The past offseason for San Diego State Men’s basketball was a rollercoaster.

There was one player about whom very little was said, and that was how it was during the season as well.

The 6-foot-10-inch forward from North Bend, Washington, Miles Heide, doesn’t get much attention. 247Sports rated Heide a three-star recruit coming out of Mount Si High School. Heide received offers from big schools like Washington State and Iowa, but decided to commit to the Aztecs in October of 2022.

Last season, he got off to a slow start.

In his first six games against Division 1 opponents, Heide only managed to score five points. But once star freshman, Magoon Gwath, went down with a knee injury, Heide stepped up. In the five games the Aztecs played in March, Heide only missed one shot. Heide managed to shoot 15 for 16 in the month of March for a blistering 93.7% shooting percentage. He scored in double figures in three of the last four regular-season games for the Aztecs. Heide stepped up for the Aztecs in Gwath’s absence.

Back in December, SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “The beauty of this team is it’s super deep.” In Gwath’s absence, Heide used his opportunity to step up. Dutcher went on to say, ” You can take one guy away, but another guy steps up. Go out and let that be your night.” The last few games of the season for Heide were his night. As mentioned above, Heide managed to miss only one shot the whole month of March. While the Aztecs came up short in both the Mountain West and the NCAA Tournament, Heide did not.

What does next year look like for Heide?

With Gwath returning to San Diego State and Thokbor Majak becoming eligible to play (coming off a redshirt year), where does Heide fit in?

Heide should start at the five next year for the Aztecs. Plain and simple, he has the size and the weight to bang in the post, particularly with the size of the bigs in the Mountain West. Heide’s size and weight should give him the starting role at the five over anyone else. Gwath does not have the size and strength, yet, to be a back-to-the-basket big. Heide is accustomed to that role and is better suited to fill it. Gwath and Heide have formed great chemistry playing together on the court.

Heide still has room to grow if he wants to be the Aztecs’ consistent starting center next season.

Last year, Heide only shot 31% from the charity stripe. That was a 5.8% regression from his freshman year. To be blunt, his free-throw shooting was abysmal. Luckily for Heide, this is something that can be worked on. Even just raising his free-throw percentage to 50 or 60% would be a drastic improvement for the rising junior. In a league as physical as the Mountain West, being able to hit free throws is the difference between winning and losing games.

Getting off to a good start.

As stated earlier, Heide did not get off to a good start to last season.

Only scoring five points over six games to start the 25-26 campaign will not do. If Heide wants to continue to start for the Aztecs this coming season, he needs to be reliable on the offensive side. The one thing that Heide has nailed down after his first two seasons on The Mesa is his defense. Being a reliable defensive player in Brian Dutcher’s program is a key to not just starting but playing, period.

If Miles Heide improves his free-throw shooting and continues his strong defense, Heide will be a great two-way threat for the Aztecs.

Max Montoya

A Southern California kid from San Clemente, he attended Gonzaga University and obtained a degree in sports management with minors in digital marketing and public relations. Max has been a San Diego sports fan for life.