Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
San Diego State (Projected: 4th in MWC)
Brian Dutcher has continued Steve Fisher’s success at San Diego State over the last seven seasons and has shown no signs of stopping. The Aztecs reached the national championship game in 2023 and reached the Sweet 16 this past March before losing to the eventual champion UConn Huskies. The team will have lots of new faces in 2024-25, but we can count on a great defensive squad under Dutcher no matter who is on the floor.
The list of returners for the Aztecs is highlighted by wing Reese Waters (10 ppg, 4 rpg). Waters transferred in last offseason from USC and was second in scoring for the Aztecs. Waters is an excellent defender and was SDSU’s most consistent outside threat last season. Guard Miles Byrd (4 ppg) and forward Miles Heide (2 ppg) both return and should see massive increases in their roles. Byrd will likely come off the bench as a sixth man while I think Miles Heide starts in the frontcourt for the Aztecs to begin the season. Heide is a guy to watch as a breakout player in the Mountain West. BJ Davis (1 ppg) and Demarshay Johnson Jr. (1 rpg) return after playing limited minutes and Magoon Gwath (Redshirt) will suit up for the first time as an Aztec after redshirting his freshman year.
The Aztecs lose six players this offseason, all integral to their success last season. Jaedon LeDee (21 ppg, 8 rpg) was one of the best players in the country last season but ran out of eligibility. The backcourt took a massive hit, losing Lamont Butler (9 ppg), Micah Parrish (9 ppg), and Darrion Trammell (8 ppg). The depth of the frontcourt lost both Elijah Saunders (6 ppg) and Jay Pal (5 ppg).
Brian Dutcher found four transfers in the portal, all of whom should play meaningful minutes this season. I like all four pickups, but I haven’t seen much hype surrounding Jared Coleman-Jones (11 ppg, 8 rpg at MTSU), so I’ll start with him. Coleman-Jones was a high major talent out of high school, playing his freshman season at Northwestern before transferring down to MTSU. Now playing his final collegiate season at SDSU, I think we see him breakout into one of the best players in the Mountain West. He’s a strong finisher inside, he has excellent vision for a big man, and he spaces the floor exceptionally well, shooting 44.2% from three last season. The Aztecs don’t have Jaedon LeDee anymore, but they may have found the closest guy to him at the mid-major level.
Wayne McKinney III (14 ppg, 4 rpg at San Diego) will move across the city as he transfers from USD to SDSU. McKinney broke out last season as a junior at San Diego, evolving into a point guard who can shoot and pass at a high level. McKinney had his games where he would take over last season, including back-to-back games against LMU and Pacific where he scored 24 and 31 points respectively. McKinney won’t have too much pressure to score at SDSU, but he’ll have the ball in his hands often as the primary point guard.
The third transfer who I think will find themselves in the starting lineup is FAU transfer Nick Boyd (9 ppg at FAU). Boyd played behind Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin at FAU, starting 14 of the 27 games he played in 2023-24. Boyd can mold into a great defender under Brian Dutcher, but his biggest value is his ability to space the floor. During the Owls’ miracle season in 2022-23, Boyd shot 40% from three compared to this past season’s 34.1% rate. If Boyd returns to the percentages from his sophomore campaign, the ceiling for the Aztecs rises higher.
The rest of the incoming class consists of an Ivy League transfer and three freshmen. Kimo Ferrari (7 ppg at Brown) shot 44.8% from three at Brown last season and should provide the same role at SDSU as a shooter off the bench. Pharaoh Compton (4*, NAT 104) headlines the freshman class and could start at the beginning of the season and will likely earn his way into the lineup before the end of the season. Compton stands just 6-7, but his big frame should all him to confidently play the four at the Mountain West level as a freshman. The high school class is rounded out by Taj Degourville (3*, NAT 171) and Thokbor Majak (Unranked).
Success at San Diego State the past two seasons has been ever flowing, but I’m afraid may take a small step back this season. I like the transfer pieces Brian Dutcher brought in, but the losses of LeDee, Butler, Parish, and Trammell cannot be understated. I think the Aztecs can reach a fifth straight NCAA Tournament, but I see a first weekend exit for the first time since 2022.
It may take this team some time to gel, but the pieces are in place for Dutcher to have another talented squad that can grind it out on the defensive end. I said earlier, I really fell in love with Jared Coleman-Jones after watching some film, and I think he can be a great replacement in the frontcourt for Jaedon LeDee. The backcourt loses three of its top four guys from last season and it’s up to Wayne McKinney III and Nick Boyd to step in as transfers. The X-factors for me are the two guys I think will play most of the frontcourt minutes alongside Coleman-Jones, sophomore Miles Heide and freshman Pharoah Compton. Both Heide and Compton lack the experience you want as a starter in the Mountain West, but they both have talent that is waiting to break out in the coming seasons. If both of these two develop into a consistent option, the Aztecs instantly become a threat at the top of the Mountain West alongside Boise State, New Mexico, and Utah State.
Ultimately, I think the losses San Diego State suffered this offseason will keep them from being a consistent regular season team and winning the Mountain West. I do think it’s a team that will come together throughout the course of the season and put together a resume that can reach the NCAA Tournament. I have the Aztecs slotted 4th in the Mountain West, behind the three teams I listed in the above paragraph.