Soon, Anaheim Arena will have The Mighty Ducks NHL team. Tonight, the Smith Spectrum will have The Lame Ducks.
In one of college basketball's stranger occurences, the Nevada-at-Utah State regular-season Big West Conference finale features rival coaches who are already looking for work.Nevada coach Len Stevens was told Monday he won't be offered another contract after this 8-17, 3-14 season, the Wolf Pack's first in the Big West. The 'Pack has lost 12 of its last 13 games. Stevens is 90-79 at the school.
At USU, it was announced on Jan. 29 that Logan native Kohn Smith wouldn't be retained. This final home game, at 7:30, is Smith's 140th with USU. His five-season mark is 63-76. The Aggies are 10-15, 7-10 this season.
"It's kind of a funny game," says Smith. "I think we'll just get our staff and their staff together and get some popcorn and Cokes and get up in about the third or fourth row and let 'em at it. Have some fun," he says.
Unlike last-place Nevada, the Aggies have at least one more game to play, in the Big West tournament Friday.
The lame-duck situation diverts attention from four seniors playing for the last time for home fans. They are Gary Patterson, Jay Goodman, Todd Gentry and Carlito DaSilva. "I hope it gets put aside," Goodman says. "It's a special time for the seniors. Also for Coach Smith. He's leaving with us.
"I don't know how difficult it's going to be until it happens," says Goodman, who has 1,189 career Aggie points, 17th on the all-time list, and 199 career assists with 96 this season.
For Patterson, a four-year member of the team, it's his 100th game as an Aggie. He has started the last nine, 11 of the last 13, and has 20 starts, 334 points in his career. "He's going to be real sad," Goodman says.
DaSilva, a transfer last season from College of Southern Idaho, has not played well this season but was the Aggies' second-leading scorer (13.0) and rebounder (6.3) in his junior season. Gentry, of Orem, transferred from Brigham Young University to BYU-Hawaii to USU. He spent most of his two seasons in Logan on the bench but started the last six games.
The four seniors plus junior forward Rod Hay will be Smith's starting lineup tonight.