The college basketball transfer portal is filled with endless enticing options, including eye-popping statistics and amazing athleticism, but San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher often offers more than measurables. It also reminds people that it is also an intangible thing.
The Aztecs were looking for a true point guard who could play off ball screens. They wanted a player who could stroke from three. They wanted a dedicated defender with good size. They wanted a veteran leader with big game experience. And perhaps most of all, they wanted a winner.
The perfect guy they wanted, Florida Atlantic guard Nick Boyd, committed to SDSU via social media Saturday afternoon with a message saying, “Let's give it a try.”
Boyd entered the portal this month when FAU coach Dusty May, who scouted Boyd from Garnerville, New York, left for Michigan. He redshirted as a true freshman and then played two more seasons, leaving him with two years of eligibility (including the COVID-19 year).
His commitment to SDSU was widely anticipated, especially after he began following multiple Aztec players and coaches on Instagram earlier in the week and players began calling him “teammate.” . It took several more days for the official announcement to be made.
The 6-foot-3 lefty is a natural point player, but he can shoot from the 3-point arc with a career accuracy of 37.8 percent, giving the Aztecs two ballplayers if Lamont Butler returns for one final season, as most predict. A handler will be provided. Boyd is also an excellent full-court defender and provides more size and length as a replacement for the departed 5-10 Darrion Trammell.
His numbers weren't all that impressive last season, as he averaged 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and shot 34.1 percent from 3-point range in 23.8 minutes per game, losing his starting spot in the final eight games. But the Aztecs rely on intangible assets. After all, he made 37 starts for a team that went 35-4 and became just the third No. 9 seed in NCAA Tournament history to reach the Final Four.
And if Butler hadn't beat the buzzer with a contested pull-up jumper after Boyd drove Butler to the floor and cut off a baseline drive, the Owls would have been to the national championship last year instead of the Aztecs. Boyd scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc in the semifinals, becoming FAU's second-leading scorer.
SDSU inherits several guards in the transfer portal who had gaudy numbers, including at least one who averaged 20 points last season.
They are counting on changes in circumstances and systems to change his productivity. Last season, Boyd missed the first seven games with a leg injury and then played a supporting role on a team that became reliant on ball-dominant guard Jonelle Davis — too much. Some people say…
Boyd's offensive rating of 117.2 in 2022-23 according to Kenpom metrics was higher than everyone on last season's SDSU team except Jadon Reedy's 119.8. Butler (103.1) and Trammell (107.1) both ranked near the bottom of Mountain West starters.
The Aztecs weren't the only program to receive such recognition. Boyd visited Louisville before coming to SDSU last Sunday, and some sources say he received a six-figure NIL recruit from Cardinals boosters. Other power conference schools reportedly have interest in him: Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Georgia, Butler, Miami, and Clemson.
Boyd has filled one of two available scholarships. The other one will almost certainly be a big replacement for LeDee.
Rashaun Agee, a 6-8, 225-pound forward from Bowling Green who is ranked as the nation's top rebounder, visited last weekend. Arizona State University is also believed to be considering him.
Another possibility is Madi Sissoko, a 6-9, 250-pound center from Michigan State who has one year left and is scheduled to visit soon. In a radio interview earlier this week, Spartans coach Tom Izzo named SDSU as a possible landing spot, along with Cal, Colorado and Washington.
Dutcher has hinted at adding a third transfer, likely a shooting wing to replace Micah Parrish, who joined last week and committed to Ohio State early Saturday.
Fresno State's Xavier Ducel, a transfer from Wyoming, was mentioned as the Mountain West's top 3-point shooter last season, and some social media posts indicate he visited SDSU this week. It is suggested that there are. But the visit is not planned and he may no longer be a priority, according to people familiar with the matter.
SDSU has also been linked to St. Mary's guard Aidan Mahaney, who averages 13.9 points per game and is close friends with Aztec guard Myles Byrd. But Mahaney has attracted attention from some of the most prestigious programs in the country (Duke University, UW, University of North Carolina, University of Michigan) with bottomless NIL war chests and is expected to go elsewhere. .
Adding a third player would require freeing up another scholarship. The most obvious candidate is 6-10 forward DeMarshay Johnson Jr., who hasn't played much in his three years with the program. But with less than two weeks until the May 1 deadline, Johnson has yet to enter the portal.