CBS: How transfer portal, NIL reshaping college basketball recruiting has dropped value of high school prospects

[BleedGopher]

Per Matt:

But beneath the glamour of the megawatt recruits, there's a thrum of uncertainty and more than a dash of cynicism with a lot of high school recruiting — much of it tied to the realities of the transfer portal and how that has upended the calculus of program-building for power conferences and mid-majors alike.

"A lot of freshmen don't want to be patient," an SEC coach told CBS Sports. "Used to be that I'd come here looking for three or four high school players. Now it's maybe one or two."

College basketball recruiting is in the middle of a turbulent era. From a roster-building standpoint, it's probably never been more volatile. There are two more seasons left with NCAA athletes getting a bonus year of eligibility due to COVID. That, in addition to NIL legislation and in addition to the transfer portal's explosion, has made for an environment in the sport's offseason that feels as fraught, unpredictable and taxing as it's ever been.

"The thing is, they get the one-time transfer," a Big Ten coach said. "If you can get a kid after he leaves, after his freshman or sophomore year, and then he's stuck? That shit's like gold, man."

Added another Big Ten coach: "However many freshmen you take, you need to prepare to have that many spots available open in the spring. Freshmen are a bad investment. They're all rentals.

How transfer portal, NIL reshaping college basketball recruiting has dropped value of high school prospects

'Freshmen are a bad investment. They're all rentals,' one Division I coach told CBS Sports

www.cbssports.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Mikie S]

This may not be a bad thing.

If coaches want to retain their recruits past the first year, they will no longer promise (lie) about all the PT available to them. Let's see more coaches offer more realistic appraisals to prepare them for sitting & learning as freshman.

 

[MNVCGUY]

This may not be a bad thing.

If coaches want to retain their recruits past the first year, they will no longer promise (lie) about all the PT available to them. Let's see more coaches offer more realistic appraisals to prepare them for sitting & learning as freshman.

This is far more about the players than it is the coaches. Coaches are going to tell players what they want to hear in recruiting but at the same time no coach in their right mind is guaranteeing a high school recruit anything in terms of playing time.

You promise them the opportunity to compete and earn their playing time.

The issue these days is that players are unwilling to wait their turn so if it doesn't work out for them right away they will just transfer as opposed to continuing to try and earn their playing time at the school they committed to.

Especially in a sport like basketball I can see where this makes transfers way more appealing to coaches than high school recruits in a lot of ways.

You get a player who is a little older and who is more likely to stick around since they have already burned their free transfer.

 

[Vince Wright]

Totally agree with MNVCGUY