Fans celebrate: ‘Great day for Aztecs’
Sam Barrick lives in Austin, Texas, but there’s no way he was going to spend this particular weekend among Longhorns fans.
Not when San Diego State was making an unprecedented run through the NCAA Tournament.
Barrick, who grew up in Chula Vista and graduated from SDSU in 2014, flew to San Diego on Friday — too late to join other SDSU fans watch the Aztecs’ Sweet 16 win over Alabama.
Not to worry. As it turns out, the party was just getting started.
Barrick joined an estimated 500 Aztecs fans Sunday morning for an Elite Eight watch party at AleSmith Brewing Co. in Miramar.
The joint was jumping, with joyous Aztecs fans witnessing the 57-56 victory over Creighton that sent SDSU to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
How nervous was Barrick in the game’s closing minutes?
“Ten out of 10. Maybe 11,” he said.
Nerves were frayed. Nails were bitten. Heads were buried in hands one moment. Arms were raised to the heavens the next.
Many were mindful of last year’s first-round overtime loss to Creighton.
Others thought about misfortune through the years. Or downright bad luck, like when the 2020 team went 30-2 only to watch as the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, this.
“It was nerve-wracking, but it was a great feeling,” Rancho Bernardo’s Andy Stang said. “Great day for the Aztecs. Great day for San Diego.”
Stang was in and out his seat reacting to the ups and downs of the game, gesturing to the big screen TV in front of him, venting to those around him, even going out on an upstairs balcony at times to gather himself amid the anxiety.
Stang said he reflected at times on what has transpired since Steve Fisher arrived nearly 25 years ago and turned around SDSU’s men’s basketball program.
“All the time, we kept getting closer and closer,” he said. “Then when we had it in reach, COVID hit. And now that’s finally all erased. We’re going to the Final Four.”
AleSmith’s two-story building was awash in red and black.
Most fans sported Aztecs gear, the SDSU No. 15 jersey worn a decade ago by Kawhi Leonard the most popular among them, or the school’s colors, save for the guy walking around in a New York Yankees Derek Jeter jersey (don’t be that guy).
The mood was actually mellow in the leadup to tipoff. Half a dozen fans brought their dogs, who calmly sat at their feet. One young girl worked a coloring book in the first half, barely glancing up at what was going on around here.
Fans cheered the opening tip.
They cheered the opening basket by SDSU center Nathan Mensah.
They cheered Aztecs guard Lamont Butler’s 3-pointer that provided SDSU with a brief 5-4 lead.
But quiet frustration settled in thereafter as Creighton built a 28-20 lead. An 8-0 run by SDSU that tied the score brought AleSmith back to life with 2:44 remaining in the first half.
Then things went flat again like day-old beer as the Bluejays scored the final five points for a 33-28 halftime lead.
Stephen Johnston, a San Diego native who lives in Alpine, said during the intermission that he remained optimistic.
“I think we kind of have them where we want them,” Johnston said. “Tired them out for the second half.”
The five-point deficit didn’t bother him a bit.
“After last game, my confidence is pretty high,” he said. “If you outscore the No. 1 overall team 32-16 in the last 10 minutes, you’ve got to feel pretty good.”
SDSU got off to a fast start in the second half, even taking a 34-33 lead on a basket by Lamont Butler.
That got the crowd chanting, “Let’s go, Aztecs!”
But then SDSU’s shooting went cold — the Aztecs missed 12 of 15 shots during one stretch midway through the second half — and Keshad Johnson missed a dunk and Darrion Trammell dribbled a ball off his leg out of bounds.
But then San Diego State started making plays again.
Some fans tried putting a hex on Creighton players, raising their hands and moving their fingers when Bluejays were at the freethrow line.
Didn’t work.
The Aztecs inched their way back, however, taking a 52-50 lead when Aguek Arop made a turn around hook inside the lane.
With three minutes remaining, one fan moved three stools out of the way.
“No more sitting,” he said.
In the final minute, with the score tied, Barrick thought of last year’s loss to Creighton, when the Aztecs missed two free throws that would have won the game in regulation before losing in overtime.
Now, here was Trammell at the free-throw line in a game that was 56-56 with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Trammell missed the first one.
“But Darrion hit the second free throw,” Barrick said.
AleSmith erupted when the Aztecs seemingly won after Creighton’s length-ofthe-court desperation pass went out of bounds.
An officials’ review delayed the celebration a few minutes, then a ref waved that it was all over but the shouting.
And the crowd erupted all over again.
The SDSU fight song played, fans shouted and cheered and danced.
Chris Pekos, a 2002 SDSU graduate, jumped on a table and waved an SDSU flag.
“All the years of going to Aztecs events with my dad, then going to the college there and being an (alum),” said Pekos, who grew up in La Jolla and now lives in Mission Valley. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling. I know we’ve had a good team for the past 20 years, but the Final Four is next level.”
Next weekend, Barrick will be back in Austin. It’s about a 21⁄2-hour drive from Houston, where the Aztecs will be playing in the Final Four.
“I’ve got to see how much tickets cost,” Barrick said. “If I can be there, I will.”
If?
First Final Four berth — priceless.