Despite not being one of the stars of the San Diego State Aztecs men’s basketball team, Miles Heide receives a lot of criticism, maybe the most on the roster.

The 6-foot-10 center from the state of Washington is one of head coach Brian Dutcher’s favorite players. Dutcher and his staff recruited him hard as the team thrives off having an elite rebounder. Dutcher knew that Heide would make an impact on this team. Heide may not be considered a “star,” however, his ability to rebound late in games has been very crucial for the Aztecs’ success.

Heide struggles to score at a consistent rate, even while shooting 61% from the floor. He has missed a lot of easy baskets, and his free-throw numbers are not good (41.7%). Knowing this, Heide still pushes through the rough moments, which reward him with great moments.

Heide has scored in double figures four times this season, with a season high of 12 points twice against Air Force and Whittier College. He really excelled in a great game that came against Nevada on the road in Reno. He scored 10 points (5-5) and grabbed seven boards in 23 minutes. The big man even blocked two shots, which hasn’t really been a big part of his game.

The center has scored only 13 points in his last three games combined, but against New Mexico, Heide had some clutch moments. The Aztecs and Lobos played a physical game until the very end. While down two points with under a minute to play, Heide was fouled intentionally, forcing the big man to go to the line. He ended up making both free throws and making Eric Olen pay for the decision.

“I told (Tomislav Buljan) to do that,” Olen said after the game on Saturday. “Heide shoots below 40% from the free throw line, and we felt like if he gave us one of those, we had the ball and the lead. Credit to Miles Heide for a couple of big free throws there.”

“Big time right there, that is how you step up in a big moment,” Miles Byrd praised Heide after the win. “Clutch moment, and the whole entire team is so proud of him.”

Heide also had a clutch steal (5:33 remaining) and a clutch dunk (2:55 remaining) in the final minutes before the free throws.

Miles Heide’s 4 points tonight come courtesy of an insane dunk and what might be the most clutch free throws of his career. 🤌 #Aztecs pic.twitter.com/4SQfwHhRQ6

— Bri Savant (@BriSavant) January 18, 2026

The Aztecs may not have successfully taken down the Lobos without Heide late in the game. What stands out there is that Dutcher stuck with Heide late in the game over Magoon Gwath and Pharaoh Compton.

“It wasn’t late-late where I thought that they would intentionally foul him (Heide),” Dutcher said postgame about keeping Heide on the floor. “We were down two, and they intentionally fouled him. Hats off to Miles for making them. Like I said earlier, Pharaoh (Compton) played fantastic, and Heide maybe made a few more defensive plays, even though (Tomislav) Buljan destroyed us on the glass. Heide got him to miss a lot of shots, but then he got his own miss back and put it in. So, a lot of gritty and tough play under that basket tonight. We had Miles (Heide) in at the end, and he answered the call, which was pretty critical.”

Dutcher later noted that if his team was up 2-3 points, then maybe he would’ve had an extra guard out there for better free-throw shooting purposes. Dutcher did not expect Olen to have his team foul while leading the game.

Heide is going to continue to aim to be in the right place at the right time. When he is in the game, he does not stop hustling up and down the court. His relentless effort is paying off, and the Aztecs will benefit from it while they try to finish conference play strong.

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.