Mountain West Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: Justin Bean #12 of the Utah State Aggies defends Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs during the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Utah State won 64-57. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

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RENO, NV – JANUARY 09: Michael Steadman #1 of the San Jose State Spartans slams into Caleb Martin #10 of the Nevada Wolf Pack to try to drive to the basket at Lawlor Events Center on January 9, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

To say that San Jose State has had a very rough stretch since joining the Mountain West Conference is a vast understatement. The Spartans are a combined 14-94 since joining the league in the 2013-14 season. Yes, you read that correctly. Truthfully, it is extremely difficult to win in the case of a program that has consistent issues with turnover, both on staff, and on the roster.

San Jose State has been particularly unlucky in trying to retain its star players. Just in recent years, the program has lost guys like Brandon Clarke (who ended up starting for a powerhouse Gonzaga team, before being taken in the first round of the NBA Draft last season) and Ryan Welage, for example.

Heading into the new season, this issue will cripple the Spartans yet again. Of SJSU’s top three scorers from the 2019 season, two have transferred out of the program – Michael Steadman to Montano and Noah Baumann to USC. Redshirt senior Brae Ivey (9.2 points per game) returns, but it will take a lot of surrounding help to lift this Spartans team to any kind of success in an always-competitive, and a much-deeper Mountain West.