[Langdude]

Tony Gywnn was the starting point guard for San Diego State

All-conference player who still holds San Diego State's record for assists in a game, season and career. He set the NCAA record for assists in a game (18), although it has since been broken.

It's a pretty amazing story. The baseball team at his HS (Long Beach Poly) was really bad, and the basketball team was really good (largely because of him); they won CIF (LA Southern Section, large schools, super competitive) his junior year, and were runners-up his senior season. He would only join the baseball team each year after basketball playoffs were over, so he didn't get as much practice or games in baseball. He was not drafted out of high school and had no scholarship offers. But he was recruited for college basketball, and wanted to play both sports at Fullerton, but Augie said no. He ended up at SDSU, where the baseball coach (Jim Dietz) said that he would consider it, but without guarantees. At SDSU, he did not play baseball his freshman year, and Dietz had seemingly forgotten about him. But sophomore year, after basketball season was over (Gwynn was now entrenched as the starting point guard, and would go on to be all-conference twice), a couple of outfielders got injured, and Bobby Meacham, who had played against Tony in high school, convinced the coach to give him a shot. By the time he graduated, TG was a two-time All-American.

-m.

[Langdude]

Tony Gywnn was the starting point guard for San Diego State

All-conference player who still holds San Diego State's record for assists in a game, season and career. He set the NCAA record for assists in a game (18), although it has since been broken.

It's a pretty amazing story. The baseball team at his HS (Long Beach Poly) was really bad, and the basketball team was really good (largely because of him); they won CIF (LA Southern Section, large schools, super competitive) his junior year, and were runners-up his senior season. He would only join the baseball team each year after basketball playoffs were over, so he didn't get as much practice or games in baseball. He was not drafted out of high school and had no scholarship offers. But he was recruited for college basketball, and wanted to play both sports at Fullerton, but Augie said no. He ended up at SDSU, where the baseball coach (Jim Dietz) said that he would consider it, but without guarantees. At SDSU, he did not play baseball his freshman year, and Dietz had seemingly forgotten about him. But sophomore year, after basketball season was over (Gwynn was now entrenched as the starting point guard, and would go on to be all-conference twice), a couple of outfielders got injured, and Bobby Meacham, who had played against Tony in high school, convinced the coach to give him a shot. By the time he graduated, TG was a two-time All-American.

-m.