San Diego State got off to a strong start in the transfer portal last week, securing three pieces for next season’s roster. The Aztecs added sixth-year senior forward Jeremiah Oden, Louisiana Tech point guard Sean Newman Jr., and got redshirt freshman forward Magoon Gwath to withdraw his name from the portal.

Assuming the return of both Magoon Gwath and Miles Byrd, who will both go through the NBA Draft process with a June 15 withdrawal deadline, San Diego State is currently projected to have 11 scholarship players. Under head coach Brian Dutcher, San Diego State has often played out their seasons with 12 of the 13 allotted scholarships in use. That number will rise to 15 next year under new NCAA rules.

While on 760 AM with “Jon and Jim” last week, San Diego State assistant coach Dave Velasquez spoke on the Aztecs plan while the portal remains open for just over two more weeks.

“You know we have a lot of other guys on our team you know we're hoping to probably use up to 12 scholarships most likely,” Velasquez said.

If 12 scholarships remain the plan, that would give San Diego State room to add one more player from the transfer portal. That of course assumes that San Diego State will not lose any players from their current roster, though that is not currently expected. Last offseason, Elijah Saunders shocked many by entering the transfer portal in the final days before it closed, ultimately picking Virginia. A year later, Saunders is back in the portal in search of his third home in as many seasons.

Perimeter scoring is likely an area of importance for San Diego State as they navigate the transfer portal. A name that popped up in the portal to end last week was San Francisco guard Malik Thomas. Thomas has played two seasons at USC and two at San Francisco, progressing each year.

A 2021 graduate of Damien High School in La Verne, California, Thomas surpassed 2,000 career points and was named California’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. He saw action in nine games in year one and 24 in year two at USC before entering the transfer portal.

At San Francisco, Thomas found a rhythm and started 21 of the 33 games he played in as a junior. He averaged 12 points per game while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. He broke out this past season for the Dons, leading the West Coast Conference in scoring at 19.9 points per game. Thomas also led the conference in free throw percentage and had 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his final game for the Dons against Loyola Chicago in the NIT last month.

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