By Austin Turner — Executive Editor
The offseason didn’t start exactly as planned for coach Jean Prioleau and the San Jose State men’s basketball program. The team’s two leading scorers both transferred within weeks of the season ending, with Michael Steadman leaving for Montana and Noah Baumann taking his talents to USC. In addition to losing those two, the Spartans parted ways with two centers, Oumar Barry and Ashtin Chastain, and Brian Rodriguez-Florez, a bench guard who could provide scoring in a pinch.
The departures were a huge blow for a team that had already finished last in the Mountain West, but the show must go on and coach Prioleau believes he’s found talent to fill the gaps. Here’s a quick look at the new faces that will be representing SJSU for the 2019-20 season.
Omari Moore
Freshman Point Guard
6-foot-6
Pasadena High School
The first signee for SJSU’s 2019 recruiting class was Omari Moore, who signed on back in November. He’s also the only freshman joining the team. He was listed at 6-foot-2 out of high school but has sprouted all the way to 6-foot-6 in time for Division I college ball. He’s a lanky, athletic guard who will sure up defense on the perimeter for the Spartans.
“He can play in transition, and he can catch and shoot the ball so we’ve definitely upgraded with that respect,” Prioleau said.
As the sixth man for a state championship team with four other Division I recruits, he put up solid numbers while sharing the court with other stars. He averaged 7 points, five rebounds and three assists in his senior season.
With a loaded backcourt that includes Seneca Knight and Zach Chappell, don’t expect much of Moore on the court in 2019-20. He’ll likely play in defensive situations and when Prioleau needs a bigger lineup on the court, but besides that he will not see much playing time until his sophomore campaign.
Richard Washington
Junior Guard
6-foot-6
Tallahassee Community College
Richard Washington is the name to look out for in 2019-20. Look for him to be this season’s Michael Steadman. Washington will immediately make an impact as SJSU’s first option on both offense and defense.
After spending his freshman season in the ACC at Wake Forest, he transferred to Tallahassee Community College and dominated at the JUCO level. He put up 16.6 points and eight rebounds per game, along with three assists.
“He’s a great addition,” Priouleau said. “We recruited him because we know that he can shoot the ball, and that’s a need that we needed to address.”
He can definitely shoot the ball. Washington is a 46 percent shooter and shoots 35 percent from three. His three ball leaves a little to be desired but after the departure of Baumann, the Spartans will take anything they can get.
Though he’s listed as a guard, expect Washington to start at the small forward spot. He can run the point no problem, but with a capable distributor like Chappell and a terrific scorer, Knight, at shooting guard, Washington will be suited to take on defenders with a little more size at the three. He’s also a terrific defender with excellent athleticism, and he’ll likely take on the opponent’s best scorer.
Eduardo Lane
Junior Forward
6-foot-10
Marshalltown Community College
Lane brings in some much needed depth at the center position. He’ll be a backup to Samuel Japhet-Mathias, who will be taking up a vast majority of the minutes at the five spot.
Don’t expect Lane to play much. The Brazil native was unimpressive in his lone JUCO season. In 11 minutes per game over 23 games, he averaged 5.5 points and only 2.8 boards. To put it bluntly, he’ll need to improve as a rebounder in order to get solid, consistent minutes. He also shot just 35 percent from the free-throw line.
Lane is a prospect with promising height, but Prioleau and his staff will need to coach Lane up as a project player.
Ralph Agee
Junior Forward
6-foot-9
East Los Angeles College
Another depth piece for the frontcourt, Agee will be part of the power forward rotation behind Craig LeCesne and Christian Anigwe.
After showing some potential with his scoring ability as a freshman at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Agee struggled at the JUCO level. He showed flashes with a few double digit scoring efforts, but needs to improve his consistency. Don’t expect him to get major minutes until next season, after LeCesne graduates.
Samuel Japhet-Mathias
Junior Forward
6-foot-11
Wake Forest
Okay, Japhet-Mathias technically was on roster last season with the Spartans. However, due to NCAA transfer rules he had to sit out the 2018-19 season, so he’ll be making he SJSU debut in November.
He’s another player that Spartan fans should be excited about. As Prioleau confesses, he isn’t a stretch-five by any means, but his size and strength should lend to lots of rebounds and easy layups in the paint. He’ll be crucial against teams with size, like Colorado State with Nico Carvacho, who tore the Spartans up last season.
SJSU will be a mix of new and old this season. The Spartans opens up the season in November.
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