2023 College Basketball Transfer Portal Watch Thread





Minnesota, Santa Clara, Florida or Boston College the finalists for Claudell Harris Jr., Soph. out of Charleston Southern. 17.4/3.9/2.3 on 46/33/78 shooting.

This looks like a really good one. 21.3 PER and 56.9 True Shooting Percentage. Second team All Big South this past season as a sophomore and All Freshman Big South the year before. 2nd in the Big South in points per game.

Great name too. Sounds like a good basketball player.
 



I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
 

I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
We can be hopeful that the player and his family will connect with Ben and the assistants and believe that they are one of the pieces the Gopher needs to compete in the Big Ten.
We have some good players. We have more coming for next year and this is an opportunity to play in the Big Ten.
 

Murderapolis pretty much describes the city. Every recruit and transfer must be willing to understand the dynamics.
I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
1679966800983.jpeg
 



I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
Every salesman in the world wants you as a customer.
 

We can be hopeful that the player and his family will connect with Ben and the assistants and believe that they are one of the pieces the Gopher needs to compete in the Big Ten.
We have some good players. We have more coming for next year and this is an opportunity to play in the Big Ten.

We also have tremendous TV exposure. Regardless of where your family and friends live, they can watch your games on cable TV or streaming (if they have Big Ten network and FSI) or through the apps on Roku, Apple TV, etc.

We have great facilities for athletes. The Eagles' players raved about them when they were practicing for the Super Bowl.

Finally, in spite of the knocks the cities have against them, there's still a hell of a lot more going on there in the summer than most places and a lot of it is low cost or free.
 

I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.

I hate to use this word because it sounds fascist but the above sounds like "defeatism." Ben Johnson can't afford to be defeatist and we shouldn't be either.
 
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I hate to use this word because it sounds fascist but the above sounds like "defeatism." Ben Johnson can't afford to be defeatist and we shouldn't be either.
How is defeatism fascist?
 

I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
The NIL is not as bad as many are saying. Pretty ok actually. Also, if you feel this way about your school and campus, why are you a fan? There is a lot that can be sold related to campus, playing time, etc. Much of what you said about the U is what people said about NW a year ago, or Penn State.

I’m not high on Ben after the past year, but as long as he’s here he’s our coach and I’ll hope for success.
 

I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
Ben needs to be able to make these guys believe that they can be that impact piece and make that difference. And there’s nothing dishonest about that.

These mid major guys we are chasing believe exactly that, that they can compete at a high level.

The opportunity exists here. Big time competition. Big time exposure. Lots of playing time available.

Let’s go Ben. Lock in.
 
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Ben needs to be able to make these guys believe that they can be that impact piece and make that difference. And there’s nothing dishonest about that.

These mid major guys we are chasing believe exactly that, that they can compete at a high level.

The opportunity exists here. Big time competition. Big time exposure. Lots of playing time available.

Let’s go Ben. Lock in.
Exactly - you sell what you have to sell.

I spent 20+ years in sales and worked for both large firms (500 nationwide sales reps) and small boutique firms, where there were only a couple sales guys.

When working for large companies, you can emphasize their reach, resources, etc…when working for a small firm you can emphasize agility, their importance to your firm etc…
 

Exactly - you sell what you have to sell.

I spent 20+ years in sales and worked for both large firms (500 nationwide sales reps) and small boutique firms, where there were only a couple sales guys.

When working for large companies, you can emphasize their reach, resources, etc…when working for a small firm you can emphasize agility, their importance to your firm etc…
And what does he have to sell now? That’s my issue. I don’t see much to sell.
 

And what does he have to sell now? That’s my issue. I don’t see much to sell.
Have you ever worked in sales? As in that was part of your specific job title?
(Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative)

The 2 specific replies from the posters below are good examples of what Ben has to sell; additionally, he’s being paid $2M a year and that’s part of his gig.
We also have tremendous TV exposure. Regardless of where your family and friends live, they can watch your games on cable TV or streaming (if they have Big Ten network and FSI) or through the apps on Roku, Apple TV, etc.

We have great facilities for athletes. The Eagles' players raved about them when they were practicing for the Super Bowl.

Finally, in spite of the knocks the cities have against them, there's still a hell of a lot more going on there in the summer than most places and a lot of it is low cost or free.
Ben needs to be able to make these guys believe that they can be that impact piece and make that difference. And there’s nothing dishonest about that.

These mid major guys we are chasing believe exactly that, that they can compete at a high level.

The opportunity exists here. Big time competition. Big time exposure. Lots of playing time available.

Let’s go Ben. Lock in.
 

Have you ever worked in sales? As in that was part of your specific job title?
(Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative)

The 2 specific replies from the posters below are good examples of what Ben has to sell; additionally, he’s being paid $2M a year and that’s part of his gig.
My life is about truth and that doesn’t always sell well because it isn’t often what people want to hear. If Ben can sell what he has now, he’s an A grade salesman. Point taken nevertheless.

I’ve bought enough stuff in which the positives are not completely true and the negatives aren’t acknowledged that I have some skepticism of the process. No offense intended. 😇
 

How is defeatism fascist?

The word often has been used against those who were either pacifists, wanted to end armed conflicts, or just believed that capitulation was warranted in particular circumstances. "Defeatism" could get you hung or shot if you were a German citizen in 1945.
 

