Miles Byrd named to Julius Erving Award Top 10 List

San Diego State men's basketball sophomore Miles Byrd was one of 10 players named to the watch list for the Julius Erving Award on Wednesday.

Given annually by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, the award is presented to the top small forward in Division I men’s college basketball. Past winners include Dalton Knecht (Tennessee), Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga) and Mikal Bridges (Villanova).

Byrd has taken a lead role for San Diego State this season in his third year on campus. He’s started 19 games, more than doubling his minutes per game from a year ago. Byrd is averaging 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game while shooting 36 percent from three-point range and 86 percent from the free throw line.

A key piece to San Diego State’s 15-5 start to the 2024-25 season, Basketball Reference lists Byrd as the Mountain West’s leader in Box Plus/Minus, a statistic that estimates the points per 100 possessions a player contributed above a league-average player. He also sits ninth nationally in that state.

One of the best in the nation! Congrats to @_mbyrd21 on being named to the #ErvingAward Midseason Top Ten! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/dydcG1qavZ
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 5, 2025

Earlier this season, Byrd earned his first Mountain West Player of the Week award as he helped the Aztecs take down Houston and Creighton at the Players Era Invitational in Las Vegas. Byrd played a career-high 37 minutes in the overtime victory against Houston, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists.

A four-star recruit out of Lincoln High School in Stockton, Byrd averaged 17 points and five rebounds per game on his way to being named All-State by CalHiSports. 247Sports rated Byrd as the nation’s No. 57 player in the 2022 recruiting class. Byrd selected the Aztecs over a final list that included Washington, Minnesota, Colorado State and Santa Clara.

Byrd played in four games as a freshman during San Diego State’s run to the National Title game before an injury provided him with a medical redshirt. Last season, Byrd played in all 34 games off the bench while averaging four points and three rebounds per game.

The list of finalists will be narrowed to a top five in March while fan voting for the award begins on Friday, February 7.

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