AZTECS GO BYRD WATCHING OF NEW RECRUIT AT TOURNEY
On one side of the Torrey Pines High gymnasium Monday afternoon was San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher and three of his assistants.
In the opposite bleachers were four SDSU players.
They weren’t there to recruit No. 21 from Stockton Lincoln High, playing against Riverside Hillcrest High in the opening round of the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic with some of the nation’s top teams. Miles Byrd, a 6-foot-6 senior, signed a letter of intent with the Aztecs in November.
They were there to see what they got.
What they got: 24 points, 5of-11 shooting on 3s, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks in an 86-60 win.
He ran the point. He fired 3s from the wing. He slashed through the middle of the zone and whipped no-look passes to open teammates on the perimeter. He guarded Hillcrest 7-1 junior center Dennis Evans, an SDSU recruiting interest. He just missed a one-handed tip dunk off an offensive rebound.
“He’s everything we hoped he’d be,” Dutcher said.
“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.
“Then when he steps out and makes 3s like he did today, you close your eyes and see with 20 pounds and more experience, he’s going to be a really good player.” The most impressive stat: 17. That’s his age. Byrd doesn’t turn 18 until September, meaning he’ll arrive on campus at SDSU as a 17-year-old college freshman.
“The crazy thing about him,”