A 'hometown' feature on Justin and Adrian

Shooting Stars: Oliver, Graham aim to net WAC title for SJ State
Ron Agostini
Modesto Bee
March 9, 2011

Guess the odds of two basketball players raised a few minutes apart in the Central Valley manning the same backcourt of an NCAA Division I program.

A billion-to-1? Trillion-to-1? More like pick-any-number-to-1.

Adrian Oliver and Justin Graham, the twin longshots at San Jose State, can't believe it themselves. Somehow and someway, the basketball universe funneled them onto the same campus close to home, and it worked...

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Mark Emmons with a feature on Justin Graham

The Mercury News' Mark Emmons has a lengthy feature up today on Justin Graham -- head here.

Justin Graham: marathon man

Ripon High product is Spartans' marathon man
Jason Anderson
Stockton Record
January 13, 2011

San Jose State senior Justin Graham certainly can't complain about playing time.

The 6-foot-4 point guard from Ripon High tied a school record when he played all 60 minutes in a 102-101 quadruple-overtime loss to Boise State on Jan. 6, and he'll have another rare statistical feat within reach tonight when the Spartans visit Louisiana Tech.

San Jose State coach George Nessman made 45 substitutions against Boise State but never replaced Graham, who was twice named to The Record's All-Area Team...

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A Justin Graham For a PhD Marching and Chowder Society

We haven't checked with him but we're seriously thinking about forming a Justin Graham For a PhD Marching and Chowder Society.

He will have a Master's degree by the end of the school year but maybe, just maybe, he'll consent to obtaining a PhD before finally departing SJSU. And since the NCAA professes to be all about the student-athletes and education, maybe, just maybe, the suits in Indianapolis will grant another year or two of athletic eligibility.

So what are we basing our group on? Try 16.1 points per contest, a 51% shooting average, 58% on three-point attempts, 4.5 rebounds a game, 45 assists and 31 steals -- all in 11 games.

Who's with us?

Time for another edition of Let's Make A Case

We noticed that San Jose State's Justin Graham was not listed among the players in contention for the recently announced WAC Player of the Week.

Tai Wesley won that honor and here were the runners-up:

* Boise State senior guard La'Shard Anderson

* Fresno State junior guard/forward Tim Steed

* Hawai'i junior guard Zane Johnson

* Idaho senior guard Shawn Henderson

* Louisiana Tech senior guard DeAndre Brown

* Nevada junior forward Dario Hunt

* New Mexico State freshman guard Christian Kabongo

For the sake of brevity, we offer the following examples/matchups:

Accumulated at home, Graham totaled 16 points, six steals, five assists and three rebounds versus Santa Clara and then hit the game-winning shot with San Jose State down by one against Eastern Washington while scoring 13 points along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

La'Shard Anderson, in a loss at UNLV, totaled:18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. But he committed nine turnovers. On the road against Drake, Anderson put up 15 points, seven assists and three steals. He shot 5-16 overall, 0-5 from three-point range.

Fresno States's Tim Steed enjoyed 12 points and five rebounds in a home win over San Diego plus broke out for 17 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals against visiting Pepperdine.

We're not arguing the fact of Justin not winning the award but missing out for consideration is beyond belief.

Spartans win 70-69

In "A League of Their Own" it was Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan who proclaimed there is no crying in baseball. In basketball, there's supposed to be no wetting of one's pants but that just what is happening to opposing players when San Jose State's Justin Graham is handling the ball with 10 or less seconds remaining in a game and the Spartans tied, down by one or even two.

Because just like against Oregon on November 20 when he nailed an and1 three-point play on a last second dribble-drive to beat the Ducks, Graham took it to the Eagles of Eastern Washington and put in the game winner with six seconds remaining to give SJSU a 70-69 win Sunday afternoon. It's becoming apparent he must have something against our supposed fine feathered friends.

Graham finished with 13 points while Adrian Oliver led via a game-high 29.

To their credit, the Eagles shot a remarkable 10-21 from long distance and overall out-boarded the Spartans by a margin of four, 35-31.

The Spartans enjoyed a 37-32 lead after the initial 20 minutes. At that time, Oliver had 14 points, four assists and a pair of steals.

