The Mistry Spot: Spartans still searching for second half answers

Sports

Only a year removed from finishing last in the Mountain West with a dismal 0-18 record in conference play, the Spartans have found themselves right back at the bottom.

San Jose State has the worst record in the conference at 8-18 and just coming off a brutal 78-56 loss to San Diego State who clinched a share of the conference title.

The Spartans have lost their last four games, which they either had to come back or held a substantial lead, but found themselves flustered and desperate for points at crunch time.

“We have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball,” head coach Dave Wojcik said. “Everybody knows that guards win games, it doesn’t matter what level you are at…you have to be able to handle the basketball and pressure.”

It is easy to point fingers and blame one element of the game as to why the Spartans have trouble closing out games, but it seems when the pressure is on, the team takes a step back.

“I always tell my guys, it's usually the most aggressive team that wins,” Wojcik said.

The players and coaches are visibly frustrated over these losses, knowing they had the game in their grasp, but just could not hold on.

“We lost our energy and it kind of fell apart,” freshman forward Cody Schwartz said. “Then you saw the result of that.”

Last Wednesday against the University of Nevada, the Spartans had an 11 point lead in the second half, but failed to keep or extend it and ultimately led to the Wolf Pack winning by six.

“We got tentative, we got back on our heels, as opposed to being more aggressive and having more poise,” Wojcik said. “I sort of compare it to the deer in headlights, the old expression, we just froze and you can’t do that against a good team.”

On Sunday against San Diego State, senior forward Frank Rogers threw down an emphatic dunk with 15:33 left in the second half to tie the game at 36; however, the Aztecs went on a 26-6 run and the Spartans were left in the dust.

“Their press on us really did hurt us,” freshman guard Brandon Clarke said. “We were throwing it away and it really helped them score on us easily.”

Clarke said it is hard to keep the team rhythm going when they start getting careless with the ball in the second half. San Jose State has a tough time this season dealing with the press defense and it has lead to countless turnovers, slowing down the Spartans offense considerably.

“It's been our Achilles’ heel,” Wojcik said. “I’m not going to shy away from it.”

Beyond all the frustration is a glimmer of hope for the future of the men’s basketball team. Schwartz and fellow freshman forward Ryan Welage led all Mountain West freshmen with 49 3-point field goals made this season.

The Spartans were second in the conference in assists per game (14.9 average) coming into Sunday’s game with 137 total on the season.

According to the Mountain West, the Spartans average of 14.9 assists per game is their best output in school history since the 1984-85 season (16.2).

San Jose State will look to salvage what’s left of their season in their final three games beginning Saturday at Utah State.

The Mistry Spot: The big game through a sharper lens

FEATURE

Super Bowl 50 took over the Bay Area for the past two weeks, and with social media at its highest peak than any previous Super Bowl, coverage was spread over numerous social platforms.

Fox Sports field producer Dennis Ackerman and Fox Sports VP of Events and Productions Celeste Gehring came to San Jose State on Monday to talk to graduate students about the process behind covering the Super Bowl.

“For us on this trip, we will get things that go out to the global affiliates, including here,” Gehring said. “But mostly it is basically just reporting ‘day of news.’  Are we talking about Cam’s leadership today?”

Gehring said most of the reporting done prior to the game is based on storylines that develop while they are in the Bay Area.

“I definitely think the hardest thing about my job is trying to reinvent ourselves and develop a product at the same time,” Gehring said. “You have to love what you do and be really committed.”

One of the biggest problems is a tight and constantly-changing budget.  In order to get the right video clips of interviews with pro-athletes, they must use expensive equipment.

Since allotted money for purchasing cameras is getting cut, reporters and crew members have to constantly adjust.  “I had to go from a $180,000 budget to a $60,000 budget for Super Bowl 50,” Gehring said.

During the Super Bowl, every story is under heavy crunch time before it becomes untimely.  The challenge is to flesh out a story fast and well enough to include all the details necessary to keep readers interested.

