Geno blasts the transfer portal

[BostonBay]

Wow. he didnt hold back. I dont blame him. Its a mess & literally changed the WCBB basketball landscape for years to come. It also might have cost him another "dynasty" run with Cardosa going to SC - we will have to wait and see.

 

[UConnCat]

"But 1,000 kids? 1,000, it's unbelievable. And now, it's, you know, with the one time transfer, not having to sit out. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree. I think it's great. But there's got to be something wrong with the culture if it's this bad. On both ends -- on the kids, and then the coaches -- there's got to be something wrong."

UConn's Auriemma: Transfer portal is a 'mess'

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma says the transfer portal is a "mess" and that "there's something wrong with the culture of college basketball."

www.espn.com

 

[jumpstart]

I like Geno and he's a great coach but that .."kids can leave when ever they like is not fair" ....has only been available to the student athletes for a short time. He failed to mention the kids who committed to coaches like Kim Mulkey or others who ran out to greener pastures. I guess turnabout is fair play. Maybe now some of these coaches will see what they did to kids in the past. JMO.....

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I more or less agree with Geno. I’ve never liked the “no sit out” rule. The NCAA didn’t do this to be more fair to the students, it was done for the benefit of coaches to build rosters quickly.

The landscape has changed and it’s not going back. Geno is in the later part of his coaching career and he runs the best program so the effects on UConn figure to be smaller but the world is different than just a few years ago.

 

[CL82]

I just didn't like the uneven way it was administered. Having a bright line "one-time" transfer rule makes sense. As with most rule changes it will benefit the haves at the expense of the have nots.

 

[UConnCat]

Context is always important.

Geno is not saying there is anything wrong with players transferring or being immediately eligible. "Okay. So, yeah, there's a time when it's absolutely positively appropriate for a kid to have to make a change. Believe me, I've been on both sides of where kids have left here. And where kids have come in. I've been on both sides." Presumably that would include situations where a coach up and leaves.

He has problem with the players leaving after coaches and schools investing time and effort in recruiting kids and making them better players only to have them leave to play somewhere else. "And there's something wrong with this idea of, you know, student athlete welfare, that everything should be done to accommodate the student athlete, with no regard whatsoever, to the coaches who work their ass off, to recruit these kids in the first place, work with them, help them get better, make them the player that they are. And then they up and leave with no consequences whatsoever." I get what Geno is saying but there has been such an imbalance in favor of coaches and schools (transfer rules and $$) that the pendulum swinging strongly in the opposite direction was inevitable. Hopefully a proper balance will occur in the future.

"If we, as coaches, just call a kid in and say, 'Look, you know, I thought you'd be a lot better than this. So I'm taking away your scholarship,' we will get crucified. But yet a kid can just up and leave for no reason whatsoever. Other than 'I just don't want to be here anymore. I don't like it here anymore.' Well, yes. Coaches have been leaving for greener pastures for decades and the players left behind could leave as well but would have to sit out a year. That was unfair and had to be corrected.

Geno's biggest problem is with the sheer number of transfers (1000) and that there are about 200 players who have not been contacted at all. "But 1,000 kids? 1,000, it's unbelievable. And now, it's, you know, with the one time transfer, not having to sit out. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree. I think it's great. But there's got to be something wrong with the culture if it's this bad. On both ends -- on the kids, and then the coaches -- there's got to be something wrong." He's right. I don't know what the answer is or if there is an answer. There have been reports that Roy Williams retired in part because of the transfer portal. The old-timers either have to get comfortable with the transfer era or move on.

 

[oldude]

I’m surprised we’re hearing so much from Geno during the off-season. Shouldn’t he be out somewhere working on his golf game?

 

[Cuango]

I thought (and continue to think) that this whole idea was poorly thought out and would likely have bad consequences. For me, it is yet another example of the ongoing decay in our institutions (and society as a whole). Virtually no one is willing to make a reasoned, logical decision and then stick to it when (inevitably) the criticism rolls in. These days, it is simply easier to take the easy way out and punt the ball away. It would have been much better to fix the problem but the NCAA couldn’t/wouldn’t take the heat and simply threw up their hands and punted! Look, should there be a fair and unbiased avenue for students to get out of bad situations without penalty? Of course! This, however is just silly. There should be more weight given to the student athlete’s needs and desires than there was before but to simply allow a free for all by the students is not well thought out imo. I firmly believe the NCAA just took the cowards way out on this and declared victory and “damn the consequences”!

 

[ConwayGmck]

"But 1,000 kids? 1,000, it's unbelievable. And now, it's, you know, with the one time transfer, not having to sit out. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree. I think it's great. But there's got to be something wrong with the culture if it's this bad. On both ends -- on the kids, and then the coaches -- there's got to be something wrong."

UConn's Auriemma: Transfer portal is a 'mess'

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma says the transfer portal is a "mess" and that "there's something wrong with the culture of college basketball."

www.espn.com

"I don't disagree (don't think something is wrong), but there's got to be something wrong. I think it's great, but there's got to be something wrong with the culture if it's this bad".


