Bryce Miller: San Diego State's selfless act for families offers lesson bigger than basketball

Bryce Miller, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Jan 1, 2025

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SAN DIEGO — Imagine if the idea caught on, sweeping across the country like an uncontrollable wildfire of good. College athletes, broad-brushed as greedy and selfish like never before, shredding the script.

In a wild athletic world many perceive as me-me-me, what if it shifted to us-us-us?

Instead of simply stuffing pockets through name, image and likeness checks, what if they also chose to swell hearts? What if the youngest among us reminded everyone that there’s a bigger, more important picture?

What if the idea gained unstoppable steam because of a group of San Diego State basketball players, from the biggest stars to walk-ons in the wings?

At a time when so many are losing faith in college sports — from NIL to the transfer portal — the Aztecs decided to help others. The team locked arms and bank accounts to help families through the Feeding San Diego program.

An experience at Hoover High School before Thanksgiving sparked an idea.

Family after family needed help. A line with no end in sight.

“Those events open up your eyes and you see what’s going on,” senior guard Nick Boyd said. “If you have the opportunity to give back, why not?”

Not all do, though. And team-wide, from the top players with the biggest NIL pots to those who almost never see the court and receive far less?

It could be a first.

“We’re all very fortunate, you know?” senior walk-on Ryan Schwarz said. “We all receive different amounts of NIL, but giving back, with all the support we get, it’s the least we can do.”

Humility is one thing. The potential to create something lasting that mushrooms? That’s a legacy that reaches well beyond a last-second shot.

The athletic spotlight is nice. Twenty years down the road, though, the bulk of it is forgotten. This thing every single player on the team decided to do, at a particularly thorny time when compassion can seem in short supply, isn’t just a memory.

It’s legitimately inspiring.

“We have good kids and they’re about the right things and do things that never cease to amaze you,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said.

Sounds like a lesson plenty could use right now.

The initial trip to Hoover was an obligation to the MESA Foundation, the basketball team’s NIL collective. It could have ended there, another box checked on the way to the checks.

It didn’t.

Boyd and fellow seniors Jared Coleman-Jones and Kimo Ferrari called a team meeting. There was no discussion about the looming Mountain West schedule or things that would position them for an NCAA Tournament berth.

They talked about what the trip to Hoover meant and what it triggered. They brainstormed how to do more than was asked of them. They spoke in one voice.

“As a team, this is our first step in putting our footprint on the community and doing something good,” Boyd said. “I know people hate NIL. Just like anything in life, there’s always going to be good and bad. The bad is definitely highlighted a lot more.

“I hope this inspires a bunch of teams in all sports to give back. At the end of the day, to me, it’s bigger than basketball.”

That’s the profound point.

Just when so many think college sports are filled with players “looking for theirs,” guided by a self-centered North Star, confidence in people can be stoked anew.

We should pay attention. We should celebrate it. We should ask how we can matter more, in meaningful ways.

“We’re not really looking for a reaction,” Schwarz said. “It’s not really what we’re looking to do. We’re doing it out of the goodness of our hearts because we all know how much support we get.”

Perspective indeed.

Meanwhile, six former Florida State basketball players are suing coach Leonard Hamilton over what they claim is unpaid NIL compensation of $250,000 each.

In one place, the money is the message. In a corner of San Diego, the message has a deeper meaning.

Boyd dug a little more.

“Ryan doesn’t get all the benefits that every scholarship player gets (as a walk-on),” Boyd said of Schwarz. “Out of his goodwill, he wanted to be a part of this. It speaks to the character of this team.”

If the situation grows into something more, they lit the match.

“That would be incredible (if it led to other teams doing the same),” Schwarz said. “It shows people can be selfless.”

A lesson for all.