Spartan men's basketball is a mired-in-mediocrity, long-suffering program despite a couple of unlikely Big Dances appearances 1980 onward although it has been a frustrating nothingburger since the 1996 season.
So let's consider this question: is it time to end the program if new leader Jean Prioleau cannot get SJSU hoops achieving success?
Whether being a member of the Big West Conference, the Western Athletic Conference or the current Mountain West Conference, the roundball Spartans have struggled. Make that failed.
Success is being competitive and winning the conference every six or seven years. No 5-26 seasons. Not even a 10-19 record. 13-15 is acceptable once. Success is constancy and stability, blotting out the searing memories of being the laughingstock of the league. It's giving fans a reason to leave their homes in winter to come to Walt McPherson Court. It's forcing the Mercury News to again have a beat reporter covering SJSU games.
So why the history of failure?
- Gobsmackingly stupid coaching hires
- ADs with greater allegiance to their buddies than to the school
- Limited budgets for coaching hires
- Ridiculously miniscule recruiting budgets
- Basketball as an afterthought in the shadow of football
But wait, there's more.
SJSU hoops is a Big West Conference program disguised as an under-funded MWC member.
Either back it financially so that the coaches finally have a chance for success or shutter it. It's been a waste of time, money and effort to date.
Wow, how negative can you get! Three teams finished below us in the MWC so I guess they should drop basketball too?
ReplyDeleteWe've got good returning players, a good new coach and an administration that is behind the program. Things are looking up. So I totally don't understand where you are coming from with your article.
Everything you said is based on history. Let's give the future a chance.