Chris Murray previews the game

Chris Murray previews the SJSU - Nevada matchup with statistics, the X-factor and three keys needed for a Wolf Pack win.

No runoffs please

There is a lot of current chatter on the Inside Sparta Basketball MB about the pros and cons surrounding running off players who haven't performed well this season.

Each poster is obviously entitled to his/her opinion and to state such (thankfully) but something is missing from the debate thus far: please consider the moral aspect to this practice.

Student athletes have been invited to attend San Jose State University via an athletic scholarship.

They have accepted.

Granted, each awardee is aware that athletic scholarships are issued annually to both holdovers and newcomers and no promise is made for a full four years. Plus, some of those on this particular Spartan team were brought in by the previous coaching administration.

But it was and is an SJSU school representative doing the issuing.

However, we also can't forget that coaches are simply retained or fired based upon wins versus losses -- graduation rates and other such cheap ornamental talking points be damned.

All this is a business.

However, San Jose State University representatives entered the living rooms of these prospects and promised their parents/elders to take care of the kids being wooed. Such a commitment shouldn't be offered lightly.

Yes, coaches do lie. They over-promise. That's the salesman aspect of the job (and, for the record, so do prospects, their families and handlers). Coaches may not even be considering at the time of recruitment that dumping player X will ever need to happen but they should.

As a fan, I would rather endure losses if need be than force out a student athlete whose potential and promise was miscalculated. For the record, this requires absolutely zero nobility in stating such because it isn't my job possibly on the line.

The high road is taken because it's the right thing to do. It's not easy and there's not a lot of company or visceral reward to be found. 

And yes, there are those players who mess up academically and/or socially and have their 'ships pulled. There are some who don't commit to becoming better basketball players. Like with just about everything in life there are exceptions. Just don't do it to those giving their all just because it isn't enough.

Nevada here on Tuesday

Nevada (12-14, 7-6) welcomes San Jose State University in on Tuesday but which Wolf Pack team will appear? The one that beat the Spartans earlier or the squad currently on a four game losing streak? (Utah State on the road 83-75, San Diego State on the road 73-58, 75-67 in Reno versus Fresno State and 90-72 in the Pit against New Mexico)

On January 1, Coach David Carter's guys took a 62-50 win at Walt McPherson Court. The game writeup:

When you are playing a jumpshot-centric, four-out offense, the ball needs to be entering the cylinder at a decent rate in order to emerge victorious. That didn't happen for the Spartans tonight (35% shooting) as visiting Nevada nabbed a 12 point victory, 62-50, via a strong second 20 minutes (37-24).
But it wasn't as if the Wolf Pack were all that zeroed in with their own shooting, as 1-12 from long distance exemplifies.
However, Nevada newcomer in the middle, AJ West, got thisclose to a double-double with 15 points (6-8 shooting) plus nine boards and a pair of rejections. That is double his points per game average coming into this matchup. West was known primarily as a shotblocker coming in -- 10.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and a nations best 5.1 blocks per outing at Monroe Community College as a sophomore -- so this was an unexpected offensive performance.
Star backcourter Deonte Burton led the Reno-ites with 18 points (coming in averaging 22.5) as he and West were the only Nevadans in double figures. The second-leading scorer on the Wolf Pack roster at 15.3 points a contest, Jerry Evans, scored just eight (3-11 shooting).
6-foot-7 Cole Huff rebounded particularly well, finishing with 10 as Coach David Carter's squad won the rebounding battle 37-30, 13 offensively, this despite a lack of depth on the frontline.
Devante Wilson was the main scorer for SJSU, concluding with a very efficient 18 points (4-7 from three-point range) plus five rebounds. The Wolf Pack defended Rashad Muhammad quite well, limiting him to five points on five shots in 33 minutes.

At this pont, Deonte Burton has upped his points per game average to 20.1. 6-foot-7 Cole Huff has enjoyed some very solid games of late -- a high of 31 aided by six treys versus Fresno State -- and sits at 12.0 points an outing while 6-foot-8 Jerry Evans is contributing 13.2 as well as 6.2 rebounds each night. Shooting guard Michael Perez is the fourth double-figures scorer at 11.6 per contest.

Frontcourter A.J. West ranks as the top boardman at 7.6 but his 7.5 points a game is sustained primarily on putbacks and the like. Do credit him for 40 blocked shots in 15 games though.

One idea is try and force Nevada to shoot more treys than Coach Carter wishes as Burton is at 32% and Perez 34% in that endeavor.

