2014–15 San Jose State Spartans men's basketball team

The 2014–15 San Jose State Spartans men's basketball team represented San José State University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by second year head coach Dave Wojcik, played their home games at the Event Center Arena and were members of the Mountain West Conference.

2014–15 San Jose State Spartans men's basketball
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record2–28 (0–18 MWC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Brazelton
  • Mike Lepore
  • Tyler Ojanen
Home arenaEvent Center Arena
Seasons
2014–15 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Boise State 14 4   .778 25 9   .735
San Diego State 14 4   .778 27 9   .750
Colorado State 13 5   .722 27 7   .794
Wyoming 11 7   .611 25 10   .714
Utah State 11 7   .611 18 13   .581
Fresno State 10 8   .556 15 17   .469
UNLV 8 10   .444 18 15   .545
New Mexico 7 11   .389 15 16   .484
Air Force 6 12   .333 14 17   .452
Nevada 5 13   .278 9 22   .290
San Jose State* 0 18   .000 2 28   .067
*Ineligible for postseason play due to APR penalties
2015 MWC tournament winner

Due to APR penalties, San Jose State were ineligible for postseason tournament play, including the Mountain West tournament.

Following a 7–24 season in 2013–14, the Spartans finished the season 2–28, 0–18 in Mountain West play to finish in last place. They failed to defeat a Division I opponent.

Preseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Dylan Alexander 5 G 6'4" 190 Freshman Stockton, CA Transferred to Casper CC
D.J. Brown 1 G 6'1" 185 RS Junior Los Angeles, CA Graduated; transferred to Texas State
Chris Cunningham 15 F 6'9" 240 Senior Pomona, CA Graduated
Mike VanKirk 21 C 7'1" 240 Sophomore Palmdale, CA Left the team[1]

Recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Daryl Gaynor
PG
Las Vegas, NV Durango High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Apr 19, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 67
Ryan Singer
C
Littleton, CO Massanutten Military Academy 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Apr 26, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 60
Leon Bahner
C
Bonn, Germany CJD Konigswinter 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) N/A May 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout:   Rivals:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 28, 2014.

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jordan Baker 1 G 6'3" 180 Junior Tempe, AZ Transferred from Pepperdine; redshirted last season per NCAA rules.
Ivo Basor 10 F 6'9" 230 Junior Watsonville, CA Junior college transfer from Monterey Peninsula.
Princeton Onwas 23 G 6'6" 215 Junior Houston, TX Transferred from Utah. Under NCAA transfer rules, Onwas will redshirt this season and will have one year of remaining eligibility.
Frank Rogers 14 F 6'9" 230 Junior Salinas, CA Transferred from San Francisco; redshirted last season per NCAA rules.

NCAA academic sanctions

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Under previous head coach George Nessman, San Jose State reported five consecutive years of rising four-year average Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, including a program-best 940 in the 2011–12 season (because of a perfect one-year 1000 score).[2] However, the APR fell below 930 for the 2012–13 season, Nessman's last as head coach. As a result, the NCAA imposed sanctions on the San Jose State men's basketball program in April 2014. These sanctions included:[3]

  • A postseason ban for this season, including from the MWC tournament;
  • Replacing four hours of basketball practice with four hours of academic activities;
  • One fewer day of basketball-related activities a week.

Athletic director Gene Bleymaier stated in response to the sanctions: "Last year, we were faced with a situation that needed to be dealt with in a major fashion. The coaching staff was not retained, and several players were not invited back for the 2013-14 season. Only four players returned from the 2012-13 team.[3]

Roster

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2014–15 San Jose State Spartans men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Rashad Muhammad 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Bishop Gorman HS Las Vegas, NV
F 2 Jaleel Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Ellison HS Killeen, TX
F 4 Brandon Mitchell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Ridgeway HS Memphis, TN
G 5 Darryl Gaynor II 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Durango HS Las Vegas, NV
C 10 Ivo Basor (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Watsonville HS
Monterey Peninsula CC
Watsonville, CA
G 11 Danny Mahoney (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Serra HS San Mateo, CA
G 21 Jalen James   6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So La Lumiere School Chicago, IL
G 22 Devante Wilson     6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Muskogee HS
Lee CC
Muskogee, OK
G 23 Princeton Onwas (I)   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Seven Lakes HS
Utah
Houston, TX
F 24 Ryan Singer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Massanutten Military Academy Littleton, CO
C 25 Leon Bahner   6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr CJD Christophorusschule Königswinter Bonn, Germany
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Suspensions and dismissals

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Coach Dave Wojcik announced on December 13, 2014 that five players were suspended indefinitely due to violating team rules: Jordan Baker, Rashad Muhammad, Matt Pollard, Frank Rogers, and Jaleel Williams. As a result, two San Jose State football players—wide receiver Tyler Winston and tight end Andrew Vollert—joined the roster temporarily.[4] Vollert and Winston became the first San Jose State football players since the 1988–89 season to have played football and basketball the same season. The last time that happened followed the walkout of 10 basketball players in protest over alleged verbal abuse by coach Bill Berry, who was fired after the season.[5]

Five days after the five players were suspended, associate head coach Chris Brazelton was placed on paid administrative leave.[6] Ultimately, Muhammad and Williams were reinstated on January 3, 2015.[7] Baker and Rogers were dismissed from the team, and Pollard transferred.[8]

Injuries

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On December 3, 2014, Jalen James suffered a season-ending ankle injury.[9] Six days later, Leon Bahner was diagnosed with the same injury and was also sidelined the rest of the season.[10] Devante Wilson did not play at all in the season due to injury.[8]

