LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego men's basketball head coach Eric Olen has announced the addition of six newcomers who will join the Tritons' roster for the 2023-24 season: three transfers and three first-year scholar-athletes. Hayden Gray (Azusa Pacific), Tyler McGhie (Southern Nazarene), and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (Hawai'i-Hilo) will transfer to UC San Diego. Aidan Burke (Los Gatos, Calif.), Billy Haggerty (Lafayette, Calif.), and Yaqub Mir (Granite Bay, Calif.) will all be first-year Tritons.

"We are very excited about the incoming guys that we have added to our roster, and think that this group of players are going to give Triton fans a lot to cheer for," Olen said. "These additions complement our returning players very well, and I'm looking forward to seeing the chemistry that our team can build.  Our staff did a great job of identifying the right guys in the recruiting process, and the result is a group of players that are selfless, hard workers, and all value winning."

AIDAN BURKE
6-3 Guard, Fr.
Los Gatos, Calif.
Archbishop Mitty HS/Exeter Academy

• West Catholic Athletic League MVP (2021-22)
• San Francisco Chronicle Peninsula Player of the Year (2021-22)
• First player in WCAL History to win four varsity boys basketball league titles
• Made 12 three-pointers in a game (December 2021)
• Played for BTI and West Coast Elite programs

HAYDEN GRAY
6-4 Guard, Jr.
San Diego, Calif.
Santa Fe Christian
Azusa Pacific

• Two-time Academic All-Pac-West Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
• All Pac-West Third Team (2022-23)
• Led team to 22-8 Overall Record, 16-4 Conference Record
• Named Pac-West Defender of the Week (February 2022)
• Averaged 10.0 points, 3.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game
• Played for Gamepoint Basketball program

BILLY HAGGERTY
6-6 Wing, Fr.
Lafayette, Calif.
De La Salle HS

• Second Team All-East Bay Athletic League (2022-23)
• San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro Team Selection (2022-23)
• Fourth Team Cal-Hi Sports Open Division All-State
• Helped De La Salle beat #1 USA Today Ranked team in the country (January 2023)
• Played for Infinite Gold program

TYLER McGHIE
6-5 Wing, Jr.
Denton, Texas
Guyer HS
Southern Nazarene

• CCA First Team All-Central Region (2022-23)
• NABC All-Central Region Second Team (2022-23)
• Great American Conference Player of the Year (2022-23)
• Two-time All-GAC First Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
• Led team to 27-5 Overall Record, 21-1 Conference Record
• Averaged 16.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, shot 45% 3FG in 2022-23
• Played for Texas Titans program 

YAQUB MIR
6-2, Guard, Fr.
Granite Bay, Calif.
Granite Bay HS

• Sacramento Bee All-Metro Boys Basketball Player of the Year (2022-23)
• Named South Placer Boys Athlete of the Year (2022-23)
• All-time leading scorer at Granite Bay High School
• Sierra Foothill League MVP (2022-23)
• All CIF-SJS First Team (2022-23)
• Led Granite Bay HS to back-to-back CIF-SJS title games
• Played for Team Lillard program

ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES
6-6 Wing, Jr.
Wellington, New Zealand
St. Patrick's College
Hawai'i-Hilo

• Three-time Academic All Pac-West Team (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23)
• Two-time Division II CCA All-West Region Second Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
• Two-time All-Pac-West First Team (2021-22, 2022-23)
• 2020-21 Pac-West Newcomer of the Year
• 2021-22 Pac-West Freshman of the Year
• Averaged 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in 2022-23
• Played for Wellington Saints that won NBL Title (2019)

These six newcomers will join guard Jasen Brooks, who committed during the early signing period in the fall, to comprise a strong group of new Tritons.
 
In their third season of Big West play, the Tritons finished with 10 wins overall and five against conference foes. The 2022-23 season marked the third of UC San Diego's NCAA-mandated four-year reclassification period and it was also the first year in which The Big West elected to include the Tritons in the conference standings and statistics.

UC San Diego's Big West schedule was released on Wednesday, and 2023 non-conference contests will be announced in the coming weeks. Season tickets are on sale now for all Triton home games and start at just $99. To purchase season tickets, click here.
  
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.