By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1) – Senior Staff Writer
Head coach Tim Miles fires the team up from the sideline – photo by Andrew Hartley | The Spear
San Jose State was able to address one of its most pressing needs in the addition of graduate student guard Donovan Yap Jr. from Fresno State who committed from the transfer portal as he announced via his Instagram.
Yap Jr. brings a 6-foot-5-inch frame and weighing 185 pounds at the guard position which could help SJSU gain more size around the court as they played very undersized last season.
In the 2023-2024 season Yap Jr. posted a career-high 9 points per game in a season where he started 12 of the 26 games he started in. On November 15 he posted a season-high 23 points against Morgan State.
With the loss of junior guards Alvaro Cardenas and Myron Amey Jr., Yap Jr. will have some big shoes to fill.
With the way the roster is slated right now Yap Jr. would be in line to start at one of the guard positions. He joins late-season breakout freshman guard Latrell Davis as the other guard most likely to get starting minutes next season.
In the first matchup Fresno State had with SJSU last season Yap Jr. played 27 minutes and put up 13 points while shooting 6 for 11 from the field in a game the Spartans would go on to lose on a buzzer beater.
Yap Jr. is the first player to commit to SJSU out of the transfer portal. With all of the turnaround from the roster and the underperformance of last season, still expect the Spartans to aggressively pursue talent still in the portal.