It's hard but not impossible to win being out-rebounded by 10
But shooting 25% makes it a double whammy and with 32 of 52 shots being trey attempts.
But do give credit to Rashad Muhammad for leading with 15 points and for earning five shots from the foul line on the night as well as Jaleel Williams' 14 points plus 10 rebounds.
The score was 31-15 at halftime.
Box
Saturday, January 31, 2015
New Mexico beat reporter on the state of Spartan hoops
Geoff Grammer covers the how-it-got-to-this territory about SJSU basketball.
Friday, January 30, 2015
SJSU @ NM Saturday 6:00 p.m.
Normally being associated with something called "The Pit" is not a bragging fact. But things are different in "The Land of Enchantment -- Albuquerque in particular -- as basketball is king, queen and probably rest of the court there. Since 1966, the New Mexico basketball team has played underground on a court 37 feet below street level and that has apparently been quite amenable since average attendance is over 15,000 per game.
With Alburquerque itself being 5,000 plus feet above sea level, such a mix probably gives opposing players the bends.
Last but not least, "The Pit" has actually undergone a name change of sorts. In late 2014, a local restaurant chain paid five million dollars to own the naming rights through 2025 so it's actually now titled WisePies Arena. However, to the locals, it will always be called its birth name.
Lobo basketball was supposed to drop this season since two seven-footers graduated and the four-year starter at the point did likewise. Then Cullen Neal, the son of the coach, went out for this season with an injury after starting out at 17 points per game. But 13-7 and 5-3 (8-2 at home) indicate current life isn't, well, anything near the pits for New Mexico.
That's because defending has been the calling card in 2014-15. As the latest UNM press release spelled out: "The Lobos are one of only two programs in the nation to not allow 70 points or more in a game this season, joining the Cincinnati Bearcats. It’s a New Mexico defense that is on pace to finish the season with top ten marks in program history in points allowed, defensive field goal percentage, and defensive three-point field goal percentage."
Coach Craig Neal's guys are holding opponents to 39% overall shooting, 29% from long distance.
SJSU will not be matching up with an offensive powerhouse. 6-foot-5 Deshawn Delaney leads New Mexico in both scoring and rebounding with 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest averages. Guard Hugh Greenwood, who is cribbing a look from a certain Justin Graham, averages 11.9 points plus a team best 70 assists. No other Lobo is scoring in double figures.
The game begins at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time
With Alburquerque itself being 5,000 plus feet above sea level, such a mix probably gives opposing players the bends.
Last but not least, "The Pit" has actually undergone a name change of sorts. In late 2014, a local restaurant chain paid five million dollars to own the naming rights through 2025 so it's actually now titled WisePies Arena. However, to the locals, it will always be called its birth name.
Lobo basketball was supposed to drop this season since two seven-footers graduated and the four-year starter at the point did likewise. Then Cullen Neal, the son of the coach, went out for this season with an injury after starting out at 17 points per game. But 13-7 and 5-3 (8-2 at home) indicate current life isn't, well, anything near the pits for New Mexico.
That's because defending has been the calling card in 2014-15. As the latest UNM press release spelled out: "The Lobos are one of only two programs in the nation to not allow 70 points or more in a game this season, joining the Cincinnati Bearcats. It’s a New Mexico defense that is on pace to finish the season with top ten marks in program history in points allowed, defensive field goal percentage, and defensive three-point field goal percentage."
Coach Craig Neal's guys are holding opponents to 39% overall shooting, 29% from long distance.
SJSU will not be matching up with an offensive powerhouse. 6-foot-5 Deshawn Delaney leads New Mexico in both scoring and rebounding with 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest averages. Guard Hugh Greenwood, who is cribbing a look from a certain Justin Graham, averages 11.9 points plus a team best 70 assists. No other Lobo is scoring in double figures.
The game begins at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time
MWC basketball
From Mark Zeigler: "Just FYI: Mountain West currently nation's No. 12 basketball conference in both RPI and kenpom ratings. Big West is currently No. 13.
It's really hard to believe that the Big West is that close but maybe it's a one year anomaly with one league down and the other way up.
From Matt Stephens: "Conference expansion is the worst thing to happen to Mountain West basketball. Nevada, SJSU and Fresno State bring down league RPI."
Can't argue that. Need big improvements in all three of those programs. But as other noted, the latest incarnation of the MWC came about because of football.
It's really hard to believe that the Big West is that close but maybe it's a one year anomaly with one league down and the other way up.
From Matt Stephens: "Conference expansion is the worst thing to happen to Mountain West basketball. Nevada, SJSU and Fresno State bring down league RPI."
