What San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher and the players said ahead of Idaho State game

Magoon Gwath cleared for practice but probably won’t play vs. Bengals

Mar 17, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; San Diego State Aztecs forward Pharaoh Compton (5). | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

San Diego State’s basketball team is getting closer to having 7-foot shot blocker Magoon Gwath back in action, but it probably won’t happen Sunday when the Aztecs host Idaho State at Viejas Arena.

Gwath has been cleared for contact in practice as he works his way back from having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in late April. He didn’t play in the season-opening, 77-45 win against Long Beach State on Tuesday night and coach Brian Dutcher cautioned fans not to get their hopes up for seeing him on Steve Fisher Court on Sunday afternoon.

“Magoon has been cleared to practice, and then, based on what he does in practice, he'll be cleared to play,” Dutcher said during a news conference. “I think Sunday might be a bit of a reach. I know he wants to be out there, and he probably could be out there, but we have nine days then until we play Troy. I think that's probably a more realistic timeline for him to get back and get a game under his belt before we head to Las Vegas and play Michigan.” 

The Aztecs host Troy on Nov. 18 and then head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival. They’ll face No. 7 Michigan on Nov. 24 and Oregon on Nov. 25, with their third opponent to be determined by results of the first two days. 

Here are the highlights of Dutcher and the players’ news conference:

Gwath on when he thinks he’ll be back to 100%

“I'm not sure, to be honest, I don't think there's a real timeline. I’m just going to go out there and try to get back up to speed and work every day. After not playing basketball for six or seven months, it felt great to finally come out here with my guys.” 

Gwath on how it felt watching the Aztecs play Long Beach State

“It was very fun to watch them out there. We had five guys score in double figures. It wasn't just a one-man show. Everybody got to display their talent. It was just really fun to watch.” 

Dutcher on guard Reese Dixon-Waters’ expected workload against Idaho State

San Diego State Aztecs guard Reese Dixon-Waters (39). | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

“It was good to have him back in practice, fully practicing, and based on how he (practices), we’ll determine whether he starts and how many minutes he gets to play. I'd say that right now, Reese would be a full goal for Sunday's game.” 

Dutcher on the team not letting Long Beach State get back in the game

“We're playing with a certain level of maturity. The two freshmen I'm playing seem to play at a high level right now. They're not playing like freshmen early in their careers. They're playing with a sense of urgency, which is important. It's going to be a long year, and hopefully we all continue to get better every day in practice, where we can be the team we hope we can be.”

Dutcher on if he wishes there were more games before the Players Era Festival

Mar 17, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; San Diego State Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

“I think we're playing about the right number. You still don't know what you're going to see. We might have played poorly against Long Beach State and knew there was a lot more work to do, but there's always work to do, and Idaho State plays differently than Long Beach State. They'll be patient. They'll shoot threes or layups, but not mid-range, and they'll mix in some zone, which they didn't play in their DII game. We'll see if they play any tonight, but they have a matchup zone they'll play. There's always stuff to prepare for. I think the perfect number of games is what we're playing before Vegas.”

Sophomore forward Pharaoh Compton on the Aztecs’ tempo so far

“We're going to be a fast-playing team all year. Playing on the fast break, getting those points in transition, we have to come up with those every time. We’ve been better about putting our foot down on our opponent when we know that we're better than them.” 

Compton on the Aztecs’ offensive rebounding

“We have a few people that know they're going to get it, like me, [Miles] Heide and the other bigs. The guards are going to do a good job of getting out of transition.”