Tag: San Jose State Spartans

Air Force Beats San Jose State 45-20

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The Air Force Falcons running back Lee Eldridge (24) takes a leap over the San Jose State University Spartans linebacker Taniela Latu (41) at Spartan Stadium in San Jose on Fri Sep 22, 2023 (@AF_Football photo)

Friday, September 22nd, 2023 

By Troy Ewers

 San Jose, CA – CEFCU Stadium was the location for this Mountain West conference duel between the San Jose State Spartans and Air Force Falcons. This Friday night battle may have felt like being in high school and watching a game at your school, but the energy and competition was way more intense with more at stake. Air Force handled the San Jose State with a 45-20 win.

Spartans QB Chevan Cordeiro had his hands full against Air Force considering going into this game the Falcons with a conference leading defense. Air Force’s defense ranked first in the conference in seven categories (scoring defense, passing defense, rushing defense, total defense, opposing first downs, third down defense, and sacks for).

Air Force also was the conference leader in six offensive categories (pass yards/completions, rushing offense, passing efficiency, third down %, sacks against, and time of possession). How would SJSU head coach Brent Brennan prepare for this top ranked squad?

San Jose State’s opening drive showed that coach Brennan was very prepared for the Falcons. The first drive for the Spartans went 75 yards in eight plays and took only 4:17 off the clock, this efficient drive didn’t showcase Cordeiro’s efficiency with the offense, but he was able to score on his feet with a 10 yard run to give the Spartans the lead to start the game, but the extra point was missed, 6-0.

Air Force this season had only allowed seven points in the first half and SJSU had already done better essentially in the first quarter. Air Force’s opening drive wasn’t a quiet in and out drive, they went 62 yards, but could only collect three points off the field goal from Matthew Dapore. 6-3 game at this point in the first quarter. The Spartans next drive went nowhere as they were forced to punt and it was a better example of the Falcons defense that was advertised. 

The second quarter started with Air Force with the ball around midfield and the rushing offense of the Falcons displayed why they were the leaders of the Mountain West. Not only did they control the pace of the game, but after going 65 yards on the drive, a rush by Emmanuel Michel for 17 yards through the defense into the end zone, the Falcons were able to take the lead including adding an extra point, 10-6 Air Force.

The shootout continued with SJSU moving the chains for a 60 yard drive and the exclamation point on the drive was a 29 yard touchdown run by Kairee Robinson, breaking tackles and finding holes, showing off great field vision and putting the Spartans over 13-10.

The momentum swayed largely in San Jose State’s favor after they completely stuffed Air Force as the Falcons tried to rush the ball and went absolutely nowhere and forced a punt. This was SJSU’s opportunity to possibly extend their lead going into halftime.

Cordeiro and this offense took full advantage of this opportunity and in four plays went 64 yards and pounded the ball into the end zone with another Robinson TD for SJSU. Cordeiro at this point in the game was throwing a perfect 11/11 so far as the Spartans were up 20-10.

Air Force’s response as the second quarter winded down was to go 75 yards and run the ball in for TD, but the attack was more balanced as Falcons QB Zac Larrier founds holes in the Spartans defense that made their attack feel easy and as the half ended the score was close, 20-17 with SJSU up. 

The second half started with Air Force having the ball and their game plan was to take over possession time with their nation leading running game. Coming into the second half with 199 rushing yards, Air Force added 75 yards on that stat with a long drive that went 15 plays and took more than half of the quarter to execute, but they executed to perfection with a rushing touchdown by John Lee Eldridge III and on that drive it felt like every running back on Air Force’s roster touched the ball and the Falcons took the lead, 24-20.

Cordeiro’s first incompletion came in the first play of the opening drive for SJSU in the second half and he followed it up with a second incomplete and an eight yard run, but no first down and with 5:28 left in the third, the game was coming down to who can stick to their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

Air Force’s run game was hitting on all cylinders. So far this season they average 320 yards a game and this game was no different for the Falcons as they hit 333 yards when the whistle blew for the end of the third quarter. 

With the ball to start the fourth quarter and red zone field possession, Air Force had a chance to extend the lead the only way they knew how and they did exactly that. Converting on a fourth down for a touchdown, Michel jammed in a one yard run in the end zone and took an 11 point lead to start the final quarter, 31-20.