“I wouldn’t say that after this presentation is steering me away from that career choice, but it definitely makes me think twice about wanting to go into it,” said journalism graduate student Ali Lang. “They kept saying ‘this has to be something you absolutely want for your life and you have to be passionate about this career.’”

Ackerman, a SJSU alumnus, said he has no regrets about his career choice.  He wanted to go into sports television ever since he was a kid and enjoys it everyday.

“As for me, it may not be so glamorous but I have a lot of fun doing it,” Ackerman said. “I get paid to go to these games. I get paid to watch a football game which I think is a pretty good deal.”

However, Gehring stated she has a tougher time fitting in to her job.  “It is definitely a ‘boy’s club.’ There is not denying that.”

She said the nature of the NFL is geared toward male employees and, as a VP, there is little chance of her moving forward because of the reality of this job.

The Mistry Spot: Panthers youth exposed by experienced Broncos

SPORTS OPINION

Photo by Kavin Mistry

SANTA CLARA - Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton scans the defense, hikes the ball, looks for an open receiver, turns his head and gets drilled by Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller.  Newton drops the ball and the Broncos walk in for the touchdown.

Newton was the recipient of the NFL Most Valuable Player Award on Saturday night.  On Sunday, at Levi’s Stadium, the Broncos defense turned the MVP into a confused and flustered mess, resulting in a 24-10 defensive beatdown.

“We got outplayed,” Newton said in a postgame interview. “They just played better than us. I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m sorry.”

Lost for words, Newton sat at the presser with his black hood up, head down and said little to nothing about his performance on the field.  He then proceeded to leave the press conference in the middle of a reporter’s question without any warning, visibly disappointed and frustrated.

One can only think, if Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was on the losing end of the Super Bowl, chances are he would sit down and explain what happened and how they were unable to execute. Manning has also suffered tough losses this season, but he always sat down and gave an explanation for how they did not execute their game plan.

Before Sunday’s Super Bowl 50 showdown against the Broncos, Newton was criticized heavily about his excessive celebrations and unorthodox ways of going about the game of football.

When playing a game, Newton is known for expressing emotion through various dance moves and the “dab.”

Those critics received fuel for their case on Sunday when Newton chose to stay quiet, frustrated and reserved during the postgame interview, showing that he can “dab” all over the competition but can’t take a hit.

Time and time again, Newton has proven that he is one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, but reactions like this off the field only supports the people calling him “immature.”

Not overlooked, Newton has had an incredible season leading the Panthers offense to a 30 point per game output and an incredible 80 total points scored in their first two playoff games. Both of which came against two elite defenses in the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

“It’s not the best team that wins,” said Panthers defensive tackle Dwan Edwards postgame. “It’s the team that plays the best, that’s what coach has been telling us all year.”

In football, because of its popularity, the spotlight will always be on you.  This past Sunday, the Panthers learned that a team can have all the talent in the world but, at the end of the day, it comes down to execution.   

People can call this game a storybook ending to a historic career for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, or a script that was waiting to be written, but that is not why they won.

The Broncos won because they wanted it more, they knew that they had to play lights out defense to beat the best offense in the league and they did.

On Sunday, Denver’s defense played on a different level than the Seahawks or Cardinals, led by outside linebacker Von Miller who finished the game as the Super Bowl MVP.

“Our defense has carried us all year,” Manning said postgame. “They were the best tonight and I am just glad that I was on the same team as our defense.”

As the anchors of defense, Miller and DeMarcus Ware combined for four and a half sacks, eight tackles and two forced fumbles. That experience of being in the big game, with the lights and spotlight on them, helped the Broncos expose the young Panthers offense.

Newton looked befuddled the entire game. After going through his first progressions and having no open receivers, he was forced to run around and avoid taking a sack on what seemed like every play.

“I would not want to go against our defense,”said Broncos executive VP and general manager John Elway postgame. “They just kept getting stronger and stronger throughout the playoffs. Played unbelievable, got the turnovers and put pressure on Cam.”

Once more, the Denver Broncos proved to the world that defense truly does win championships.


Check out the published article in the Spartan Daily on February 9, 2016