SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State football released its 2019 schedule on Monday, but Wednesday was all eyes on head coach Brent Brennan and one member (Alex Galland) of this year’s recruiting class inside the Simpkins Stadium Center. All two took questions from the local media on the first day of the traditional start to the National Letter of Intent signing period.
If you’re a San Jose State football fan, then this update was written with you in mind. Here’s my question and answer session with Brennan and company.
1. Better health is an obvious priority for the current roster. Talk about a few other solutions to continue turning potential into production. I think Josh Love demonstrated when he’s healthy, he can be a really effective quarterback. So, in terms of our offensive production, it’s important that Love has the playmakers surrounding him, but that’s more so easier said than done because we play against a lot of teams with more improved defensive and offensive lines.
2. The Spartans trailed in Rushing S&P+ and Opportunity Rate, but Tyler Nevens is a different figure as he has been leading the backfield and showing a good amount of ability to be a grinder. Do you feel like the Spartan running game has nowhere to go but up? Absolutely, and obviously, Quinn (Oseland), (Scott) Breslin and Jelani (Newman) will be guys that we hope will give us a boost. When it comes to the offensive line, we have guys who know that it all starts with them. So I’m hopeful and that was one of the reasons why we identified Quinn and we’re excited that he has seen the felt the love from California and saw the opportunities in the Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and most of all, San Jose State as an academic institution; but he’s also here to play football and to help us grow and play better up front.
The running back thing got shot in the arm last year. There were a couple of guys we signed who just enrolled with us at the mid-year, so you’re going to see Kairee Robinson from De La Salle, a fantastic player, and also Lorenzo Birch from Carmichael Jesuit; and we really feel like those guys will give us a boost.
There are guys who weren’t on our roster last year who are going to help our running game. And, of course, we’re going to see the maturing from Tyler Nevens and DeJon Packer. We’re going to have a good mix of youth and maturity, so let’s see if we can run the football better because that’s what we need to do. 3. The Spartan offense has showed some glimpses of promise. Just how important do you think the offense will play a role in the Spartans’ success in 2019? Yes, I think the offense will play a pretty big role in the Spartans’ success. It’s also a reflection of me, the offensive coaches, and the rest of Spartan Athletics as a whole.
4. What are some things the recruits could bring to the table that fans may not know about? The track prowess of Dominic Mazotti, the fact that Jackson (Canaan) is a big-time swimmer–a totally legit swimmer, despite being a tight end, Isaiah Thomas is more of a crossover guy for us and we’re planning to make him one this coming season, and Malikhi Miller–who’s the stepson of (running backs) coach (Alonzo) Carter–but that’s a turning point as he has relationships with the other coaches and had to have a reason to join the (football) program. So that has been a positive. He’s a big 6’4″ kid, he’s got this big body and he’s going to grow into a monster wide receiver; but he’s still a little young, so he needs to grow into that big body.
Jamar Simpson…there’s a great video of him on YouTube of him and Adoree Jackson at the USC camp for their opening and they were having the fastest man competition and Adoree–who didn’t bet–but he said that this guy had it. So they were in all these camps all over Southern California and Jamar won every single one of them.
Jamar caught our eye at a USC camp and also some other catches. He had a lot of speed, so much that I wondered if his dad clocked his 40-time.
5. The mix of the younger and older players can help improve the team, just as long as they stay healthy and are willing to put in the work. Is the youth movement still important in this program? Absolutely. I think there’s a real delicate balance there, and the real balance is how we fill our roster; but the last two years, we’ve seen a lot of young players playing on a significant level, and the best thing is about freshman is that they become sophomores, sophomores become juniors, and you hope that those reps they get in the game will help them improve and stack up to round out their learning experiences because they’ll be playing at a young age, but over time, they’ll be better prepared to handle things when they’re confronted with issues.
This is the time where I’m putting in time to develop the energy that helps us all form a bond that will be unbreakable when the college football games are underway on Saturday.
San Jose State men’s basketball player Noah Baumann was named as a Student-Athlete of the Month for January, presented by O’Connor Hospital.
