -8
To be honest, he was probably the best we could do considering our facilities.
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bro24
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Post by bro24 on Oct 23, 2014 8:13:39 GMT -8
Read LA Times Article "Dropping The Ball" dated August 4, 1985. After reading the article, the David "Smokey" Gaines era at SDSU will be put in it proper perspective. According to Eddy Gordon's wife, Shelly Gordon, she exposed what Smokey and the university did to her husband. The only players that Graduate with Degrees that Gaines brought to SDSU is Eddy Gordon (79-82) and Bobby Owens (82-86). It took Eddy three years and took Owens one year after their eligibility was up but they did it.
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Post by missiontrails on Oct 23, 2014 8:20:41 GMT -8
Read LA Times Article "Dropping The Ball" dated August 4, 1985. After reading the article, the David "Smokey" Gaines era at SDSU will be put in it proper perspective. According to Eddy Gordon's wife, Shelly Gordon, she exposed what Smokey and the university did to her husband. The only players that Graduate with Degrees that Gaines brought to SDSU is Eddy Gordon (79-82) and Bobby Owens (82-86). It took Eddy three years and took Owens one year after their eligibility was up but they did it. Given your knowledge and interest in this story, I'm guessing you are Mr. Owens? Not trying to troll or call anyone out. If you are Mr. Owens you are to be commended for following through on your work toward your degree.
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bro24
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Post by bro24 on Oct 23, 2014 9:36:34 GMT -8
He is my father. He told me about his college days and will relay the message.
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Post by standiego on Oct 23, 2014 10:01:06 GMT -8
Bro24 any thoughts on the Current Aztec MBB ?
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bro24
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Post by bro24 on Oct 23, 2014 10:57:13 GMT -8
Speaking for myself, I believe SDSU is the top MBB program in the West since 2010. Coach Fisher had done a great job with a program that my father always considered a sleeping giant. Coach Fisher woke up the giant!
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Post by standiego on Oct 23, 2014 11:00:06 GMT -8
Has your father been to any games or met with any of the current staff ?
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Post by Village Aztec on Oct 23, 2014 11:24:11 GMT -8
There was a dull guy winning at Cal. State Fulerton. He was winning and we were after him, but Smokey comes in and sell himself.
At that time there were no Black head coaches. The though was that would be an advantage for us getting kids back East. Smokey said the kids lived in the steamy gym and sell them on palm trees did not work.
Brandenburg said when Eddy Gorden came in the Aztecs would make a comeback. So Brandenburg would have to find a thug to get in Eddy's face. He said before he could put in the thug Smokey would pull Gorden.
Brandenburg daughter wanted to leave Wyoming and he did not want to lose her to California. Brandenburg was good at coaching big Centers.
He never was able to recruit. There was no excuse for putting a coach in a trailer.
We never had facilities nor money to hire coaches and assistant coaches. Don had all young coaches. Funny how big schools with a lot of money can't win, but smart young coaches can.
Fan's want named coached. We can't play that game. We survive with veteran coaches or young coaches.
We don't have $300,000 to pay for Offensive and defensive coordinators.
I don't know why fans can't understand we need big money to win at D1.
So Rocky is only spending $100,000. Now that is creative.
To replace Rocky we need to increase the Head coaches pay by $300,000 + and need $500,000 for coordinators.
It is easy to fire someone, but not easy to replace them.
We spend a lot of time discussing what we want. Better to buy a used car with low miles.
We need housing for coaches to live in.
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