When San Diego State cornerback Mike Lindsay was growing up in Los Angeles, family gatherings inevitably included games on the basketball court.
While Lindsay has played plenty of football and baseball, he quietly mentioned after a recent spring practice that “I really come from a basketball family.”
Lindsay used to play one-on-one with his aunt and uncle who, he discovered, had game even into their 50s.
“I was always trash-talking them, but they were whooping me,” said Lindsay, who was never able to win. He claims he came close. Sure, sure.
Lindsay’s aunt and uncle are Cheryl and Reggie Miller, basketball Hall of Famers who had standout careers at USC and UCLA, respectively. Both won Olympic gold medals. Reggie Miller had a 19-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers.
Maybe it’s for the best, then, that Lindsay seeks to make a name for himself in football.
“I got a scholarship for football,” Lindsay said, before noting, “The adrenaline you get from football is nothing like basketball. It’s just a different rush.”
A 6-foot-1 sophomore transfer from Idaho State, Lindsay comes into Saturday’s Spring game bidding to become a starter on an Aztecs team that must replace NFL-caliber corners Chris Johnson and Bryce Phillips. SDSU coach Sean Lewis has frequently mentioned Lindsay’s name over the past six weeks when highlighting spring standouts.
“He tracks the ball well,” SDSU secondary coach C.J. McGorisk said. “He showed some good contested man ability out there on the island, and he’s gone up there and attacked the football.”
Lindsay said playing center field in baseball has benefited him on the football field.
“I’m really good at tracking the ball,” Lindsay said. “I love when the ball goes in the air. I love tracking it and going to get it.
“And the other thing is my length, and that’s good for press man (coverage). I’m a pretty long corner.”
At Idaho State last year, Lindsay had 28 tackles over 10 games with five pass breakups and an interception.
Lindsay said he immediately noticed a difference in the level of competition when he stepped on the field at SDSU.
“There’s more talent and guys are like-minded,” he said. “They want to win just as badly as you do, and that makes you have to elevate mentally and physically to really compete and win.”
That’s where Lindsay draws on the childhood 1-on-1 — and the after-game chats — with his aunt and uncle.
“I still talk to them all the time,” Lindsay said. “They always (emphasize) hard work and consistency. You can never beat that. You’ve got to be competitive in everything you do, of course. Their competitive level was off the charts. As long as you’re consistent, even if you take an ‘L,’ you’ve got to step back up and you’re going to be fine.”
Maybe he didn’t win on the court, but Lindsay came out ahead.
“It got me better,” he said. “All that growing up made me who I am today. Got me to San Diego State. And I’m just grateful.”
Spring game details
The Spring game begins at 2 p.m. on the grass practice field. The event begins an hour earlier, with family and fan activities taking place on the adjacent turf field.
Admission is free, but parking for the day is $10. SDSU parking structure 7 is next to the practice fields.
For kids, there will be a mobile video game truck, skills and drills stations, inflatables, balloon and caricature artist and a face painter. For adults, there will be a beer garden, food trucks and discounted SDSU merchandise for sale. An autograph session will follow the scrimmage.
Afterward, Lewis is scheduled to throw out the first pitch for the Nevada-SDSU baseball game at 5 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
SDSU spring football game
When: 2 p.m.
Where: SDSU practice field on campus
Tickets: Free at GoAztecs.com/FBSpringGame