A real shift in momentum came when SJSU tried to convert on fourth down to mount a comeback, but that attempt failed as they were stuffed by the Air Force D-Line and the possession would change hands. The Spartans had been scoreless in the second half at this point and with Air Force having the ball after that turnover on downs, it was clear who had everything in their favor the second half.

The proverbial nail in the coffin for SJSU came when Eldrige III broke tackles and hurdled falling Spartans for a 34 yard TD, 38-20 Air Force. After that TD the fans were filing out to beat the traffic. Both Michel and Eldrige III had 100+ yards rushing and the total rushing yards at this point for Air Force were 380, upholding their average on the season.

Cordeiro would throw an interception to Air Force’s Trey Taylor in a routine pop up pick and by this point in the game, all Air Force had to do was run this clock down to zero. Air Force while running down this clock would score again, 45-20, but the damage was not only done, but the 16,124 in attendance dwindled to around 2,000 people with two minutes left. 

When the final whistle blew it was clear who had won this game and it was clear Air Force was just as dominant as they were advertised. On defense they were a force and on offense they used a ground game that was classic old school smash mouth football.

For SJSU there’s a lot to learn from this game and with a bye week next week, they have time to reflect and learn from this game. Their next game would be in Idaho against Boise State on October 7th.

San Jose State falls to Toledo 21-17

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Photo credit: toledoblade.com

By: Mary Anne

The San Jose State Spartans looked to win two in a row at the Toledo Rockets on Saturday, but they didn’t. San Jose State fell to Toledo 21-17 at Glass Bowl Stadium. SJSU’s record dropped to 1-3, while Toledo improved to 2-1.

After a scoreless first quarter, San Jose State took a second-quarter lead in only a minute. Kyler Halvorsen kicked a 37-yard field goal to make it 3-0 Spartans at 7:47. Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Dominick Mazotti, who scored his first of the season, and Halvorsen kicked an extra point to give the Spartans a 10-0 lead at 6:47.

The Rockets cut the Spartans’ lead to 10-7 with ten seconds left in the second quarter. Rockets quarterback Dequan Finn threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jerjuan Newton, who scored a touchdown, and Luke Pawlak kicked an extra point to make it a three-point game.

The Spartans took a 10-7 lead to the locker room at halftime.

The Spartans took a ten-point lead at 9:58 of the third quarter. Kairee Robinson ran for a 15-yard touchdown and Kyler Halvorson kicked in an extra point to put the Spartans up 17-7.

The Rockets made it a three-point game at 6:15 of the third quarter. Dequan Finn ran for an 18-yard touchdown and Luke Pawlak kicked in an extra point to cut the Spartans’ lead to 17-14.

The Rockets took their first lead of the game with 2:01 left in the third quarter. Chris McDonald scored a touchdown on a 25-yard interception return and Luke Pawlak kicked in an extra point to put the Rockets up 21-14.

Notes
Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro joined the 10,000-yard club Saturday.

Up Next
The Spartans will return home to host the Air Force Falcons at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific.

San Jose State crushes Cal Poly 59-3

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Photo taken by Titus Wilkinson. Quentin Conley rushes into the end zone for a touchdown.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Spartans had a huge bounce back game against Cal Poly with a dominant win by a final of 59-3.

The whole game felt like a redemption arc after the dismantling they received from OSU on Sunday. As the Spartans offense scored the most points they have ever scored under head coach Brent Brennan.

The game started with SJSU kicking off and then immediately regaining possession as they forced a fumble and recovered it turning that into a field goal.

That play pretty much summed up the first half for Cal Poly as they totaled only 34 rushing yards and 58 passing yards. With Sam Huard only completing nine passes and throwing an interception.

San Jose State’s offense was potent as they totaled 132 passing yards and 178 rushing yards in the first half. Sam Olson got the first touchdown of the half with a 27 yard reception.

Of note was Quentin Conley who rushed for two touchdowns in the first half both for ten yards. Charles Ross also had a beautiful catch in the end zone on a 24 yard pass. By the end of the first half the score was 38-3.

During the second quarter there was a weather delay that lasted till 2:35 p.m.

Looking to keep up with Conley, Kairee Robinson rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter. With one for 32 yards and the other for eight.

Then the Spartans did something they haven’t done since 2018 when Matthew Coleman returned a punt for a touchdown. The run was 75 yards and increased SJSU’s lead to 59-3.

With the lead so great SJSU put in Jay Butterfield at quarterback and Cal Poly did the same thing as well putting in Je’Kob Jones in the third quarter.