Hmmm. Give me a moment here......

 

[huskeynut]

I agree that this entire process was poorly devised. It has turned into a disaster. Another shining example of the NCAA's leadership.

Do I believe that student athletes should be able to transfer in certain situations? Yes. But those situations were never defined. And they needed to be.

The lack of leadership by the NCAA (college/ university presidents) has changed the college landscape and not for the better (my opinion). And I don't blame Geno for speaking up. Someone has to. There has to be voices of sanity and reason in this chaos.

 

[UcMiami]

Drop out 5th year players which are at about 300 and that number drops to 700+ which is still high. And those 5th year players will inflate the # for 3 more years.

 

[TRUCONN76]

I suspect that the longer term consequence of allowing athletes to freely transfer will result in less loyalty to the program from the other students on campus who will begin to see the athletes and the sports as less of a shared experience with fellow students and more of a semi professional entertainment. With the trends underway 20 years from now there is likely going to be much less interest in the contests and much less money available to the schools. To me it is simple, why be loyal to a program whose own participants are not loyal to? I am not a fan of professional basketball men or women, as I see a lot of egos giving less than 100%, and for most of the season it is more about entertainment and less about competition. At the college level as it becomes apparent that the athletes are becoming more focused and concerned about selling the rights to their likeness and where the best market is for them, rather than working hard and improving their game and enjoying the college experience I know that I will have significantly less interest in the college game as well.

 

[southofnorth]

"I don't disagree (don't think something is wrong [with the one time transfer rule]), but there's got to be something wrong [if there are that many kids trying to transfer out of the program they signed up for]. I think [the one time transfer rule is] great, but there's got to be something wrong with the culture [of many basketball programs] if it's this bad".


Hmmm. Give me a moment here......

 

[hoopsfan22]

I’m surprised we’re hearing so much from Geno during the off-season. Shouldn’t he be out somewhere working on his golf game?

(Most of) the team is coming back this weekend for summer session, so it's time to get back to basketball.

 

[oldude]

(Most of) the team is coming back this weekend for summer session, so it's time to get back to basketball.

Geno plays a lot of golf during summer sessions, particularly since he’s only allowed to be at player run practices a maximum of 2 hrs per week.

 

[cancontent]

I suspect that the longer term consequence of allowing athletes to freely transfer will result in less loyalty to the program from the other students on campus who will begin to see the athletes and the sports as less of a shared experience with fellow students and more of a semi professional entertainment. With the trends underway 20 years from now there is likely going to be much less interest in the contests and much less money available to the schools. To me it is simple, why be loyal to a program whose own participants are not loyal to? I am not a fan of professional basketball men or women, as I see a lot of egos giving less than 100%, and for most of the season it is more about entertainment and less about competition. At the college level as it becomes apparent that the athletes are becoming more focused and concerned about selling the rights to their likeness and where the best market is for them, rather than working hard and improving their game and enjoying the college experience I know that I will have significantly less interest in the college game as well.

I thought the same until recently. Someone else posted this link on BY which caught my attention. While the report is from 2015 it shows that transferring is fairly common within the regular student population. So the perception you think exists may not be what we think athletes are being seen by their classmates.

Transfer and Mobility: A National View of Student Movements

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center examines trends in student transfer, with findings that complicate some assumptions about transfer patterns. The report follows the 3.6 million students who enrolled in college...

www.aacu.org

Also, I understand the loyalty comment but when you watch men's basketball and men's football, where players can leave earlier than women, I don't see a drop in loyalty from their fan bases. Coaches are still making insane money and continue to be rewarded.

I disagree with the last statement regarding the monetizing. I don't have a problem with it especially when you look at their long term earning potential as athletes. It's shorter than most of our working careers. Understanding the business aspect well in advance of becoming a pro also helps them in the long term because they're better educated. And when you look at what some former WNBA players are now able to do, it only shows how important is it to get ahead of the game now. I can't wait to see a WNBA player having a business portfolio the size of what Shaq's or Dwayne Wade's.

 

[Longtime fan]

Wow. he didnt hold back. I dont blame him. Its a mess & literally changed the WCBB basketball landscape for years to come. It also might have cost him another "dynasty" run with Cardosa going to SC - we will have to wait and see.

In my view, Cardoso going to South carolina is what it is all about. She will guarantee the championship for them as long as she chooses to stay. That would not have been the case if she had remained at Syracuse. And, as you can see, Syracuse is lost at sea, rather than nicely competitive.

 

[Rb335]

I agree with him that there are certainly situations where its appropriate for players to transfer. Sometimes things really don't work out. It appears that now, kids are just leaving to seek better opportunities than they had coming out of high school, or chasing loaded rosters to win a NC. If a player doesn't see the floor, they transfer to an open spot as opposed to working hard to become better and earn minutes. Its just different than what we have see historically. It's interesting to think that if Uconn doesn't win the next few years, Bueckers and Fudd could call up the other best players in the country and all decide to transfer to a random school to win a NC. Its making college basketball mirror free agency in the professional leagues. Its intriguing as a fan, but I'm sure maddening as a coach.

