Sports at Lunch, Steve Fisher and Bill Grier

The San Diego State-University of San Diego City Championship basketball rivalry was renewed when the Aztecs traveled to the Toreros' Jenny Craig Pavilion for a 69-64 win on Nov. 19 that gave SDSU a 5-4 edge since Steve Fisher arrived in town as the Aztecs' coach.

For the fifth straight year, coaches from the two teams met for Sports at Lunch at the Hall of Champions to talk about their teams and the City Championship game.

One of the themes both coaches discussed was building fan interest around student fan support. Both coaches said students add to the enviornment, and they've made attracting students part of their strategy to sell the program.

San Diego might still become a basketball team now that USD has committed resources to the sport, following the lead San Diego State took nine years ago when it hired Fisher.

The former Michigan coach took over a woeful roster in 1999-2000 and has since guided the Aztecs to the post-season four times, including the NCAA in 2005-06 and the NIT in 2006-07.

"That first year, I counted that I spoke to 73 different groups," Fisher said. "Some of them were coffee groups and some were groups of 300. We went to every dorm on campus to get students involved."

It began with a trickle, but the students and fans around town began coming as the Aztecs started winning.

"We have grown our crowds," Fisher said. "When I first came, my wife would count the crowd and it would be under 1,000. But last year we averaged 8,200 for (Mountain West) Conference home games. That's fantastic, and we're going to grow that number."

Fisher pointed to a 16-2 record at home last year as a product of the Aztecs developing a student section and homecourt advantage.

"They call themselves, 'The Show,' and they're entertaining," Fisher said. "I'd hate to be on the other bench. They help energize our team. When you fill up a building and they're all cheering for you, it makes a difference."

Grier arrived at USD after 16 seasons as a Gonzaga assistant, so he annually saw what the JCP was like -- a beautiful arena without a bad seat in the house, by the way -- when it's filled.

The last time Gonzaga didn't win the West Coast Conference tournament title to claim the automatic NCAA bid it was because of a loss to USD in 2003 at the JCP. And there have been several regular-season scares, including a 2006 game when a non-call at the buzzer prevented USD's Ross DeRogatis from going to the free throw line for a chance to win the game.

"There was a lot of work behind the scenes to get more students involved," Grier said. "There are a couple of guys in the student body that are working hard, and our athletic staff is working hard to create the environment in college basketball."

Fisher and Grier are rivals for attracting recruits and fans to their campus, but that doesn't mean Fisher doesn't want to see Grier succeed across town.

"He's an exceptional basketball coach, and he will bring great things to this city," Fisher said. "I've always said the best thing that can happen for basketball in this city is for both of us to be really good, to play each and have tickets difficult to get."