What San Diego State’s basketball players said going into the season opener

Miles Byrd came back for one more season with Aztecs

San Diego State and UCLA players during an exhibition game at Viejas Arena in San Diego. | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

This is what Miles Byrd returned to San Diego State for. 

And what Reese Dixon-Waters rehabbed so hard for after missing last year with a foot injury.

The Aztecs open a season of great expectations on Tuesday night, when they host Long Beach State at Viejas Arena. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. PT and the game will be shown locally on KUSI-TV.

“It's exciting. We worked three to four months this summer to get to this point, to get to the season,” said Byrd, who withdrew from the NBA Draft process to return for another year on Montezuma Mesa. “We’re familiar with what we're about to play against. Obviously, Coach (Chris) Acker coached me for two years, he recruited me, and I'm just excited to play in front of the fans in Viejas.” 

Acker spent five seasons as an Aztecs assistant before being hired at LBSU in 2024.

Here are the highlights of the players’ news conference: 

Byrd on what the Aztecs learned from their exhibition games

“Just take care of the ball. We got a lot of turnovers in the UCLA game, probably a lot of nerves involved with that. UCLA is a Top 25 team, so that's going to be a much tougher game than San Diego. Both are great opponents for us. I think execution, too, being comfortable playing on the court in front of the crowd. We have a lot of guys who have been back and are playing in their second year or third year as Aztecs. We also have a good number of new guys on the team. We're still trying to get adjusted to things. There was a big step up in the execution in the second exhibition versus the first one. Every day in practice we're working to fine tune those little things and try to be the best team possible.”

Dixon-Waters on facing Long Beach State

“I’m very excited to play my first official game in a while. I've been going to practice and improving so I'm just ready to get out there.”

Dixon-Waters on his journey recovering from injury last season

“It was pretty frustrating finding out last year about my foot and everything, then coming back. Then, three months into me being the healthiest I've ever been and feeling the best I ever felt, injuring my ankle again. It was like I was always overcoming a battle, but I think that's what life is about. That's what basketball is about, just overcoming adversity. We talk about it all the time in practice, not getting frustrated with ourselves. Throughout my time when I was injured, I was always trying to help other people, whether it was Byrd or the younger players, just giving them a different perspective, especially with me being out. I'm very thankful to be back and playing and healthy, and I'm excited to play.”

Byrd on which under-the-radar player could have a big year

“You have the younger guys who people are starting to become more and more familiar with, like Elzie [Harrington], who won Preseason Freshman of the Year, Taj [DeGourville] and Pharaoh [Compton], obviously are sophomores. They’ll make that second year jump.

“A guy that I feel like hasn't been talked about enough for us is Jeremiah Oden. I think he'll probably be our starting ‘four’ right now. He has the maturity that we need. The coaches always praise his connectability. When the play breaks down, he's honestly the best on our team at getting to the next thing, getting to a green, keeping the ball moving. I think you need that from an older guy, not to mention he's been in the Mountain West for multiple years before, so he knows what the gauntlet of the Mountain West is like, playing those road games and elevation. I think Jeremiah is a perfect piece for our team. He brings that maturity and leadership.”