Opening up the second half, Keith Shamburger nailed a deuce and then a trey, giving the SJSU a 42-35 lead.

San Jose State then went up by 10 -- 47-37 -- at the 15:58 mark.

But Eastern Washington kept battling and connected on a bevy of threes.

The game was tied at 57 with 7:12 showing.

A Cliff Dean trey tied it again at 64.

Oliver nailed a pair of free throws to make it 66-64, then EW's Tremayne Johnson made good on one of two foul shots.

At the 1:56 mark, Wil Carter was fouled but was errant on both his attempts.

Dean was then fouled and the sophomore sank both free throws to give Eastern Washington a one point lead at 67-66.

Oliver misfired on a baseline jumper and San Jose Stater Matt Ballard was called for a foul on Dean in the backcourt.

The underclassman was perfect on both his attempts, pushing the Eagle lead to three, 69-66.

With 56 seconds on the clock, Graham was fouled and netted both his foul shots, making it a one point game.

Eagle Coach Kirk Earlywine called time at the 42 second mark, with 22 seconds showing on the shot clock. After inbounding the ball, Eastern Washington quickly committed a turnover on a fumbled pass.

Spartan Coach George Nessman called a 30-second timeout, with 23 seconds remaining.

Then Graham closed it out with his 11-foot jumper and sent the Eagles scurrying for a supply of Depends.

SJSU donned the usual -- before this season -- white jerseys for this game. The gray ones were probably burned late Friday evening but we've been unable to confirm such a report.

Justin Graham WAC POY

San Jose State’s Justin Graham has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Graham.

Graham, a senior guard from Ripon, Calif. (Ripon HS), led San Jose State with a pair of back-to-back 20-plus point performances for the first time in his career as the Spartans split a pair of road games last week. Graham posted 20 points with a career-high 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 72-63 loss at UTSA. He extended his streak of made three-point baskets to six with a 2-for-2 performance in the game. Graham led the Spartans with 21 points, a team-high five assists and four steals, plus six rebounds in 37 minutes of play in an 85-70 road win at UC Irvine.

On the week, Graham averaged a team-high 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game. He shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field and 60 percent (3-of-5) from three-point range.

Other nominees:

* Boise State senior guard La'Shard Anderson
* Fresno State freshman guard Kevin Olekaibe
* Idaho junior guard Deremy Geiger
* Louisiana Tech sophomore guard Brandon Gibson
* Nevada freshman guard Denote Burton
* New Mexico State junior forward Troy Gillenwater
* Utah State senior guard Pooh Williams

Congratulations to Justin Graham

Justin Graham has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from San Jose State this month but he isn't slowing down. Justin has already started his first two master's degree classes in the Kinesiology program. If all goes as planned, he will be departing after next season with a Master's in hand. Congratulations to Justin for the one in the hand and the one on the way -- quite the achievements.

San Jose State opens with a win

Let's get the final score out there so something more substantive can be offered: San Jose State defeated William Jessup 89-63 Monday night at Walt McPherson Court.

Now on to the meat and potatoes, or the veggie burger and marinated tofu salad if that's how you roll.

The essence of last night -- beyond no injuries -- can be distilled down to this: the unveiling of freshman Chris Jones. His line: 13 points, 5-7 overall shooting, 1-2 from three-point range and 2-2 from the foul line, five rebounds, two assists and zero fouls. The latter is listed because Jones played the most serious of defense in his 25 minutes of play.

On top of his various numbers, Jones also displayed a solid handle with his dribble-drives and actually led a couple of one-man fastbreaks after receiving outlet passes that resulted in his canning a pair of layups. He is strong, quick and -- yes, we're going to type this -- he is going to receive a spot on the All-WAC Defensive Team in 2009-2010.

Okay, we'll take a breath.

So what else?

In 27 minutes, a finally healthy Justin Graham ended up leading the squad in scoring with 18 points -- 6-8 shooting overall, 1-2 on his trey attempts and 5-5 from the foul line. His right wrist looks back to normal.

The Spartan 'bigs' played big, as expected, dominating inside.

