While meeting with the media during the opening of USD’s new $35 million Basketball Performance Center on Tuesday, athletic director Kimya Massey made one mention of the men’s program going 6-27 last season.
“It’s really important coming off a challenging year,” Massey said. “That we never go through that again.”
Head coach Steve Lavin, now entering his fourth season of a six-year contract, is on the same page. The Toreros are undergoing a massive roster overhaul which has already involved an influx of transfer talent including wing Adrian McIntyre (Westmont), shooting guard Toneari Lane (Georgia State), wing Dominique Ford (Southern Utah) and, most notably, former four-star recruit Ty Laur-Johnson (Wake Forest), a point guard.
For the first time, Lavin and his staff — which includes former NBA point guard and head coach Earl Watson — are armed with a name, image and likeness collective to pay players.
USD’s timing couldn’t be better. Longtime West Coast Conference power Gonzaga is leaving for the new-look Pac-12 in 2026, alongside temporary WCC Washington State and Oregon State.
USD hasn’t won a conference title or reached the NCAA Tournament since 2008, but it is now in the mix to fill the void at the top of the new WCC.
“All of the investments being made — the facility, the strength and conditioning, the athletic training space, the dietician — is leaning towards the fact that we have an opportunity,” said Massey, who took the position in March of 2024. “Gonzaga is gonna be out. To their credit, they’ve dominated our league for 20, 30 years. I think we have an opportunity to make strides this year and then next year, the following year: why can’t we be atop the WCC? Why not us?”
The Toreros’ six-win season was harsh. Making matters worse, San Diego State and UC San Diego made the NCAA Tournament after beating the Toreros.
Lavin and his staff are aggressively recruiting to put the Toreros in position to that party. Their new facility, along with the NIL collective, has armed them with the resources to push the program forward.
“It’s the first time since I’ve been here that we have alignment with roster space, funding with the NIL and the revenue share and a state-of-the-art facility,” said Lavin, who previously led UCLA and St. John’s to eight NCAA tournament appearances while sending a slew of players to the NBA. “When you put those three together with USD’s tradition of being a world-class academic institution and location in San Diego, it’s a difficult situation to not be impressed with if you are a student-athlete or parent.
“It elevates us. We can be ambitious. We can compete at the top of our league and beyond.”
Laur-Johnson, a junior who began his college career at Louisville before transferring to Wake Forest, where he averaged 6.1 points and 2.7 assists last season, chose USD after one visit.
“For me, it’s the coaching staff,” Laur-Johnson said. “Coach Lav, Earl — they just made me feel comfortable and I know they can help me get to the next level. It’s the right opportunity for me.”
McIntyre, a Division II All-American who scored a career-high 51 points for Westmont in a win over Point Loma Nazarene in February, echoed those thoughts.
“I had chances for maybe more money at some other places, but to me, USD is perfect,” said McIntyre, a senior from Ventura. “The staff. The facilities. It’s a great conference. It has everything you could want. … I can’t wait to get down there and start hoopin’.”
