OPINION |
We can gripe, moan, groan, bemoan, cuss and discuss the state of college athletics until we’re red in the face. The transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness? Bring back the days of player development, fifth-year seniors and fans growing attached to their favorite players.
Sorry, but that era is gone. It’s a daily occurrence for sports fans who follow social media to watch as players dive into the portal, looking for a new destination with a sweeter piece of the NIL pie. And it’s not just the mid-majors who are losing players to free agency. It’s happening everywhere on the DI level, not just in basketball.
Even national champions aren't immune
These are not fun times for loyal fans. Just ask the good folks of Terre Haute, Indiana, who enjoyed their best men’s basketball season since 1979 — only to be gutted a couple of days after losing in the NIT championship game when coach Josh Schertz bolted for St. Louis and his five starters all hopped aboard the Portal Train.
Or how about Drake, where coach Darian Devries finally took a power-conference job and his son, Tucker, went with him to West Virginia? Most of Drake’s other starters are also exploring transfer options. At least it was a good run for father-son DeVries with a nucleus of players before roster upheaval hit.
Even two-time defending NCAA champion UConn coach Dan Hurley said earlier this week on the Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio that he was dealing with portal distractions as the Huskies marched to another title. Sure enough, a couple of key players have announced this week they are looking to either turn pro or transfer.
Welcome to the new normal and for those of us who desire to keep following college athletics, I would offer one piece of advice.
Get used to it.
Mid-major coaches must try to turn it into a positive
We don’t have to like it, but this new world of players here one year and gone the next apparently is here to stay. You can’t blame the players. Offering six figures to a 20-year-old, or a chance to play for power-conference programs, it’s hard to begrudge them the opportunities.
But with around 2,000 NCAA men’s college basketball players expected to be in the portal by the time it closes on May 1, not everyone will find riches when the musical chairs stop spinning. And the academic aspect of eventually achieving a degree for those transferring multiple times is another scenario to consider.
Meanwhile, it’s up to coaches and administrators at the mid-major level to try to turn it into a positive and find players seeking a new home to have the best chance of success. It might be players who aren’t in the right fit at a major level, those from Division II looking for new challenges or junior college prospects. There are plenty of available players out there, it’s a matter of finding the right ones.
The NIL piece of the puzzle was addressed prominently at Cuonzo Martin’s news conference on April 1 when he returned as Missouri State’s men’s basketball coach. Even before introducing Martin, MSU President Clif Smart and athletics director Kyle Moats spoke about the importance of NIL funding.
Other Missouri Valley Conference schools shined the spotlight on the need for improved NIL funding as well over the last few weeks. For mid-major programs, the ability to be competitive financially with other mid-majors for players is going to be the difference between winning and being even more aggravated in the next few years.
‘Success remains the No. 1 marketing tool'
If there’s anything we know about fans, it is that they love winning teams. Success remains the No. 1 marketing tool. Maintaining it, consistently, is going to be a challenging job for mid-major coaches who will be recruiting potential newcomers plus re-recruiting their own players each season.
Martin already has received three commitments as he rebuilds the roster from a 17-16 team. Even on the Missouri State women’s side, where the Lady Bears went 23-10 and had nearly everyone eligible to return, three key players entered the portal.
The focus has been on basketball over the last few weeks, and rightfully so. I didn’t even know there was a spring transfer portal for football, but you have to feel for Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard when receiver Raylen Sharpe revealed plans to re-enter the portal earlier this week.
Sharpe went into the portal last fall after one of the great receiving seasons in school history, but before Christmas announced he was staying at Missouri State. Those plans apparently changed this spring as some FBS-level schools had openings at the position.
As fans try to sort all this out, the only certainty is that there will be a season to play in 2024-25 and rosters will be filled. You’ll just need a program to know who you’re cheering for.
Baseball Bears need wins
The local college baseball scene finds Missouri State needing some victories. The pitching-starved Bears (15-20 overall, 4-8 MVC) play at Valparaiso this weekend in a three-game series and will be looking to move up from a tie for eighth in the league standings.
As Yogi Berra once said, it’s starting to get late early for the Bears. Only five weekends and 20 games remain, with only the top eight teams qualifying for the MVC tournament. There’s still some time to turn it around, but coach Keith Guttin’s 42nd and final season has not gone according to plan so far.
Drury on an upward path
Things are trending in a more positive direction for Drury as the Panthers are 18-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and 21-15 overall after a midweek victory at No. 8 Missouri Southern. Drury plays four this weekend at Rockhurst. The Panthers are two games behind Maryville for the GLVC lead and play host to the leader April 26-28.
High rolling on national TV
Springfield native Keven Williams finished third in the nationally televised PBA Tour Scorpion Championship on April 16, winning $11,000. Two nights later, Williams wound up 10th in the PBA World Championship, also in Allen Park, Michigan, and won another $11,000.
Williams and Nixa’s David “Boog” Krol compete in the final PBA Tour major of the season, the Tournament of Champions, beginning on Monday in Fairlawn, Ohio. The winner will earn $100,000 with the five-person stepladder finals on Fox at noon on April 28.