Baumann opened up Mountain West play with a bang as he averaged 11.0 points per game in the first eight games of conference play. He was the only player on the men’s basketball team to start in every Mountain West game in January. Baumann, who’s known for his lethal 3-pointer, shot 41.3% from beyond the arc in January. The Phoenix, Ariz., product finished the month with back-to-back double digit scoring efforts against Air Force (12) and Utah State (15).
On January 16, Baumann had one of the best games of his career as he tied the school record with seven 3-pointers made and finished with a career-high 29 points, the most points scored by any Spartan this season.
Six home games spread from the last Thursday in August through the Saturday after Thanksgiving, no more than two consecutive weeks on the road, a first-time non-conference opponent in Arkansas and two bye weeks are ahead for San Jose State football in the 2019 season.
San Jose State opens in CEFCU Stadium on August 29, against Northern Colorado of the Big Sky Conference in a non-conference home game.
San Jose State’s other five home games are with Tulsa of the American Athletic Conference on September 7 and Mountain West opponents New Mexico on October 5, San Diego State on October 19, Boise State on November 2 and defending conference champion Fresno State on November 30.
“We have a schedule that will be exciting and challenging for our players and coaches and attractive for our fans. Right now, we’re in our winter conditioning program; spring practice will start in a month; and the season will be upon us quickly. I can’t wait,” said San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan, now in his third season leading the Spartans.
San Jose State’s first road game of the season will be at Arkansas on September 21. San Jose State is playing against its first SEC opponent since Auburn in the 2015 season. The Spartans’ other regular-season non-conference road game is at Army West Point on October 26. The game will be San Jose State’s first trip to play a football game in New York and second of the four game home-and-home series with the Black Knights.
The Mountain West schedule has the Spartans on the road at Air Force on September 28, at Nevada on October 12, at Hawaii on November 9 and at UNLV on November 23.
There are bye weeks on the weekends of September 14 and November 16.
After playing the 11th toughest schedule in 2018, according to the NCAA Statistics Service, San Jose State faces six teams that played in a bowl game a year ago.
The “early bird” season ticket renewal period begins online February 6, and runs through March 6.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball had yet to win a conference game and the fiery San Diego State Aztecs proved to be another tough opponent for the sluggish home team Saturday night at the Event Center.
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup of Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Craig LeCesne, Ashtin Chastain and Michael Steadman.
SJSU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead as LeCesne hit a 3-pointer just 36 seconds into the first half. But SDSU took over for quite a while as four of their players (Matt Mitchell, Jalen McDaniels, Jeremy Hemsley and Devin Watson) hit back-to-back 3s in a span of two minutes and 44 seconds. The Aztecs continued pouring in the points as McDaniels knocked down two jumpers, but the Spartans put an end to the Aztecs’ 13-0 run as Chastain made a layup at the 14:18 mark.
Not only that, SJSU inched their way back into the game. Steadman made a layup, Brae Ivey hit a 3, Knight added a layup, and then Chappell hit a 3 to make it a 1-point game with 7:38 left. The Spartans temporarily took a 17-16 lead on Chastain’s layup, but Hemsley hastily responded with a 3 for a 19-17 Aztecs lead with 5:46 left. Watson knocked down a jumper to extend the Aztecs’ lead to 21-17 with 4:58 left.
The game remained in a back-and-forth affair to close out the first. Ivey knocked down a jumper, Aguek Arop knocked down a paint jumper and Steadman made a layup. However, SJSU was unable to carry a lead to the locker room at halftime as they trailed 25-21. SDSU definitely benefited from Watson’s layup, which extended the lead to 25-21 with 1:13 left.
It was all SDSU to start the second half. McDaniels knocked down a jumper and a paint jumper in a span of 36 seconds. It was SJSU’s turn when Ivey knocked down a jumper at the 18:19 mark. The Spartans went on miniature runs that helped them inch their way back into the game in subtle ways. But the Spartans turned the ball over three times in two minutes with 7:21 left.
Fast forward to the final media timeout of the evening. SJSU trailed 57-44 with four minutes left. The Spartans were still in it, but they had their work cut out for them. The Spartans went on a 6-0 run, thanks to Knight’s 3 and LeCesne’s pair of fastbreak free throws and then a free throw.
