Matt’s Monday Mailbag: New Year’s resolutions for SJSU football and MBB
SJSU reporter Matt Weiner weighs in on fans New Year’s resolutions.
Follow @Mattweiner20 & @MWCwire
A look into the future
Hello and welcome to Matt’s Monday Mailbag™ your go-to destination for all pressing SJSU football and men’s basketball matters.
Enough chit-chat. Let’s get into it.
Jason: @VANDT33 “7-9 wins, a bowl game and compete for a league title again.”
Nicolas Sarabia @sjrugby “Football- bowl eligible and WIN THE BOWL GAME”
New year’s resolution comparison: Someone who runs for an hour nearly every day saying they’re going to complete a half marathon.
This is achievable because it’s not a massive jump. SJSU has gone to three bowl games in the past four years and won seven games each of those seasons. But now it’s the time to take that next leap and win a bowl game.
That said, it’s no guarantee. SJSU’s offense will dole out a new starting quarterback, running back and four offensive lineman. In our hypothetical runner’s case, he’s been hampered by shin splints from time-to-time.
The moment the Spartans found out we’re headed to the EasyPost @HawaiiBowl on Dec 23rd!🤙🏽#ClimbTheMountain | #AllSpartans pic.twitter.com/AqpRcNMILH
— San José State Football (@SanJoseStateFB) November 30, 2023
Jason: @VANDT33 “Football: Finish strong in recruiting. Find QB1 and establish the OL in Spring Ball.”
New Year’s resolution comparison: Being more patient with people.
It’s well-meaning and somewhat tangible, but it’s a case of not knowing until a moment arises.
SJSU may feel like its recruiting class is robust, projected starting quarterback senior Jay Butterfield can overcome his inexperience – he has 15 total pass attempts – and four of the new offensive line cogs will mesh. But there’s no real way of knowing until it’s time to line up.
In other words, one can consider themself more patient, but how will they react when someone rear ends them when they are hangry on a miserably cold day?
Jason: @VANDT33 “Basketball: Get [Robert] Vaihola healthy. Get experience for [Adrame] Diongue, [Latrell] Davis, [Diogo] Seixas and [Ricky] Mitchell. 20 wins in 2025.”
New Year’s comparison: A Silicon Valley tech startup doubling its profits in two years.
From the outset, this looks plausible, although it does hinge upon each player improving which is no guarantee.
But consider a scenario where freshman Latrell Davis plays well – like really well.
Does that mean he’ll be poached by a Power Five school like former Spartan center Ibrahima Diallo? This offseason, according to the SF Chronicle, Diallo “transferred to Central Florida this past June for $160,000 in NIL money.”
Similar to the tech startup, an employee’s individual economic desires can hinder the company’s long term vision.
Ricky Delgado @RickyDe70535587 “Basketball: get people in the stands. Biggest issue I can personally think of for the basketball program. The team itself is on the upswing and needs the support of the community/students and fans behind them. While we’re at it fix the sound system.”
New Year’s resolution comparison: Saying you’re going to “spend less time on your phone.” Admirable ambition, but lacks specificity. Could be changed to not vacuuming an hours-worth of YouTube Shorts before going to bed every night (not that I’ve ever done this).
As a way to specify this New Year’s resolution maybe it can be edited to “turning the student lounge into a frenzied student section.” For some background, SJSU’s freshly debuted student lounge features a Pop-A-Shot, cornhole, small standing section and an SJSU-themed standup backdrop for selfies and TikTok.
It’s well-intentioned and a better visual than deserted bleachers, but it doesn’t capture the essence of a student section: A hotspot for frenzied college kids to terrorize opponents. No better example than Arizona State’s “Curtain of Distraction” that has featured a speedo-clad Michael Phelps among countless other distracting acts.
Arizona State's Curtain of Distraction is incredible 😂 pic.twitter.com/hS8etOvo9x
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 6, 2018
Nicolas Sarabia @sjrugby “Basketball- hit that 3k fan average.”
New Year’s resolution comparison: The person who says they’ll finish one book a month. This, of course, is the same person who hasn’t read a book cover-to-cover since high school and considers reading the closed captioning for “Parasite” to be relatively close to finishing a novel.
This is just way too big of a jump. SJSU has averaged 1,702 people a game and its high was 2,135, but that number is slightly misleading because it occurred against crosstown rival Santa Clara.
The goal for this season should be to eclipse the 2,000 mark and hopefully hover around 2,500 heading into 2024.
Nicolas Sarabia @sjrugby “Make the postseason again.”
New Year’s resolution comparison: Someone continuing their New Year’s resolution from 2023 of eating three home-made meals a day five times a week. This person rarely cooked until January of 2023 but now enters 2024 with a new job that requires more time in the office.
When SJSU made the CBI in 2023 – program’s sixth postseason appearance of all time – it had the luxury of being guided by Omari Moore. But now that Moore’s in the pros, SJSU (7-6, 0-0) must finish .500 in an 18-game conference slate where 12 games come against teams with a higher NET ranking. This leaves little time for SJSU’s inexperienced front court to find its footing and an added pressure on Trey Anderson, a team–leader in three-point percentage (45.5%), to recover from a knee sprain.
So it’s a case of difficult but not impossible. There’s such a thing called ‘meal prep’ and SJSU’s upset over Santa Clara – No. 120 NET ranking – was another example of how point guard MJ Amey (team-leading 17 points and nine rebounds) is capable of becoming the game-changer SJSU needs.
