By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) — MBB Beat Reporter
There is a new era taking place in college basketball. One that rewrites Draconian Laws that make it difficult for players to leave programs on their own will. San Jose State head coach Tim Miles has embraced the freedom players have by adding five players from the transfer portal.
Among those five, forwards Tibet Gorener, Shon Robinson and Trey Anderson have been eating up playing minutes in their first year as Spartans. All three have their own unique story.
Tibet Gorener is a freshman from Istanbul, Turkey. So close to Asia, he could throw a baseball from his backyard and have it cross continents. He has hopped around the United States since coming to the states in 2018. He went from Montverde Academy in Florida to Orange Lutheran High School in California in 2019 to playing for the University of Arizona in 2020 and eventually finding his way to SJSU this past season.
Robinson’s the highest-slated recruit on SJSU. He shot through the ranks after a stellar season for Eduprize High School in Gilbert, Ariz. and ended up being the fourth best player in the state and no. 85 in the country. Ole Miss was his first college destination, playing two years in a reserve role down in Oxford before shifting gears and moving across the country.
Anderson is coming straight out of the SEC South just like Robinson, but it’s a coming home moment as he grew up in San Diego and played for the vaunted Mater Dei High School and Woodstock Academy.
“I’m from San Diego so to be back in California I feel like I got my swagger back,” Anderson said after a late-January Monday-afternoon practice.
Regaining panache is one half of the transition process. The other half is taking advantage of the knowledge he gained from playing in the SEC and applying it.
Anderson has felt the decrease in “physicality” between the SEC and the Mountain West.
“We need a little aggressiveness … and bring a little oomph to practice. We don’t always get the 50/50 balls and might not always get the hardest rebound.”
The “oomph” mentioned above is an asset that’s built during practice byway of assistant coach David Miller.
During practices you can see Miller guarding players in the post and doing everything he can as a defender to put the Spartans in a straight jacket.
“The thing with [Miller] is that he wants the best from you even if it hurts you,” Gorener said.. “He keeps guys on their toes with how honest and straightforward he is.”
Miller played a huge role in recruiting Gorener as he previously recruited him at Arizona.
“He also looks out for everyone as much as any coach I’ve ever met and that’s why I trust him and came here,” said Gorener.
Anderson gravitated toward Miller’s sargent-general attitude.
“Him not sugarcoating anything whether it’s something we want to hear or something we don’t want to hear. He knows that it needs to be said,” Anderson said.
Anderson is a player who wants all the smoke 24/7, even if it’s as brutal as hearing that he’s “not good enough” or “you left the SEC for a reason.”
In most occupations, Miller’s teaching style would result in filed complaints to HR and paperwork that stacks to high heaven. But this is basketball.
“For a program to be successful they need coaches to speak up and say things that maybe some coaches and players aren’t willing to,” Anderson said.
Miller is laying the foundation for a culture that builds accountability and parlays it into success come March and April.
A winning culture is first built in empty gyms where the only things heard are ear-piercing whistles and squeaks from sneakers.
Then there is the bonding that takes place off the court.
“Me, TA[Trey Anderson], Majok, “MJ”[Myron Amey Jr.], Alv [Alvaro Cardenas-Torre] will probably go to like Cali Spartan Tacos after a win,” Robinson said.
All it takes is a shared meal outside of a restaurant on wheels to turn oneself from a stranger in town to one of the guys.
“That’s the thing, these guys are all from California so they are putting me on to different foods. They are more like ‘Shon let’s go try this new food’ or ‘Shon let’s try this.’”
The “put on” is a crucial part of the college experience for any friendship. Be it a teammate, roommate or someone you sit next to in Accounting 101. There is a metaphysical rapport that can be catalyzed at a taco truck and eventually turns into something much bigger.
“I want to see the whole puzzle put together. We have a whole bunch of puzzle pieces that we have here, just missing a couple pieces. Not talent wise or anything like that, just a couple little details that we are missing,” Anderson said.
From David Miller’s accountability and tough coaching, to carne asada tacos being shared at Cali Spartan Tacos, pieces are coming together one by one.