Lincoln High School’s Miles Byrd will be a good fit for San Diego State
STOCKTON, Calif. — Lincoln High School shooting guard Miles Byrd will arrive at San Diego State (SDSU) as a skinny, 17-year-old college freshman, but there is no doubt he has a lot of talent.
Byrd visited SDSU in September and announced his commitment in October. He chose the Aztecs over Washington, Villanova, Minnesota, Pacific, Colorado State, Santa Clara and St. Mary’s.
SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher runs one of the most successful programs in the Mountain West Conference and has recruited accordingly. Dutcher likes a defense-first mentality and also values versatility.
Byrd is 6-foot-6 and weighs around 165 pounds. He’ll need to bulk up in order to be successful at the college level, but the four-star shooting guard has other attributes that make him a good fit for the Aztecs.
6’6” G/W Miles Byrd of Lincoln (2022) showed off the versatile skill set all weekend at the League of Legends! Great playmaking ability, uses length well on the defensive side of the ball, and finishes around the rim at a high level 🏀🔥 #ALLIN @Coach__Brandon @simplyy_bball pic.twitter.com/zmhndDYwhd
— West Coast Elite (@wceua) April 1, 2021
“Of course, it’s not easy to play division one basketball as a freshman, especially for someone who’s a little bit underweight like myself, but defensively they see a lot of potential in me,” he told 24/7 Sports.
Byrd, a lefty, has a good basketball IQ and versatility on both sides of the ball. As a junior through an eight-game 2020-21 season, he led the Trojans’ offense with 19.0 points per game. He also averaged 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.2 blocks.
He continues to turn heads during his senior season. In December, Byrd was one of the top players in the 2021Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, an annual nationally sanctioned high school basketball tournament played in San Diego. Some famous alumni include NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.
The SDSU coaching staff was able to watch Byrd in action during the tournament, and Dutcher was certainly pleased with what he saw.
“He’s everything we hoped he’d be,” Dutcher told the San Diego State Tribune. “He plays with an extremely high IQ, he knows where everybody is on the floor at all times, he’s an elite level passer. He knows how to play. That’s one thing no coach can give a player.”
Dutcher tends to favor an older group. This season, more than half the players are juniors and seniors. In the first 12 games of the season, the starting lineup has been mostly made up of upperclassmen.
Although he won’t turn 18 until September, Byrd has already gotten valuable insight that could help him make an impact right away next season. His father, Calvin Byrd, can give him plenty of advice as he played Division I basketball with the Villanova Wildcats. He has also coached at that level with USF, Loyola Marymount and Pacific.
I know a “Heat Check” when I see one and @_mbyrd21 just did a “Heat Check” after a chase down block. Must guard to play. pic.twitter.com/UW4ICpywVU
— Calvin Byrd (@CByrd44) December 20, 2021
Once at SDSU, Byrd will be hitting up the weight room and learn to be more physical while gaining more muscle. For now, he will continue to help the Trojans chase their third consecutive winning season under head coach Anthony Matthews.
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