SJSU led 46-31 at the half. A five or so minute funk period -- no scoring combined with ballhandling errors -- allowed William Jessup to close the scoring gap.

Too many unforced, sloppy passes were apparent as San Jose State finished the night with 21 turnovers -- 17 by the backcourters -- and 12 of those in the initial 20 minutes.

On Friday, it's the Spartans taking on Lorenzo Romar's Huskies in Seattle. Washington has beaten Wright St. 74-69, Belmont 96-78 and splattered Portland State 111-55. UW isn't overpowering but does have a bigtime collection of athletes, including 5-foot-8 Isaiah Thomas who many are predicting will be the PAC-10 Player of the Year.

Spartans win 89-78

There's a new sheriff in town and he's kicking behind and taking names. Actually, make that kicked behind and took names as Adrian Oliver, with a major assist from Tim Pierce, led San Jose State to a comfortable 89-78 victory over Northern Colorado Saturday afternoon at the Civic Auditorium.

Oliver must have coated himself with Rustoleum during his time off because any rustiness was pretty difficult to discern. In his very first game, he led the Spartans with 27 points. Pierce contributed 26 (6-10 on threes, the six treys being a career high).

Another player certainly deserving mention is Justin (move and I will find you) Graham. Performing in the role he seemingly prefers --setting up others -- he notched a career-high 13 assists on the afternoon.

In the second half, San Jose jumped out quickly and broadened its lead to 57-40 with 15:16 remaining but Northern Colorado refused to fold. With 11:50 left, the Spartan lead was 60-48 as the game became sloppy on both sides. The point differential dropped to nine a couple of times but the Bears just couldn't close the gap.

The game opened with both a crispness to SJSU's passing and the making of just about every Spartan shot attempt. San Jose State led 17-12 with 15 minutes remaining in the first half but Northern Colorado kept plugging away.

SJSU again extended the lead to 33-22 with 8:50 remaining. But the Bears continued to fight and the initial half concluded with the Spartans leading 44-37.

Oliver was part of the Spartan starting five along with Chris Oakes, C.J. Webster, Pierce and Graham.


A few moments worth highlighting:

*** Oliver went on a dribble-drive early in the game and tossed a pretty pass towards Oakes but the two mis-communicated and it resulted in a turnover -- that immediately showed the fans there was something and someone new worth watching.

*** Oliver also penetrated into the paint and kicked the ball out to an open Robert Owens for Owens' only basket of the game, a three-pointer.

*** Oliver's next-to-last basket -- a layup off a pass from Graham -- came as a result of Oliver going backdoor on his defender but what also must be mentioned is that contributing to the basket was Graham motioning for Oliver to comes towards him which resulted in an Oliver feint in that direction and then towards the hoop for the resulting layup.

*** Graham made a steal at the 17:24 mark of the second half, drove down and passed the ball off the backboard for a trailing Tim Pierce dunk.

The point being and thoroughly demonstrated today is that Oliver can both get his own shot when necessary but also create for his teammates. What was quite evident, something that we've previously written about, is that San Jose State now has two creators in the backcourt in Graham and now Oliver.

A hat tip goes to Northern Colorado's Devon Beitzel who scored 27 points on 12-14 shooting. His quick release made guarding him extra difficult.

Jabril Banks' foul trouble limited him to just 14 minutes of play for the Bears, a serious factor considering he is the best big man for NC.


Adrian Oliver Shot Chart

Granted, we should have been charting Tim Pierce too but here's our take on the shots Oliver took throughout the game:

