By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1) – Spear Reporter | Senior guard Steven Vasquez (left) and junior guard Rob Vaihola (right) celebrate during SJSU’s exhibition game versus Cal State East Bay (photo by Nikita Bankar – Spear Photographer)
SJSU men’s basketball underwent a big roster overhaul in the offseason. The Spartans have nine transfers and three true freshmen on the roster.
“It was definitely a chaotic spring,” head coach Tim Miles said. “It was a lot of Zooms, a lot of visits and a lot of travel.”
SJSU lost big names like Myron Amey Jr. and Alvaro Cardenas who were staples of the team.
“It reminds me of being a small college coach where we used to have three $500 scholarships for 15 guys and guys leave,” Miles said. “Now they leave because of NIL.”
The new NCAA transfer rule approved on April 22 states that the NCAA can no longer enforce transfer restrictions.
“I think we are going to see not nearly as much continuity as we did in the old days,” Miles said about building a roster.
Head coach Tim Miles during SJSU’s exhibition against Cal State East Bay (photo by Nikita Bankar – Spear Photographer)
Despite the continuity of the team not being there, a lot of the players on the roster have connections to each other.
Senior guard Josh Uduje, graduate student center Chol Marial, junior center Adrame Diongue and junior forward Sadraque NgaNga all played high school basketball at Arizona Compass Prep. All of them played under SJSU assistant coach Ed Gipson who was the head coach of Arizona Compass Prep from 2017-2023.
Uduje has also known sophomore guard Latrell Davis since they played basketball back in their home country of England.
Graduate student guard Donovan Yap Jr. played AAU basketball with junior guard Will McClendon in Las Vegas.
Yap also has connections to junior forward Rob Vaihola and senior guard Steven Vasquez all played together at Fresno State.
Most of the new transfers all have some connection to each other and while the fans will be seeing a new team, the players are familiar.
“(Players having connections) really matters,” Miles said in the Cal State East Bay post game press conference. “Those guys knowing a little bit about each other really helps especially when 12 of your 16 roster spots are new.”
The challenges that come with structuring a team with all of these rapid changes is on full display at SJSU. Here are the new players that you will see in the 2024-2025 season.
Josh Uduje – Senior Guard: Transfer From Utah State
Josh Uduje drives against the Cal State East Bay Defense (photo by Nikita Bankar – Spear Photographer)
SJSU was able to bring in the reigning Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year in Uduje.
Utah State went 28-7 including going 14-4 in conference play in the 2023-2024 season. This was enough to finish with the best record in the Mountain West and Uduje played a big role on that team.
During his award winning season, Uduje averaged 8.7 points per game while shooting 42.5% from the field and 73.6% from the free throw line.
Uduje’s decision to come to SJSU stems from his relationship with Gipson being his high school head coach and his past recruiting experience with Miles.
“I knew Miles was a great coach, he actually recruited me last year when I committed to Utah State” Uduje said. “I just wanted to find a spot where I have the ability to showcase things I haven’t done in the past.”
In the midst of the roster of 12 new players, Uduje can find familiarity in a few of the faces on the roster.
“Some of these guys aren’t new to me,” Uduje said. “I’ve known Davis since he was little and the AZ compass guys I’ve known for a while and I’ve played against Yap and McClendon over the past couple years.”
After missing out on him last season, Miles’ sales pitch to get Uduje to SJSU was even stronger.
“He told me he wanted me the year before and he wants me even more this year,” Uduje said. “He told me he wants me to be a leader on this team and step into that role offensively and defensively. That’s all I really needed to hear.”
Donovan Yap Jr. – Graduate Student Guard: Transfer From Fresno State
Donovan Yap Jr. at the free throw line during SJSU’s scrimmage against Cal State East Bay (photo by Nikita Bankar – Spear Photographer)
Yap spent 2021-2024 at Fresno State and he started his career at UNLV in 2020.
SJSU will become Yap’s third Mountain West school.
“I played against (Miles) for four years,” Yap said. “He felt like I could help be a key part of us winning this year.”
Yap averaged nine points per game and 1.8 assists for Fresno State last season. He also shot 43.8% from the field and 35.1% from three-point-range.
Last season when SJSU traveled to Fresno State on Jan. 16, Yap’s 13 point performance against the Spartans caught Miles’ eye.
“I mean we couldn’t stop him at Fresno,” Miles said. “He’s a good shooter, he’s good off the dribble and he’s a hard guy to stay in front of.”
After being a longtime Bulldog, Yap is excited to be on the other side of the rivalry as a Spartan.
“I’m ready to do it, I like to compete,” Yap said. “Now that I’m a Spartan I’m gonna rep the Spartans and everytime we play Fresno I’m trying to go at them.”
Will McClendon– Redshirt Junior Guard: Transfer From UCLA
Will McClendon goes up for a three-point shot (photo by Nikita Bankar – Spear Photographer)
Uduje has high praise for McClendon.