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Opponent Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/02/2014*
4:00 pm
Cal State East Bay W 84–65 
Event Center Arena (1,196)
San Jose, CA
11/08/2014*
1:00 pm
Notre Dame de Namur W 65–58 
Event Center Arena (1,172)
San Jose, CA
Regular season
11/14/2014*
5:00 pm
Bethesda W 67–44  1–0
Event Center Arena (1,078)
San Jose, CA
11/16/2014*
1:00 pm
Portland L 68–73 OT 1–1
Event Center Arena (1,453)
San Jose, CA
11/19/2014*
7:00 pm
Pepperdine L 44–63  1–2
Event Center Arena (1,358)
San Jose, CA
11/22/2014*
2:00 pm
at Cal State Fullerton L 66–70  1–3
Titan Gym (1,092)
Fullerton, CA
11/27/2014*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Washington
Wooden Legacy quarterfinals
L 56–78  1–4
Titan Gym (2,241)
Fullerton, CA
11/28/2014*
6:00 pm, ESPN3
vs. Western Michigan
Wooden Legacy consolation round
L 60–79  1–5
Titan Gym (N/A)
Fullerton, CA
11/30/2014*
4:30 pm, ESPN3
vs. Princeton
Wooden Legacy 7th place game
L 54–69  1–6
Honda Center (N/A)
Anaheim, CA
12/03/2014*
7:00 pm
at UC Davis L 56–70  1–7
The Pavilion (1,965)
Davis, CA
12/06/2014*
7:00 pm
Santa Clara
Rivalry
L 50–61  1–8
Event Center Arena (2,123)
San Jose, CA
12/09/2014*
7:00 pm
Saint Katherine W 74–63  2–8
Event Center Arena (1,194)
San Jose, CA
12/13/2014*
7:00 pm
Seattle L 38–54  2–9
Event Center Arena (1,415)
San Jose, CA
12/21/2014*
4:00 pm, P12N
at Washington State L 53–82  2–10
Beasley Coliseum (1,604)
Pullman, WA
12/31/2014
6:00 pm
at Utah State L 33–61  2–11 (0–1)
Smith Spectrum (8,491)
Logan, UT
01/03/2015
7:00 pm
Wyoming L 59–64  2–12 (0–2)
Event Center Arena (1,188)
San Jose, CA
01/07/2015
6:00 pm
at Air Force L 56–78  2–13 (0–3)
Clune Arena (971)
Colorado Springs, CO
01/10/2015
7:00 pm
at UNLV L 40–74  2–14 (0–4)
Thomas & Mack Center (12,623)
Paradise, NV
01/14/2015
7:00 pm
Fresno State
Rivalry
L 62–73  2–15 (0–5)
Event Center Arena (1,091)
San Jose, CA
01/17/2015
7:00 pm
Colorado State L 41–70  2–16 (0–6)
Event Center Arena (1,226)
San Jose, CA
01/21/2015
7:00 pm, RTRM
at Boise State L 36–86  2–17 (0–7)
Taco Bell Arena (4,219)
Boise, ID
01/28/2015
7:00 pm
Air Force L 52–66  2–18 (0–8)
Event Center Arena (2,045)
San Jose, CA
01/31/2015
5:00 pm, RTRM
at New Mexico L 41–67  2–19 (0–9)
The Pit (14,358)
Albuquerque, NM
02/04/2015
7:00 pm
at Fresno State
Rivalry
L 63–81  2–20 (0–10)
Save Mart Center (5,550)
Fresno, CA
02/07/2015
3:00 pm
Nevada L 57–60  2–21 (0–11)
Event Center Arena (1,085)
San Jose, CA
02/14/2015
3:00 pm, RTRM
at Wyoming L 60–77  2–22 (0–12)
Arena-Auditorium (7,870)
Laramie, WY
02/18/2015
7:00 pm, RTRM
Utah State L 54–76  2–23 (0–13)
Event Center Arena (1,311)
San Jose, CA
02/21/2015
7:00 pm, ESPN3
San Diego State
Rivalry
L 56–74  2–24 (0–14)
Event Center Arena (3,477)
San Jose, CA
02/25/2015
6:00 pm
at Colorado State L 56–72  2–25 (0–15)
Moby Arena (4,924)
Fort Collins, CO
02/28/2015
7:00 pm
at Nevada L 51–62  2–26 (0–16)
Lawlor Events Center (5,325)
Reno, NV
03/04/2015
7:00 pm, RTRM
Boise State L 51–68  2–27 (0–17)
Event Center Arena (1,088)
San Jose, CA
03/07/2015
7:00 pm, ESPN3
UNLV L 58–71  2–28 (0–18)
Event Center Arena (2,106)
San Jose, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

References

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  1. ^ "Verbal Commits | Mike van Kirk Player Profile, Highlights, Offers, Twitter".
  2. ^ Durkin, Jimmy (April 1, 2014). "San Jose State men's basketball expects APR sanctions". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Men's Basketball Will Incur Anticipated NCAA APR Sanctions For 2014-15". San Jose State Spartans. April 1, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  4. ^ Durkin, Jimmy (December 14, 2014). "Football players become basketball players for San Jose State". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  5. ^ Durkin, Jimmy (December 19, 2014). "San Jose State basketball team gets help from football players". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  6. ^ Durkin, Jimmy (December 18, 2014). "San Jose State places assistant basketball coach on administrative leave". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  7. ^ Durkin, Jimmy (January 3, 2015). "San Jose State men fall to Wyoming". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Durkin, Jimmy (January 12, 2015). "Two San Jose State basketball players kicked off team". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  9. ^ "Santa Clara Outlasts Spartans, 61-50". San Jose State Spartans. December 6, 2014. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  10. ^ "Men's Basketball Wins, 74-63, Over Saint Katherine". San Jose State Spartans. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.