The 59-3 score would stand as SJSU totaled 205 passing yards and 268 rushing yards. Not to be overlooked was the Spartans defense which held Cal Poly to only 95 rushing and 74 passing yards.

If there is anything SJSU may want to improve on its penalties as they took six costing them 55 yards.

The win improves the Spartans record to 1-2 while Cal Poly’s record is at 1-1.

San Jose State will look to continue their momentum against Toledo when they play them on the 16th at 4 p.m. on the road.

San Jose State suffers 56-28 blowout loss to No. 6 USC

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By: Mary Anne

The San Jose State Spartans suffered a 56-28 blowout loss to the No. 1 USC Trojans at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night. San Jose State fell to 0-1, while USC improved to 1-0 to start the NCAA college football season.

San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro went 21-38 for 198 yards and threw three touchdowns, while USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, went 18-25 for 278 yards and threw four touchdowns.

The Trojans got on the board first. Dorian Singer scored on a 13-yard pass from Caleb Williams, and Denis Lynch kicked in the extra point for a 7-0 lead at 6:32 of the first quarter.

The Spartans tied the game early in the second quarter. Kairee Robinson rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, and Kyler Halvorsen kicked in the extra point to tie the game 7-7 at 14:12 of the second quarter.

The Trojans responded with two touchdowns to take the lead minutes later. Tahj Washington scored on a 76-yard pass from Caleb Williams, and Denis Lynch kicked in the extra point for a 14-7 lead at 9:38. Austin Jones rushed for a 2-yard run, and Lynch kicked in the extra point to take a 21-7 lead at 3:31.

The Spartans made it a seven-point game in the final seconds of the second quarter. Nick Nash scored on a 28-yard pass from Chevan Cordeiro, and Kyler Halvorsen cut the Trojans’ lead to 21-14 with eight seconds left on the clock. The Trojans continued to lead 21-14 at the end of the first half.

The Trojans scored three of the four touchdowns in the third quarter. Austin Jones’ three-yard rushing touchdown and Denis Lynch’s extra-point kick made it a 28-14 game at 10:45, Zachariah Branch’s 25-yard passing touchdown and Lynch’s kick extended the Trojans’ lead to 35-14 at 6:00, and Branch’s 96-yard kick return touchdown and Lynch’s kick expanded the Trojans’ lead to 42-14 at 1:34.

The Spartans’ lone third-quarter touchdown came from Nick Nash, who collected a 32-yard pass from Chevan Cordeiro and scored to cut the Trojans’ lead to 35-21 at 1:50.

The Trojans continued their scoring clinic in the fourth quarter. Brenden Rice scored on a 12-yard pass from Caleb Williams, and Denis Lynch kicked in the extra point for a 49-21 lead at 12:28. Miller Moss rushed a 4-yard touchdown, and Lynch kicked in the extra point to make it a 56-21 game at 6:53.

The Spartans scored the game’s final touchdown, but it was too little, too late. Nick Nash scored a 2-yard passing touchdown from Chevan Cordeiro, and Kyler Halvorsen kicked in the extra point to cut the Trojans’ lead to 56-28 at 5:08.

The Spartans return home to host the No. 18 Oregon State Beavers on Sunday, September 3 at 12:30 pm Pacific.

San Jose State Spartans SID Hall of Famer Lawrence Fan passes at 67

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Photos of San Jose State Spartans SID Lawrence Fan (left) holding up Fan Cakes and (right) addressing the news media at San Jose State University (file photos by San Jose State Spartans)

By Michael Duca and Ana Keiu

SAN JOSE–Lawrence Fan, the longtime SID for the San Jose State Spartans, has passed away at age 67, as announced by the Spartan Athletic Director Jeff Koyna Wednesday afternoon. The news of Lawrence’s passing was a shock to Spartan athletes, employees, members of the media, students and alumni, as many had just seen Lawrence at work Monday.

It was reported that Lawrence, who normally showed up to work like clockwork, didn’t call or show to work on Tuesday and the University became concerned and later learned of his passing on Wednesday as announced by Koyna.

Lawrence worked with thousands of student and student athletes over his illustrious 42 year career. Many can look back and thank Lawrence for his advice and helping them advance whether it was in athletics or in their media careers.