First Half

*** shot one - missed 14-footer from the right side

*** shot two - missed a trey attempt from the left corner

*** shot three - made a 10-foot turnaround jumper from the left side

*** shot four - buried a three-pointer from the left side

*** shot five - buried a 23-foot straight-on three-pointer from the top of the key

*** shot six - missed a dribble-drive layup from the right side, major contact was made on the shot

*** shot seven - missed a fallback 17-footer from the right side

*** shot eight - missed a straight-on 14-footer

*** shot nine - scored on a left side rebound putback underneath the basket

*** shot ten - missed on a dribble-drive shot from the right side, again with major contact

*** shot eleven - nailed a 13-foot pullup jumper from the left side

Second Half

*** shot twelve - missed a 16-foot fadeaway jumper from the right side

*** shot thirteen - made a 17-footer from the left side

*** shot fourteen - scored on a layup after receiving a pass underneath the basket from Justin Graham

*** shot fifteen - nailed a three-footer from the right side off a Graham pass

*** shot sixteen - made a 10-foot fadeaway from the right side

*** shot seventeen - scored on a left side layup going backdoor on his man, pass from Justin Graham

*** shot eighteen - scored on a dribble-drive straight-on 12-footer

Notes

The San Jose State ball movement, especially in the first half, was at times remarkable, resulting in a number of layups and short shots. The Spartans made two thirds of their field goal attempts, shooting 60% in the first half and 76% in the second twenty minutes. SJSU also shot 63% from three-point range.

Look at that package of points: 89-78. We were worried that the Civic Auditorium scoreboard was going to start smoking.

Oliver was also credited with three blocked shots. We clearly recall two of them and both came when he realized another player -- not his man -- was going up for a shot and he moved over to get a piece of it. This is just like what he talked about earlier in our interview -- the 'sensing' or 'knowing' what will take place before it does.

We spotted Ed Uthoff, who looks like he could still control the paint, and also Kevin Fleming, in the audience.

Final item: Like Justin Graham, Adrian Oliver is but a sophomore. He played in five games, for 56 minutes in an injury-filled early 2007-2008 season, before transferring from Washington. His last game action was early December 2007. Also remember that his last season of consistent playing time ended in March 2007. It didn't look that way today.

San Jose State wins 56-52

It was another grinder, a battle going back and forth between visiting San Jose State and San Diego of the West Coast Conference and seemingly to be decided by whoever made the last basket.

That description turned out to be the very truth. The final 40 or so seconds of the game became the 'Justin Graham Show' as the sophomore guard nabbed two steals in those 40 seconds and turned those into the winning basket and two subsequent free throws that produced the margin in the 56-52 victory.

Here's how it came down:

With the scored knotted at 52 apiece, Chris Oakes knocked the ball out of bounds at the 1:12 mark although there was a difference of opinion among two of the referees as to who really touched it last. San Diego then missed on a long jumper but the errant attempt produced a long rebound that the Toreros corraled. But with 43 seconds remaining, Graham stole the ball and SJSU called a timeout. Graham then eventually scored on a driving scoop shot with 10 seconds left.

That put the Spartans up by two.

The Toreros inbounded and called time with 6.7 showing on the clock. On the subsequent inbounds play, Graham hounded former Riordan High star Rob Jones, came away with the ball and was fouled. His shots at the foul line upped the San Jose State lead to four and a Torero three-point attempt missed at the buzzer.

Major props also quite deservedly go to Tim Pierce who was not a scoring factor in the first half yet more than made up for that by finishing strong with a team-leading 23 points, aided by making five of six three-pointers.

Oakes provided yet another double-double with 16 points (7-12 shooting) and 14 rebounds. He also swatted five San Diego shot attempts.

Graham also contributed six assists and a total of five steals.

The Spartans shot 46% on the night (20-44) and went 5-9 on threes, all five courtesy of Pierce in the second 20 minutes.

In a strong second half, SJSU went 10-20, including 5-6 on threes and also nailed all six free throw attempts.

It was 27-25 in favor of San Diego at the half. Chris Oakes led the way for San Jose State with 12 points, with the team shooting 42% in the initial 20 minutes.

The Spartans jumped out to an early 11-2 lead before San Diego began managing any sort of point production. Even with the San Jose State lead, each squad was less than stellar early offensively with more turnover than a Donald Trump organizational chart.

Spartans fall by three

You need to take good shots and make good shots all through a game but especially so near the end where limited possessions come into play. This includes free throws. Santa Clara did a tad better than San Jose State Wednesday night and came away with a 59-56 victory at Walt McPherson Court.

Here's how the last four minutes of the contest played out:

With 3:59 remaining, Santa Clara's Kevin Foster stole a pass resulting in a layup and free throw putting the Broncos ahead 54-52.

Two DaShawn Wright foul shots tied the score at 54 with 2:56 remaining and both teams made defensive stops in the next possessions.

