Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
The last time SJSU men’s basketball started 9-4, none of its players were alive to see it.
Matter of fact, you’d have to go back another couple decades.
The Spartans are off to their best start since 1980-81 with non-conference play in the books.
Second year head coach Tim Miles has everything and everyone trending in the right direction.
A start this historic merits some questions:
How did this happen? Who helped make this happen? Will it continue?
I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a couple as to why SJSU men’s basketball has gone from crushing grapes the past half decade to drinking wine.
Best ability is availability
The 2021-22 (8-23, 1-17) season was a doozy of a first campaign for Miles, as the Spartans were a prime target for the injury bug.
Some games saw SJSU men’s basketball only dressing out six players. Hard to win when you’re one foul out and badly twisted ankle away from being unable to play.
Which is night and day compared to this season. Freshman forward Max Allen is the only Spartan to have missed an extended period of time.
Center Ibrahima Diallo’s knee injury last season killed SJSU repeatedly during conference play.
The ‘Mountains’ of the Mountain West like CSU’s David Roddy, Wyoming’s Graham Ike, Fresno State’s Orlando Robinson and Utah State’s Will Baker took advantage of the undersized Spartans.
With Diallo out, the five was regularly manned by, Trey Anderson (6-foot-7-inches), Shon Robinson (6-foot-9-inches and transferred to Austin Peay) and Majok Kuath (6-foot-8-inches and transferred to Northwestern State).
But this year, Diallo has played in all 13 games while helping shut down opposing big men. His 28 total blocks led the Mountain West and his 2.2 blocks per game are second-most.
His eight blocked shots – yes, you read that correctly – against Alabama State set a Provident Credit Union Event Center record.
Injuries like anything else (i.e. traffic, awkward first dates, flight delays) are inevitable. So the question becomes how strong will SJSU be when lineups are piecemeal.
Haven’t needed Moore from Omari
Star fourth-year guard Omari Moore averaged solid numbers this season – 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists – but nothing eye-popping.
Relatively similar to his averages from last season of 13.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists. His three-point shooting has even dropped from 43% to 33%.
And yet, SJSU wins.
Which is a testament to the supporting cast around him – led by Sage Tolbert III.
He’s the second leading scorer on the team (9.9 points), but it’s his 8.2 boards per night – tied for first in the Mountain West – that’s most impactful.
The Spartans’ combined opponent rebounds of 28.1 is a league-best and its 38.4 combined rebounds is second in the Mountain West.
Fresno State-transfer Robert Vaihola has done his fair share with 5.5 boards per game which is second-most on the team.
While guards Alvaro Cardenas and MJ Amey, and forwards Trey Anderson and Tibet Görener have done their part, it’s the big men who’ve been the marquee difference makers.
Will it last?
Best start in over 40 years sounds great right? But what’s the point of a historic start if the Spartans losing history repeats itself in Mountain West play?
The Mountain West is shaping up to be just as good – if not better – than it was last season when it sent four teams to the NCAA tournament.
Entering this week, it has seven teams ranked in the top 80 and four squads in the top 40 of the NET rankings. Every game will be an exhausting dog-fight.
SJSU showed it can beat sturdy competition with its 75-64 win over Santa Clara (11-3) on Dec. 10.
On Thursday night, Santa Clara committed Broncos on Broncos crime with its 15-point win over Boise State (10-3), who has the fourth-best winning percentage in the conference.
A healthy roster has been a major facet of the winning ways, but consider the Spartan’s defense.
Last season, SJSU allowed 67.4 points per game while going 7-6 in non-conference play. Fast-forward to the end of its disastrous conference play and it allowed 79 points per game.
So far in 2022, SJSU’s 64.7 points allowed per game is the sixth least in the conference, but its good night nurse if that number skyrockets to 80 again.
Miles rightfully earned the reputation as a reliable program repair man. The defense is much improved and they can bounce back after losses (have yet to lose back-to-back games).
Before the season he joked to me that people will start calling him, Coach F.E.M.A. (Federal Emergency Management Agency) because he only takes over disasters.
Well Coach F.E.M.A., looks like you’re at it again.