By Kavin Mistry (@kavinm95):
It took four weeks, but the Spartans have found their man to take over the men’s basketball program after the departure of Dave Wojcik.
Jean Prioleau comes to San Jose State from the University of Colorado, where he served as the associate head coach and the team reached the NCAA tournament four times in his seven year term.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise as Prioleau was not one of the finalists named for the job. Some believed the Spartans were going to hire Texas Christian University assistant coach David Patrick after TCU named its new assistant coach earlier today.
Regardless, the newest Spartan is excited about the opportunity and is ready to get right to work.
“I’m looking forward to building a program the university and community will be proud of and to ensuring that we prepare our young men to succeed in the classroom and on the court,” Prioleau said to SJSU Athletics after being hired.
One former Spartan, who graduated in the Spring is certainly glad to see that the long process has come to an end and the team can move forward.
“I’m glad the uncertainty is over, for the team,” said Isaac Thornton. “The month of July has been odd for the players given an abrupt coaching change, so it will be good for everyone to be able to move on. I’m sure our athletic administration has made the best decision for SJSU men’s basketball going forward.”
Prioleau will be joining a roster primed to make an impact in the Mountain West this season, led by Brandon Clarke, who averaged 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in his sophomore campaign. He has a solid young supporting cast that should be in prime position to make noise in the conference.
Prioleau will be officially announced as the new head coach in a press conference on campus at 10:30 am Monday August 7.