The San Diego State Aztecs are expected to get Magoon Gwath back for the home contest against Troy next Tuesday.

If and when this happens, Jeremiah Oden will head to the bench after starting two games at the four.

To begin his Aztecs tenure, Oden played very well and proved to be a crucial piece on this team. He started and filled in for Gwath in a positive way and deserves a lot of credit for contributing in all areas of the game. The transfer forward is third on the team in minutes at 22.7 per game, averaging 9.5 points on 42.9% shooting, 1.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.

In the win over Idaho State on Sunday (that saw head coach Brian Dutcher win his 200th career game), Oden scored 13 points and grabbed three rebounds. Oden finished with a dunk, a three-pointer, a couple of made free throws all in a row as he scored seven straight points toward the end of the first half. The Aztecs’ lead increased from four points to 11 as he was a big part of why the Aztecs started to pull away when they did.

Oden isn’t grabbing many boards with just three in two games; however, Miles Byrd, Miles Heide, and even Reese Dixon-Waters have stepped up and controlled the rebounding. Freshman Tae Simmons even averages 4.0 rebounds per game. So, rebounding isn’t really going to be an area where Oden regularly contributes, but with Gwath coming back, the Aztecs will get stronger and clearly, much taller. Still, at 6-foot-8, Oden can rebound if needed.

The Aztecs will continue to rely on Oden defending at a high level with the ability to guard multiple positions. Oden can knock down the open spot-up shot and is quick enough to score in transition. If the Aztecs are going to press full court or hit opponents with a half-court trap, Oden is a great defender to have there at the forefront with his speed and lateral quickness. Coach Dutcher talked a bit about that in the final exhibition win against USD.

“Sometimes we trap the ball,” Dutcher said in response to Oden being involved in a half-court trap. “We may not get a steal, but it gets the other team out of their offense. You know, point guard has to throw it to the four-man, and then for them to run set plays, he has to get it back, and it kinda scrambles the game up. So sometimes we tell (Oden) to go, and sometimes he goes on his own. As he plays through the season, he will have better timing on when and when not to go. But it disrupts the game. Sometimes, you get a press for free, and that was what we were doing.”

It’s unclear what role Oden will have with Gwath playing normal minutes. Dutcher has said multiple times to the media that Gwath will play the five during games and throughout the season. Oden could be alongside him at the four for a lot of those moments.

Oden’s minutes will decrease, but he will remain a valuable member of this team for the entire season.

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.