By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Senior Staff Writer | Senior forward Sadraque NgaNga shoots a wide-open three in front of the Spartans bench during SJSU’s 93–77 loss to New Mexico in the Mountain West Tournament on March 12. (Photo by Alex Stoev — The Spear)
San Jose State’s 2025-26 men’s basketball season came to an end on March 12, with a second-round Mountain West tournament loss to New Mexico, closing the year at 9-24 overall and 3-17 in conference play.
For the Spartans, it was another season defined less by potential and more by what might have been, as injuries consistently disrupted the roster from November through March.
Even in a 0-3 start, the Spartans were competitive against strong opponents, keeping games close against the University of Utah and Michigan State. But as injuries mounted, depth dwindled, and the season unraveled.
The issues began almost immediately. Senior guard Javaughn Hannah, a key transfer from Western Michigan expected to start, suffered an injury following the season opener against Utah on Nov. 3. He briefly returned in December but was injured again and ultimately redshirted, appearing in just two games.
The Spartans were dealt another major blow when senior center Yaphet Moundi went down with a lower leg injury during an 81-68 loss to San Diego State on Dec. 30.
Moundi had been one of the team’s most consistent players, averaging 12.5 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game. Without him, SJSU struggled significantly on the glass, finishing near the bottom of the Mountain West in rebounding at 29.7 per game.
Backcourt depth also took repeated hits. Redshirt freshman guard Ben Roseborough, who led the team in 3-point percentage at 41.1%, played just 11 games. A hand injury sidelined him for all of December, and after returning briefly in January, he suffered a season-ending knee injury during a Jan. 13 win over Air Force.
Redshirt sophomore guard Pasha Goodarzi missed the first month of the season, returned to carve out a consistent role, then played his final game Feb. 17 in a win over Nevada before missing the remainder of the year, including the conference tournament.
As injuries piled up, SJSU’s rotation often shrank to just six or seven players, sometimes with only two or three available guards. That forced heavy minutes on players like junior guard Colby Garland, freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr. and sophomore guard Jermaine Washington, all of whom played entire games.
With no consistent rotation or starting five to rely on, SJSU head coach Tim Miles was forced to experiment with lineups.
“It’s always changing. That one year we won 21 games, 2023, we had the same starting lineup but one. That’s been the last time we’ve seen that happen,” Miles said on the Spartans’ different starting lineups.
Redshirt sophomore forward Adrian Myers, typically a frontcourt player, even saw time at guard to help balance minutes.
Myers battled his own early-season injury, but he emerged late as a key scorer. He broke out with five first-half 3-pointers in a win over Nevada to snap an eight-game losing streak, then followed with a 34-point performance, shooting 8-of-9 from beyond the arc against Air Force.
Despite Moundi’s absence, the Spartans still had options in the frontcourt with Sadraque NgaNga, Marcus Overstreet and Douglas Langford rotating at center. While none matched Moundi’s rebounding presence, NgaNga and Overstreet helped stretch the floor offensively.
Even during their struggles, the Spartans remained competitive. Several losses, including a 10-point defeat to New Mexico and a seven-point loss to UNLV, were within reach late, but the lack of depth and accumulated fatigue often proved too much to overcome.
The Spartans provided a glimpse of their potential in the Mountain West tournament. As the No. 11 seed, SJSU pulled off an 84-74 upset over Boise State despite missing four key contributors in Hannah, Moundi, Roseborough and Goodarzi. Using just a seven-man rotation, the Spartans delivered one of the tournament’s biggest surprises.
Many of the Spartans’ regular-season losses came down to late-game execution, with the team struggling to close after falling behind by around 10 points. But this game followed a different script.
SJSU led by two at halftime and, even after Boise State cut a nine-point second-half lead to three, responded with a momentum-shifting 3-pointer to regain control and hold off the Broncos.
The season ultimately raised a familiar question: what could SJSU have been at full strength?
With the offseason underway and roster movement already beginning, including Garland and Myers entering the transfer portal, the Spartans now turn their focus forward. After back-to-back conference tournament wins across seasons, they look to add to that continued success and grow it further.