One of the highlights for Lawrence was in 2012 when he was elected to the CoSIDA Hall of Fame. Lawrence, started as an SID at SJSU in 1980, (that was the same year that the hit movie The Blues Brothers was a box office smash), never missed work and worked all the sports at the University.

Former Spartan football player Neil Perry suffered amputation of a leg, but returned to playing football for the Spartans in 2003 for eight games. Needless to say, this inspirational story drew national attention. A flood of press coverage at his first game was one of Lawrence’s many shining moments. Lawrence was inundated with media requests from all over the country, which at the time Lawrence said was the busiest period he had ever had at Spartans football.

Another highlight for Lawrence was the 2020 football team that went 7-1, an almost perfect season. That Spartan team took the Mountain West by storm finishing finishing ahead of second place Boise State by two games. We never got a chance to interview Lawrence about his long 42 year career but what stories he could have told. 

Lawrence was also know for Fan cakes, which were served to the media during Spartans basketball games. It was a treat that everyone that covered Spartan games looked forward to.

The Spartan’s women basketball team were playing Air Force at SJSU in a 68-59 loss when officials learned of Lawrence’s passing. The Spartan women didn’t learn about the shocking news until 1:30 pm.  All athletic staff and athletes  were in a state of disbelief  at the news.

Stanford’s big 2nd and 3rd quarters route USC 42-28 in the Southland

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The Stanford Cardinal cornerback Kyu Blue Kelly makes an acrobatic lunge into the end zone after returning a 31 yard interception off USC Trojan quarterback Kedon Slovis in the second half of Sat Sep 11, 2021’s game at USC in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Stanford Cardinal (1-1) quarterback Tanner McKee threw for two touchdowns, went 16-23 for 234 yards in the Cardinal’s first win of the season over their Southern California opponents the USC Trojans (1-1) 42-28. The Cardinal scored 14 points in each of the second and third quarters that helped lead them to victory.

The Cardinal were coming off a opening day loss from last Sat Sep 6th to Kansas State 24-7 and wanted badly to make amends. They shocked the oddsmakers who had USC favored and who were ranked No.14. The Cardinal’s wide receiver Nathaniel Peat had 115 yards and caught a 87 yard touchdown pass from McKee and the Cardinal Kyu Blue Kelly picked off a USC quarterback Kedon Slovis pass for 31 yards for a touchdown that sparked and inspired the Cardinal in the victory.

Stanford head coach David Shaw had his team prepared this week after the Cardinal took that tough loss to Kansas State and the taste of that game was still in their mouths from opening week and the improved offense on Saturday night against the USC defense made things just a little bit satisfying for Shaw and McKee.

McKee had some good looks from the Kansas State opener after starting quarterback Jack West struggled to start that game. McKee did himself well against USC throwing for touchdowns to receivers Elijah Higgins and Brycen Tremayne in the fourth quarter that put Stanford ahead of USC by 29 points.

This was the Cardinal ninth win out of the last 14 games with the Trojans and the Cardinal defense kept the pressure on Slovis all night who went 27-42 for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. USC running backs Keaontay Ingram and Darwin Barlow each carried for a touchdowns but the effort was far short with McKee and the Cardinal pouring it in on offensively all night.

The loss snapped the Trojans nine game winning streak which carried over from last season, the Trojans won their opener on Sep 6th handling a very talented San Jose State team 30-7. That Trojan win looked as if it was going to set the tone for Saturday night’s game against the Cardinal but the Cardinal defense held Slovis and the Trojans offense from any developing opportunities and the Cardinal came into this game after studying film from the Trojans last game.

It was so bad for the Trojans that they even had their kicker Parker Lewis ejected from the game on the opening kick off for targeting his tackle. Despite that back up kicker Alex Stadthaus wound up kicking two field goals and two extra points flawlessly.

Next week USC will head to Pullman and face the Washington State Cougars at 12:30 pm on Sat Sep 18th and Stanford will conclude this three game road trip at Vanderbilt (2-1). The Commodores are coming off a close 24-21 win against Colorado State Saturday. Kickoff between Stanford and Vanderbilt is 5:00 pm PDT Sat Sep 18th.

Tim Miles holds introductory press conference today

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

The Tim Miles era has officially begun in San Jose, Calif. Miles spoke about his vision for the future of San Jose State men’s basketball in his introductory press conference on Tuesday.


Here’s the initial press release, which was released on Tuesday.