Chris Cunningham has been playing better of late for SJSU but West's defensive play will be a major challenge. To his credit, Cunningham did post a 10 point, eight rebound line against West on New Year's Day.

If Rashad Muhammad's ankle and the effects of a concussion on Jalen James haven't improved, then it will be trouble depth-wise as the former played 33 minutes and the latter 26 in the earlier matchup. While it's true that neither came away with impressive numbers that night, spreading those minutes out among teammates may produce greater levels of fatigue, especially defensively, to those able to go.

Robert Kuwada's looks back at MWC action last week

Robert Kuwada serves up his weekly Mountain West Conference basketball look.

Remember Bobby Godinez in football?

Bobby Godinez is the first year head coach at Victor Valley College...in basketball. Long a roundball doormat, Godinez has his team at 4-4 in conference play, 14-11 overall.

Here is his VVC bio:

Godinez, 31, brings his 8 years of coaching experience to the basketball courts for the first time.  After playing both football and basketball at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, he exceled at San Jose State University as a defensive back in the early 2000's, earning Academic All-American honors as well as All-Conference honors.  Godinez also signed a Free Agent contract with the Washington Redskins after graduating with his Bachelors in Sociology.  He later returned to San Jose State to earn his Master’s Degree in Kinesiology in 2006.  With his degrees in hand, he opened his sports performance training facility, Optimal Sports, in his native Hacienda Heights and also Upland, CA where he began assisting high school student athletes in preparation for the physical rigors of college athletics as well as helping them prepare mentally for the challenge of college academics. It was here that he began to understand that coaching any sport was more than the X's and O's, but also engaging young minds, earning their trust, teaching them the importance of self-discipline and to think about their future on and off the field.  “Optimal Sports was about training athletes specifically in their respective sport as well as building strength, speed and most importantly character” Godinez added.  These young athletes were receiving the same type of physical work outs, designed and crafted by Godinez, as Apple Valley's own Jason Vargas and NFL Veteran Shaun Cody, who also were trained personally by Godinez.  After brief stints at both Mt. San Antonio College and Pasadena City College, Godinez coached for 3 seasons at the Division 1 level with Gardner Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.  Godinez elaborated, “Having the opportunity to be able to coach at the division 1 level was a wonderful experience because it taught me more than just specifics in coaching, but how to relate to all different types of kids in all different walks of life.  I believe it helped me to grow as a coach and mentor and I look forward to sharing everything I’ve learned with these kids.”

MWC team rankings

Robert Gagliardi has posted his MWC team rankings for this week plus his winners/losers of upcoming games.

Two more WYO - SJSU game reports

Robert Gagliardi game reports on Wyoming's takedown of San Jose State University.

Gagliardi also offers some thoughts on the matchup plus video.

Wyoming 46, San Jose State University 38

What a strange game. Actually make that half.

The best of times warped into the worst as the Spartans owned a three-point lead over Wyoming after the initial 20 minutes, 29-26.

But the court must have been infected with malware in the second half as SJSU totaled just nine points to 20 for the Cowboys and slogged to a 46-38 loss.

Freshman guard Isaac Thornton, who is turning out to be a gamer offering a variety of contributions, finished with 14 points while Chris Cunningham posted a 10/11 double-double.

Two other personnel notes: Dylan Alexander started and played 28 minutes while Rashad Muhammad received four minutes of time.

Wyoming's best player, Larry Nance, was limited to seven shot attempts and six points although he tied for the lead in rebounds with nine. It was time for guard Riley Grabau to shine as he imprinted 18 points and nine boards on the contest.

The Cowboys shot 40% for the game to 28% overall for the Spartans. The latter went 6-25 from beyond the arc but a perfect if paltry 6-6 at the charity stripe. SJSU won the boards battle 33-28 but had four steals to Wyoming's 10.

A Spartan basketball Q-and-A

Robert Gagliardi/Cowboy Chronicles has posted a Q-and-A with Jimmy Durkin of the Mercury News about SJSU hoops.

It's Wyoming here on Saturday

Wyoming comes to town Saturday afternoon (2:00 p.m.) @ Walt McPherson Court and this is a team fresh off a 68-62 upset of San Diego State last Tuesday.

From Cowboy athletics:

Wyoming held SDSU to its third-lowest point total this season and is now one of only two schools (Wichita State) in the nation to not allow 75 points this season. For the season, Wyoming's 49 percent from the field leads the Mountain West and ranks 13th in the nation, while its 38 percent from deep is third and 65.9 points per game are 10th. UW's 73 percent at the free throw line is third. Defensively, the Cowboys rank second in the MW and 14th in the NCAA in scoring defense at 60.5 points per game and fourth in the league in field goal percentage defense at 40 percent. UW's 31 percent three-point defense is third in the conference and 51st in the nation.