“McClendon is one of the best passers I’ve ever played with,” Uduje said during the Cal State East Bay press conference. “So you can expect a lot more assists.”
Last season for UCLA McClendon played in 33 games averaging 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
“Will did a good job at UCLA and I think he’s looking for an expanded role,” Miles said. “He’s been playing very good with the ball in his hands.”
Miles said at Mountain West Media Day that he expects McClendon to be a leader on the team.
“I’ve always kind of been a leader,” McClendon said. “By my play, in the locker room and off the court. So getting to express that here has felt really good.”
While his passing is a key part of his game, Miles wants McClendon to expand.
“Sometimes he defers too much,” Miles said. “I want him to look to score more.”
McClendon was recruited by Gipson to play at Arizona Compass Prep but instead decided to play at Bishop Gorman High School.
McClendon spoke about his time playing against Yap during AAU.
“It was fun,” McClendon said. “I don’t really know about the record but it was always good competition.”
Chol Marial – Graduate Student Center: Transfer From Oregon State
Chol Marial goes up for a dunk (photo by Nikita Bankar – Spear Photographer)
Marial is here to help SJSU have a stronger presence in the paint. This is something the Spartans struggled with last season as they ranked tenth in the Mountain West in rebounds per game.
“We didn’t have enough size and physicality last year and it really hurt us,” Miles said. “We would play really well for a long time and teams would just brutalize us in the paint.”
At seven-foot-two Marial is the tallest player in the Mountain West.
Marial is one of the four players on the roster to play under Gipson at Arizona Compass Prep, which factored in his decision to come to SJSU.
“I feel like it’s going to be a good fit for me,” Marial said. “Miles told me to just come here and play hard and be who I am.”
He also brings a shot blocking threat to the Spartans defense as in the 2023-2024 season he had 31 blocks in 31 games played.
This was on full display during SJSU’s exhibition game against Cal State East Bay where Marial had five blocked shots.
Marial is excited to get to play his last season with people that can support him.
“It’s my last year too. I want to end with people who really believe in me,” Marial said.
Sadraque NgaNga – Junior Forward: Transfer From Seton Hall
Sadraque NgaNga goes up for a layup (photo by Nikita Bankar – Spear Photographer)
NgaNga has been playing with the starting five and it looks like he will be featured at the four early on in the season.
As a six-foot-ten forward, NgaNga brings a rebounding presence and athleticism to the Spartans.
Last season NgaNga played for Seton Hall where he appeared in 19 games including a game against Fairleigh Dickinson University where he grabbed a career high nine rebounds.
“(Playing at Seton Hall) was a good experience,” NgaNga said. “In the Big East everything over there was so strong, it was a good year to learn as a basketball player.”
Much like Marial, NgaNga came to SJSU because of Gipson.
“He told me ‘I’ve known you since high school, I know your game, you play different and whatever you need to do I got your back’,” NgaNga said.
Sadaidriene Hall– Graduate Student Forward: Transfer from Stephen F. Austin
At Stephen F. Austin in the 2023-2024 season Hall averaged 10.7 points per game with a 53.8 shooting percentage from the field.
In the 2022-2023 season Hall had the highest shooting percentage in the WAC with 59.55% and had the second most double-doubles in the WAC with six.
Hall, a six-foot-five forward, averaged 13.1 points per game while making 30 starts that season.
“He’s got this classic old school undersized power forward type of game,” Miles said. “There’s a guy I told him to look up on YouTube, Adrian Dantley, who he reminds me of.”
Hall made his decision to come to SJSU based off of how his playstyle fits in with Miles’ vision for the team.
“I feel like I bring toughness and physicality to the team and I felt like that was something (Miles) was looking for,” Hall said. “So it made my decision a little bit easier.”
Hall is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury and may not be able to play right away.
Other New Faces
Freshman guard Jermaine Washington is a young player to keep an eye on as at Mountain West Media Day Miles said he’s someone who can make an impact earlier than people think.
Washington received 15 minutes of playing time in the exhibition game against Cal State East Bay.
Washington played with the Compton Magic AAU team and he shot 50% from the field and 81% from the free throw line in the 2023 season at Rancho Verde High School.
Senior guard Steven Vasquez joins the team from Fresno State. He previously played with Vaihola and Yap back in their time as bulldogs.
“It’s great to reunite with Vasquez and Yap,” Vaihola said at the Cal State East Bay Press Conference. “We always played together because we were on the second team at Fresno, so we already have all that chemistry, so it’s nice.”
The Spartans also added junior guard Ameree Britton from Cal State Monterey Bay, six-foot-five freshman guard Cameron Patterson from Summer Peak High School and freshman guard Ben Roseborough from Bella Vista Prep High School who is currently dealing with a foot injury according to Miles.
With the season beginning on November 4 against Western Illinois at 7 pm., we will get to see how the connections can help the team chemistry.
