BASEBALL CONTINUES PLAY
EXECUTIVE ORDER LOOKS TO STABILIZE COLLEGE SPORTS
San Diego State basketball looking at major changes in the off season.
Aztec baseball continues season, heading into conference play
Presidential Executive Order designed to stabilize college sports
It’s the end of the basketball season, and like football season before it, the transfer portal has again reared its ugly head. The Aztecs are not immune to the changes as they will experience a new roster with veterans leaving and unknown
players ready to be inserted. Coach Brian Dutcher was asked about the next season’s roster.
“You know, I really don’t know,” he said. “There’ll be familiar faces and there’ll be new faces.”
Everyone in basketball will be evaluating their own personal situations in evaluating their options. Many players have already expressed their intention of either staying or going. Some compare this to having unlimited free agency without a salary cap. So many issues and challenges have presented themselves, that it has elevated itself to the level of the White House and President Trump who has issued an executive order to try and calm these turbulent waters.
Things get crazy in earnest this next Tuesday when the transfer portal officially opens. The Aztecs will be watching who enters the portal from their team, which will dictate where they will pursue in the portal.
Here’s what is known so far. Guard Reese Dixon-Waters is finished with his eligibility. He averaged a team leading 13.1 points and was second team all-Mountain West. Jeremiah Oden is another sixth-year senior who has exhausted his eligibility. He had mixed results, starting some games but being the odd-man out in most rotations. He average 4.6 points per game. Sean Newman, a 6-1 guard, filled in a reserve role. He can petition another year of eligibility remaining, but odds are he will look elsewhere to play. Miles Byrd, a fourth-year junior and a fan favorite, has announced his intention to enter the portal. He was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and is being sought by many of the country’s top programs who have near unlimited funds. Expect him to be “purchased” by a big name team with the potential of a seven figure payout.
Another player who most likely leave is guard BJ Davis. His “Agency” has said he intends to enter the transfer portal (TP from here on out). He was the teams second leading scorer with 10.8 points per game, but mostly coming from off the bench. In all likelihood he will go to a power conference team in a backup role. Miles Heide will also enter the TP according to his “Agency”. The Aztecs are looking for a more complete center and this will leave Heide as an odd man out. Magoon Gwath, the 7’0 forward is reportedly also entering the TP. He was sort of a disappointment, averaging 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. He suffered from injuries, which might make him a liability for teams with large “payrolls”.
On the fence are a couple of players who might flip or flop according to how the winds are blowing. Pharoah Compton brings tremendous athleticism and length. If he was able to crack the starting lineup with the Aztecs, one might expect him to stay. Again, how the winds blow will dictate if Pharoah will follow the winds of the Nile. Finally, of unknown status is Taj DeGourville. An imposing 6’5 guard, he started the season as a starter but was replaced by freshman Elzie Harrington. TDG was relegated to a reserve role, resulting in a 5.5 point average. He and Compton may be a package deal, so look for them to either depart or stay together.
Looking to stay on the Mesa includes 6’5” guard Elzie Harrington. He brings tremendous potential leading the team with a 43.6% shooting percentage on 3’s. Of question are injuries including a potential surgery in the future. This might help to keep him in San Diego,. Tae Simmons is another player looking to strengthen his position with the Aztecs. His playing time was limited, but the potential is strong. He could launch himself into a starting role, making his tenure in San Diego a forceful consideration. Another strong stay is San Jose State transfer Latrell Davis. He redshirted this last season as part of an agreed upon agreement. He is an incredible athlete, one the Aztecs were fortunate to pick up. He hopefully will highlight his outside range and strong backcourt skills. Coach Dutcher says he has the potential to be a first-team all-conference type of player. Finally, 7’1” forward Thokbor Majak is a project still being developed. He likely will stay as other larger programs won’t want to invest the time in developing him.
Of course, once the TP officially opens, the Aztecs will be scrambling with every other team to fill their roster. Look for the Aztecs to acquire a strong center, a three-point shooter and a strong defending forward.
Aztec baseball continued their season with conference play, taking three games from the Air Force Falcons at Tony Gwynn Stadium, moving them into sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference. Aztec first baseman Tyce Peterson was named the conference player of week, going 6-15 with three home runs, five RBI’s and two stolen bases. Freshman Max Farrell was the conference’s freshman of the week. He was 6-14 against Air Force with a triple, home run and seven RBI’s. The Aztecs bats were on display as they beat the Falcons 9-2, 11-2 and 12-9 in dramatic fashion. The Aztecs were trailing 7-2, but managed to put up eight runs in two innings to take the lead. Farrell added three RBI’s as did Adam Magpoc helping to lead the Aztecs to the come from behind victory. The Aztecs will take on UC Riverside on Tuesday night before heading off to a three game away series against New Mexico. They return home on April 14 to take on UC San Diego in a bitter crosstown rivalry game. The Aztecs are currently 18-15 on the season and 7-2 in conference play.
In national news, President Trump signed Executive Orders designed to target issues around standardizing rules around athlete compensation, transfer eligibility and participation of trnasgender athletes. The first comprehensive order is focused on establishing a federal framework that prevents “pay-for-play” while protecting Olympic and women’s sports. First are eligibility and transfers. It advocates a 5-5 model, limiting athletes to five years of eligibility. It also seeks to restore the one-time transfer rule, which would mean an athlete would have to sit out a year if they had a second transfer. There would be a one-time free transfer without issue or penalty. The next issue is NIL regulation. It targets fraudulent name, image and likeness schemes. It would prohibit using federal funds for NIL or revenue-sharing payments. This would be enforced by the Department of Education and the FTC to evaluate whether schools are violating these rules. Finally, a revenue sharing component designed to share revenue is done in a way to preserve or expand scholarships for non-revenue and women’s sports. Of course most of this makes common sense, but enforcing will be a challenge as there will likely be court challenges. Most everyone would agree that these issues have become well out of hand and need to be curtailed. The last issue is focused on keeping men out of women’s sports. It would provide a participation ban on transgender women and girls (previously born as a male) from playing on women’s sports. The NCAA has updated its policies to align with the federal mandates, limiting women’s competitions to athletes assigned female at birth. Common sense has been lacking, and these orders are designed to help bring back sensible and common sense rules of engagement.