After a nationwide search, San Jose State University named Tim Miles head coach of the men’s basketball program. SJSU Director of Athletics Marie Tuite made the announcement on Tuesday.
 
“I am so thrilled to announce Tim Miles as our new head men’s basketball coach and welcome him and his wife, Kari, daughter Ava, son Gabe and “Sammy” (family dog) to the Spartan Family,” Tuite told the media. “Going into this national search, my top priorities were to find someone that not only had head coaching experience, but also had success in building programs. Coach Miles fits that description perfectly. If you look at the job he did at Colorado State and Nebraska, you will see that he completely changed the culture of those programs and elevated each program to new heights. I have full confidence that he is going to the same here at San José State.”
 
Miles, who re-enters to coaching ranks on the cusp of 400 career wins (399-334), brings over 24 years of head coaching experience with him to the South Bay, most recently at the University of Nebraska where he led the Cornhuskers from 2012-2019. During his time in Lincoln, Nebraska saw unprecedented success as they were guided to some of their most successful seasons in program history. In 2014, just two seasons after being hired, Miles led the team to their first NCAA Tournament in 16 seasons. He was named the Jim Phelan Award winner for national coach of the year and was also tabbed as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

“I’m excited to join President Mary Papazian, Marie Tuite, Charlie Faas and the San Jose State Athletic Department,” Miles said. “I have been most impressed with their genuine enthusiasm and eagerness of the entire administration and staff to elevate the men’s basketball program. I’m ready to raise the bar and work arm and arm with Marie to make our basketball program a team that will compete at the highest level of the Mountain West Conference and beyond.

“I can’t wait to get on campus to meet the team, begin assembling our staff and recruiting the type of player that will match our expectations for winning basketball.”

The 2013-14 season made Nebraska the talk of college basketball after they reached the tournament, despite being selected to finish last in the Big Ten standings. They overcame a 1-5 start in conference play, won 10 out of their last 12 games, and finished in fourth place with an 11-7 record. Among those wins was a 60-51 victory over #9 Michigan State, the program’s first road win over a top-10 program since 1997, and a 77-68 win over Wisconsin, who later advanced to the 2014 Final Four.

Nebraska’s turnaround began immediately under Miles’ wing with the Cornhuskers seeing a three-win improvement from 12-15 wins in 2012-13. With just one returning starter, Miles and company defeated three NCAA Tournament teams and finished the year with a victory over Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament.

After the success of the Huskers’ NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013-14, the following season saw more firsts for the Nebraska program as they achieved a national ranking for the first time since 1995.

In 2017-18, Miles led the Cornhuskers to one of their most successful seasons in program history. Nebraska won 22 games, their most since 1990-91, with a school-record 13 wins in conference play. They earned a bid to the NIT for their first postseason appearance in four seasons.

In Miles’ final season at Nebraska, the Huskers won 19 games and earned another top-25 ranking in the Associated Press poll. They advanced to their second-straight NIT appearance.

In his seven seasons at the helm of Nebraska, Miles guided nine players to All-Big Ten accolades including two-time all-conference pick Terran Petteway, who became the first Husker in program history to win the Big Ten scoring title in 2013-14 with an average of 18.1 points per game.

In addition to being a premier talent at building programs, Miles demanded excellence from his student-athletes in the classroom. He guided 17 Nebraska players to Academic All-Big Ten honors, including a conference-best five selections in 2015. In 2014-15, Shamian Shields became the first player in program history to earn first-team Academic All-American honors.

Prior to his extended stint at Nebraska, Miles made a name for himself at Colorado State when he took the Rams to new heights and laid the foundation for what’s now one of the top teams in the Mountain West. In five seasons, he increased his win total in each season with his best year being 2011-12 where he saw CSU defeat a school-record three ranked teams to their first 20-plus win season since 1997-98. The Rams finished with a 20-12 record, put three players on the all-conference team, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years. For his efforts, Miles was named the District VIII Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

The 2011-12 CSU team averaged 70.1 points per game and was the MW leader in field goal percentage (47.1), 3-point percentage (40.0), and free throw percentage (76.8). They also were one of just two programs nationwide to rank in the top 10 in both free throw and 3-point percentage. The Rams’ 20-win campaign was just the seventh in program history.

Similar to what he would eventually do at Nebraska, Miles quickly turned the CSU program around. His first two seasons saw the Rams battle through growing pains and injuries while continuing to make strides. CSU improved their win total in league play in his second season and finished the year off with a key victory over Wyoming in the MW Tournament.

