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3 thoughts: SDSU 76, Boise State 68 … On Taj DeGourville, charter chatter and ExtraQuiet Arena

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1 year ago

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3 thoughts: SDSU 76, Boise State 68 … On Taj DeGourville, charter chatter and ExtraQuiet Arena


BOISE, Idaho – Three thoughts on San Diego State’s 76-68 win at Boise State on Saturday afternoon:

1. The other freshman

With 7:05 left, SDSU starting guard BJ Davis was whistled for his fourth foul and went to the bench. Coach Brian Dutcher looked down it, past the injured Reese Waters, past senior Wayne McKinney III, and motioned for Taj DeGourville, a true freshman.

He never subbed out.

That DeGourville played the final seven minutes of a game with such huge implications tells you a lot about Dutcher, who has never shied away from shaking up the rotation in crunch time and riding the hot hand. It also tells you a lot about the progress of DeGourville, who is emerging from the shadow of redshirt freshman Magoon Gwath and Mountain West preseason freshman of the year Pharaoh Compton.

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“Taj just knows how to play,” Dutcher said of the 6-foot-5 guard from Las Vegas. “And he’s just getting better. He’s a freshman, the first time at this level. He’s getting more comfortable. His defense is getting better. He’s an elite-level passer. He knows where everybody is on the floor. It seemed earlier in the year he wouldn’t attack to the rim. He settled for the 3 or got in the paint and passed the ball. Now he’s attacking the rim, and it makes him really dangerous.

“As much as you think you know your team, it’s always a moving target. Guys are getting better, guys are sliding back a half-step. You always have to keep your eyes open to see who’s actually playing well when they’re in the game.”

In 21 minutes, DeGourville finished with 13 points and six rebounds, both career bests against Division I competition. Most of that came in the final 7:05.

He grabbed a defensive rebound. Then he had a steal. Then scored on the break. Then drove, scored, was fouled and completed the three-point play. Then another defensive rebound. Then a put-back off an offensive board. Then another defensive rebound.

“I felt I was playing well, but I knew I had to turn it up to stay out there,” DeGourville said. “So I turned it up. It’s all about getting comfortable. I wasn’t as comfortable as I am now, 12 games in. Having more games and more confidence allows me to show all my game.”

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2. Charter members

For the second straight time, SDSU didn’t get to its hotel until the day of an away game.

This wasn’t as fretful as the Dec. 21 game in San Jose against Cal, with two flight cancellations, an overnight in Orange County, most players and coaches flying in the afternoon of the game, the rest of the travel party busing 8½ hours and walking into the SAP Center six minutes before tipoff. The Aztecs’ commercial flight to Boise on Friday night was delayed two hours and landed at midnight.

SDSU won both games despite not having a morning shootaround to acclimate to the arena’s rims, lighting and sightlines. And both wins were accompanied by big jumps in the metrics, from 42 to 34 in Kenpom and 48 to 35 in the NET after Saturday.

They also were playing with fire. If their Friday flight on Alaska Airlines had been canceled, as it had the night before with fog blanketing San Diego, finding 20-plus open seats on a commercial carrier to reach Boise for a 2 p.m. MST tip would have been challenging, if not impossible.

Charter flights can be delayed as well, but there is more flexibility. In the case of coastal fog, for instance, the plane can retrieve you from a non-commercial inland airport. You also can fly home immediately after a game, instead of, as the Aztecs endured Saturday, middle seats on a pair of Southwest flights via Phoenix that arrived at 10 p.m.

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That beat last year’s commercial return from Boise, which involved a lengthy weather delay changing planes in Portland and, in Dutcher’s words, “took us two days to get home, it seemed.”

Boise State charters everywhere. While the Aztecs were sitting in the airport waiting for their Alaska Airlines crew to arrive on another flight, USD was chartering to Saturday’s game at Oregon State.

“That’s tough. That is tough,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said of SDSU’s midnight arrival followed by a two-leg trip home. “You might not see the effects initially, but it can be cumulative. The moment the game gets over, you’re getting ready for the next game, getting your bodies right, getting your minds right, getting the scouting done. There’s a lot to do, and if you’re spending your whole time traveling, it has an effect, no doubt.”

