Forget the losing record and the first-round exit in the Mountain West Tournament; the 2019-20 San Jose State men’s basketball season was a success.
In an article by The Spear, guard Seneca Knight announced on April 21 that he will return to play for SJSU in his junior season.
For the first time in years, SJSU men’s basketball team has finally caught a break.
The news of a star player returning to a mid-major program might sound trivial, but this move potentially changes the trajectory of the basketball program. This offseason marks the first time since the 2014-15 season that the Spartans’ leading scorer didn’t transfer to another school.
The significance of this cannot be overstated.
For each of those five agonizing years, Spartan fans couldn’t enjoy watching each blooming star. With every dunk, 25-point performance or double-double, the feelings of joy and excitement were inevitably taken away as each star player transferred.
Fans couldn’t appreciate standout players like forward Brandon Clarke or guard Noah Baumann. While Clarke was averaging 17 points per game and Baumann was shooting 45% from 3-point range, fans were already expecting them to leave for greener pastures once the final whistle of the season blew.
That feeling carried over with Knight.
As he endured typical freshman growing pains in the 2018-19 season, fans still saw that he was going to be special. His numbers weren’t amazing and his game wasn’t the most well-rounded, but he just had that “it” factor.
But even people who watched him closely and knew his potential couldn’t have predicted what Knight did in his sophomore season. He exploded onto the basketball scene with a refined playing style. He was no longer a one-trick, bucket-scoring pony.
Yes, he scored a lot, especially late in the season – but he did so much more. He developed his playmaking skills to help his teammates improve. He put on some muscle, allowing himself to have an inside presence with improved finishing at the rim. He also played excellent defense, particularly on the perimeter.
But the most crucial attributes Knight brings to the Spartans are not tangible. I’m not talking about his jumper or ball handling.
Knight’s return establishes a loyal culture to a program that desperately needs it.
Despite the string of losing seasons, talent hasn’t been the main issue for SJSU. The program consistently recruits solid players. The exceptional ones just eventually wind up transferring to more successful programs.
The Spartans simply needed one of them to buy in and see the vision.
The power of continuity is something that is often understated in college basketball. Young talent is intoxicating to watch, but teams made up of primarily new players rarely win. It’s the older, more experienced teams that cut down nets in March.
“That’s what we need here: continuity,” SJSU head coach Jean Prioleau said in mid-February. “Things become a little more easier . . . But I know it’s a process and that’s what we’re in right now.”
He has a point. Even expanding the scope to the top mid-major programs in college basketball, consistency is a common thread that runs through each winning season.
That continuity starts with the head coach. Mark Few has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. Randy Bennett has helmed St. Mary’s College since 2001.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a solid program at any level that has as much turnover as SJSU.
So when a now-veteran player like Knight buys into Prioleau’s coaching, it’s going to provide a blueprint for the rest of the team to follow. It starts a chain reaction that is felt by everyone else on the roster.
Now new players won’t be forced into primary roles right off the bat because the team already has a go-to scorer. Knight’s return streamlines the process for everybody involved.
A great player has finally helped set a precedent for the SJSU men’s basketball program.
Maybe for just this year, SJSU men’s basketball team is no longer a stepping stone. Maybe for just this year, fans have hope. Maybe it’s just the beginning, but it doesn’t happen if Knight leaves.
It’s time for fans to sit back, watch how the team does next season and appreciate the fact that a great young player is finally buying in. It might just convince them to buy in too.
