In 8 Years There Were Standout Players and Big Wins, but Many Headaches Too : Bittersweet Reign for SDSU’s Gaines

SAN DIEGO —  There were standout players such as Michael Cage, Anthony Watson and Tony Gwynn. There were significant victories over Texas El Paso and La Salle.

There were postseason appearances, one each in the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament.

These are among the best memories of Smokey Gaines’ eight years as basketball coach at San Diego State.

Gaines, 45, has resigned, effective at the season’s end, and will coach his final regular-season home game tonight at 7:30 when the Aztecs play Utah. There will be little fanfare in tonight’s game--and probably a small crowd to go with it.

“This will be my last time at San Diego State, but it might not be my last time as a head coach,” Gaines said. “You have to keep your options open. You know what I mean? I’m a son of God, and He takes care of his kids.”

In eight seasons, Gaines has compiled a 110-116 record at SDSU. Here are some fond--and not so fond--memories.

--Top players: Nobody was better than Cage, Watson and Gwynn.

Cage was recruited by Arkansas and Memphis State, among others, but Gaines sent him more than 200 letters. Cage, against the wishes of his parents, hopped a bus one day and came to San Diego.

He went on to set all-time SDSU records for scoring and rebounding from 1980 to 1984 and now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.

“He had a nose for the ball and could rebound with the best,” Gaines said.

Watson was a pure scorer, and he set a school record with 54 points in a game last season. He is second on SDSU’s all-time scoring list.

“A bona fide player,” Gaines said.

Gwynn was a holdover from Tim Vezie, the previous coach. Gaines and Gwynn didn’t hit it off too well because Gaines always criticized Gwynn for being overweight. Gwynn, now the Padres’ right fielder, even quit one day, although he returned the next.

“Tony was a good player once he learned he had to be in shape,” Gaines said. “His last 10 games here, he was one of the best players I’ve had.”

--Top victories: None was more impressive than the Aztecs’ 87-81 victory over UTEP in 1985 to win the WAC and qualify for the NCAA tournament.

“That was probably one of my greatest thrills at San Diego State,” Gaines said. “I had a pretty good ride from the bench to the locker room.”

A 93-67 victory over La Salle in the 1980 Cabrillo Classic was another special moment, not because La Salle was so special but because the victory put the Aztecs in the tournament final against top-ranked De Paul.

“We beat La Salle and had over 11,000 fans the next night when we played De Paul,” Gaines said. “I thought we had turned the corner.”

De Paul won, 85-69.

Turning the corner proved to be tough. The 1985 season, in which the Aztecs went 23-8, might also have signaled a turning of the corner, but SDSU has not had a winning season since.

--Postseason tournaments: Not good news. SDSU lost to UC Irvine, 70-69, in the 1982 NIT, and lost to Nevada Las Vegas, 85-80, in the 1985 NCAA tournament.

“But it always feels good to go to a tournament,” Gaines said. “That’s what you strive for.”

--The disappointments: There have been a few. SDSU was put on probation by the NCAA in 1984 for violations that included a player’s getting credit for a class he did not take. Five athletic directors in eight years did not help continuity. Working out of a trailer did not help recruiting. Not having a modern on-campus basketball arena was also detrimental.

On the probation, Gaines said: “That was Michael Cage’s senior year. He really wanted to go to the NCAA tournament. He was down a lot. And losing two scholarships also hurt us.”

On the five athletic directors: “It’s very difficult to maintain (continuity) with all of those changes. I don’t care if you’re Dean Smith, Bobby Knight or John Thompson. It might have been worse for them. I probably do more off-the-court work than those guys. They already have great facilities and crowds. They don’t have to go out and sell season tickets.”

On working in a trailer: “We might have been able to sign kids like Keith Lee, Ennis Whatley and Wayman Tisdale. They all came here and liked the warm weather. Then they walked into the trailer, and it made a major difference. It’s a disgrace to be in a trailer for eight years, but what can you say?”

On an on-campus facility: “It would help. We could use one.”

--The good memories, 1986-87: Believe it or not, there is one.

On his desk, Gaines has a newspaper picture of him being presented a cowboy hat on SDSU’s last trip to El Paso. He also received a cowboy hat from Wyoming fans, who were his harshest hecklers over the years.

“That was really heartwarming,” Gaines said. “People said they’d miss me. That makes you feel good in hostile arenas.”

--The bad memories, 1986-87: Check the 3-24 record.

“I’m trying to discard the bad memories,” Gaines said. “I’m dealing in the positive.”

--The future: Gaines still has two years remaining on a contract that pays him $53,530 annually. He has been assigned to SDSU’s marketing and promotions department, and he will be a fund-raiser and greeter at various SDSU outings.

“Right now, I’m more or less concerned with being an administrator,” Gaines said. “I think I need to lay off coaching for a year or so. Too many guys have called and said I’m too young to be out of it, guys like John Thompson, Gene Bartow and Lefty Driesell.”

What about Gaines’ coaching future?

“I don’t want to go where I have to build a program again,” he said. “A couple of schools have called, but I’m not interested in them. I don’t want to beat myself down again by selling popcorn and season tickets. I want to go where they already love basketball and just need to bring in players.”