With any of the college basketball teams thus far, it's simply way to early for any judgments of any finality as what appears as a asset in one matchup then morphs into a presumed deficit a game or two later, and then reverses again.
With having typed such, here are some reactions to the collective performances of San Jose State University players to date:
* Idaho, Montana (missing its best guard) and Montana State are not soon to be mistaken for a Murderer's Row of opponents (sorry for the cross sport reference).
* The current squad remains a major work-in-progress, majorly dependent on the progress and maturity of freshman Ryan Welage (who has been a pleasant surprise -- got it wrong on him in thinking a redshirt season would be best) and Cody Schwartz. They offer the best hope for a future frontline that can engineer plus performances against opponents, thus allowing a chance to win.
* Brandon Clarke has been another plus thus far but his ceiling as a three is limited unless he can lengthen his shooting range. That and better ball skills needs to be an off-season priority for him.
* Leon Bahner's foot movement is just too slow and he isn't a good fit with the current offensive system. However, he is the only real big on the roster and can still help defensively and on the boards to a degree but it wouldn't be surprising to see him looking elsewhere for a better basketball fit.
* Jalen James has never been considered a plus shooter but something is really wrong here (2-17, 0-9) thus far.
* Would like to see Gary Williams Jr. at the two for an extended time if only there was a better answer at the point.
* Princeton Onwas and Frank Rogers are certainly going to help but would be around sixth, seventh or eighth in the rotation of successful teams.
* The Spartans will face zone defenses of some sort from opponents until and unless SJSU's outside shooters make it impossible to continue in such a defensive set. The ball movement will have to become much quicker and precise but even then it appears a lack of consistent outside and mid-range shooters still dominates the roster.
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