Can't argue that. Need big improvements in all three of those programs. But as other noted, the latest incarnation of the MWC came about because of football.
Prep Hoops Indiana honors SJSU-commit Welage
While the eyes of basketball fanatics around the state have turned towards the impending clash of titans in the 4A tournament, Greensburg PF Ryan Welage has made sure that the attention is spread a bit more evenly between classes. The 6’9” power forward has led the Pirates to three straight victories and a #5 spot in 3A classification.
Welage led all scorers in the matchup against Madison with 43 points (70% FG), 16 rebounds, and two blocks, pushing the Pirates to a 92-82 win over the Cubs. Just a day later, Welage led all scorers again with a 47-point game against South Decatur, picking up 13 rebounds along the way and outscoring the entire Cougars team in a 68-31 victory for Greensburg.
"I was just concentrated on helping my team win the game," Welage said in an interview Wednesday evening. "I just kept telling myself to be patient and pick my spots to attack, but I knew I was getting hot."
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Patty offered
It's a squad that made it to the NJCAA Final Four the last two years and is currently ranked #2 nationally with a 20-0 record.
Last year as a freshman, he averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds. This time around, 14.7 points and 8.6 boards, He's shooting 51%, 45% and 77% respectively.
Bradley and Morehead State offered back in November.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Air Force 66, SJSU 52
At halftime, Air Force owned a 29-23 advantage and it was still anyone's game.
One would think that with the Falcons' top scorer producing zero points and Jaleel Williams posting a 16 point, seven rebound line that a victory would be in grasp. The Spartans came close, even at times in the second half, but could never get the score tied.
Rashad Muhammad began the game 'en fuego' as he achieved 11 points fairly early but unfortunately that was his total at the final buzzer. Darryl Gaynor II enjoyed a solid shooting outing and finished with 15 points but suffered five turnovers. Isaac Thornton was tops with five assists.
One would think that with the Falcons' top scorer producing zero points and Jaleel Williams posting a 16 point, seven rebound line that a victory would be in grasp. The Spartans came close, even at times in the second half, but could never get the score tied.
Rashad Muhammad began the game 'en fuego' as he achieved 11 points fairly early but unfortunately that was his total at the final buzzer. Darryl Gaynor II enjoyed a solid shooting outing and finished with 15 points but suffered five turnovers. Isaac Thornton was tops with five assists.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Desert Vista (Brandon Clarke) falls to Corona Del Sol
Corona Del Sol turned back Desert Vista High last night 71-57. CDS has a 6-foot-7 forward who has signed with New Mexico plus a freshman big (already with offers from UCLA, Arizona, Connecticut, New Mexico and more) and a sophomore point (whose recruiting will go national). The game was a sellout, 3,000 in attendance.
SJSU signee Brandon Clarke scored 12 points.
Sophomore point guard Alex Barcello tried to silence Phoenix Desert Vista's big student section with two 3s to open Tuesday's battle between the top two ranked boys basketball teams in the state.
After host Tempe Corona del Sol got to 12 points, its student section, dressed in black, let out a roar on "Silent Night."
It got louder from there, and top-ranked Corona del Sol held back No. 2 Desert Vista for a 71-57 Division I victory.
Barcello finished with 31 points, including eight points during a two-minute stretch in the fourth quarter that gave Corona del Sol (21-1) a 53-44 lead after Desert Vista (20-2) had gotten within four.
Corona del Sol hasn't lost at home since December 2010.
"I just took what they gave me," Barcello said. "They started double-teaming me in the second half and I just kicked it out to my teammates."
It was an overall great defensive effort that kept quick and aggressive Desert Vista at bay.
Leading scorer Brandon Clarke didn't have a big impact offensively until a quick flourish late in the third quarter when Desert Vista was trying to get out of a 13-point hole.
Clarke, who had 12 points, picked up his fourth foul with seven minutes left.
He returned a minute later, after 6-foot-10 freshman Marvin Bagley III returned after sitting the first two minutes of the quarter.
Bagley didn't have one of his better offensive games but he impacted it defensively, along with wing Dane Kuiper (15 points) and guard Tyrell Henderson (12 points).
Bagley and Kuiper both scraped the glass in the second quarter to reject shots. Henderson blocked three shots in the second half. Corona del Sol disrupted Desert Vista's offensive flow, as players rushed awkward shots.
Bordow: Attitude, talent stand out for Bagley
"We couldn't get the offense in a rhythm because of some other things, the environment," Desert Vista coach Tony Darden said.
There was a line wrapped halfway around Corona del Sol's gym 40 minutes before the game to get into a gym that was already packed for the 4 o'clock freshman game.
"We tell our kids, 'A lot of times we're going to be fighting more than five guys'," Darden said. "We just had other things we had to overcome."
