The basketball transfer portal continued to add names, now over 3,000 strong, most recently with a pair of former San Diego high school stars who were first team all-conference selections for their college teams.
Carlsbad High School alum Jake Hall, the Mountain West freshman of the year as a 6-foot-4 guard at New Mexico, was a surprise entry after initially appearing like he’d stay and play with his younger brother.
Also in the portal is Saint Augustine High School alum Jurian Dixon, a dynamic 6-foot-5 guard who spent the last three seasons at UC Irvine and would be an obvious transfer target for San Diego State. He redshirted his first year and played the last two, giving him two years of eligibility remaining.
The news about Hall broke at an awkward time — while his family was on an official visit to the Albuquerque campus for Dax, who averaged 27.0 points per game for a 26-5 Santa Fe Christian team that was ranked No. 1 in San Diego for much of the season. The two brothers went to different high schools, and New Mexico offered a chance for them to play together for the first time.
Jake Hall was a first-team all-conference selection after averaging 16.3 points while shooting 43.8% behind the 3-point arc on a Lobos team that was completely rebuilt after coach Eric Olen was hired from UCSD. He initially committed to the Tritons, then followed Olen to Albuquerque.
There are a few possible explanations for entering the portal now.
He could simply be looking at $2 million or $3 million (Virginia is considered a potential landing spot), significantly more than money than UNM could afford, while playing in a power conference with more exposure. And New Mexico was not among the schools invited to leave the Mountain West for the Pac-12 next season.
He also could be sending a shot across the bow of New Mexico boosters, prodding them to sweeten the pot.
Asked about his decision-making process following the Lobos’ loss in the NIT semifinals last week, Hall said: “First of all, I think just the relationship I have with the staff here is special. It’s something you can’t find at every program. I was thinking about it the other day. Me and Olen went golfing at the beginning to the year. I don’t think that’s something every head coach is doing with their players.
“You have to look at how you’re going to develop, the fit within the program. Those are big things, for sure. My brother obviously can play a part, but I think he’s good enough, he’s going to create his own path. He’s going to be a great player one day.”
UC Irvine’s Jurian Dixon reacts after failing to score during the first half of the Big West tournament final against Hawaii on March 14 in Henderson, Nev. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Dixon showed big improvement from his redshirt freshman to sophomore seasons, elevating from 8.8 points and 32.6% on 3s to 15.9 and 38.5%. He was named first team all-Big West.
Aztecs scheduling
SDSU’s nonconference schedule, which will grow from 10 to 16 games next season, began coming into focus with reported “buy” games at Viejas Arena against Cal State Fullerton and Montana State. The payout for each is $90,000, according to Alex Rosinki, who tracks college basketball scheduling.
The Fullerton game likely will be the season opener on Nov. 3 or 4. The Montana State game is set for Dec. 11.
Montana State is coached by Matt Logie, who spent four seasons at Division II Point Loma Nazarene. One of his assistants is Sam Scholl, the former USD head coach who was a special assistant with SDSU when it reached the 2023 national championship game.
The Aztecs will return to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, which gives them three high-profile games over Thanksgiving week. Coach Brian Dutcher has said he’ll pursue multiple neutral-court games (last year they played Arizona in Phoenix) in addition to the usual array of buy games, where SDSU pays a fee for a team to play at Viejas Arena without a return date.
Another scheduling mechanism is the home-and-home series, and the Aztecs will start one against UNLV. They’ll play at Viejas Arena on Dec. 5, then at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center the following season.