Plus this:

Junior guard Riley Grabau and junior forward Larry Nance Jr. paced Wyoming in its upset of San Diego State. Grabau notched 17 points and four assists and has now his 17 threes over the last five games to average 11.3 points and 2.1 assists. He is shooting 92 percent at the free throw line and has made 35-straight attempts. Nance added 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks. He leads the Pokes at 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.4 steals per game, while ranking 11th in the MW in points and fifth in rebounds. His 54 percent from the field is second. Sophomore guard Josh Adams and senior guard Nathan Sobey have gotten to the rim during MW play. Adams averages 11.6 points and a team-high 2.9 assists, while Sobey contributes 7.5 points and 2.8 rebounds. Junior forward Derek Cooke Jr.'s 5.6 rebounds are second on the team and he adds 5.4 points per contest. 

Here's our game report from the January 18 last meeting between these two teams:

The sense all along was that Wyoming was going to win this game and that became the reality with the final score of 67-56 but San Jose State University left another fine impression in its initial Mountain West Conference go-around.

This time it was D.J. Brown's turn to lead and he finished with 18 points, including 4-8 from long distance. Frontcourter Chris Cunningham finished with 10 points and six boards and Devante Wilson totaled 13 points. Rashad Muhammad didn't connect from the floor and finished with two points as SJSU shot 37% overall and garnered just four points from the Spartan bench.

It was a case of too much Larry Nance Jr. (how did they get him to come out of Ohio to Laramie?) as he concluded with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in 40 minutes of court time. Second-leading Cowboy scorer Riley Grabau missed each of his six three-point attempts but it was fellow guard Josh Adams stepping up and springing for 16 points plus seven assists (just one turnover). he had been close to 50/50 in assists-to-turnovers entering the matchup.

Wyoming doubled up the Spartans in the paint, scoring 34 points to 16 and posted a shutout with fastbreak scoring at 14-0.

This was another learning opportunity as Coach Larry Shyatt's guy played very physical. The Spartan youth know they must get bigger and stronger in order to turn around these final scores in MWC play. 

Gotta go with the Cowboys on this one  -- just a too tough physical and mental opponent. Wyoming might let down a bit after topping San Diego State but this is a coaching staff that will nip any lackadaisical play early on. That and the Spartans don't have a good matchup for Larry Nance.

SJSU offer Reyes

Alex Kline/The Recruit Scoop tweeted: "San Jose State has offered 2014 North Broward (FL) forward Sammis Reyes."

A member of the Chilean National Basketball U17 Team, Reyes is 6-foot-6, 240 and holding offers from Tulane, Fordham, Citadel and Buffalo according to 247 Sports. Another site also included Miami, BYU and Hawaii.

A quote: "Sammis Reyes 6'6" (North Broward Prep, Florida) is a thick bodied athletically gifted forward. Looks like a football player running on the court with massive shoulders. Has a ready body. Does a good job of using his lower half to get post position as well as position for rebounds. Biggest strength to Reyes' game is that he stays very low which helps him defend smaller players as well. Keeps the ball high on rebounds and does a good job defending the weak side as well. Still a bit raw on offense but he is so athletically gifted it's hard not to wonder how far he could take his game. Didn't really get many touches in the post but did a nice job of getting position just about every time."

Kline himself wrote on December 23 of last year:

...Reyes appears to be a strong finisher around the rim with good post moves. He is bouncy around the basket on both the offensive and defensive end. He also looks to have a high-IQ based on his passing ability and ability to find open teammates. His handle is pretty solid for a combo forward, but schools willing to take a look at him at on all levels could be getting a very talented player with plenty of potential. Multiple scouts and college coaches who have seen him before have verified that Reyes is potentially a mid-major plus to high-major player.

As his shot and handle are still being worked on, Reyes has been trying to improve in those areas. His footwork, strength and athleticism are probably the three best parts of his game, as well as his passing and defensive abilities based on his jumping and timing ability...

Below is an 11+ minute video posted in February 2013:

The Spartans fall by three

This one came down to the final shot but it unfortunately was blocked and Air Force got by San Jose State University 51-48 tonight at Walt McPherson Court.

It was an evening when Tre' Conklin, Air Force's leading scorer, fired errantly (1-12) but the starting guards for SJSU combined to shoot 4-23. Conklin totaled 27 points in the earlier pairing of these two teams on January 15.

