3 biggest transfer portal needs for San Diego State this offseason

Brian Dutcher has some work to do in pivotal offseason

San Diego State Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal opens on April 7 and San Diego State Aztecs basketball coach Brian Dutcher has already had two weeks to sharpen his focus on what his team needs. 

That’s what happens when a team with high expectations misses the NCAA Tournament because it lost out on the Mountain West’s automatic berth and its at-large resume was so weak that it was stranded in the First Four Out on Selection Sunday. 

Dutcher already had an idea of what the Aztecs need as they move into the Pac-12 next season and things came more into focus when guards Miles Byrd and BJ Davis announced that they plan to enter the portal. 

While Byrd intends to play as a graduate elsewhere, Davis reportedly was still in talks with the Aztecs about possibly returning to Montezuma Mesa.

It could be an offseason of wholesale change. Magoon Gwath’s intentions are unknown following an injury-interrupted season and forward Miles Heide has signed with PSG and could enter the portal. 

Below is a look at San Diego State’s three biggest team needs as the offseason rolls on:

A rebounder

As Dutcher dissected what was arguably the most disappointing season in SDSU history, he divulged the first entry on his to-do list: finding a rebounder following a season in which the Aztecs’ normally tough defense wasn’t up to standards. 

“Yeah, our defense was inconsistent,” said Dutcher, who has preached that everything starts on the defensive end. “I think this is the second year in a row our rebounding probably hurt us more than anything. … And so I have to recruit a rebounder. I have to get someone that can go get the ball or these other guys have to become drastically better at it.”

It’s possible the Aztecs will lose their top four rebounders. Byrd was the leading rebounder at 4.7 per game, followed by Heide (4.5), Gwath (4.3) and senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters (3.6), who is out of eligibility.

A guard or two

The Aztecs had great depth this past season. Dutcher usually went 11 deep in his rotation, although some observers felt that may have actually hurt, as the veteran coach might have tried to keep too many players happy. 

The Aztecs do have guards ready to step up with Byrd moving on, Davis possibly leaving and Sean Newman Jr. running out of eligibility.

In fact, Dutcher is so high on redshirt Latrell Davis that he said this of the 6-foot-3 English player: “I think if we had him and played him this year, we’d be in the NCAA Tournament. He’s extremely talented, and he has a skill set that some of the players I had on the team didn’t have this year.”

Sophomore Taj DeGourville, who is 6-5, presumably will return after making five starts and playing in all 33 games. 

But with the uncertainty of the portal hanging over the game, Dutcher will no doubt explore all options, whether looking for a point guard or a guard in the mold of the 6-7 Byrd. 

Foreign players 

Although this area is outside the portal, it still could be important for the Aztecs. They’ll be going up against perennial power Gonzaga twice in Pac-12 play, and the Bulldogs have a rich history of finding foreign players. There was an increasing number of European players in the MW, as well, as the NCAA is granting eligibility to young European pros.

Asked about exploring the European pro market, Dutcher said: “Yeah, absolutely. We’re actively looking overseas to see what’s available. There are a couple of kids I’m supposed to be doing Zoom calls with here in a week or two, trying to decide what their interest level is and then financially what it will involve getting them over here.”

SDSU has had foreign players, but most have attended high school in the United States after coming over from Africa. Gwath’s parents are South Sudanese refugees and 7-1 redshirt freshman Thokbor Majak was born in South Sudan before prepping in the United States.