James Burns: Aztecs, Spinardi find themselves in a sweet spot

She can run, pass, shoot and dribble better than most boys from here to San Diego.

Know what else?

Kim Spinardi can chest-bump, too.

The world discovered that much Tuesday night, when, with the game clock showing zeros, the former Golden Valley star raced off the bench and onto the court.

With a two-footed leap and arms spread wide, she met one of the tournament's brightest stars, teammate Jene Morris, in the air.

The celebration punctuated a historic feat for the California seaside campus. With shocking upset after shocking upset, the Aztecs kicked down the door to one of college basketball's most exclusive parties.

The Sweet 16.

The room is crowded with familiar names -- UConn and its 74-game winning streak, Tennessee and its larger-than-life drill sergeant Pat Summit, Nebraska and Baylor.

And then there's San Diego State. This state school. This football school. This mid-major from the Mountain West conference.

The No. 11 seed, one of only four double-digit seeds left in the tournament, will take on No. 2 Duke in the Memphis Region semifinal Saturday.

The winner will probably trade glares and grimaces with Summit and her orange-bursts, No. 1 Tennessee.

Spinardi, a happy-go-lucky senior with an accounting job waiting for her post-graduation, might be the only one smiling this weekend.

Like the Joker, she can't seem to shake this ear-to-ear grin.

"It's something that still hasn't hit me yet. Sharing the same court as Pat Summit, who's obviously the greatest coach in women's history. The Tennessees, the Dukes ... consistent, solid programs, year in and year out," Spinardi said.

"That's what San Diego State is trying to obtain. It's exciting. If we keep playing the way we keep playing, we have a chance to keep going."

Spinardi has played just 3 minutes in San Diego State's postseason run -- a tough pill to swallow for any Division I athlete on scholarship.

But she balances her own wants and desires with the success of the fast-rising Aztec women's program.

She probably could have transferred to a smaller school in another division, or somewhere clear across the country, and become a regular starter and contributor.

But more than points and individual highlights, she believed in something bigger than herself.

She believed in the concept of team -- and the magic of the NCAA Tournament.

And even as a wide-eyed freshman and sophomore, she believed in San Diego State's potential.

"This was one of the reasons why I stayed. I knew the talent we had on this team. Even my sophomore year, when we made that run to the (Mountain West) conference championship game, I knew we were young but we had talent. It was just a matter of putting it all together, and obviously we've done that," she said.

"I'd rather go to the Sweet 16 than play 40 minutes and be in the NIT. Only 16 teams get to experience this."

Spinardi has been on Cloud Nine ever since a first-round pounding of sixth-seeded Texas went into the books.

She didn't leave the pine that night in Austin, Texas, as coach Beth Burns turned loose her starting backcourt of Morris and Quenese Davis.

All of Spinardi's postseason minutes have come in a 64-55 victory over No. 3 West Virginia. Even then, her biggest contribution was not a point or a rebound, an assist or steal, but a near technical foul.

Caught up in the moment, hanging on every single shot and dribble, Spinardi watched the final paces of the game in perpetual motion.

Sitting. Standing. Kneeling. And at one point, running up and down the bench area, dangerously close to stepping onto the court.

In a scolding tone, the Aztec coaching staff grounded the senior.

"I could feel (a win) inching toward our team. From then on, I couldn't sit down. I got in trouble by the coaches because I was pretty close to the court," Spinardi said. "I guess you can get a technical foul. They told me to back up."

But how long can you hold back a Tasmanian Devil?

Not long, it turns out.

The instant center Paris Johnson grabbed the game's last rebound and began to dribble out of the clock, Spinardi was already spinning her wheels.

Within seconds, a black-and-white blur, a 5-foot, 8-inch ball of energy, was whirling about, chest-bumping and oh-my-goshing her teammates.

"That's when it hit me," Spinardi said. "We were one of 16 teams left out of 300-something in the nation.

"When I get my minutes, I'll do my job. In the end, though, it's all about winning. There's nothing sweeter than going to the Sweet 16."

Even if you're just watching from one of the best seats in the house.

James Burns is managing editor/sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.