By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter | Photo via Titus Wilkinson of The Spear
Following SJSU men’s basketball’s season-opening 72-64 win over UC Irvine, senior forward Trey Anderson expects the first call he’d make will be to his parents. And projected they’ll say, “just the first game, don’t get too high, don’t get too low.”
Yes. It’s just one game. But considering some of the lows of Anderson’s career, his 19 points is noteworthy. Particularly when factoring in the scoring void left by reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Omari Moore. Should Anderson continue, SJSU men’s basketball could have a chance at continuing its unprecedented upswing.
While Anderson was a key reason for Tuesday night’s win over UCI — ranked 75 spots higher than SJSU in Kenpom —he also contributed to SJSU finishing at the bottom of the Mountain West in three-point percentage last year. Anderson started all 18 conference games during the 2022-23 campaign, but made just 12 three-pointers during that time.
And despite Anderson’s struggles, SJSU men’s basketball managed to accomplish a litany of feats; first 20-win season since 1981 and first-ever wins in the postseason and Mountain West Tournament. But that was because SJSU had the luxury of relying upon Moore.
But with Moore now in the pros, a cloud of uncertainty hovers over each offensive possession.
Will Anderson step up? Will guard Alvaro Cardenas step up? Will guard MJ Amey step up? Will forward Tibet Gorener step up?
At least for the season-opener it was Anderson and Gorener, who combined for 36 points and 5-for-7 from deep.
“Tibet Gorener and Trey Anderson saved the day for us. They were excellent today and that’s what we need. We need that next jump out of those guys,” SJSU men’s basketball head coach Tim Miles said.
During this past offseason, Anderson spent time training alongside NBA Talent at Las Vegas’ Impact Basketball. He’s said his training didn’t involve anything fancy or out of the ordinary. It was more about working relentlessly to wash out the taste of the 2022-23 season and build confidence in himself for the 2023-24 campaign.
“Last year felt like I didn’t have the best year that I should have had offensively. So this year my focal point [was], ‘I need to score, I need to score, I need to help my team,’” said Anderson, who made seven of his nine shots.
So much of Anderson’s story is returning to that feeling he had in high school as a highly-touted recruit, who later committed to South Carolina with NBA aspirations. But in two seasons at South Carolina, Anderson logged less than five minutes per game. So he transferred to SJSU and was a member of Miles’ first recruiting class in 2021.
Tuesday night made it feel like Anderson is ready to take that pivotal year-three jump. In the second half, he amassed 14 second-half points, two steals and with center Adrame Diongue in foul trouble, helped solidify the Spartans’ paint presence on defense. In doing so, he helped SJSU go from being tied with UCI 24-24 at the half, to taking a commanding 50-37 with 12 minutes left. And then never surrendering that lead.
Now the question becomes can Anderson do it on a nightly basis?
“I know that the guys need me to score and need me to be more aggressive,” Anderson said. “Just my mindset coming into the game [was], ‘I need to do more. I need to be here for my guys.'”