Students peaked through the small windows at SF State’s main gym to catch a glimpse of a surprise spectacle.

The Detroit Pistons, in the midst of a West coast road trip, stopped by The Swamp for a full practice session Thursday en route to Sacramento for their game against the Kings after a blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors last Tuesday.

“It was pretty much a full-on practice. A couple of the older guys didn’t participate. Chauncey Billups didn’t play,” said Vince Inglima, the SF State men’s assistant basketball coach. “They got after it. This one was more intense than the other’s I’ve seen.” 

After giving up 113 points to the Warriors, the Pistons held a practice focused on improving their defense, said Inglima.

“It was almost a total defensive thing.  It wasn’t just a walk-through. They were being competitive and guys were going at each other and it was fun to watch.”

But one of the highlights of the experience for Inglima was meeting basketball legend Joe Dumars, who won back-to-back championship titles in 1989 and 1990 for the famed “Bad Boys” Pistons teams. Dumars currently serves as Pistons General Manager.

The Swamp may have been a good luck charm for the Pistons; they snapped a four-game losing streak against the Kings Friday.