Years three through five were some of the most successful for the Rams in recent history, culminating in CSU’s NCAA Tournament bid in 2011-12. In 2009-10, he led the Rams to their first postseason appearance in seven years after posting 16 regular-season wins. CSU was selected to participate in the CBI, and he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.

The 2010-11 team finished in fourth place in the MW after posting the program’s first winning record since 2007. The Rams finished the year 19-13 and earned a berth to the NIT for their second-straight postseason appearance. Miles and company won nine conference games that year, the most for the Rams since the formation of the MW in 1999-2000, and received votes in the top-25 national poll at the year’s end for the first time since 2005-06.

Before going to CSU, Miles was the head coach of the North Dakota State Bisons for six seasons, where he guided the program through their transition to Division I. The Bison reached at least 16 wins in each of Miles’ final five seasons. One of their biggest moments came in 2005-06 against 13th-ranked Wisconsin. NDSU handed the Badgers a 62-55 loss, snapping Wisconsin’s 27-game win streak against non-conference opponents. The loss was also just one of 10 non-conference home losses for the Badgers under hall of fame coach Bo Ryan. Miles was awarded the CBS Sportsline Division I Independent Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award.

Miles was also the catalyst for turning around Southwest Minnesota State University, who he guided for four seasons before joining NDSU. Prior to his arrival, the Mustangs had just one winning season in the previous decade. He changed all of that by posting a 78-39 four-year total, including a program-record 28-win season in 2001. The Mustangs won the 2001 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship and the NCAA North Central Regional Championship before advancing to the Division II Elite Eight. He was named the NSIC and North Central Region Coach of the Year Awards for his unprecedented success.

Miles made his head coaching debut as the head man at Mayville (N.D.) State University. The program was just 4-44 in the previous two seasons before he took over. He was able to turn things around and led them to a 35-22 record over three seasons. Miles was inducted into the Mayville State Hall of Fame in 2016.

Before reaching the head coaching ranks, Miles made his coaching debut as an assistant at Northern State. He spent six seasons on staff from 1989-90 to 1994-95, helping lead the program to five NAIA playoff appearances and five regional titles. As the team’s recruiting coordinator, he brought in and molded five All-Americans and helped the Wolves advance to the NAIA National Championship in back-to-back seasons.

A Doland, S.D. native, Miles graduated from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., in 1989. He then earned his master’s degree in health and physical education from Northern State in 1990. In 2007, he was inducted into the University of Mary Hall of Fame.

Following his stint at Nebraska, Miles took a two-year break from coaching, turning in his whistle for a microphone. He worked for the Big Ten Network, Fox Sports, and FS1 as an analyst in 2019 and also took his talents to a podcast called “Inside the Mind of Miles” as part of the “Field of 68” college basketball media network.

Miles and his wife, Kari, have one daughter, Ava, and one son, Gabe. They have a yellow lab, who’s appropriately named Sammy.

San Jose State’s difficult season comes to an end with 111-80 blowout loss to Wyoming in Mountain West Tournament

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

After suspending its regular season due to COVID-19, the #9 San Jose State Spartans took on the #8 Wyoming Cowboys in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Unfortunately, SJSU suffered a triple-digit loss, 111-80. 

But the Spartans’ journey wasn’t without its fair share of trials and tribulations. From tough losses to delayed flights, SJSU was burdened by a laundry list of issues. SJSU, however, rose up from those challenges. 

“Our team has transformed and evolved over the course of this season,” head coach Jean Prioleau told media members. “Toughness comes in many forms and this group has shown toughness on many different levels.”

The Spartans’ starting five featured Omari Moore, Trey Smith, Sebastian Mendoza, Richard Washington, and Ralph Agee. Agee made a jumper to get the Spartans on the board first 2-0 just 30 seconds into the first half. Just eight seconds later, Ike Graham responded with a layup to tie the game at 2. 

The Spartans and Cowboys exchanged leads and ties for several minutes in the first half. But it was the Cowboys who took the lead and never looked back. Marcus Williams made a layup in the paint to make it a 10-point game, 21-11, at 14:21. Graham Ike helped Wyoming open a 16-point lead with 2:51 left.

Wyoming closed out the first half scoring with a pair of free throws from Kenny Foster with 28 seconds left. SJSU trailed 59-45 at halftime. Omari Moore led the Spartans with 13 points and five assists at the half.