SJSU signee Brandon Clarke scored 12 points.
+++++++
Sophomore point guard Alex Barcello tried to silence Phoenix Desert Vista's big student section with two 3s to open Tuesday's battle between the top two ranked boys basketball teams in the state.
After host Tempe Corona del Sol got to 12 points, its student section, dressed in black, let out a roar on "Silent Night."
It got louder from there, and top-ranked Corona del Sol held back No. 2 Desert Vista for a 71-57 Division I victory.
Barcello finished with 31 points, including eight points during a two-minute stretch in the fourth quarter that gave Corona del Sol (21-1) a 53-44 lead after Desert Vista (20-2) had gotten within four.
Corona del Sol hasn't lost at home since December 2010.
"I just took what they gave me," Barcello said. "They started double-teaming me in the second half and I just kicked it out to my teammates."
It was an overall great defensive effort that kept quick and aggressive Desert Vista at bay.
Leading scorer Brandon Clarke didn't have a big impact offensively until a quick flourish late in the third quarter when Desert Vista was trying to get out of a 13-point hole.
Clarke, who had 12 points, picked up his fourth foul with seven minutes left.
He returned a minute later, after 6-foot-10 freshman Marvin Bagley III returned after sitting the first two minutes of the quarter.
Bagley didn't have one of his better offensive games but he impacted it defensively, along with wing Dane Kuiper (15 points) and guard Tyrell Henderson (12 points).
Bagley and Kuiper both scraped the glass in the second quarter to reject shots. Henderson blocked three shots in the second half. Corona del Sol disrupted Desert Vista's offensive flow, as players rushed awkward shots.
Bordow: Attitude, talent stand out for Bagley
"We couldn't get the offense in a rhythm because of some other things, the environment," Desert Vista coach Tony Darden said.
There was a line wrapped halfway around Corona del Sol's gym 40 minutes before the game to get into a gym that was already packed for the 4 o'clock freshman game.
"We tell our kids, 'A lot of times we're going to be fighting more than five guys'," Darden said. "We just had other things we had to overcome."
Ryan Welage's last two games
So how is Spartan signee Ryan Welage doing lately?
Ryan Welage, Greensburg: The 6-9 San Jose State recruit averaged 45.0 points in two games. He posted 43 points and 17 rebounds in a 92-82 win over Madison and followed it with a school-record 47 points and 13 rebounds in a 68-31 win over South Decatur. He eclipsed the old record of 45 points set by Bob Barker in 1967.
Ryan Welage, Greensburg: The 6-9 San Jose State recruit averaged 45.0 points in two games. He posted 43 points and 17 rebounds in a 92-82 win over Madison and followed it with a school-record 47 points and 13 rebounds in a 68-31 win over South Decatur. He eclipsed the old record of 45 points set by Bob Barker in 1967.
The weekly MWC beat report
Here's the weekly Mountain West Conference roundup with each team's newspaper beat reporter providing an update.
Jimmy Durkin on the Spartans:
The team probably needed the week off it received after its most recent defeat, an 86-36 drubbing at Boise State that's the second-most lopsided defeat in Mountain West history.
The 36 points isn't even the Spartans' lowest scoring game of the season. They put up just 33 in the Mountain West opening loss to Utah State. It's the third time they've been held up 40 points and the seventh time they've failed to score at least 45. SJSU's average margin of defeat is at a whopping 15.7 points and only one of its seven MW losses has been by single digits.
The season hasn't gone a ton better for Air Force, the Spartans' next opponent. The Falcons are just 1-7 in Mountain West play. Who was that one win against? You guessed it.
San Jose State was throttled 78-56 in Colorado Springs on Jan. 7 in a game in which Rashad Muhammad scored 26 points but got little help.
There are precious few remaining chances for the Spartans to get a conference win this year, which would also serve as their first win over a Division I opponent. Air Force is one of those opportunities, along with a pair of meetings with Nevada (SJSU's only MW win last year was against the Wolf Pack).
Jimmy Durkin on the Spartans:
The team probably needed the week off it received after its most recent defeat, an 86-36 drubbing at Boise State that's the second-most lopsided defeat in Mountain West history.
The 36 points isn't even the Spartans' lowest scoring game of the season. They put up just 33 in the Mountain West opening loss to Utah State. It's the third time they've been held up 40 points and the seventh time they've failed to score at least 45. SJSU's average margin of defeat is at a whopping 15.7 points and only one of its seven MW losses has been by single digits.
The season hasn't gone a ton better for Air Force, the Spartans' next opponent. The Falcons are just 1-7 in Mountain West play. Who was that one win against? You guessed it.
