Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
Second-year point guard Alvaro Cardenas and fourth-year wing Trey Anderson were giddy when they hopped on the Zoom call.
After all, it was their last obligation before going to a water park in Nassau, Bahamas.
“We are going to act like some big kids today,” said Anderson. “It’s only right.”
But it’s not all water slides and child-like jubilation in the Caribbean for the Spartans. Work needs to be done as well when they face North Texas to begin the three-day long Baha Mar Hoops tournament starting Friday night.
In the second year of Miles’ rebuild, SJSU has won four of its first five games to start the 2022-23 season for its best start in over 25 years.
Temple-transfer Sage Tolbert III, who leads the Mountain West in rebounds per game with 9.4, has been one of the key reasons for the superb start.
“I feel like he’s the piece that we needed last year,” said Anderson. “His rebounding has helped us tremendously.”
“His motor is insane,” said Cardenas, adding to Anderson’s praise. “He does all the dirty work which is exactly what we needed.”
That “motor” has helped SJSU lead the Mountain West in combined rebounds per game (42.6) and held opponents to the least combined rebounds per game (29.2).
The Spartans, who started 1-4 a year ago, were second to last in both of those categories.
During his recruitment this past off-season, Miles remembered Tolbert asking him one question:
‘Coach can we win?’
Miles replied, “I think we can, but we need a guy like you.”
Tolbert III serves as a harbinger for how powerful the transfer portal can be — both for the team and for the individual. SJSU men’s basketball isn’t the only sport finding success with transfers, Spartan football has flipped the script on their 5-7 2021 campaign with an array of transplants from other schools.
This season Tolbert III is averaging 10 points, 1.8 assists and 9.4 assists. Career highs in all categories, and a far cry from his 3.1 points, 0.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds averaged in 29 games for Temple last season.
Cardenas recognized what Tolbert III brings to the lineup, saying, “Little things might not seem like it makes a difference, but it’s huge for us.”
Whether that’s diving for a loose ball or setting a sturdy screen up top and making a beeline for the rim.
“I think we identified all the right elements of what he can bring to the table and he’s been really helpful for us and I expect him to get better and better,” said Miles.