Santa Clara center John Bryant tossed in a 10-footer from the left side and was fouled but missed the ensuing free throw, putting the Broncos back up by two at the 1:25 mark.

Tim Pierce missed a three-point attempt but DeVonte Thomas was fouled while grabbing the rebound of a missed SC shot. He made the first but missed the second, leaving the Broncos ahead by one, 56-55, and 30.1 seconds left.

San Jose State fouled Kevin Foster with 22 seconds remaining and the freshman hit one of his two free throws.

The Spartans came down and Justin Graham was fouled on a drive attempt. He also made the first and missed the second, leaving the score 57-56 in Santa Clara's favor.

Then Broncos soph Ben Dowdell was fouled. He missed his free throw but the ball was kept alive by Bryant who eventually tipped it in leading to the final score of the game.

In the first twenty minutes, both teams were initially cool. The Broncos appeared reluctant to shoot outside and the Spartans were having trouble getting decent shots up against the defense of Bryant. At the half, Santa Clara led 27-25.

On the night, Justin Graham generally abused the youthful Bronco backcourt (even though Graham qualifies as such being a sophomore himself). He repeatedly closed out dribble-drives with either short shots or passes to teammates. Graham finished with 13 points. Pierce led the Spartans with 18.

The game turned out to be a grinder with neither team able to garner a double digit lead nor control tempo for very long. Bryant made the paint close to the basket near impenetrable, he was also an immovable force offensively and negated San Jose State's bigs. There was no Delilah-ing him as he finished with a bigtime double of 20 points and 21 boards.

San Jose State (56)

Pierce 7-17 2-3 18
Webster 2-13 3-4 7
Oakes 1-4 0-3 2
Wright 2-6 4-7 8
Graham 5-11 2-4 13
Amberry 0-0 0-0 0
Olivier 0-2 0-0 0
Thomas 1-6 2-4 4
Owens 1-2 1-1 3
Peterson 0-0 1-1 1

Totals 19-61 15-27

Santa Clara (59)

Dowdell 2-6 1-3 5
Santos 2-5 0-0 4
Bryant 7-15 6-7 20
Alexander 2-4 0-0 4
Foster 1-7 2-3 4
Rahon 5-9 0-0 11
Johnson 1-1 0-0 3
Petty 1-4 0-0 3
Thompson 0-0 0-0 0
Trasolini 2-2 1-1 5

Totals 23-53 10-14

Halftime score ­ Santa Clara 27, San Jose State 25

Three-point field goals:

Santa Clara 3-9 (Alexander 0-1, Foster 0-3, Rahon 1-2, Johnson 1-1, Petty 1-2)

San Jose State 3-15 (Pierce 2-9, Wright 0-1, Graham 1-3, Olivier 0-1, Owens 0-1)

Rebounds ­ - Santa Clara 45 (Bryant 21, San Jose State 35 (Webster, Thomas, 7)

Assists ­ - Santa Clara 13 (Foster 5), San Jose State 8 (Graham 4)

Fouled out ­ - none

Total fouls ­ - Santa Clara 21, San Jose State 13

Nice Justin Graham photo

Here's a photo of Justin Graham taking it to a South Dakota State defender Thursday night in the San Jose State 70-62 victory to open the season.

You say to-may-to, we say to-mah-to

There are apples and oranges debates. But even an apple to apple comparison is not necessarily a kosher one. Here's what we mean and how this applies to WAC basketball.

Where did we get the idea for the following? A message board post on the Silver and Blue Nevada sports fan site did the trick. It's a long string with predictions about how the Wolf Pack will do overall this season, with some concerns and opinions interspersed about certain teams and players. The specific post that captured our attention included these numbers and comparison about San Jose State guard Justin Graham and Nevada backcourter Armon Johnson:

Justin Graham
SEASON MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2007- 08 32.0 10.7 2.4 2.9 4.5 .65 1.5 .4 2.1 .462 .721 .429 1.41

Armon Johnson
SEASON MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2007- 08 31.2 11.5 4.0 3.4 2.4 1.42 .8 .2 2.1 .482 .776 346 1.36

We're going to be a bit all over the map here with our ramblings here but bear with us.

