The transfer portal has added a new dimension to recruiting and has ushered in a new era in college basketball.
Change can be good, but I’m not sure that can be said about the current state of college athletics.
In the past, players committed to or transferred to a particular program or coach. Money was never a factor and pay-for-play was forbidden. Thanks to NIL (Name, Image and Likeness), the almighty dollar is the main attraction on the recruiting trail.
A free college education is worth a lot of money, depending on the major. The dream of playing for a blueblood program such as Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, or UCLA is now secondary to the greenbacks.
Money has seemingly replaced playing for the name on the jersey. The lure of playing for the cream of the crop has seemingly lost its luster.
Coaches and their respective staffs are tasked with not only recruiting high school players but also navigating the transfer portal and maintaining retention on the current roster. Players also declaring for the NBA Draft with an option to return also creates issues for coaches as they piece together a new roster on a yearly basis.
During the two-week window for players to enter the portal, approximately 2,500 players opted for the transfer portal, a number that doesn’t include players at the Division II and DII level. That number might have surpassed more than 4,000 this season.
Some players, who were recruited to their current school out of high school, are forced to make a life-changing decision yet again before obtaining a college degree or reaching the next level.
Many coaches have decided to rely on the portal for their future recruiting needs, bypassing the traditional route of recruiting out of high schools. Many are combing the country for a mix of newcomers and veterans. Some are keeping their roster intact.
Recruiting remains the main emphasis for college coaches, but the dynamics have changed, turning college basketball into s somewhat of a semi-professional league.
The players are paid for their services and can enter and exit the portal without penalty at any given time.
Former Kentucky Mr. Basketball Travis Perry will be playing for his third team in three years. No one can really blame Perry for moving around, but because there are no rules in place to limit the number of transfers any given player can receive, it will continue until the transfer rules become strict.
What began as a goodwill payday for players has turned into a bidding war for college teams and coaches across the country. A game that used to be innocent and pure has been tarnished by the desire to play for the money rather than the jersey.
The current state of college basketball is broken and needs to be fixed before it’s damaged beyond repair.
Keith Taylor is sport editor for Kentucky Today, where this column originally appeared.