One of the more competitive conferences in all of college basketball, Mountain West basketball has plenty of t..."/> One of the more competitive conferences in all of college basketball, Mountain West basketball has plenty of t..."/>
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Mountain West Basketball: 2017-18 stars on each team in the conference

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: A general view of the seats with Mountain West Conference seat covers are seen before the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Colorado State Rams at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: A general view of the seats with Mountain West Conference seat covers are seen before the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Colorado State Rams at the Thomas /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 11: Jaycee Hillsman
LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 11: Jaycee Hillsman /

San Jose State Spartans – Ryan Welage

The Spartans just a few weeks ago thought they had a legitimate chance to place in the top half of the conference food chain. Unfortunately for the team, they suffered two devastating blows. The first being losing their head coach in late July out of nowhere, with no possible coaching search to be done.

This caused the second blow, losing Brandon Clarke to Gonzaga via transfer. He led the team with 17.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg while dishing out a couple of assists a game. The loss of the potential conference Player of the Year candidate for a team that struggles to get talent is an insurmountable problem.

Related Story: San Jose State transfer Brandon Clarke chooses the Bulldogs

The one player left for the Spartans that appears capable of replacing Clarke is junior Ryan Welage. As a sophomore, he played well, averaging 13.2 ppg and getting 4.5 rebounds as well.

The obvious question for Welage is whether he can get his offense without such a dynamic player aside him. He will be getting a lot more attention from defenses, and there’s a big question as to who’s gonna step up in the scoring department.

Besides Welage and Clarke, no one scored more than seven points per game, meaning any game Clarke didn’t do well in meant certain doom. If Welage steps his game up as well as having his teammates contribute more, then the Spartans will be competitive next year.