San Diego State opens the 2025-26 men’s basketball season on Tuesday night with a game against Long Beach State at Viejas Arena.
This year’s team includes the Mountain West’s preseason player of the year (Miles Byrd) and preseason newcomer of the year (Elzie Harrington). Not surprisingly, SDSU is the unanimous choice to win the league.
Here’s a player-by-player look at the Aztecs’ roster ahead of the season’s tipoff:
0 Magoon Gwath
Position: Forward
Height: 7-0
Weight: 212 pounds
Year: Redshirt sophomore
Breakdown: After flirting with the transfer portal and NBA Draft, the Mountain West freshman and defensive player of the year had knee surgery and is on track for a mid-November return.
Elzie Harrington #3 of San Diego State looks on during their game against the San Diego Toreros at Viejas Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
3 Elzie Harrington
Position: Guard
Height: 6-5
Weight: 188
Year: Freshman
Breakdown: The prized recruit initially picked Harvard, then USC to be closer to his ill father, then SDSU, where he is a candidate for rotation minutes at all three backcourt positions.
4 Sean Newman Jr.
Position: Guard
Height: 6-1
Weight: 174
Year: Fifth-year senior
Breakdown: The pass-first point ranked third in Division I in assists per game (7.9) at Louisiana Tech, but now takes a big step up in level. Has one and possibly two years of eligibility left.
5 Pharaoh Compton
Position: Forward
Height: 6-7
Weight: 230
Year: Sophomore
Breakdown: The bouncy post with freakishly long arms re-tooled his body in hopes of fouling less and playing more. Also improved his perimeter jumper and (he hopes) free-throw shooting.
6 Latrell Davis
Position: Guard
Height: 6-3
Weight: 212
Year: Junior
Breakdown: The San Jose State transfer with two years of eligibility shot 38.3% on 3s last season, but perhaps his most valuable skill is attacking the rim off the dribble like a freight train.
8 Tae Simmons
Position: Forward
Height: 6-6
Weight: 230
Year: Freshman
Breakdown: He is slightly undersized for a power forward, but he compensates with a grown-man physique and a high work rate to will himself to rebounds and hustle plays.
BJ Davis #10 of San Diego State takes a shot Xavier Booker #1 of UCLA during an exhibition game at Viejas Arena on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
10 BJ Davis
Position: Guard
Height: 6-2
Weight: 175
Year: Junior
Breakdown: He started 31 games last season, averaging 9.0 points and shooting 42.4%. With Miles Byrd and Reese Dixon-Waters back, he may have to come off the bench in 2025-26.
21 Miles Byrd
Position: Guard
Height: 6-6
Weight: 190
Year: Redshirt junior
Breakdown: The Mountain West preseason player of the year showed well at the draft combine but opted to return for his fourth year at SDSU, making him the team’s most tenured player.
24 Taj DeGourville
Position: Guard
Height: 6-5
Weight: 211
Year: Sophomore
Breakdown:The versatile guard might be SDSU’s most improved player, making a strong case for starting point guard after scoring in double figures in both exhibition games.
25 Jeremiah Oden
Position: Forward
Height: 6-8
Weight: 210
Year: Sixth-year senior.
Breakdown: The sixth-year player knows Viejas Arena and the Mountain West well, having spent three seasons at Wyoming. He’ll start at the 4 until Gwath is healthy, then back him up.
33 Thokbor Majak
Position: Forward
Height: 7-1
Weight: 215
Year: Redshirt freshman
Breakdown: The South Sudanese shot swatter (and crowd favorite) has been playing basketball for only a few years but has made huge strides and could be used in spot situations.
Reese Dixon-Waters #39 of San Diego State shoots against Trent Perry #0 of UCLA during an exhibition game at Viejas Arena on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
39 Reese Dixon-Waters
Position: Guard
Height: 6-5
Weight: 217
Year: Fifth-year senior
Breakdown: He is wearing a new number, but the silky jump shot with a quick release hasn’t changed, evidenced by 19- and 17-point games in the two preseason exhibitions.
40 Miles Heide
Position: Forward
Height: 6-9
Weight: 235
Year: Junior
Breakdown: The most reliable rebounder on a team that was delinquent in that department last season. Battling with Compton for the starting center spot but will get minutes either way.
