Spartans

NCAAB San Jose State Spartans

General Information

NCAA Division: Division I

Conference: Mountain West

Past Conferences: MWC, WAC, Big West, PCAA, WCAC, CBA, Ind, North CA

City: San Jose, California

Stadium: Provident Credit Union Event Center

NCAA Tournaments: 1951, 1980, 1996

Championships:

National Championships: 0
Conference Titles: 2

NCAAB San Jose State Spartans Team History

The San Jose men’s basketball team played its first game in history during the 1909 season. Throughout its history, the team has experienced many short-lived peaks as well as some brutal ones.

As an intercollegiate program in the 1949-51 season, the team compiled a record of 21-7 under head coach Walter McPherson. Despite being labeled as not a major program, the school didn’t see it as a sign to give up for the next three seasons.

Despite their desire to win, the San Jose team stats record showed that it couldn’t spark any interest from the committee. The next year was different, as the team would go on to make it to its first NCAA Tournament. Despite losing to the BYU Cougars in the Sweet 16, this was a huge milestone for the program.

Overall the 1930s-1976 could be considered as the better years for the program as the school would go through many conference changes, which included joining the Northern California Conference, California Basketball Association, West Coast Athletic Conference, and the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. Most of the program’s conference titles were won when they were affiliated with other conferences.

Losing the NIT in the First Round

Despite being the twelfth seed in the Midwest, the team’s chances of reaching the dance ended relatively quickly, as they lost to the fifth-seeded Missouri Tigers. The following year, Coach Berry would bring them to the NIT, but they lost to the UTEP Miners in the first round.

In addition, the team would go through several arena changes until they found a primary home in 1989, which is the Event Center. The team’s odds were never that high as they would face the two-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the first round in their last appearance in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.

Tim Miles was hired as head coach at San Jose State on April 6, 2021 because Jean Prioleau was let go after four brutal seasons. Miles has a solid resume with his over 24 years of coaching experience and a record of 399–334.

The Spartans have appeared once in the CBI by losing to the Creighton Bluejays. Tim Miles will be in charge of the team for the first time, and the team will face some insurmountable NCAAB odds as they continue to struggle against the rest of the conference. Despite getting off to a good season start, the Spartans have one of the worst odds in the conference to win the MWC title.

All-Time NCAAB San Jose State Spartans Records

Points Scored

Adrian Oliver 1,750
Ricky Berry 1,743
Wally Rank 1,432

Rebounds

Coby Dietrick 754
Reggie Owens 692
Chris McNealy 678

Assists

Justin Graham 508
Ken Mickey 476
Michael Mendez 469

Steals

Justin Graham 209
Isaac Thornton 144
Tito Addison 125

NCAAB San Jose State Spartans FAQs

What Is the Highest Win Total in Program History?

The highest win total in the program’s history was 21 wins, achieving them in the 1950 and 1981 seasons. They would do this as a non-major school and as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.

Who Is the Winningest Coach in Program History?

Walter McPherson has had an 11-year tenure with the Spartans and had a record of 149-134. Wilbur Hubbard is the only other coach with a positive record but only spent two years with the program with a record of 30-11.

Who Is the Greatest Player in Program History?

Brandon Clarke was selected with the 21st pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Clarke didn’t stay with the Spartans as he would transfer to Gonzaga. The Memphis Grizzlies would acquire the draft rights to Clarke since the Thunder would acquire the draft rights to Darius Bazley and a future second-round pick.