First a look at who is on hand.
PERSONNEL BREAKDOWN
BACKCOURTERS/WINGS
Myron Amey Jr. certainly advanced this season and definitely produced some highlight games but he remains inconsistent with his shot to be a one, the first shooting option on the team (not the term for a point). Amey may grow into it but, for now, he's best as a second option guard.
Freshman guard recruit Ben Roseborough will immediately become the #1 option offensively, thus allowing the latter to perform in a less pressurized role. Not being the #1 target of opposing defenses may make Amey more effective. The 6-foot-3 Roseborough is healing up a broken foot which caused him to disappear from recruiting circles. UCLA and Arizona expressed interest in him before he became injured. When healthy, he's the best SJSU recruit basically ever. But the Spartans need to make sure Roseborough is fully healed before he gets back on the floor and make sure his minutes aren't too much.The biggest problem (or question) with Roseborough is how long can the Spartans keep him around? Roseborough is pining to get to the pros so let's see how he performs but, equally important, if he remains healthy. NIL money will likely come into play if Roseborough remains in college for a second season. SJSU has none and he will likely generate high level offers with a productive season.
Junior point Alvaro Cardenas turned the corner this season with higher shooting percentages (45% overall, 40% on treys) despite a dramatic increase of pressure on his shoulders. He'll be a senior next year and a quality replacement will be sorely and quickly needed if the Spartans don't want to fall back into perpetual building mode yet again. If he is shooting less next season it's a good thing. That means the quality of his teammates has improved.
6-foot-6 Garrett Anderson, with a live body and the on-and-off makings of a solid jumper, actually regressed this past season. He is a big question mark so should he be retained or 'encouraged' to drop a level if he wants to play more? He played a few minutes (12 per game), shot 34%, 16% and 40%, and simply did not contribute this season. A divorce would be best for all involved.
Latrell Davis possesses the body to play effectively (195 pounds) and enjoyed a few highlight moments and games of displaying promise to so he deserves another season to see if he is capable of stepping up further.
A bunch of other Spartan newcomers didn't play enough to get a solid read. Ricky Mitchell Jr. has nice size and a rep as a shooter/scorer in the high school ranks and his sophomore season will be a critical one. He was on the court for 160 minutes yet hasn't shot even a single free throw as yet. Iggy Mitchell at 200 pounds has a D1 body but remains an unknown. Local talent freshman Pasha Goodarzi redshirted. A year of experience starting at a local junior college is what he needs because backcourt minutes at SJSU will be very hard to earn.
BIGS
6-foot-8, 260 Robert Vaihola is SJSU's best big as strange as that appears with his height. But he moves others around in the paint and his presence was oh so greatly missed this season but the Spartans still need an traditional-sized additional center recruit who can consistently contribute with points, rebounds and blocks.
Center Adrame Diongue will never be effective beyond intermittent highlight plays unless he gets way beyond his current 190 pound frame spread over 7-feet. Most bigs at 225 or beyond simply moved him around too easily this season and his shotblocking comes mostly from positioned off the ball, not on his actual matchup. He can't and shouldn't be counted on as a starter next season.
6-foot-10, 230 William Humer was a sophomore this season (Coach Tim Miles likes his JC transfers to have three years of remaining eligibility) and came from one of Miles' former players who heads a JC program in the Midwest. Thus far, he has blocked six shots in 284 minutes and also shot just 12 free throws. Hummer doesn't appear to have D1 talent or potential and should drop down a level as it looks right now that he will never outplay his opposing matchup.
International talent 6-foot-8 Diogo Seixas played little this season and didn't show much. He didn't display a live body so he needs to sharpen his skills. Maybe the presence of Roseborough will give him more open looks and the chance to create (and produce) more. Can he defend and can he rebound to enough of a degree of effectiveness? It's an open question.
6-foot-6 walk-on Christian Wise can jump out of the gym but he's too small to play inside and lacks the ballhandling/passing/shooting prowess to be a three. His future is in D2.
NEWCOMERS
Jermaine Washington is a 6-foot-1 freshman point coming in who Miles has lauded for his elite quickness. But he likely won't play much considering the amount of time per game that Cardenas logs, plus the minutes Roseborough will be on the court as well as Amey. Can Miles and Company get him ready to play major minutes with effectiveness the following season? Currently, there is nobody else on the squad with quarterbacking abilities.
6-foot-5 freshman Cameron Patterson is long and athletic and known as a skilled shooter. It may be difficult for him to get on the floor next season due to a logjam for shooters but he'll contribute if he shoots well and adapts to the faster, more muscular play of college ball in a timely manner.
WHAT'S NEXT
Miles needs to work the JC ranks or transfer portal much better like he did the latter two years ago. The introduction of the NIL makes that problematic. A couple of recruits (one frontcourt, one backcourt) ready to contribute would have greatly improved the W-L outcome this season and is absolutely applicable to the next.
SUMMARY/OTHER RECRUITING POSSIBILITIES
The offense will be much better a season hence but this team must play much better defense next season.The other newcomers who will be added have to be at least adequate defenders but hopefully even better.
Three recruits (among many possibilities) stand out as good options. 6-foot-8, 190 Keitenn Bristow is a Texas prep talent with scoring as his top skill. It appears he could help fairly soon with his size mismatch capabilities at the three spot and he has already taken an official visit to Spartanland. His defensive prowess is an unknown.
Thomas Tut is out of South Sudan (c'mon his nickname has to be 'King') and is a sophomore at a Kansas junior college as a bounceback from St. Peters. He has offensive and rebounding skills but isn't really a shotblocker despite being 6-foot-10 (210). Offered in January, it would be nice to see 25 more pounds on him
Jovontae Campbell is a sophomore at an Oklahoma junior college. The three ball isn't especially effective for him (32%) but he is a 6-foot-2, 155 high-scoring backcourter (shooting 50% overall). He also received an offer in mid-January. A third consistent scorer is an absolute need so.......
6-foot-10 Junior Sileu attends Arizona Compass Prep (ACP) and has an offer from SJSU from back in July 2023. Spartan Assistant Coach Ed Gipson came from ACP, hence the connection. San Jose State badly needs a 'big' defender who can keep opposing bigs in check while also scoring some.
6-foot-9 Barron Smith is another Texas high school prospect who was offered in June. His best skill is rebounding but can Coach Miles take on a young talent who will likely need a year, maybe more, to be ready for Mountain West Conference level ball? His high school coach calls him a 'worker' and he possesses strong academics. Utah State has also offered.
There is the transfer portal with prospects jumping into it daily.
A GUESS AT THE STARTING FIVE
- 6-foot-1, 180 Alvaro Cardenas—point
- 6-foot-4, 190 Ben Roseborough—two guard/wing
- 6-foot-2, 185 Myron Amey Jr.--two guard/wing
- A four/power forward—(this is the biggest question mark)
- 6-foot-8, 260 Robert Vaihola—center (desperately need a dependable backup here)
DEPTH AND OTHER NOTES
Do the Spartans have anyone who can come off the bench and consistently produce? That remains to be seen. The need is for at least two players, hopefully three -- one at each position (center, forward and guard) -- who can fill these roles.
The team lacked a single player this season who earned at least 100 foul shots. That's damning.
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