 "Photo: Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor")
There’s a secret to the San Diego State men’s basketball team and it just might be located on page 77 of the 2009-10 SDSU Media Guide.
On sophomore forward Tim Shelton’s player bio page, there’s a line just beneath his name that reads, “Makes music with junior Brian Carlwell.”
While this season’s Aztec squad has admittedly struggled to find its chemistry, music could be the catalyst that brings the team together — one Rock Band microphone at a time.
“(Shelton and I) just ended up recording a song with his older brother one time,” Carlwell said. “It was crazy. It was on a computer and a Rock Band microphone. And we just made a song and we let some of the guys hear it and they were like, ‘This is hot! We like that!’ And we were like, ‘OK, let’s do some more.’”
Shelton and Carlwell have combined to make a few tracks that have made their way around SDSU’s campus. “Throw it Back,” “Fantasy Girl” and “Cybernetic Love” have all been written, produced and rapped by the Aztec duo and have created another avenue for SDSU’s players to bond.
“The team likes the music and everybody hears it and every time they hear something they say, ‘I want to do one, I want to do one,’” Carlwell said. “The invitation is out there. They’re welcome to come in and join and get on the track. So we’ll see if they actually decide to get on one or not.”
The music project all started in the summer. Shelton and his brother Titus used to rap as a hobby, but when Shelton found out Carlwell could rap too, they all jumped on the laptop and microphone and started recording. As Carlwell put it, “The beat sounds good and the words are quality, but the sound is …”
Either way, neither player is trying to catch on with a record label anytime soon — there’s a season to play. Up next for the Aztecs (6-2) is Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. tonight at Viejas Arena. The Titans have lost their last two games, but have a 68-65 victory against UCLA on their résumé.
“We’re preparing for a tough game,” head coach Steve Fisher said. “We’re approaching this like it’s the most important game we’re going to play because it’s the next one.”
The star rapper of the team, Shelton, is expected to miss tonight’s game because of his knee injury but is “hopeful” for Saturday’s game against Arizona. If he had it his way, he would definitely play Saturday, but the team is being cautious with his injury.
Then again, if he had everything his way, there would be some different music at Viejas Arena.
“Keep looking out for a team track coming out,” Shelton said. “We’ll be warming up to our own music in a little bit.”
2 comments
Beat AZ State!!!