The game didn’t really end as a back-and-forth affair. If there was a silver lining for SJSU, it’d be Baumann’s 3 with 10 seconds left. But Baumann wasn’t enough to save the day for the Spartans, who lost 67-56 and dropped to 3-18, 0-9 MW. The Aztecs rose to 13-8, 5-3 MW.
SJSU kicks off a two-game road trip next Saturday against the Boise State Broncos at 11:00 am PT.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball welcomes conference foe San Diego State to the Event Center on Saturday for a 6:00 pm tip. Justin Allegri will have the call for the Mountain West Network and can also be heard on the TuneIn app.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.
Game No. 21
San Diego State (12-8, 4-3) at San Jose State (3-17, 0-8)
Saturday, Feb. 2, 6:00 pm PT
The Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.
Live Stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the “Live Stats” feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the men’s basketball schedule page to follow the action
TuneIn
Check out the video below for a quick tutorial on how to access the Spartans’ radio call on the TuneIn app.
What Would a Win Mean?
The Spartans snapping an 11-game losing skid. It would also be the Spartans’ second win over the Aztecs in the last five tries.
The Power of Newcomers
The Spartans have played nine first-year players this season, including regular starters Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Craig LeCesne and Brae Ivey. The newcomers are accounting for 67.3% of the Spartans’ offense.
Steadman alone is accounting for 20% of the team’s offense with 266 points.
Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann is shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season, so good in fact that he leads the Mountain West in 3-point percentage at 49.5%. Baumann also ranks in the top-10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.5).
In the loss to Utah State, Baumann had one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points and tied the school record with seven 3-pointers (7-of-10). He also set career highs in 3-point attempts and field goal attempts.
Baumann holds the first and third highest-scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. USU and 23 vs. Northern Arizona. The sophomore is averaging 11.0 points in conference play, second-most on the team (Steadman).
Baumann has hit at least one 3-point basket in 18 straight games this season, which is the second-longest streak in school history with a 3-pointer made and longest since Robert Owens closed out the 2009-10 season on a 21-game streak.
Last season as a freshman, Baumann finished the year 40-for-87 (.460) from the 3-point range. He has already eclipsed those numbers with 10 regular season games to go (49-99, .495).
Chastain in Charge
Junior center Ashtin Chastain has been tasked to fill in the gap in the starting lineup with senior Oumar Barry sidelined by injury. Chastain has started the last three games in his stead and is averaging 6.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in those starts.
Chastain scored seven points in the first start at Wyoming and followed up with with a career-high 13 rebounds in a season-high 39 minutes vs. Air Force. He tallied a season-high eight points in the loss at USU.
Ch-Ch-Changes
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.
Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10” forward is averaging a team-high 13.3 points per game and ranks sixth in the MW with 8.8 rebounds per game. Steadman has seven double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 17-of-20 games. He also has nine games with double-digit rebounds.
Steadman is coming off back-to-back games with at least 20 points. He put up a career-high 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the loss to AF. He then followed up with 20 points at USU.
Change It Up
Prioleau has used nine different lineups throughout the season with no one player starting each time out. Barry had started the first 17 games before an injury kept him out of the lineup the last two games. Seven newcomers have made starts, including freshmen Seneca Knight, Zach Chappell, and Trey Smith.
Still One of the Best
The Spartans are one of two teams that rank in the top four in both offensive and defensive rebounds per game in conference play. SJSU ranks fourth in offensive with 12.4 per game and third in defensive with 25.8 per game. USU’s the other team.
Foul Play
SJSU has committed the fewest fouls in the MW this season with 16.8 per game and ranks 61st nationally in the category.
Series History vs. San Diego State
The Aztecs lead the series by a slim margin of 38-38, but have claimed nine of the last 10, including the last two. The Spartans’ last win came on February 7, 2017 at home in a 76-71 victory. Prior to that win, SDSU had a seven-game win streak, the second-longest streak in the series. The longest such streak belongs to the Spartans, who won nine-straight from 1948 to 1952.
