SJSU BASKETBALL
Spartans on the Rebound

With little fanfare, George Nessman has gone about rebuilding the San Jose State University men's basketball program. The Spartans head coach made a commitment to recruit high school players and placed an emphasis on convincing local players that San Jose State offers a well-rounded education and a quality Division I basketball experience.

Heading into the 2007-08 season, Nessman is pushing the doors open for all to see. San Jose State got a head start on its new look with a summer tour of England. For the first time, the Spartans ventured into a new continent and came away with the experience of a lifetime. With the regular season fast approaching, San Jose State believes it is one step ahead on a fast break towards its best season in years.

Six letter-winners return, but it's the youth, talent and depth of the squad that has the Spartans in the know really excited.

"Now we are where we want to be. We have nine underclassmen on our roster. We're going to have some stability now. Our spring and summer is reflecting that stability," says Nessman, a successful high school coach at De La Salle and an assistant at Cal before taking over at San Jose State in March 2005. "All of our players are proud to be part of the program. They identify with it and are taking ownership of it. That's generating a momentum of its own and that will be a (positive) factor for us, too.

"By position, we're just better. The fun thing for us (as coaches) is that we are better with younger guys. That bodes well for us this year. These same-named players will be appearing the next two, three, four years on our roster."

San Jose State can put a lot of size on the floor. starting with Lance Holloway, a 6-foot-8 senior who prepped at Bishop O'Dowd. There's beef with a pair of 6-foot-9, 260-pounders in redshirt freshman Oliver Caballero, who was invited to try out for the Mexican National Team last summer, and Texas State University transfer C.J. Webster. Chris Oakes, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Pepperdine University, joins the team in December. Clint Amberry, a 6-foot-10 freshman, figures prominently, too.

Jamon Hill, a 5-foot-10 senior from Hayward and San Jose City College, is the team's top returning scorer. Justin Graham, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman, is likely to run the offense. Sharp-shooting Mac Peterson, a 6-foot-4 transfer from Diablo Valley College, 6-foot-4 DeShaun Wright and 6-foot-3 sophomore Darion Goins are more backcourt prospects.

Tim Pierce and Kevin McDowell are two 6-foot-7 perimeter players with unlimited offensive potential. Kevin Fleming, a 6-foot-6 senior, and DeVonte Thomas, a 6-foot-4 junior, have played along the perimeter and under the basket for the Spartans during their careers. Their position flexibility on the court offers the San Jose State coaching staff plenty of options.

"If you lined up on the baseline and ran, this team would beat last year's team by a dramatic margin. We're more athletic, faster and bigger. Sometimes when you get size, you lose speed. We have some really long guys who can play their positions," the Spartans coach states.

With a more realistic schedule, bigger, faster and more talented players who won't use youthful exuberance as an excuse, there is likely to be a lot of fanfare about the San Jose State University men's basketball program in the coming season.