To that end, the worst might be behind the Aztecs.

The program is typically allotted four charter legs per season, and they have yet to use any. And boosters have chipped in for two more legs, allowing for five of their remaining eight Mountain West road trips to involve charters at least one way.

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The Aztecs will charter home from New Mexico, Air Force, Nevada and Utah State. They’ll also charter to and from Wyoming, which otherwise requires a commercial flight to Denver followed by a 2½-hour bus ride over a snowy mountain pass prone to high winds.

They’ll fly commercial home after the March 4 game at UNLV, with four days before hosting Nevada. Same for the Feb. 11 game at San Jose State, with four days before hosting Boise State.

“Chartering is obviously nicer when you’re able to do it,” Dutcher said. “When we can, we’re eternally grateful.”

3. ExtraQuiet Arena

Dutcher and his players uniformly praised the Viejas Arena crowd despite their 67-66 home loss against Utah State on Dec. 28. The students were still on break. It was nonetheless sold out and loud — like, really loud.

Not so at ExtraMile Arena on Saturday afternoon.

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The one time the decibels cranked up was when the Broncos momentarily tied it at 58-58 with 6:43 left, but Dutcher called timeout and the Aztecs went on a 7-0 run that put fans back in their seats.

The lethargy did not go unnoticed.

“Was dead for a game of this magnitude,” B.J. Rains, publisher of Bronco Nation News, tweeted. “Really odd. Place should have been electric. Instead felt similar to the Air Force game two weeks ago. And that’s mostly on the fans, but I think more could be done to get the energy rising closer to tipoff.”

To be fair, it’s a maturation process. Viejas Arena wasn’t always so rowdy, especially outside the 2,500-seat student section. But an aging season-ticket holder base, to its credit, has learned over the years when to generate noise and energy, and the staff operating the music and video boards inside Viejas knows exactly how to push those buttons.

“Had ‘fans/donors’ in front of my seats yell at my wife for my kids getting loud in the past,” Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey tweeted after the game Saturday. “Basketball is not tennis. We will find a solution. The best basketball atmospheres in the country are the loudest.

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“Days of sitting and golf clapping are over.”

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San Diego, CA

Mayor Gloria defends Balboa Park paid parking, blames council for rocky rollout

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7 hours ago

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January 9, 2026

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Mayor Gloria defends Balboa Park paid parking, blames council for rocky rollout


San Diego will put off issuing citations for paid parking in Balboa Park for about one month while improvements are made, but Mayor Todd Gloria says the new system is functioning well and being “actively adopted.”

In a long and harshly worded memo released Thursday, Gloria said recent calls by City Council members to suspend the program were politically motivated and examples of bad governance and erratic decision-making.

Gloria also deflected blame for the chaotic way enforcement began Monday, when city officials raced to put stickers about resident discounts on parking kiosks and lobbied a vendor to deliver crucial missing signs.

The mayor said the council had “shaped, amended and approved” paid parking in Balboa Park and contended an accelerated timeline chosen by the council made it hard for his administration to implement it flawlessly.

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The mayor’s memo came in response to a Tuesday memo from Councilmembers Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera in which they called implementation of paid parking “haphazard” and “not ready for prime time.”

Lee and Elo-Rivera said the process for city residents to get approved for discounts was so complex, cumbersome and confusing that Gloria should waive fees for residents until they have had time to adapt and learn.

While Gloria rejected that suggestion in part of his memo, he later said “enforcement remains focused on education, not punishment, during this early phase, to ensure park users are aware of the new parking fees.”

Dave Rolland, a spokesperson for Gloria, said Thursday that no specific date had been set for when the city would shift from education to enforcement. But he added that “about a month” would be an accurate timeline.

City officials have already corrected one key mistake: Signs that were missing Monday — alerting drivers that the 951-space lower Inspiration Point lot is free for three hours — have since been installed.

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Lee and Elo-Rivera in their memo decried “an inadequate effort to educate the public on how to use this new system.”