The Aztecs, under second-year head coach Brian Dutcher, enter Saturday’s game on a two-game win streak after taking down UNLV (94-77) and AF (66-51). They have three players currently averaging more than 10 points per game led by Jalen McDaniels, a sophomore who nearly averaged a double-double with 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
1. San Jose State men’s basketball fell to Air Force 73-71 in double overtime at the Event Center last Saturday.
2. SJSU men’s basketball got blown out by Utah State 103-73 in Smith Spectrum Wednesday.
3. SJSU football, SJSU Beyond Football, and Autism Speaks partnered up to host a special walk to raise awareness on Autism on April 14th.
4. Matt Maiocco, the 49ers beat writer at NBC Sports Bay Area, mentioned SJSU tight end Josh Oliver in a recent article asking “Can 49ers find tight end to pair with George Kittle?’
San Jose State men’s basketball had lost 10 in a row and they met a familiar foe, the Utah State Aggies, for the second time this month. The Spartans and Aggies faced off in a conference matchup Wednesday evening at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah.
The Spartans’ starting lineup featured the likes of Craig LeCesne, Noah Baumann. Seneca Knight, Christian Anigwe, and Ashtin Chastain.
SJSU won the tip and the game went underway. SJSU played a solid first four minutes of basketball to open the first half. SJSU trailed by just three, 10-7, at the 15:55 mark. SJSU had to thank Baumann, who recorded five points at the first media timeout.
Baumann’s big moment took place midway through the first when he drained a 3-pointer for his first 3 of the game. Baumann now had 18 consecutive games with a 3. SJSU trailed by just one, 13-12, at the 11-minute mark.
SJSU held tough with USU, who extended its lead by three, 19-16, at the 11:53 mark. But then the Spartans’ shooting cooled off and their Achilles heel–turnovers–exposed their offense in a negative way to say the least. As a result, the Aggies jumped out to a 30-18 lead with 6:21 left.
If there was a silver lining, it’d be Baumann, who had himself another big-time game against the Aggies. Baumann had 14 points late in the first. Yet, SJSU trailed 51-33 at the half. USU hit a deep 3 at the buzzer to take a large lead to the locker room. So the Spartans had a lot of work to do in order to win or at least tie the game.
SJSU continued to trail for a while, but they began chipping into USU’s lead by hitting four consecutive attempts–including a 3 by Zach Chappell, at the 12:19 mark of the second half. The Spartans trailed 69-53, which wasn’t too bad of a deficit considering some of their first half gaffes.
But SJSU’s attempt at a potential comeback never carried itself out. The Spartans shot 42.9% while the Aggies expanded their lead to 82-59 with 7:40 left. The Spartans (3-17, 0-8 MW) missed a few free throw shots in the final seconds and the Aggies (16-5, 6-2) dribbled the ball out en route to their fifth straight win by a final score of 103-73.
SJSU returns home to host the San Diego State Aztecs Saturday at 6:00 pm PT.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State University was pleased to announce that they received a $1 million gift commitment from donors who prefer to remain anonymous. This gift will provide new lockers and Spartan-themed graphics for the football team locker room in the Simpkins Stadium Center adjacent to CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans.
The upgrades are expected to be completed in May 2019. In addition to the refurbished locker room, the gift will support Head Coach Brent Brennan’s efforts to position the football program for success in the immediate future.
“These gracious donors looked Coach Brennan right in the eye and said, ‘We believe in you, coach, and we want to help you now,’ said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marie Tuite. “This is a unique gift by two extraordinary folks who are simply vested in moving San Jose State football forward. I’m especially appreciative because our senior class will be able to conclude their careers in a first-class locker room. On behalf of our remarkable student-athletes and our entire department, a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to these two significant donors.”
“Locker rooms are a great place for the team to bond,” said the donors, who are long-time Spartan football season ticket holders. “We hope the new locker room will show the team that we support them 100 percent.”
“We were blown away by the generosity of this gift,” said Brennan. “While we are building our new football complex, this gives a huge boost to the Simpkins Stadium Center, which has housed many Spartan greats. This will directly impact our next recruiting class and give a sense of pride to the space where the players spend so much of their time.”
Brennan added that the expansion and upgrade to the training room will help Spartan football players with the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, aided by SJSU’s certified athletic training staff.
