By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1)- Spear Reporter
Junior forward Tibet Gorener, junior guard Alvaro Cardenas and senior forward Trey Anderson before they are introduced for opening night | Photo by Titus Wilkinson – The Spear
For SJSU men’s basketball, the loss of Omari Moore is a big one, but if senior forward Trey Anderson and junior forward Tibet Gorener can keep up how they played in the season opener, the offense might not miss a beat.
SJSU men’s basketball 72-64 win over UC Irvine was the first look at the new Spartan offense which head coach Tim Miles described as “score by committee.” Leading the scoring charge were Anderson and Gorener.
Anderson was automatic on the night scoring 19 points shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from three. Gorener scored 17 points including going 3-for-4 from the three.
“(They) saved the day for us, they were excellent,” Miles said. “That’s what we need, we need that next jump out of those guys.”
The next jump is key for Anderson who is coming off a season offensively where he averaged 6.2 points per game, a statistic that Anderson feels does not live up to his abilities.
“Last year I felt like I didn’t have the best year I should’ve had offensively,” Anderson said. “So, this year my vocal point is I need to score, I need to help my team.”
The duo combined for five of SJSU’s seven three-point shots made. Gorener also shot 6-for-6 from the free throw line, a big key in swinging the game in SJSU’s favor.
Not only were Gorener and Anderson able to score, they were able to hit shots with UC Irvine heavily contesting them. Irvine plays a very physical brand of basketball and Gorener hit two of his threes with defenders right in his face.
“I was just taking what the defense was giving,” Gorener said. “(I was) trying to capitalize on the opportunities that presented themselves.”
Gorener and Anderson both played over 30 minutes in the season opener showing that what we saw tonight could be a precursor of how the offense will operate this season.
Miles spoke on how the team’s veteran presence alongside junior guards Alvaro Cardenas and Myron Amey Jr. helps shape the culture of this year’s team.
“I believe in them and you can see that translates into winning basketball,” Miles said. “That permeates into these younger guys too.”