Brian Dutcher and his staff work hard during the basketball season, planning practices, formulating game plans, watching film, meeting with players, visiting with high school recruits, speaking with the media, talking to administrators, attending donor events, raising money, getting on planes.

“We’re working longer hours now,” Dutcher said, “than we do during the season.”

The NCAA transfer portal officially opened Monday night — ironically, just as TNT aired the tournament-encapsulating “One Shining Moment” video following the national championship game — and with it came the mad scramble to fill a 2026-27 roster that, in San Diego State’s case, has more holes than maybe ever before.

The Aztecs lost three seniors, plus five other key pieces with eligibility from a 22-11 team that finished second in the Mountain West and just missed making the NCAA Tournament. Of the 11 members of the rotation, eight are gone. Just 24% of the minutes and 21.5% of points, if everyone else stays, will return.

They’re not alone. By one count, roughly half the players in Division I are already in the portal after day one.

“Everybody in the country is dealing with it,” Dutcher said. “There’s no need to worry or panic. It’s just business as usual now. We’re not immune to it.

“The good news is, there are people in the portal. The bad news is, there are people in the portal.”

SDSU basketball roster tracker: A real-time look at comings and goings for 2026-27

Veteran guards Miles Byrd and BJ Davis had announced their intention to enter the transfer portal in the three weeks since the season ended with a 73-62 loss against Utah State in the Mountain West final in Las Vegas. Junior forward Miles Heide was widely expected to join them and made it official Monday afternoon.

Fellow bigs Magoon Gwath and Pharaoh Compton, undecided through the weekend, followed him a few hours later. That leaves sophomore Taj DeGourville and freshmen Elzie Harrington and Tae Simmons as the only rotation pieces still on the roster along with redshirt junior guard Latrell Davis and 7-foot-1 redshirt freshman Thokbor Majak.

Dutcher said he’s “operating under the assumption” that those in the portal are leaving, with the caveat that a year ago Gwath submitted his name, withdrew it a week later and returned to the Aztecs.

“I don’t know if that will happen this year,” Dutcher said. “They’ll go out there and see what they’re worth on the open market, and if it’s what they’re looking for, they’ll make the move — whether that’s for money, a bigger role, whatever that reason is.

“You do see players return to programs. That’s probably the smaller side of it, but it happens.”

Likewise, Dutcher is operating under the assumption that those not in the portal on Tuesday intend to return; SDSU officials are finalizing revenue-sharing contracts with them.

With only one incoming freshman, 6-foot-6 wing Zach White from Notre Dame High School of Sherman Oaks, that opens seven available spots on next season’s roster — the largest offseason overhaul in recent memory.

“We need everything,” Dutcher said. “You’re always looking out there for best available, positionless players. That’s what we’ve always had, positionless players who can play multiple roles on our team and have that kind of versatility. That’s what we covet. I don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into saying we need exactly this or that.”

They’ll look in the portal, of course, or at uncommitted high school seniors. They’re also actively pursuing European pros for the first time and are believed to be close to securing a big from the Balkans — and might not stop there.

Size is the biggest commodity they lost, with the little-used Majak the only player on the current roster over 6-6. Of the five players who got minutes at power forward or center last season, four are gone.

They are in better shape in the backcourt, with Harrington, DeGourville and Latrell Davis forming a solid foundation of returnees familiar with the program. Harrington and DeGourville started a combined 22 games, and Davis averaged 11.1 points while shooting 38.3% on 3s in his sophomore season at San Jose State before transferring and sitting out.

“We are looking everywhere and every place for talent that fits us,” Dutcher said. “Everybody is trying to look at all these kids, watch games, watch Synergy (film clips). There are analytic programs of every shape and variety to see what players are worth to their teams, to your team. There’s a whole analytic side to it.

“There’s a background check side to it, too, almost like you would with an NBA team. You want a good player, but you don’t want a problem player. There’s a lot of work that goes into this, a lot of long, diligent hours. But people have to know we are hard at work and we will put a very good team together for next season.”