Devante Wilson led the Spartans with 15 points and Chris Cunningham compiled a 13/11 double-double although he also committed five turnovers. His 6-10 shooting was sharp and it was his most number of attempts in some time.

Coach Wojcik's guys finished with 18 official errors to 13 for the Falcons. It was the other way around back in January at 23 turnovers for AF to SJSU's 16.

Jimmy Durkin live-tweeted the matchup and here is his game report.

Here are a number of game photos.

Gustys offered by Tulane and Hostra

From The Recruit Scoop: "Tulane & Hofstra have offered 2014 PF Rokas Gustys of Oak Hill (VA)."

He's the young man who would be a starter from Day One at SJSU based on his rebounding and willingness to bang around opponents.

Rick Lewis talked with Gustys after the senior's trip to Rhode Island. RI also needs a big, there is already a Lithuanian on the roster there and Coach Danny Hurley is a formidable recruiting opponent. SJSU receives a mention in the article.

More on Fisher and the Aztec basketball program

It has already been read by many at this point but here's a link to Myron Medcalf's feature on what Steve Fisher has achieved at San Diego State, with some information on the pre-Fisher state of the program. This section stood out:

...He hit the streets and became an evangelist for SDSU hoops.

"I spoke at 79 different events my first 365 days," Fisher says. "Kept count of them. From small little coffee groups of 15 or 20 to the national rotary group in downtown San Diego, 400 [people], and everything in between to spread the word about San Diego State basketball."

He made promises of a bright future that his team's five-win season in his first year failed to back. So the stands were still empty in those early years.

"You'd come here and you'd be able to count the number of fans here on your hand," said Brian Dutcher, an assistant on Fisher's staffs at Michigan and San Diego State. "There'd be 100, 200, 500 fans, maybe. So it was tough, it was kind of a dead environment."

That's significant if you're going to understand the length of Fisher's ride. Banners for SDSU's six NCAA tourney appearances now jut from the ceiling at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs, who will play at Wyoming on ESPNU at 11 p.m. ET, have won 20 or more games for nine consecutive seasons (including this one) and they've won seven Mountain West titles since his arrival. The team's vibrant fans -- "The Show" -- are nationally recognized for their fervor...

Call me crazy (that's mild compared to other epithets tossed in my direction) but I still believe San Jose State University basketball can become what San Diego State now is.

As perennial fans, we have (to steal a line from the late Dave Carter), been "beat down, misdirected, cropped short and sized to fit" for soooooooo long yet haven't surrendered. That maintenance -- without sustenance -- is a miracle in itself.

We want a second supernatural occurrence -- a successful team and program. The fans deserve it for maintaining allegiance after such a lengthy barren existence, one full of hope but also with the deep down knowing that nothing was going to really change.

Let us hope the present administration is as serious about funding and supporting men's basketball as it currently appears. Let's hope it goes further.

Let us hope Coach Wojcik does 80 events in his first 365 days.

UN:V lands a prime recruit

Now they certainly aren't all going to be like this particular signing/commitment but check out the headline of UNLV's latest hoops commit: "Top recruit Rashad Vaughn chooses UNLV over Iowa State"

Here's a snippet from the article:

...At UNLV, Vaughn will make an immediate impact. Rice needed a perimeter scorer for next season, a player who can consistently knock down jumpers from the perimeter. Vaughn joins one of the top recruiting classes in the country (now ranked No. 5 at 247Sports), a group that also includes five-star forward Dwayne Morgan and top-25 prospect Goodluck Okonoboh. Morgan has NBA potential given his athleticism and ability at both ends of the floor, while Okonoboh is arguably the best shot-blocker in the country. Moreoever, the Runnin' Rebels will also return starters Roscoe Smith and Khem Birch on the inside, as well as point guard Deville Smith, talented pick-and-pop forward Christian Wood, and others. If all the pieces fit, UNLV will have as much talent as nearly anyone in the country -- especially up front. And now Vaughn gives them an elite-level scorer on the wing...

This is the level SJSU is going up against on the floor.

Yes, grittiness and hard work are necessary components in order to succeed. But there also must be an upgrade in the potential level of the signees coming aboard at San Jose State University. The lack of success this season and earlier will obviously be used against the Spartans by the other coaches, that's a fact. It's an unenviable task for Coach Wojcik and Company but some how, some way that must be overcome.

Jeremiah Ingram is a good start. A center or power forward who is ready to contribute right away is a must for next season or the building plan will need to be stretched out.