What Miles Byrd said after returning to San Diego State

Now that Miles Byrd has made his decision to withdraw from the NBA draft and return for his fourth season at San Diego State, he’s excited to get going on what could be another big season on Montezuma Mesa.

“I think it just feels good to be home,” the 6-foot-7 guard said during a round of media interviews. 

“We’ve got a team this year that on paper is probably one of the better teams we’ve had in SDSU history,” he said. “I was on the team my freshman year when we were on the national championship run. I’m excited to get everybody in the JAM Center this summer, start bumping and playing early, grinding early. I’m excited for the process of that.”

Byrd played in just four games as a redshirt freshman in 2022-23, the season the Aztecs reached their first Final Four and made it to the national championship game before losing to UConn. 

Whether the Aztecs are good enough to make it that far again remains to be seen, but coach Brian Dutcher has assembled another impressive roster. Byrd’s return has fired up a fan base that had already gotten the good news that reigning Mountain West Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year Magoon Gwath was withdrawing from the transfer portal and NBA draft pool to return to the Aztecs. Additionally, guard Reese Waters returns after missing last season with a foot injury.

They also signed Sean Newman Jr., Latrell Davis and Jeremiah Oden from the transfer portal, as well as incoming four-star freshmen Tae Simmons and Elzie Harrington.

“I want to do something great here in San Diego. I was here for greatness,” Byrd said, referring to that 2022-23 season. “I didn’t really get to really be a part of it on the court. I felt it on the outside, all the love and stuff. I want to be here for the last year of the Mountain West, I want to go out of the Mountain West with a bang. I want to make a deep run in the tournament.”

SDSU finished 21-10 last season after a blowout loss to North Carolina in a First Four game. 

Here are highlights from Byrd’s interviews with KNSD-TV and San Diego Sports 760 radio:

Byrd on his motivation

“It was a great season. We accomplished a lot of stuff that people didn’t expect from us since we were such a young group. It was a great season with a rough ending. You don’t forget the sour taste left in our mouth after leaving Dayton, getting blown out by UNC in front of a national crowd. I’m motivated. I hated how I played in that game. I didn’t get over it, honestly. I’m bringing that firepower into next year and I assume everybody will be doing the same.”

On his decision to return to SDSU

“I kind of looked at everything from the worst possible situation, so the worst situation would be that I slide all the way out of the second round and I’m on a two-way (contract) and I’m fighting for just time to even put an NBA jersey on; wearing a G League jersey the majority of the time. For me, it was more of giving myself another year, trying to get stronger, trying to make a run, graduate, make my mom happy, giving it another go here at SDSU.”

On informing Dutcher of his decision

“It was quick. … ‘Let’s run it back, coach’ and he said, ‘That’s all I needed to hear.’ It was a good conversation.”

On calling Waters after making his decision

“That was the first call I made in the morning. We had talked about the next level and stuff like that. I just wanted to give him that call, let him know I’m back. Me and him are going to be going to work this year. We were excited to do it last year. The foot injury of his kept him out. So we’re excited to go back at it this year.”

MORE MOUNTAIN WEST NEWS & ANALYSIS