The NCAA council just voted to limit the waivers for a 2nd transfer, meaning you only get one free transfer. This was thought to be the process last spring but the NCAA was as generous as always on waivers for players that had transferred multiple times by the fall. It appears now there will be more of an effort to crack down on those underclassmen looking to transfer a 2nd time without extenuating circumstances. .
For the NCAA to make this direct of an acknowledgment and a public vote I would expect they are tougher on the 2nd time transfers if their are any. They are sending a clear signal right now to coaches and players that this is how the process will change.
What this means in the broader sense for schools is it once again tips the scales significantly more towards recruiting the portal than it already was. Obviously, the players coming from the portal are older and predominantly more ready to help. They are more known quantities you can count on. If they transfer to your school now and burn their free transfer it's going to be hard for them to leave. This is how schools will lock players in and create more stability.
I think most everyone knows it's ridiculous to recruit high numbers of high school players and ignore the portal. If you can land a players that was and underclassmen now you lock them in for multiple years. Had ECU done this last season these players would have no easy avenue out now. Instead ECU now has all but 2 players with their free transfer in their pocket to use at their discretion.
I think it's still pretty obvious which strategy is the logical one moving forward for success. This isn't rocket science. When you include the transfer history at ECU the last 20 years which the good players that left drawfs the ones that stayed all 4 years. It's basically BJ Tyson and everyone else that transferred. The other good players that graduated were mostly transfers which makes it all the more obvious what works. Nearly all of this history was prior to an NIL or free transfer existing as well. To say the odds are greater that freshman transfer than graduate at ECU especially now is an understatement.
Some will point to being a bad program leading to transfers, but it doesn't even really matter now. You can win games and still lose your entire team like St. Bonaventure and multiple other examples now with the NIL and free transfers. The main reason ECU is continually been as bad as it is, is because the few players transfer. Recruiting predominate the portal is how ECU would correct this.
Will the staff making any adjustments or run an obviously flawed team back next year and just hope to see some improvements. Will ECU fans have to hear youth excuses again when their choice to sign more freshmen than all but a handful of elite teams like Duke. This was their choice with a portal and 1800 transfers available. Other first year coaches used it effectively. You never have to have a team this young and if you choose it thats not a valid excuse now.
I don't know what they will do, but I think it would be malpractice to only bring in freshmen again and back all of this team. This vote is just more evidence of why the philosophy is deemed a loser by the vast majority of college basketball coaches.
Ory. I think you are correct. It has taken a while for me to see it but if we can keep the core together we should hit the portal hard. As you said we are not going to to get the 4/5-star, one and done guy. I would take a guy from an historically successful program who is looking for playing time over 3-star developmental player anytime. I assume someone on the staff has a role that involves concentrating on the portal availability. What is happening to us now is so damn familiar. We miss the chance for two home wins over two good teams and the downward spiral begins and then run into two teams whose combined 3-pt shooting in the losses was 25/54 for 46%. We are on the precipice.
ReplyDeleteI'm still disappointed they didn't hit the portal more for this team. Even with some of the lowest hanging fruit out there like 5th year PG Jalen Finch from Raleigh. The top assistant coached him last year and he would have really helped this team over Sunderland or LaCount. He's at Georgia Southern now.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't even talking about a more premium guy like Coppin State got in Sam Sessoms. Going into the season with Small coming off the season he had last year and two freshman at PG is still crazy to me. What was the likely hood more than one even hit. One knee tweak can end the season. There was zero margin for error.
Debaut has been decent but they should have improved that roster spot as well or the fr Jones's with another quality big. There were tons of them out there going to places like USM we beat and helping turn them around from 342nd to top 100.
It wouldn't have taken much. 5 or 6 freshmen like the last two seasons is ridiculous at this point. Pick the top 2 or no more than 3 if you got to take freshman and can get an Asuar or think you have a sleeper to good to pass up. Hit the portal beyond that. Even that's probably a waste of time strategy with these new rules and knowledge that most players transfer after you farm them up.