First off, there's simply no congruent way of comparing these two players (or any players) unless an individual was also able to witness Graham and Johnson in the majority of games each played last season. Only their respective coaching staffs can claim such a viewing and even then the experience is too team/player centric to be valid -- how many games did Mark Fox and his staff view Graham and George Nessman and staff see Johnson?

Matching numbers head-to-head is an oft-used but also an oft-invalid comparison. Granted, if Johnson had scored 20 points a game and Graham but seven then there would be a much greater validity to strictly focusing on their numbers. But the season stats for the pair are fairly close, with an overall lead to Johnson.

But keep in mind that Graham missed five league games (two Fresno State games, one each against Idaho, New Mexico State and Bakersfield) due to shoulder and wrist injuries suffered in a road game in Hawaii on January 14. He never fully recovered even though he returned to action on February 7, thus skewing his seasonal numbers to an inmeasurable degree.

Plus, do remember that Johnson enjoyed played alongside much more talented teammates:

*** Marcelus Kemp - a 20 points per game scorer who earned first-team all-WAC status in 2007-2008

*** JaVale McGee - a 14.1 points a contest scorer who nabbed 7.3 rebounds each time out as well as being a second-team all-WAC pick in 2007-2008

*** Brandon Fields - a 12.4 points a game scorer who was the co-defensive player of the season for the Wolf Pack

*** Lyndale Burleson - a member of the all -WAC defensive team in 2007-2008

Of course, this talent surrounding Johnson was the proverbial sword that cut both ways. It took some degree of pressure and defensive focus off him but his points per game scoring average in 2007-2008 was also lower as a result of his talented teammates (although his assists per contest numbers were probably higher because of this factor). Johnson will certainly score more points in 2008-2009 and possibly maintain his assists totals but such will not necessarily be the appropriate measurement tools from which to make any judgment.

Graham was a redshirt freshman in 2007-2008 playing alongside a bevy of other newcomers, none on the level of Kemp or McGee. Graham was also in the position of having to generate offensive opportunities while being the sole creator on the Spartan team, thus resulting at least to a degree in a higher number of turnovers.

It's our expectation that Graham will enjoy a better season in 2008-2009 than his initial one even though his scoring average may drop and possibly even his assists per game numbers will do likewise.

You might be saying 'huh?" right about now.

The sentiment in the above paragraph is based upon the addition of Spartan newcomer Adrian Oliver. He should end up this coming season as the top shot taker and points producer on the team and will certainly be near the top in assists. But it's not that Oliver will reduce Graham's effectiveness. On the contrary, Oliver's creative ability will ease the burden that Graham carried solely last go-around.

As an aside, those who don't watch WAC basketball but still offer previews and predictions based solely on season numbers may very well have Graham as not performing as well as a sophomore as he did as a freshman come their 2009-2010 analysis. But this will be an invalid evaluation. What to watch for will be Graham's proficiency this season. The same goes for Johnson.

But it is interesting that the WAC coaches just selected Johnson as the expected Player of the Year. That undeniably says something. Teammates Brandon Fields and Luke Babbitt landed spots on the Second Team.

Graham didn't appear on either the coaches or media all-WAC squads, with teammate C.J. Webster receiving a first team nod.

So there you have it -- numbers do mean something but which numbers and just what?.

Maybe Ken Pomeroy can utilize some of his intricate mathematical formulas and determine why player A is 'better' than player B.

Or does it sometimes boil down to who has a better overall season and not necessarily is tops in individual numbers?

Oh boy, that's a whole 'nother argument.

Saturday's scrimmage from Steve Graham's viewpoint

Hey, here's a nice treat (we play no tricks on All Hallows Eve) for you Rebounders -- Steve Graham, Justin's father and a former basketball player and coach, checks in with his take on last Saturday's scrimmage:

It's always hard to make predictions based off of scrimmages. Playing against guys who know each other isn't the same as facing an opponent for the first time. However, I must say I was really impressed with where this team is compared to last year. The term "picking up where you left off" is not an accurate description of last week's scrimmage. Why? Because this year's team looks much better than they did at this time last season and here's why:

1. The ability to hit from the outside. Last year, the team didn't have a jump shooter from three point range. While Tim Pierce can shoot it, he's much better as a set shooter. This year, Robert Owens and Adrian Oliver have filled the void and can drain the long ball, even with a defender on them.