I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
To be a starter in the Big10 and to get a solid education to play for a scandal free coach because Minneapolis is the best city by far in the entire midwest because you are in a city instead of the middle of nowhere and the weather in the northeast is worse than here!
 

To be a starter in the Big10 and to get a solid education to play for a scandal free coach because Minneapolis is the best city by far in the entire midwest because you are in a city instead of the middle of nowhere and the weather in the northeast is worse than here!
People in Minnesota drastically overestimate the idea that Minneapolis is a draw.
 

I'm just being honest here... put yourself in the shoes of a semi sought-after transfer (or recruit) who is capable of making a positive impact on several P5 programs. Why would you choose Minnesota over other options if you don't have deep connections to the state?

The NIL opportunities here suck.
Your chance of making the NCAA Tournament is extremely slim.
The weather is brutal. Can just go to a bad program with a nicer campus and better weather.
HC has virtually no reputation (unproven) and is on the hotseat.
The home arena you'd be playing is lifeless and devoid of energy.

Several parts of this program have to change if the University of Minnesota is to be a desirable place for good players to play college basketball again.
The truth is that we can sell opportunity. We can sell minutes playing for a good school, in the biggest conference and against some of the best programs in the country. I don't think any program in the country can sell more minutes to a PG or wing on this kind of stage.

All of that other stuff definitely matters and they are things we are going to have to recruit around. One of the other big ones if you have multiple years of eligibility is that Ben Johnson might not be your coach in 2024.
 


I understand that you can find studies and magazines that talk about how great it is to live in Minneapolis. I am saying that I don't think Minneapolis is a draw for anyone where it isn't the closest big city to where they group up. There are people who move there for work and then learn to love it, but the city isn't a draw.

I'm from Minnesota. I say "grey duck". I've eaten handfuls of cookies with strangers so they could close their giant bucket at the Fair. I'm really not sh!tting on MN.
 


Leading Exporters of Transfers

When the portal was just below 500, I posted a table of schools with the largest number of outbound transfers. Now that the portal is over 1,000 I thought I'd do an update. The table below shows all schools with 6 or more outbound transfers as of earlier this morning.

Saint Francis has been called the patron saint of ecology and animals but perhaps we could now add "patron saint of transfers" to that list. Between them, Saint Francis (NY) and Saint Francis (PA) account for 22 transfers on this list. It was mentioned on this board that St Francis (NY) was discontinuing basketball so that outlier number is understandable. I don't know what is going on at LIU and Tulsa other than terrible seasons. Obviously, some of these bigger numbers could be due to coach firings.

All is not well in New Mexico as the two primary universities have combined for 15 transfers. Of course, New Mexico State shut down the basketball team in mid-season due to allegations of abusive hazing. I don't know what is going on with Pitino's team but I don't see much evidence of Pitino bashing on one of their forums.

1680019904728.png
 

Leading Exporters of Transfers

When the portal was just below 500, I posted a table of schools with the largest number of outbound transfers. Now that the portal is over 1,000 I thought I'd do an update. The table below shows all schools with 6 or more outbound transfers as of earlier this morning.

Saint Francis has been called the patron saint of ecology and animals but perhaps we could now add "patron saint of transfers" to that list. Between them, Saint Francis (NY) and Saint Francis (PA) account for 22 transfers on this list. It was mentioned on this board that St Francis (NY) was discontinuing basketball so that outlier number is understandable. I don't know what is going on at LIU and Tulsa other than terrible seasons. Obviously, some of these bigger numbers could be due to coach firings.

All is not well in New Mexico as the two primary universities have combined for 15 transfers. Of course, New Mexico State shut down the basketball team in mid-season due to allegations of abusive hazing. I don't know what is going on with Pitino's team but I don't see much evidence of Pitino bashing on one of their forums.

View attachment 24841
Thanks for compiling, CJB. I'm surprised NM is losing seven players after a 20-win season.
 

Leading Exporters of Transfers

When the portal was just below 500, I posted a table of schools with the largest number of outbound transfers. Now that the portal is over 1,000 I thought I'd do an update. The table below shows all schools with 6 or more outbound transfers as of earlier this morning.

Saint Francis has been called the patron saint of ecology and animals but perhaps we could now add "patron saint of transfers" to that list. Between them, Saint Francis (NY) and Saint Francis (PA) account for 22 transfers on this list. It was mentioned on this board that St Francis (NY) was discontinuing basketball so that outlier number is understandable. I don't know what is going on at LIU and Tulsa other than terrible seasons. Obviously, some of these bigger numbers could be due to coach firings.

All is not well in New Mexico as the two primary universities have combined for 15 transfers. Of course, New Mexico State shut down the basketball team in mid-season due to allegations of abusive hazing. I don't know what is going on with Pitino's team but I don't see much evidence of Pitino bashing on one of their forums.

View attachment 24841
Does a new coach coming into a new position after a disastrous season prefer a clean slate with players? I imagine some really do. Allows them to build immediately with “their guys.” Not sure how many of these are coaching changes. Would be interesting to know how many are self chosen transfers and how many are forced by new or existing staffs.

Still alarming how many there are. This is the CBA reincarnated.
 




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