Viejas Arena, home of the Aztecs
Ernie Anderson
As the story goes, SDSU men’s basketball coach Steve Fisher used to wander campus with a pocketful of tickets, imploring an indifferent student body to come to games. Boy, have times sure changed. The Aztecs have fast become the hottest ticket in town—much more so than the two pro teams in San Diego, the Chargers and Padres.
For the first time this year, the Aztecs turned away season-ticket requests and now have a waiting list to watch a team that advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of the last three seasons. This is a far cry from Fisher’s first season (1999-2000), when the team averaged 2,618 fans a game. These days, Viejas Arena rocks, awash with red and black and with former Aztecs like Padres manager Bud Black and NFL Hall of Fame tailback Marshall Faulk taking in games. “The energy is amazing,” says Mike May, associate athletic director of media relations. This means a sold-out crowd of 12,414 every game, even against less-than-marquee teams (looking at you, U of Arkansas–Pine Bluff). May says, “It’s been remarkable.”
TRY FOR TIX:
The school makes 2,500 tickets available for students each week. For non-students, secondary ticket markets (like StubHub) are your best bet. They’re also sold through Ticketmaster, when available.
COMING UP!
2/6 vs. Boise State
2/9 vs. Fresno State
2/19 vs. Wyoming
2/23 vs. Nevada