They said San Diegans had not been clearly informed about when a portal for city resident discounts would go live or how to use it.

And they complained that residents weren’t told they couldn’t buy discounted parking passes in person, or when enforcement with citations would actually begin.

City residents must apply for discounts online, pay $5 to have their residency verified, then wait two days for that verification and choose the day they will visit in advance.

Lee and Elo-Rivera called the city’s efforts “a haphazard rollout that will surely lead to San Diegans missing out on their resident discount and paying higher parking rates than they have to.”

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Gloria said the city collected $23,000 in parking fees on Monday and Tuesday and another $106,000 in daily, monthly and quarterly passes — mostly from residents who get discounts on such passes.

“Early data shows that the program is functioning and being used,” he said. “These are not the metrics of a system that is failing to function. They are the metrics of a system that is new, actively being adopted, and continuing to improve as public familiarity increases.”

While Gloria conceded that some improvements are still necessary, he rejected calls from Lee and Elo-Rivera for a suspension, citing his concerns it would jeopardize city finances and confuse the public.

“Your proposal to suspend paid parking for residents two days into the new program would have immediate and serious fiscal consequences,” Gloria said. “This reversal could introduce confusion among park users and would disregard investments already made to establish the system, potentially compromising the program’s effectiveness.”

Paid parking in Balboa Park is expected to generate about $3.7 million during the fiscal year that ends June 30, but revenue is expected to rise substantially when the fees are in place for a full fiscal year.

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Gloria said the money is a small part of the city’s overall solution to recurring deficits it faces of more than $100 million per year.

“What we will not do is reverse course days into implementation in a way that undermines fiscal stability, creates uncertainty, and sends the message that addressing a decades-old structural budget deficit that has plagued our city is optional because it is politically uncomfortable,” he said. “That kind of erratic decision-making is not good governance, and San Diegans deserve better.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo said Thursday that paid parking there has continued to go smoothly since it began on Monday.

The zoo, which is using Ace Parking for enforcement, opted for immediate citations instead of an educational grace period.

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San Diego, CA

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

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19 hours ago

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January 8, 2026

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Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley


SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Police responded to a barricaded individual in the Mission Valley area Thursday afternoon, prompting a heavy law enforcement presence.

  • The Nexstar Media video above details resources for crime victims

The department confirmed around 1 p.m. that officers were on scene in the 1400 block of Hotel Circle North, and are working to safely resolve the situation. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area and allow officers the space needed to conduct their operations.

Police described the incident as a domestic violence restraining order violation. At this time, it’s unknown if the person is armed.

No injuries have been reported.

The suspect was taken into custody within an hour.

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Further details about the barricaded person were not immediately released. Police say updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.



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San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano

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1 day ago

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January 8, 2026

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Padres roster review: Luis Campusano





Padres roster review: Luis Campusano – San Diego Union-Tribune


















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LUIS CAMPUSANO

  • Position(s): Catcher
  • Bats / Throws: Right / Right
  • 2026 opening day age: 27
  • Height / Weight: 5-foot-10 / 232 pounds
  • How acquired: Second round of the draft in 2017 (Cross Creek HS, Ga.)
  • Contract status: Will make $900,000 after agreeing to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration; Will not be a free agent until 2029.
  • fWAR in 2025: Minus-0.4
  • Key 2025 stats: .000 AVG, .222 OBP, .000 SLG, 0 HRs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts, 0 steals (10 games, 27 plate appearances)

 

STAT TO NOTE

  • 1 — The number of plate appearances for Campusano while in the majors between June 1 and June 13 and the one at-bat resulted in a weak, pinch-hit groundout against a position player (Kike Hernandez) on the mound in mop-up duty. Campusano was recalled to the majors four times in 2025 but did not get a real opportunity get settled after he went 0-for-6 with four walks and a strikeout in three straight starts as a DH in early May. Of course, hitting .227/.281/.361 with eight homers over 299 plate appearances after getting the first real chance to start in 2024 likely informed how the Padres viewed his opportunity in 2025.

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