The Spartans had their work cut out for them. SJSU opened the second half scoring as Ralph Agee capitalized on a Cowboys turnover, made a second-chance layup, and brought the Spartans within 12 points, 59-47, just 34 seconds into the second half.

After a glimpse of hope, the Spartans’ problems reappeared. Ralph Agee appeared to have put a foot to Graham Ike’s groin. The officials handed Agee a Flagrant 2 foul. Subsequently, Agee was ejected from the game. Nate Lacewell entered the game for Agee. 

Marcus Williams made a jumper to help the Cowboys take a 20-point lead, 79-59, at 11:27. While the Spartans tried to inch closer, their efforts were ineffective as the Cowboys used a 11-3 run to take a 90-64 lead with 7:36 left. 

The Cowboys reached the 100-point mark when Marcus Williams made a layup with 4:15 left. Wyoming proceeded to pour in the points with back-to-back three-pointers by Drake Jeffries and Hunter Thompson, respectively. 

The Spartans went on a late 5-0 run, but continued to trail 109-80. The Cowboys had the last laugh as Drake Jeffries capitalized on a Spartans turnover and made a two-point dunk to make it a 111-80 game with three seconds left. The Spartans lost 111-80.

SJSU finished with a 5-16, 3-14 MW record, while Wyoming called it a wrap with a 14-10, 8-9 MW record. Wyoming moved on to the quarterfinals. 

San Jose State’s three remaining regular season games cancelled

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By: Ana Kieu

Just one day after the San Jose State men’s basketball team announced their makeup game against Nevada at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on March 3, news broke that their three remaining regular season games have been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Their team activities have also been cancelled.

The Spartans were scheduled to play Wyoming on February 25 and 27, respectively. The Spartans were rescheduled to play Nevada on March 3. All three games have been cancelled.

SJSU hopes to continue their basketball-related activities before the Mountain West men’s basketball tournament, which will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas from March 10 to 13.

Mendoza and Washington leads scoring attack, but San Jose State loses heartbreaker to UNLV 67-64

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team had hoped to snap their three-game losing skid with a win over the UNLV Rebels — especially in a nationally televised game on CBS Sports Network on Sunday. However, SJSU lost a heartbreaker, 67-64, to UNLV at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. SJSU (5-15, 3-13 MW) has now lost four straight games. Sebastian Mendoza led the Spartans with 14 points.

The Spartans’ starting five featured Omari Moore, Trey Smith, Sebastian Mendoza, Richard Washington, and Michael Ofoegbu Jr. The Spartans won the tip, and the game vs. UNLV was underway.

The Rebels got on the board first, as Devin Tillis and Caleb Grill each made layups for an early 4-0 lead at 18:21. However, SJSU responded to tie the game 4-4, thanks to two layups by Mendoza and Moore. Both teams exchanged leads and ties during the first half, but it was the Rebels who hung on for a mere 28-27 lead at halftime. The Spartans had the last score of the first half, as Ofoebu made a late layup with 16 seconds left.

The second half resembled the first half. Both teams exchanged leads and ties, the game went down to the wire, and the Spartans came up short in the end.

The Rebels opened the second half with a free throw by Bryce Hamilton just nine seconds in. At 13:09, Jalen Dalcourt hit a fastbreak 3-pointer cut the deficit to 44-39. Richard Washington hit his first 3-pointer of the game to cap off a 10-0 Spartans run with 8:30 left. Trey Smith added a 3-pointer of his own to tie the game 54-54 and make it a 13-0 Spartans run. The Rebels bounced back to take a 61-55 lead with 5:20 left, but Washington hit a 3 to bring the Spartans within three points, 61-58, just 22 seconds later. Washington and Sebastian Mendoza were in double figures and led the Spartans’ scoring attack with 10 and 12 points, respectively.

Omari Moore made it a one-point game, 61-60, with a jumper in the paint with 2:14 left. Moore made a second-chance layup to bring the Spartans within two points, 66-64, with 42 seconds left. UNLV called a timeout and David Jenkins Jr. made a second-chance free throw to secure a 67-64 win. UNLV (10-11, 7-7 MW) now has a two-game winning streak. Bryce Hamilton led the Rebels with 17 points.

The Spartans wrap up the regular season with a two-game series against the Wyoming Cowboys starting on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6 pm PT.