 

[Drew8]

Transfers are the part of college basketball that I really don't like to think about. Usually it involves discontent.

 

[BBallF]

First of all, the Mid Major coaching job just became a nightmare. Take a lightly recruited kid you took a chance on or who you found who blossoms after 2 years and guess what, "I'm not staying here, I won't get any notice, I won't get to the Big Dance or quarter or semi finals. I' m gone". And there doesn't have to be any reason for it. This rule was borne of the fact that the NCAA couldn't enforce its own rules fairly or maybe just wanted to avoid litigation. The rich will get richer, The low level or medium level teams will become a minor league for the likes of UCONN, SC, Stanford et al and any other non top tier schools that try to attract these kids for a variety of reasons, some of which will tempt scandal. You will see tampering to be sure, recriminations and a polluted atmosphere. 1000 kids! He is right, There is something fundamentally wrong here. Wait until these Mid Major Coaches and ADs start worrying about or losing their jobs. Then you will see sanity.

 

[cancontent]

I agree with him that there are certainly situations where its appropriate for players to transfer. Sometimes things really don't work out. It appears that now, kids are just leaving to seek better opportunities than they had coming out of high school, or chasing loaded rosters to win a NC.

This isn't just a NCAA thing though because it's happening in HS and AAU already. Athletes are exposed to this stuff even before they enter HS. It's a culture thing that has affected more than just the NCAA.

If a player doesn't see the floor, they transfer to an open spot as opposed to working hard to become better and earn minutes. Its just different than what we have see historically. It's interesting to think that if Uconn doesn't win the next few years, Bueckers and Fudd could call up the other best players in the country and all decide to transfer to a random school to win a NC. Its making college basketball mirror free agency in the professional leagues. Its intriguing as a fan, but I'm sure maddening as a coach.

Yes and no. We probably see more examples of this, however there are kids who transfer because they see themselves being able to contribute in a stronger program and/or want a bigger challenge. On WBB Blog it does show the number of players who have transferred from P5 to Non P5, Non P5 to P5, etc. There are a fair number moving up to P5 from Non P5 conferences.

It's only one example, but a Cdn player who was at Northeastern, Mide Oriyomi, transferred to Purdue. She was on a podcast where she talked about why she made the decision. She realized that while she managed her expectations and based picking a school based on fit, she could handle a more competitive environment. She acknowledged she was getting lots of playing time at NE and knows she could see that time being reduced.

 

[HuskylnSC]

She will guarantee the championship for them as long as she chooses to stay.

Uuh, no.

 

[bballnut90]

This probably won't be well received but Geno comes off as the one entitled in this article IMO. Calling kids delusional and approaching it with, "whats wrong with you?" is a pretty bad look.

Yeah, transfers are high and the culture has changed, but I dont see it necessarily as a bad thing, and more significantly responsibility also falls on coaches who play into it. Coaches utilize the portal like free agency to bring in kids for a year or two and they take the spot of another kid. Others like Jeff Walz over-recruit which ends up with about half of his players being pushed onto the transfer in one way or another if they ever want to play in games. Geno mentions how coaches put effort into kids and they up and leave...well, the reverse is that kids work their butts off to improve and are projected to be a starter or rotation player, and then have their playing time taken by an incoming transfer. It's a two way street.

And look at programs like Syracuse where virtually the entire team transferred out this year....are all of those players delusional or is something wrong with the coaching staff? Or look at Baylor/Mississippi State who had transfers in waves due to coaching changes in the last year or 2. There are many reasons why a player would transfer, each situation is unique. And worth noting, the portal is inflated this year due to the NCAA granting a free 5th year to everyone, and this makes up approximately 30% of the portal as someone here pointed out.

Plus I'm not sure why of all people, Geno is sour about it and complaining. He has a unique advantage of being able to almost always land top 5 kids on an annual basis and they literally never transfer out. Not one top 5 kid has transferred out. He also has been consistently bringing in top transfers like Westbrook, Stevens and now Juhasz. The only kids who transfer out are ones who've been beat out for their position and are unlikely to see court time if they stay 4 years. Is something wrong with all of those kids too or are they delusional to venture elsewhere?

 

[tchalla1]

In my view, Cardoso going to South carolina is what it is all about. She will guarantee the championship for them as long as she chooses to stay. That would not have been the case if she had remained at Syracuse. And, as you can see, Syracuse is lost at sea, rather than nicely competitive.

Cardoso will guarantee the championship for as long as she stays (for South Carolina)? You overstate her contribution. The women's game has too much diversified talent to make that statement of one singular player....

 

[oldude]

In my view, Cardoso going to South carolina is what it is all about. She will guarantee the championship for them as long as she chooses to stay. That would not have been the case if she had remained at Syracuse. And, as you can see, Syracuse is lost at sea, rather than nicely competitive.

As good as Dawn is, she couldn’t win a championship with Coates & Wilson on the floor at the same time and I suspect that SC will struggle against top teams if they try to play a 2-post offense with Boston & Cardoso on the court together, let alone trying to work in Amihere & Saxton.