Aidan Bostic (@bostic_aidan) – Spear Reporter
San Jose State men’s basketball has never been a program poised on recruiting high caliber offensive players and in the early going of the season, it’s defensive performance will be vital to it’s success for the 2022-2023 season.
SJSU men’s basketball won its season opener against Georgia Southern 63-48 behind an impressive collective defensive performance.
SJSU men’s basketball played an exhibition game last Friday against Cal State LA where it narrowly squeezed out the win 69-66, because its defense crumbled.
In Tuesday nights win, head coach Tim Miles emphasized solid defense and that sparked the Spartans offense.
It seemed Miles was more frustrated about missed defensive assignments than missed layups and that’s a good thing for SJSU fans.
The Spartans held the Eagles to 26.8% shooting and only gave up 11 points in the first 16 minutes of the game. SJSU guarded the perimeter intently and nothing in the paint was easy to come by for Georgia Southern.
Despite such a strong defensive performance from the Spartans, the offense simply lacked points.
Some shots were hurried and bunnies were missed at the rim, something they can get away with when they are not allowing points at the other end.
Junior guard Omari Moore and sophomore guard Alvaro Cardenas had 14 points each and they carried the Spartans when the offense got stagnant.
If SJSU’s defense holds and its offense picks up, the Spartans may be winning by double digit margins quite a few times this season.
SJSU men’s basketball has struggled to establish an identity in recent years, with coaches shifting in and out and players doing the same. The last time the Spartans held a team under 50 points was on Nov. 10, 2017 against Antelope Valley. Miles snaps this five-year streak.
It was reassuring to see the defensive stance that the Spartans took in order to secure their first win of the season.
On a blown whistle, a Georgia Southern player continued to drive to the rim where he was met by junior center Ibrahima Diallo. Even on dead plays, points are not going to be easy to come by for opposing teams.
Moore and Diallo combined for five blocks against Georgia Southern. Both players, who are integral to SJSU’s success, showed that they are just as good on defense as they are on offense coming into the regular season.
Miles’ system has already proved to be fruitful and another defensive clinic is on the horizon for Spartan fans.
SJSU men’s basketball gears up to face Bethesda at Provident Credit Union Event Center on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.