San Jose State was throttled 78-56 in Colorado Springs on Jan. 7 in a game in which Rashad Muhammad scored 26 points but got little help.
There are precious few remaining chances for the Spartans to get a conference win this year, which would also serve as their first win over a Division I opponent. Air Force is one of those opportunities, along with a pair of meetings with Nevada (SJSU's only MW win last year was against the Wolf Pack).
Monday, January 26, 2015
Can SJSU win on Wednesday?
Call me crazy.
You wouldn't be the first and your pejorative would actually be a rather mild one compared to others directed this way.
Anyway, here goes: San Jose State University has a chance to defeat Air Force on Wednesday.
Here's why:
* elevation, actually the lack thereof
The game will be played at sea level rather than the 6,500 feet of Colorado Springs and that should help reduce any in-game fatigue the shorthanded Spartans experience.
* Max Yon is out on personal leave
The Air Force senior guard produced 13 points and six rebounds in the January 7 matchup between these two teams that concluded as a 78-56 loss for the visiting Washington Square crew. He shot 5-8 overall, 2-3 from beyond the arc.
* Rashad Muhammad
The best Spartan talent for producing points, he tallied 26 back on January 7, shooting 6-12. Daryl Gaynor II also shot well, 4-8 overall, 2-4 from long distance for 11 points but did suffer seven turnovers, half of what the team committed.
* Jaleel Williams
He produced just three points and four boards in 38 minutes. It's within the realm of possibility for his point total to say be tripled on Wednesday. It won't be a victory without an elevated game from him.
What must also happen:
* Shooting percentage
SJSU shot a respectable 45% overall last time but any likelihood of that going higher is nil. So what the Spartans must do is somehow diminish the Cadets shooting percentage -- 61% in the earlier pairing cannot be repeated.
* (Reducing) scoring in the paint
SJSU isn't going to put up big numbers close to the basket this season but the 46-16 point differential in the last game has to become much closer. Therefore, reducing layups and chippies are tied as job one defensively.
And no, neither Miss Cleo, The Amazing Kreskin nor Carnak the Magnificent were consulted for this post.
You wouldn't be the first and your pejorative would actually be a rather mild one compared to others directed this way.
Anyway, here goes: San Jose State University has a chance to defeat Air Force on Wednesday.
Here's why:
* elevation, actually the lack thereof
The game will be played at sea level rather than the 6,500 feet of Colorado Springs and that should help reduce any in-game fatigue the shorthanded Spartans experience.
* Max Yon is out on personal leave
The Air Force senior guard produced 13 points and six rebounds in the January 7 matchup between these two teams that concluded as a 78-56 loss for the visiting Washington Square crew. He shot 5-8 overall, 2-3 from beyond the arc.
* Rashad Muhammad
The best Spartan talent for producing points, he tallied 26 back on January 7, shooting 6-12. Daryl Gaynor II also shot well, 4-8 overall, 2-4 from long distance for 11 points but did suffer seven turnovers, half of what the team committed.
* Jaleel Williams
He produced just three points and four boards in 38 minutes. It's within the realm of possibility for his point total to say be tripled on Wednesday. It won't be a victory without an elevated game from him.
What must also happen:
* Shooting percentage
SJSU shot a respectable 45% overall last time but any likelihood of that going higher is nil. So what the Spartans must do is somehow diminish the Cadets shooting percentage -- 61% in the earlier pairing cannot be repeated.
* (Reducing) scoring in the paint
SJSU isn't going to put up big numbers close to the basket this season but the 46-16 point differential in the last game has to become much closer. Therefore, reducing layups and chippies are tied as job one defensively.
And no, neither Miss Cleo, The Amazing Kreskin nor Carnak the Magnificent were consulted for this post.
The financial side of college athletic scholarships
Mike Brohard writes about the financial side of a college athletic scholarship, what is covered, what isn't, how it changes if a student-athlete moves off campus, etc. This is a solid and informative read.
Wilner's Top 10 Bay Area college basketball players
Rashad Muhammad nabs the @10 spot in Jon Wilner's rankings of Bay Area college basketball players.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Monroe's Doctrine
Switching sports for a moment, here's a link to a feature on SJSU football commit Dakari Monroe.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Spartans 'babysitting' Welage
In Greensburg High's latest game, 6-foot-8 SJSU commit Ryan Welage finished with 43 points plus 17 rebounds.
Via Curtis Chatham: "San Jose coach in the house to watch Madison vs Greensburg. Ryan Welage committed to San Jose earlier this season."
Via Curtis Chatham: "San Jose coach in the house to watch Madison vs Greensburg. Ryan Welage committed to San Jose earlier this season."
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