When San Diego State basketball players were told about their next community service event, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with members of the university’s Greek system, someone raised his hand and excitedly asked if, wait, do they get to play against the frats?

They don’t. But they get maybe the next best thing: Reffing them.

The MESA Foundation, the NIL collective for SDSU basketball, is partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Diego City Attorney’s Office and SDSU’s fraternities to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, specifically to college students and young adults. The addictive opioid drug is 50 times more potent than morphine and can trigger a fatal overdose with as little as 2 milligrams, the equivalent of a few grains of salt.

Two years ago, players launched a social media campaign to heighten awareness. This time, it’s a 3-on-3 tournament Sunday at the Aztec Recreation Center (ARC) next to Viejas Arena involving teams from 10 fraternities … with Miles Byrd and the rest of the roster given whistles and striped shirts.

The “Beyond the ARC” event begins at 11 a.m. and features educational tables about the dangers of fentanyl. That includes information on how to obtain free naloxone, or Narcan, the non-prescription opioid overdose reversal medication.

“It’s a big problem in America, obviously,” Byrd said. “As a player, as athletes, health is very important to us, and everybody else’s well-being is also important to us. This event is pretty big for the team, pretty big for the school. Universities all across the country should take part in something like this.

“There are situations where students could be put in harm’s way.”

In exchange for monthly NIL payments, the MESA Foundation requires players to participate in a half-dozen community service projects each season. They range from the annual ALS Walk around Mission Bay to youth basketball clinics to food drives and, now, to officiating fellow students.

Who will be the best ref?

“I’ve got the best whistle by far,” cracked Byrd, the most tenured Aztec player in his fourth year in the program. “I don’t know if some of these guys have been around the game long enough to know a great whistle. I know a few guys are going to get the whistle in their hands and start over-calling. It’s probably the ones who complain the most in practice when they don’t get a call. I know my whistle is going to be sharp.

“I’ll definitely let ’em play, but if one of those frat homies says something, he’s going to get himself a technical. I’m not playing about that. You’re not going to talk back to the ref. I want to make sure everybody has fun while playing, but I can get harder if I need to be.”

UCLA tickets

The Oct. 17 preseason exhibition against UCLA at Viejas Arena is not part of SDSU’s season-ticket package. Instead, tickets will be sold separately with proceeds benefiting the Aztecs’ Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund for men’s basketball.

Tickets range from $30 to $50, with season seat holders receiving priority access starting Wednesday through the end of the month. After that, season-ticket holders in other SDSU sports can purchase them. The remaining seats will go on sale to the general public Oct. 9.

“NIL is part of what we’re doing now, and it gives us an opportunity to raise some money for both programs,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “We feel the fan base will embrace that game even if it’s not on their season-ticket package — a chance to get UCLA in here. There were some neutral sites that wanted the UCLA game, but I felt it was important to play it here on campus.”

Injury updates

The team is still in a limited-hours window for the next two weeks before transitioning to full preseason practice five days per week.

Ten of the 13 scholarship players are healthy and practicing. Magoon Gwath, San Jose State transfer Latrell Davis and freshman Tae Simmons are sidelined with various injuries.

Gwath underwent offseason knee surgery and is probably a month from being cleared for live action, which may take him out for the UCLA exhibition but should have him ready for the Nov. 4 regular-season opener against Long Beach State.

“He’s ahead of schedule rehab-wise,” Dutcher said. “We don’t want to rush him back. We know it’s a long season, and we want him at his absolute best when he comes back.”

Gambling scandal

On Wednesday, the NCAA permanently banned three Fresno State players for illicitly placing prop bets on themselves or teammates to over or underperform in certain statistical categories. Mykell Robinson and Jared Weaver were key pieces for the Bulldogs last season; Steven Vasquez transferred from Fresno State to San Jose State, where he appeared in just 11 games.

The NCAA infractions report indicated the games were between Dec. 11 and Jan. 11. None involved SDSU, which played at Fresno State on Dec. 4. Robinson had a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 84-62 loss. Weaver did not play.

The return game at Viejas Arena was Feb. 18, by which time the three players were under investigation after a sports integrity monitoring service flagged suspicious betting patterns. Robinson was no longer on the team by then. Weaver, who had 16 points, was suspended the following week.

Originally Published: September 13, 2025 at 4:39 PM PDT