Veteran guard D.J. Gay taking the reins for Aztecs

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010 | 2:30 a.m.

The moment of truth this season for San Diego State junior point guard D.J. Gay came Nov. 25, in the wake of a 71-63 loss at Pacific.

As has been the case in practically every game the Aztecs (12-4 overall, 1-1 Mountain West) have played this season, Steve Fisher's club had its opponent licked in terms of raw athleticism.

But the execution just wasn't there. That loss dropped the Aztecs to 3-2, with consistency feeling as if it was miles away.

Gay, the lone returning starter from last season's team which advanced to the semifinals of the NIT, had an epiphany in the visitor's locker room in Stockton, Calif.

"It kind of hit me that a change was needed, that people were looking to me during that game and it was my job to bring us together and get that win," he said. "And I didn't."

In that game, Gay scored 11 points, but had only one assist compared to two turnovers.

On a team which many thought coming into the season was merely a solid, veteran point guard away from being a contender for a deep NCAA tournament run, Gay had no choice but to fill those shoes.

Three days later, in an 89-48 victory over Northern Arizona, Gay had seven assists to one turnover and established himself as the leader on a team that, two months later, is beginning to come into its own.

Now, as SDSU comes to the Thomas & Mack for Wednesday night's MWC showdown against UNLV (13-3, 1-1), Gay has to show that he can rally his team following maybe its most devastating loss to date.

After leading by 14 at the half against Wyoming, the Aztecs saw a 14-point lead disappear in the final five minutes of an 85-83 upset.

"I don't think we took a step back," Gay said. "In Saturday's game, we kind of got in a comfort zone where we thought we had the game won and we played that way, where Wyoming never let up, kept up pressure and kept fighting. They got us on our heels, and for four minutes straight, they scored every time down.

"Anytime you win, you look good. Any time you lose, you can look bad. As a point guard, I'm not going to be able to make everybody happy, but my most important thing right now is winning for us."

Gay's numbers haven't popped off of the page, but he's brought some order to SDSU's stable of fresh talent, highlighted by freshman forward Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 11.1 points and 9.6 rebounds a game for the Aztecs. He was ranked by rivals.com as the No. 48 prospect in last year's senior class.

Last season, as SDSU showed its veteran presence on almost a nightly basis, Gay was able to be a role player comfortably situated in the background.

But with the graduation of Cheyenne High product Lorrenzo Wade and senior point guard Richie Williams, among others, Gay now is bridging the gap.

Wednesday he also will attempt to build on a winning streak which he played a small role in starting. The Aztecs swept all three meetings with the Rebels last season, including a 71-57 victory that all but killed UNLV's hopes of obtaining an at-large bid to the NCAA field of 65.

Gay said doing so won't be easy.

The Rebels already have done a solid job of shutting down the transition efforts of BYU and New Mexico in their first two league games.

In preparation for UNLV's heavy back-court pressure, San Diego State has practiced this week with five on offense and six on defense.

"The way UNLV plays defense, that's what it feels like sometimes," Gay said. "I expect there to be a lot of pressure on our guards. They're one of the best defensive team in our league. I expect their best shot. They just came back from a big win and I know they remember our three wins from last year."

White doubtful

SDSU junior forward Billy White, a Green Valley High grad and the Aztecs' leading scorer, is more than likely out for Wednesday night's tilt.

White missed Saturday's game at Wyoming after suffering a high ankle sprain in the first half of last Tuesday's 74-64 victory over New Mexico.

White is averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds a game while shooting 62.5 percent from the floor.

Welcome home

UNLV is playing its first game at the Mack since a Dec. 19 victory over South Carolina Upstate.

From here on out, the Rebels are through with massive breaks between games and will now, for the first time in quite a while, get in a regular routine.

"The routine of it is good," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "You know when you're playing, you know when you're practicing. It's good for the players as well as the staff."

UNLV follows up Wednesday's game with a Saturday matchup against Utah at 7 p.m. at the Mack.

Reflecting on last year

There were no objections to the fact that UNLV progressively struggled more and more against San Diego State as last season wore on.

Following a 68-66 loss Feb. 3 at home, the Rebels lost by 11 in San Diego in their regular-season finale, then by 14 in the opener of the MWC tournament.

"They just out-manned us, athletically and on the glass, but this year, this is a whole different team than last year's," UNLV junior guard Tre'Von Willis said. "We're more athletic ourselves, so we want to get after them a little bit, keep them off of the glass. We want to run up and down, get some easy buckets and stop their transition."

Current Rebels who took in last year's game as observers took notice, too.

"It definitely looked like they had our number last year," said Derrick Jasper, who redshirted following his transfer from Kentucky. "We really couldn't establish a good base, they played great defense and were real athletic. We've just got to go into this game really confident and focused, and we'll pull it out."