“We are excited to see the momentum continue to build around our football program,” said Vice President for University Advancement and Tower Foundation CEO Paul Lanning. “This gift will have an immediate positive impact on the experience of our student-athletes and will greatly enhance recruiting efforts of our coaches. We’re so thankful to our donors for their investment in the future of Spartan football.”
To track fundraising progress and learn how you can support Spartan football, please visit sjsufootball.com or contact Josh Thiel, deputy athletics director for athletics advancement, at (408) 924-1697 or via email at joshua.thiel@sjsu.edu.
About San Jose State
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San Jose State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study offered through its eight colleges.
With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San Jose State continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.
The university is proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.
About San Jose State Athletics
San Jose State sponsors 22 (nine men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.
The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the Mountain West. Selected teams belong to the MPSF, the WAC, and the GCC.
San Jose State has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. 62 Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. San Jose State athletes have won seven gold, six silver, and seven bronze medals at the Olympics.
Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either an institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball was still seeking its first conference win of the season and the Air Force Falcons made it difficult, despite the home advantage inside the Event Center Saturday evening.
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup, which featured the likes of Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Craig LeCesne, Ashtin Chastain, and Michael Steadman.
SJSU got off to a fast start to open the scoring in the first half. The Spartans went on a 8-0 run in the opening 3:44, which was eventually snapped by the Falcons’ A.J. Walker, who made a layup at the 14:40 mark of the first.
Air Force climbed its way back into the game, but SJSU maintained the lead, whether it was big or small. Steadman was being Steady Steadman and scored 10 points early on, which helped him record his 15th game of the season where he entered the double figure scoring territory.
SJSU continued to hold a 9-point lead, 25-16, with 3:13 left in the half. Baumann also helped the Spartans extend their lead to 28-16 with his second 3-pointer of the game late in the half.
SJSU achieved its first halftime lead, 31-19, in conference play so far this season.
Unlike the first half, the second half was all Air Force in the early stages. Sid Tomes hit a 3 just 46 seconds in, Lavelle Scottie followed up with a fastbreak layup, and then Tomes was at it again by knocking down a jumper.
Both teams exchanged points throughout the half. A notable Spartan moment was when Steadman amazed the home crowd again. Steadman used the high glass to beat the buzzer with 5:43 left in the half.
As the clock continued to run and pause, SJSU realized that they had to do something to win or at least even the score. It was a down-to-the-wire type of game, and at the final media timeout, Air Force led 51-48, with 3:38 left in the half. The Spartans continued to trail by 3, then the Falcons made it a 5-point game with 1:07 left. Steadman hit a 3 to pull the Spartans within 2 with 42 seconds left.
Sure, Air Force extended its lead to 56-53, as Chris Joyce made a free throw with four seconds left. Then, SJSU changed the game, thanks to Brae Ivey, who hit a 3 right after Joyce’s free throw. The game was tied 56-56 at the end of the half.
The game went into overtime, which allowed SJSU to breathe a sigh of relief. Though, SJSU still had work to do, so they were unable to look at overtime with a grain of salt.
SJSU wasted absolutely no time in overtime. Ivey started things off with a pair of free throws, Baumann hit a 3, and Steadman added a free throw. The Spartans led 62-58 with 2:38 left in overtime.
Air Force used back-to-back 3s by Caleb Morris and Chris Joyce to take their first lead, 64-63, in overtime with 54 seconds left. AJ Walker made it a 1-point game with a fastbreak free throw with 30 seconds left. Then, SJSU tied the game 65-65, thanks to Ivey’s layup, and forced a double overtime.
Air Force jumped out to a 68-65 lead early in the double overtime, as Morris hit a 3 just 16 seconds in. The Falcons took a 70-66 lead on Ryan Swan’s layup; but the Spartans made it a 1-point game, thanks to Ivey’s 3. Knight added a layup to help the Spartans get ahead 71-70, but the Falcons stunned the home crowd when Joyce hit a late 3 to get back on top 73-71.
SJSU (3-16, 0-7 MW) lost to Air Force (9-11, 4-4 MW) by a final score of 73-71 in double overtime.
SJSU heads to Logan, Utah to take on the Utah State Aggies next Wednesday at 6:00 pm PT.
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