San Jose State Spartans
2023-2024 Result: 9-23 record (2-16 MWC)
Projected Starting Lineup
Head Coach: Tim Miles (4th season)
Guard: Will McClendon (JR)
Guard: Donavan Yap (5th year)
Guard: Josh Uduje (SR)
Forward: Sadaidriene Hall (5th year)
Center: Robert Vaihola (JR)
Key Additions
Will McClendon (UCLA)
Donavan Yap (Fresno State)
Josh Uduje (Utah State)
Sadaidriene Hall (Stephen F. Austin)
Sadraque NgaNga (Seton Hall)
Chol Marial (Oregon State)
Key Losses
Tibet Gorener
Alvaro Cardenas
MJ Amey
Trey Anderson
The new-look Spartans backcourt will have some holes to fill after losing 2 of the better guards in the Mountain West in Alvaro Cardenas and MJ Amey. Coach Tim Miles went to the transfer portal to find their replacements and he walked away with a pair of in-conference transfers in Donavan Yap and Josh Uduje, who will take on a lot of the playmaking and shot-creating responsibilities. They were also able to add UCLA transfer Will McClendon, who profiles more as a 3 and D piece. These new perimeter options should keep this offense from disaster, but this should be considered a major downgrade from the perimeter groups they've had the last few seasons. Tim Miles likes to run a heavier pick and roll based offense, as the Spartans have been in the 89th percentile or higher in pick and roll frequency in all 3 seasons with Miles at the helm (per Synergy), but he may not have the perimeter creation to run this type of offense efficiently. Donavan Yap projects as the guard to receive most of the pick and roll volume and while he can be fairly efficient (90th percentile in P&R efficiency), there may be a little too much on his shoulders creation-wise. One area that the Spartans could have an advantage is on the offensive glass, as center Robert Vaihola is returning after missing all of 2023-24 with an injury. Vaihola was a monster on the glass in the 2022-23 season, as he ranked 5th in the entire country in offensive rebound percentage (17.7%) out of players that played over 40% of minutes in that season. Vaihola was the main contributor to the 2022-23 Spartans teams that had one of the best overall rebound margins in the country, and they have similar depth to possibly emulate that production with guys like Adrame Diongue, Sadaidriene Hall, Christian Wise, Chol Marial, and Sadraque NgaNga. Vaihola is also impactful as a pick-and-roll man, and while this action may not be nearly as efficient due to the lacking perimeter group, Vaihola is a big time physical presence and a strong finisher at the rim to provide some value here. While the offensive upside probably isn’t there to be the 101st rated offense in the country (per Torvik), the rebounding ability should keep the floor high for the Spartans and we can expect this group to finish anywhere from the 150-175 range nationally if the frontcourt stays healthy.
The defensive side of the floor is where there were real issues for the Spartans a year ago (254th adjusted efficiency). While they didn’t do many things well defensively, their biggest issue was guarding the 3-point line where they were second to last in the country in 3-point percentage defense (38.9%). This issue stemmed from the lack of lateral quickness across the board, as the defense broke down far too often by getting blown by off the dribble so often. Tim Miles’ defensive scheme wants to run shooters off the 3-point line and filter opposing offenses into the strength of the Spartans defense which is typically in the frontcourt, but Miles didn’t have the frontcourt depth to execute this style so the wheels fell off as the season went on. This defensive style may be better suited for this year’s San Jose State defense, as the perimeter group of McClendon, Yap, and Uduje is more defensively sound and Miles has the frontcourt group to defend inside the arc at a higher level this season. While Robert Vaihola isn’t necessarily great as a rim protector, his positive impact on the glass will raise the floor of this defense. There is a good amount of rim protection depth on this roster, so Miles will have plenty of options to work with. This defense looks to be improved across the board and we can expect them to finish in the top 200 nationally on this side of the floor with the upside to be in the top half of the Mountain West.
After a 2-16 conference record and a tie for last place in the Mountain West a year ago, expect San Jose State to have a much better 2024-25 season. They may not quite reach their breakout season from 2 seasons ago where they went 10-8 in the MWC, but the floor will be raised with their rebounding abilities and paint protection. It is fair to question the backcourt from an offensive perspective, and they won’t be an at-large bid candidate by any means, but the Spartans should not be overlooked by its conference foes this season.