Providence Makes an Early Portal Statement, Lands Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Miles Byrd

Bryan Hodgson and the new staff at Providence struck early in the transfer portal, landing Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Miles Byrd on Thursday.

The San Diego State transfer is the #8 player available in the transfer portal according to 247 Sports, while ESPN ranks him #14. Byrd had reported interest from Kentucky, Texas, Baylor, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Vanderbilt this spring.

The 6’7, 190-pound wing from Stockton, CA averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game last season, but make no mistake: he was one of the most sought-after players in the portal due to his defensive prowess.

Byrd plays with relentless energy on the defensive end as both an on-ball defender and as a disruptor jumping passing lanes and digging in on big men for steals.

His defensive metrics are awesome:

• 96th percentile in the country in points per possession against (.624)

• Opponents shot just 26.5% when being guarded by him

• Spot-up shooters shot 22.1% (96th percentile), pick and roll ball handlers shot 23.3% (91st percentile), while he limited opponents to 19.2% shooting off screens (92nd percentile).

He is an absolute menace on the defensive end. There aren’t many players across the country who could fill a four-minute highlight reel of only defensive plays, but that’s what we discovered when researching him:

Offensively, Byrd averaged double figures last year, but he likely won’t be asked to be the offensive catalyst. He shot 40% from the floor, 79% at the free throw line, and 30% beyond the 3-point arc last year.

Byrd has had six career games with four or more made threes, seven games with 20+ points, 12 games of eight+ rebounds, and set a career-high with nine assists against Nevada last season.

He shot 31% on all jump shots and 31% on catch-and-shoot opportunities last season. Here’s last year’s shot chart:

As has been the case in past offseasons, we are committed to giving you an unfiltered look at all Providence portal commits on the offensive end, as there is only so much you can learn from seeing a player at his best. This is our attempt to set appropriate expectations for the coming year.

Here is a look at most of his possessions from this year’s Mountain West Conference tournament:

The Final Verdict

Providence fans have seen the benefit of having a lockdown defender on the wing. Justin Minaya was a significant reason why the Friars won the Big East regular season crown and reached the Sweet 16 in 2022, thanks to his ability to take out an opponent’s top scorer. Then Devin Carter came in a year later and wreaked havoc for two seasons.

Byrd looks like a combination of the two. He’s leaner than Minaya, but possesses the same length, while his sheer activity level is reminiscent of Carter.

As much conversation as goes into defensive schemes and metrics, personnel plays a significant role in success. PC just didn’t have players with enough defensive buy-in or defensive IQ last year. There’s obvious athleticism when watching Byrd, but just as significant, his will and want-to jump off the screen.

Byrd figures to be a tone-setter in Bryan Hodgson’s first season at PC. He was the best defensive player on the 16th-ranked defense in the country — one that ranked in the top 20 nationally in both turnover percentage and two-point field goal percentage. Byrd has spent his entire four-year career at San Diego State, a program that ranked 16th, 16th, 11th, and 4th in Defensive Efficiency over the past four seasons.

He should be one of the best wing defenders in the country next year.

This is a terrific start to the offseason for Hodgson and the Friars.