Basketballin' with the Spartans

It was good to see a bevy of new faces this afternoon along with those familiar as the 2008-2009 San Jose State men's basketball team was unveiled in an intra-squad scrimmage followed by a Rebounder get-together.

But (and we have to put it this way) it was even better to see the Spartans in action -- a much needed hoops fix leading to the exhibition game scheduled a couple of weeks from now.

Now for those of you who have to know, Chris Oakes made the very first basket of the scrimmage. It was a dunk following a nifty pass from C.J. Webster who got the ball via a pass from Adrian Oliver.

What else did we see?

Well, if there is a better outside shooter than Robert Owens and the display he put on today then just try and make your case. His quick release and perfect form is going to force defenders to make dreaded choices this coming season. Do they stay around the paint and help man up against the SJSU 'bigs' or fly out to the corners or elsewhere beyond the three point stripe and contest shots? That's call pick your poison.

Adrian Oliver's quick jumping also impressed us. He managed a number of tips on missed shots, garnered at least a couple of nice dunks and generally displayed an off-the-charts basketball IQ.

Justin Graham picked right up where he left off with his canny court play and impossible-to-stop, dribble -penetrations. He and Oliver are going to create a ton of openings both for themselves and their teammates this season.

Kyle Thomas, the lefty redshirt transfer from Loyola, displayed a nice touch. It will be nice to get him active in 2009-2010.

It was also fun to see Clint Amberry out on the court, shaking off the rust and getting experience playing in the paint on the D-1 level.