The narrative around San Diego State\u2019s basketball team this spring has been retention, about the eight members of last season\u2019s young but talented roster that spurned the six- and seven-figure temptation of the NIL-infused transfer portal to run it back at Viejas Arena in 2025-26.<\/p>\n
But coach Brian Dutcher still had four available scholarships from the loss of three seniors and guard Nick Boyd, two of whom started a combined 59 games. It is the less publicized part of the Aztecs\u2019 offseason but no less important.<\/p>\n
They needed a true, pass-first point guard to run the offense. They needed depth at power forward. They needed another shooter. They need backcourt length and versatility.<\/p>\n
They needed more experience.\u00a0They needed more familiarity with the rigors of arguably college basketball\u2019s most challenging travel conference.<\/p>\n
They also needed to balance the roster composition between classes so, NIL permitting, there\u2019s some semblance of continuity in future seasons.<\/p>\n
Check, check, check, check, check, check and check.<\/p>\n
The Aztecs already had a fall commitment from incoming freshman Tae Simmons, a bruising 6-foot-7 forward from Heritage Christian High in Northridge. Then they added forward Jeremiah Oden from Charlotte, point guard Sean Newman Jr. from Louisiana Tech, guard Latrell Davis from San Jose State and Bellflower St. John Bosco High School guard Elzie Harrington.<\/p>\n
Now that all four have signed scholarship agreements, they are no longer considered \u201crecruitable athletes,\u201d meaning Dutcher is allowed to speak publicly about his spring haul and how they fit.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s a common thread, it\u2019s that his coaching staff has been familiar with them well before this spring, which accelerated the recruiting process.<\/p>\n
Oden and Davis played (and played well) against SDSU multiple times. Assistant coach Ryan Badrtalei, when he was at UC Irvine, recruited Newman out of Fullerton College and already had a relationship with him. SDSU was one of the teams Harrington was considering last fall before choosing USC.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a closer look at the four, with comments from Dutcher:<\/p>\n
Jeremiah Oden<\/p>\n
Oden was on Dutcher\u2019s radar two years ago when he first entered the transfer portal<\/a> from Wyoming.<\/p>\n The Aztecs didn\u2019t get him. Oden opted to play at DePaul, his parents\u2019 alma mater in his hometown of Chicago. He spent a season there, then transferred to Charlotte for his final year of collegiate eligibility. Then he broke a bone in his foot in October, sat out all of 2024-25 and qualified for a medical waiver for an additional year.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting a chance to do it again worked out really well for us,\u201d Dutcher said.<\/p>\n Whether or not Magoon Gwath returned, the Aztecs needed depth at the 4. With his athleticism, perimeter range and ballhandling ability, Oden can also slide to the 3 in what could be a tantalizingly enormous lineup: 6-6, 6-7, 6-9, 7-0 and 7-0 (with redshirt freshman Thokbor Majak).<\/p>\n Oden averaged 13 points and shot 42.9% from 3-point range in five career games against SDSU.<\/p>\n \u201cHe shoots it, he finishes at the rim, I think he has the ability to post up if we ask him to,\u201d Dutcher said. \u201cAs a sixth-year senior, we thought he was a perfect fit. He wants to win in his final year. It\u2019s not about, \u2018I need to put up this number and do this or that.\u2019 He wants to win.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd obviously, he knows what San Diego State is about, having played against us.\u201d<\/p>\n Latrell Davis<\/p>\n The guard from Leeds, England, was even more impressive against the Aztecs, torching them for 23 and 21 points last season.<\/p>\n Davis said he wanted to play for SDSU<\/a> since first stepping in Viejas Arena as a freshman and considered his two games as a sophomore as an unofficial audition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know how good we are defensively,\u201d Dutcher said. \u201cTo face a guy over two years and have him put up numbers against us, knowing what we\u2019re capable of defensively and seeing them still able to do it, shows you we\u2019re well aware of his talents and feel like he can make his next step in our program.\u201d<\/p>\n Davis\u2019 role could be dependent on whether Miles Byrd turns pro. The 6-7 redshirt junior was invited to the NBA draft combine in Chicago and has until May 28 to withdraw to retain his college eligibility.<\/p>\n Davis is close to a 40% marksman behind the arc, and at 6-3 and 210 pounds has the kind of strong, physical frame that should thrive in the Aztecs\u2019 aggressive defensive scheme.<\/p>\n And like Oden, he knows his way around the Mountain West.<\/p>\n \u201cThese guys are experienced in this league,\u201d Dutcher said. \u201cThey know what these environments are and what these teams do. They know what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean Newman Jr.<\/p>\n The number that SDSU coaches kept returning to when evaluating Newman: 245.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how many assists he had last season at Louisiana Tech, which computes to 7.9 per game, which ranked third nationally. The SDSU single-season record, held by Tony Gwynn, is 221. Only one Aztecs player has had more than 126 in a season over the past decade.<\/p>\n \u201cSean is the quintessential pass-first point guard,\u201d Dutcher said. \u201cThe eight assists per game was something that jumped out on paper. We have really good pieces, a lot of talented players back. If you can find people on time, on target, and hit them in the shooting pocket, your shooting percentages go up. He\u2019s an elite, pass-first point guard who can find people.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought this year\u2019s team needed someone like that.\u201d<\/p>\n