Dorn, a senior who will play 3 in college, can handle the ball, hit 3-pointers & has a handful of soaring dunks vs. full-court pressure in his MM career. He averages 20 points & 4 blocks per game this year. He will finish his prep career as Mira Mesa’s all-time best shot blocker.

Last year, Ortiz & 6-foot-7 Hawaii transfer Tim Dorn led Mira Mesa to a school-record 27 wins, including two wins in the state tournament. Dorn is an athletic 3 who can score in multiple ways & is one of the top rim protectors in San Diego. Tim has drawn both D-1 & D-2 interest.

Ortiz is an elite free-throw shooter & has proven himself as Mira Mesa High’s go-to-player in the clutch in his career. Earlier this season, he hit a last second 3 to tie the game vs. highly competitive San Marcos & was fouled. Diego then won it by draining the charity shot.

Ortiz is a humble, soft-spoken young man with a high bball IQ & a terrific offensive skillset as a passer & scorer. He can score from all 3 levels with deep range. He’s also a great teammate & an excellent student. Diego plays for MMHS coach Jon Pierce & has started all 4 years.

Guard Diego Ortiz may have flown under the radar in his 4 years at Mira Mesa High. But if he continues this season averaging 20 points per game, the 5-foot-10 senior could wrap up his outstanding career near the 2,000-point mark. He would be a great add for a small college team.

Worth An Ear: Aztec standout Miles Byrd will be on @JonAndJim at 3:30 pm Thursday on San Diego Sports 760. Miles is a good dude & a great listen. His all-around play may determine how successful the Aztecs will be this season. #Aztecs

Lamar (71) - FG: 21/58 36%. 3’s: 14/35 40%. FT: 15/20 75%. Reb: 30 (9 off). Ast: 13. Stls: 9. Blks: 5. Turnovers: 18. PF: 20. SDSU (89) - FG: 29/60 48%. 3’s: 8/18 44%. FT: 23/31 74%. Reb: 40 (12). Ast: 13. Stls: 6. Blks: 6. TO: 13. PF: 19. Half: SDSU 51, Lamar 41.

Sean Newman, Jr. followed Dixon-Waters with 8 points & chipped in with 3 assists. Newman seems to be feeling more comfortable in Coach Brian Dutcher’s offensive & defensive schemes. And the senior transfer from La Tech could play a valuable role for SDSU heading into MWC action.

Rob Lee Jr. led Lamar with 21 points & 5 3’s. BB Knight added 12 points. The visitors knocked down 14 3’s in 35 attempts while trying to stay in the game. The Aztecs led 51-41 at the half. The hosts made 8 of 18 3’s & 23 of 31 free throws. Lamar was 15 of 20 from the line.

The 7-foot Goon played well vs. Lamar (5-4). He had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks & 1 steal. Senior Reese Dixon-Waters added 9 points & Pharaoh Compton had 8 points & 6 rebounds. SDSU outrebounded Lamar 40-30 with 12 offensive boards.

BJ Davis also continued his outstanding all-around play off the bench with 16 points, 2 assists, 2 steals & 2 blocks. He leads the nation in bench scoring at 12.1 ppg. But he does so much more than just shoot the ball. He defends at an elite level & can play either guard spot.

Byrd was hampered by the flu bug in the Aztecs’ 77-66 win over Utah Valley last week but came out vs. Lamar spreading his wings & torching Lamar for his team-high 19 points with 3 3’s on Wednesday night. He also had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals & 2 blocks in terrific effort.

A re-energized Miles Byrd scored 19 points, supersub BJ Davis 16 & Magoon Gwath 10 to lead San Diego State to an 89-71 win over Lamar University on Wednesday night at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs (5-3) next host Air Force on Dec. 17 to open MWC regular season play.

The defending MWC champion Aztecs now open MWC play at Fresno State on Dec. 17.

Bailey Barnhard followed Martinez & Panganiban with 8 points plus helped the Aztecs outrebound K-State (6-6) 37-32. Taryn Sides led the hosts with 16 points. SDSU hit 9 of 26 3’s; K-State, 6/18. The Aztecs had 14 assists compared to the host’s 13 & 20, respectively.

Nat Martinez scored 22 points with 6 3’s & Naomi Panganiban had 20 points with 3 3’s as visiting San Diego State beat Kansas State on Wednesday in Manhattan, Kansas. The Aztecs (6-3) led 29-26 at the break. The red-hot Martinez scored 16 of her 22 points in the second half.

This year’s Aztecs are very talented & deep. But just having talent doesn’t guarantee elite success. The team that often wins a title is the one that plays hard, smart & together, has players shine in their roles, does the little things well, makes free throws & limits turnovers.

The Aztecs were picked to win the MWC title in what many basketball analysts believed would be a dominant run. But with SDSU struggling early in the non-conference season, the Aztecs may have to beat out 2 or 3 other contenders to clinch a MWC title & get the NCAA tourney berth.

But a loss to heavily favored Arizona might not matter one way or another since it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the Aztecs will have to win the MWC title to clinch an NCAA tournament berth. The bottom line for now: Get as many wins as possible & claim the conference crown.

SDSU will follow the Lamar contest with a season-opening MWC game vs. Air Force at 7 pm Dec. 17 at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs then will battle No. 1 Arizona on Dec. 20 on a neutral court in Phoenix. A win over Arizona would be big boost with the MWC season gauntlet ahead.