In late July, Elzie Harrington, a freshman on the San Diego State men’s basketball team, received heartbreaking news. Harrington had lost his father, Dr. Darrell Harrington, who died of brain cancer. The freshman guard had to put basketball aside to grieve with his family, now carrying the weight of loss into his freshman year at SDSU.

“I had a very close relationship with my father. He was always trying to make me a better person. He was such a wise person,” Harrington said. “He was trying to pour all that into me from a young age. So we were very close; sometimes it caused some butting of heads, but we were extremely close.”

With such a fresh wound to him and his family, Harrington has somehow managed to keep everything in perspective. Being surrounded by his coaches, teammates, girlfriend and family has helped Harrington navigate through this difficult time.

Aztecs assistant coach Ryan Badrtalei has been shocked by the maturity and poise that Harrington has shown over the past few months since his father’s death. 

“He’s handled it unbelievably well. He’d be the first to admit that basketball is his retreat from all that. I think it’s a blessing that we get to be a part of that retreat for him,” Badrtalei said. “It’s his happy place, it’s this place where he can get his mind off things, which is great, but it doesn’t mean that those feelings don’t exist.”

Harrington is from Orange County, where many of his family members reside today. Growing up surrounded by his mother, father and his older sister, Harrington recalls times when his family would go to church on Saturday mornings, then head over to his grandmother’s house with the rest of his extended family, where they would spend quality time together. 

Harrington played many sports as a kid, but developed a special love for basketball. 

“I didn’t like that I sucked at first. I wanted to improve, so I would always take home everything we did at practice. I just loved the feeling of getting better,” Harrington said. “As I got older, basketball became my escape from everything.”

Harrington graduated from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif.  He was a four-star recruit and the 73rd-ranked player in the ESPN top 100 high school basketball recruits for the 2025 class. At St. John Bosco, he averaged 14.9 points per game and 5.3 assists during his high school career. 

Harrington was named the Mountain West Preseason Freshman of the Year and has been described by many as a prolific passer who plays selflessly and offers two-way ability on offense and defense. The Aztecs’ coaching staff plans to use his versatility in many ways on the court. Harrington is listed at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds. His size and length enable him to defend multiple positions and players of all sizes.

“It’s a unique skill set in terms of his size and length,” Badrtalei said.  “So I think all those things kind of fit in terms of what an Aztec looks like and what they believe, and then also just his character in general.” 

Being a highly touted recruit meant  Harrington had the interest of many top-tier collegiate basketball programs across the country. Harrington had offers from USC, UCLA, Arizona State University (ASU), Harvard and San Diego State. 

Harrington had committed to Harvard in June 2024 but decommitted in Dec. 2024, feeling the need to stay close to home because of his father’s battle with cancer. With Harrington back in the open market, he started talking with and visiting USC. Harrington committed to USC in Dec. 2024 in what he calls a quick decision. 

“I didn’t really take the time to analyze every school. USC seemed like the right commitment at the time; they were always at my practices, and I had a lot of meetings with them,” Harrington said. “I just wanted to get the process behind me, so when that didn’t work out, I knew I needed to take the time to figure out where I was going to go.”

Harrington then visited SDSU and began discussing the possibility of joining the program with head coach Brian Dutcher and the rest of the Aztec coaching staff. 

“It was a totally different vibe down here. It’s not that basketball isn’t the top priority because it is, but I like how they really emphasize how much they care about their players as people,” Harrington said. 

Harrington is the type of player the Aztecs seek when recruiting. A high motor, relentless player who has two-way ability and can impact the game in many facets. Beyond his on-court skills, the Aztecs’ coaching staff is huge fans of his character. 

“I think first off, he fits our program just in terms of who he is as a person; he’s a high character kid, and he really wants to be good. Our program is based on and built with guys who want to get better and want to improve,” Badrtalei said. 

Harrington calls himself a naturally unselfish player who is always looking to make the right play. 

“If the team needs me to pass, I’m going to pass; if I need to score, I’ll score, whatever the team needs in that moment,” he said.

Teammate and junior forward Miles Byrd has been wildly impressed by Harrington’s learning ability, calling him one of the fastest learners he’s seen in his time with the program. Byrd also praised Harrington’s work ethic and maturity.

“It’s not just him as a player, but his maturity. He really acts like a pro as a freshman. It’s really great to see, and it all starts with his motor,” Byrd said. 

With so much happening in the past year of Harrington’s life, from graduating high school, committing to San Diego State, and the death of his father, Harrington has sought spiritual peace with God to help him navigate this season of his life. 

“I feel at peace. I know my emotions are going to fluctuate; sometimes I’ll be sad, or mad, or happy. But with God I’ve got this peace, and I know that there is a plan in place,”  Harrington said. “Someone who loves me and cares about me has control over my life, and I’m at peace with that.”