2. Improved post play. CJ and Chris look like they have put in time over the summer. CJ looks quicker and Chris looks bigger. They seem to know where each other is on the court and the spacing is much better on offense. This allows them to take advantage of one-on-one situations, as well as find the open man when double-teamed.

3. Penetration and kick. Justin and Adrian have the ability to penetrate and take it all the way, but if help side comes they can kick it to the open man for the easy basket or three. Teams will have to respect the outside shot now, so that really opens up the floor.

4. Improved Depth. DaShawn, DeVonte, and Mac showed they can play at a higher level. This will allow for the depth needed to play WAC level ball.

5. Unity. This team looks like they are on the same page. While Lance, Clint, Garrett, and Jerelle aren't identified as superstars right now (you never know who will keep improving) they played hard and played within themselves. I enjoy watching their development, as well as their team spirit.

Unfortunately, Oliver wasn't available to play and I sure hope he's ok, because I think he has a ton of potential. Not to mention I really like Ollie.

I'll be interested in hearing back from Justin on how this Saturday's scrimmage goes. And then it's the first exhibition game on Thursday night...I can't wait!

The San Jose State 'smalls'

Do not fret as San Jose State's 'bigs' will also be receiving a justified dose of 'love' in the very near future here but today we are focusing on the 'smalls' who are positioned as guards and wings.

Let's begin by flat out offering that this is the BEST EVER group for talent and potential. We tend to limit our use of such four letter words and are hesitant to invoke these statements of grandeur but this is what we believe to be accurate and appropriate. (To those who disagree -- respond accordingly but please be at a minimum tenuously tethered to reality when doing so)

Plus, we are looking at two sophomore starters and a junior as the top three here so the even marked betterment is a possibility!

Our early 2008 take is that Justin Graham and Adrian Oliver (once he has sat out the initial six games of the season due to his transfer) are penciled -- no make that penned -- amend that to read blood - oathed in as starters. Take that to the bank...well, in the light of today's economic times, store that in your personal safe.

Never have two backcourters such as this duo been paired together simultaneously in a San Jose State men's basketball uniform. Each has the capacity to create both for themselves and for their teammates, each is a scrapper, each is a winner.

Our sense (no, we do not get a vote on this since our ballot initiative failed to get enough signatures) is that City College of San Francisco transfer Robert Owens is the likeliest of the other 'smalls' to be next in playing time.

Granted, the accomplishments in a scrimmage do not necessarily translate into the productivity over a season but Owens has always been a tremendous outside shooter with a quick release and he remained as such on Saturday. On top of that, he's very athletic -- not being a slow-footed catch-and-shoot guy who depends on others to create scoring opportunities for himself. What we would also like to see is dribble-drive/ballhandling ability from him but our exposure to his game has been very limited and such might already be present -- at least to some degree.

But let us also not forget Tim Pierce, DaShawn Wright, Mac Peterson and Lance Olivier.

Pierce returns as the team's top three point shot maker and we also liked a couple of his drives to the basket at last Saturday's scrimmage. If this is indeed a wrinkle added to his offensive game then he'll enjoy even more 'open' long-range shot opportunities with opponents now having to account for forays to the basket.

DaShawn Wright will again lead the squad in steals-per-minute and be one of those stealth scorers who compiles his points on putbacks and short to mid-range shots.

Mac Peterson looked much more comfortable on Saturday as compared to last season and will gets his points on kickout passes from the team's 'bigs' for open looks as well as from his fellow 'smalls' penetrating into the paint, drawing defenders and sending him a pass.

Lance Olivier also seemed greater-versed with his role -- it will be interesting to see if his court appearances grows larger as the season progresses.

This bunch may be 'smalls' in relative terms but will be playing a large role in how the San Jose State 2008-2009 season plays out. As we offered in the second paragraph, this year is going to be a fun one with the promise of even greater enjoyment just down the line.