She is a teacher, a motivator and a re-builder.
"I don't know what her magic is," said forward Paris Johnson. "But whatever it is, it's working."
Beth Burns recently won her 200th game as head coach at San Diego State. She has rebuilt this program for the second time in her career, and it starts with attitude.
"I think you have to expect to win," said Burns. "And you can't settle for anything less. The challenge is when your culture isn't like that."
Burns has changed the culture again, and has guided the Aztecs to an upset over Texas, and most recently ending Utah's 25 game Mountain West Conference winning streak.
"I appreciate every moment," added Burns. "You never know when you'll get another one."
While the Aztecs practice at times in Petersen Gym, they played host to, and won an NCAA tournament game in that building back in 1994 with Burns as coach. Now, they're thinking of hosting and playing an NCAA tournament game at cox arena next month.
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"Anybody in our group that tells you that isn't in the back of their mind is a big old liar," chuckled Burns.
Forward Paris Johnson is hopeful that would energize a fan base that has eroded, and is some cases disappeared.
"Hopefully, it'll bring fans," according to Johnson. "It'll show them that San Diego State is really doing something. We need support, and just having that here that's wonderful."
It's what Beth Burns came back to do.
