The 2012-13 San Jose State University Spartans

Here's Coach George Nessman's 2012-13 roster:

(alphabetical)

David Andoh F 6-7 200 Fr. San Jose, CA (IMG Academy)

Alex Brown C 6-11 210 Jr. Colp, IL (John A. Logan College)

D.J. Brown G 6-2 185 So. Los Angeles, CA (Chino Hills HS)

Chris Cunningham F 6-9 240 Jr. Pomona, CA (Santa Clara University)

Louis Garrett F 6-6 215 Jr. St. George, UT (Salt Lake CC)

* Nick Grieves G 6-3 160 So. Aptos, CA (Aptos HS)

Chris Jones G 6-4 205 Sr. Hayward, CA (Newark Memorial HS)

Xavier Jones G 6-4 205 Jr. Gary, IN (John A. Logan College)

James Kinney G 6-2 180 Sr. Champaign, IL (Eastern Utah College, Ohio U.) (Centennial HS)

Aalim Moor G 6-3 194 Sr. Oakland, CA (St. Mary's HS)

Lavanne Pennington G 6-4 180 Sr. San Bernardino, CA (Barstow College) (Genesis One Christian School) (U. of Southern Mississippi)

Stephon Smith F 6-8 260 So. Dallas, TX (Body of Christ Christian Acad.) (Wilson HS)

Mike VanKirk F 7-1 240 Fr. Palmdale, CA (La Jolla Prep)

Jaleel Williams F 6-6 215 So. Killeen, TX (Ellison HS)

* walk-on

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Here's what we wrote earlier (May 16) about San Jose State University:

Losing Wil (Mr. Double-Double) Carter and Keith Shamburger means two large holes must be filled and Coach George Nessman has a five-man recruiting class arriving to help. And there's nowhere to go but up after a 1-13 conference record.

It looks like James Kinney and DJ Brown as the backcourt starters for the Spartans. The 6-foot-2 senior Kinney led in scoring last season at 15.8 points per game but has to better his 85/92 assist-to-turnover rate to more like what the sophomore Brown achieved at the point, 73/39. More timely shot attempts with less degree of difficulty involved would also help.

Look for 6-foot-2 JC newcomer Xavier Jones to add a physical presence in the backcourt. He shot well at the foul line and overall but (if the numbers are correct) went 1-19 from beyond the arc so it looks like his game is moving towards the hoop with the ball since he attempted 145 free throws.

6-foot-4 seniors Chris Jones and Lavanne Pennington are back as wings/guards -- Jones is a pesky, mix-it-up guy and the latter's strength was  heralded as a shooter (although his accuracy was just 28% in 2011-12).

It's an interesting mix at the wing with little-used 6-foot-6 sophomore Jeleel Williams returning and two newcomers arriving in 6-foot-6 JC transfer Louie Garrett and 6-foot-7 prepster David Andoh.

It's just a hunch but look for Coach George Nessman to elect to go with Kinney, Brown and XJones as his out-of-the-paint starters.

With bigs, Joe Henson has left the program due to knee problems so it's 6-foot-7 sophomore returnee Stephon Smith, 6-8 transfer from Santa Clara Chris Cunningham plus newbies Alex Brown and Mike VanKirk upfront.

Smith is strong and bulky but still in search of an offensive game. It's hard to discern Cunningham's game from his previous stats but he's likely the starter at the four.

The 6-foot-11 Brown is a JC transfer who will be the man in the middle because of his shotblocking talent while the 7-foot-1 VanKirk is still in development.

In summary, newcomers Jones and Brown will help but it's still going to be hard to hold opponents to less than what the Spartans will score.

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The Spartan starting five:

* Alex Brown
* Chris Cunningham
* Xavier Jones
* James Kinney
* DJ Brown