Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | 7:47 a.m.
San Diego State basketball coach Steve Fisher snuck into UNLV coach Lon Kruger's back yard over the weekend, took a dip in the pool, a big swig from the sun tea jug and the New York strips off the grill.
Fisher, who didn't say hello, left without saying goodbye.
"I didn't tell him I was coming," Fisher said.
Actually, just about every major college coach, and/or an assistant or two, have been in Las Vegas for the annual National Association of Basketball Coaches meetings at the Orleans.
They are always conveniently scheduled before the start of a slew of adidas, Nike and Reebok schoolboy tournaments involving hundreds of national teams at school gyms and recreational centers all around the valley.
Fisher capitalized on the timing of those events to coordinate another "recruiting" event - meeting and greeting locals who attended San Diego State and drumming up support for his program.
He also wanted to remind Aztecs in Las Vegas that the Mountain West Conference tournament returns to the Thomas & Mack Center next spring after three lackluster years in Denver.
Not only did San Diego State defeat UNLV three times in a season for the first time in 2005-06, but Fisher plucked standout guard Kashif Watson from Bishop Gorman High during last fall's early signing period.
Former Cheyenne High star Lorenzo Wade left a Final Four squad at Louisville to transfer to San Diego State. After sitting out a year, he's eligible to play this season.
To top off San Diego State's edge over UNLV, former Marquette forward Ryan Amoroso, who had announced his intention of becoming a Rebel, switched his allegiance last week to Fisher, who offered him a scholarship.
"This is such a growing community," Fisher said of Las Vegas. "High school basketball is really good here, so we'll try to continue to come over here and sneak a player out now and then."
Kruger said even without standout forward Marcus Slaughter - who left early, hired an agent and then wasn't picked in the NBA draft - the Aztecs could have their best team ever this season.
Fisher strolled into the hangarlike Sierra Gold tavern, whose corporate owner's regional director is a San Diego State alum and was elated to see "his" coach, late Friday afternoon and stayed for 90 minutes.
Almost 1,000 former Aztecs reside in the Las Vegas area, but only a devoted dozen showed to shake hands with Fisher and hear him talk about his team in an open room at the rear of the loud tavern.
He had to raise his voice considerably at one point, when a video-poker jackpot announcement blared over the bar's speakers.
Fisher recalled speaking at 75 different events, from Kiwanis Club functions to church groups, in and around San Diego when he arrived there seven years ago.
"Some were like this; others were huge," he said. "You never know. I think a couple of these people here will go home and say, 'Hey, that was fun. Let's go to San Diego and watch them play.' Who knows what that might lead to?"
Fisher said the recent ledger between the two teams doesn't completely favor San Diego State, because Kruger did get assistant coach Marvin Menzies from the Aztecs two seasons ago. Menzies left for Louisville after one season.
And Kruger got his own coup when his son, Kevin, recently used a new NCAA rule to leave Arizona State and become immediately eligible to play his senior season at UNLV for his father.
"Not to put pressure on him, but he'll bring a little bit of Steve Nash with him," Fisher said. "You look at him and say he can't be that good. Then he'll find ways to beat you. He'll make them better and they'll make him better."
A few UNLV license plates were scattered in the Sierra Gold parking lot, but the out-of-towner didn't attract any negative attention Friday.
"I snuck in under the radar," said Fisher, smiling. "Not many of them knew me, anyway. I got into this place - and it looks like I'm going to get out of this place - in one piece."
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