NIL, The Transfer Portal and Early Draft Entries

This offseason the sport of College Basketball is experiencing a changing of the guard in more ways than one. Between the Transfer Portal becoming much more mainstream after rules were changed, NIL or NBA Draft decisions, coaches across the country couldn’t afford to take much time off after the season ended. As soon as every team season ended across the country, all attention immediately turned to the players and their futures. This is because players have more options than ever before. It has been argued for a long time that if College Basketball coaches have the freedom to change jobs at any time, then why can’t the players also. Last offseason was the first time this rule change was put into effect and mostly every team in the power 5 took full advantage. Kansas does not win their National Championship, without the help of Arizona State Remy Martin. Many people were confused at first why the 2021 Preseason pac 12 Player of the Year would decide to leave the school where that success was had. The reason being was, Remy had the option to play in a situation he felt was best for him and it paid off.

The Transfer Portal is a very polarizing subject, and like everything else it has its positives and negatives. The bottom line remains no matter what coaches’ feelings on it are, if you are not utilizing the Transfer Portal then, you are not utilizing a very helpful tool to make your team better in a short period of time. The Transfer Portal becoming so mainstream has really given coaches no excuses to not have a competitive team within 3 or 4 years. Although having so many players moving around may not seem like the best thing, the Transfer Portal and news surrounding it has made College Basketball a 12 month a year sport. This is important, due to the fact other sports like the NFL and College Football have experienced similar changes and they have benefited in a big way. On Monday, The 2022 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Kendric Davis from SMU entered the Transfer Portal. Davis will be highly sought after and gives a handful of fan bases a reason to be at least somewhat interested in his decision which is great for the sport.

March Madness from a basketball perspective, was very exciting and it was phenomenal to have the tournament back under normal circumstances for the first time since 2019. There were some epic moments including Caleb Love hitting the final shot to send home Duke and Kansas completing the largest comeback in the history of the National Championship game. With that being said, College Basketball is much a different sport compared to the early 1990’s when the sport was at the peak of its powers. The reason for that was because even the best players stayed in school for three of four years, and fans were able to develop a relationship with them over time.

Many people were thrilled when North Carolina ended Coach K’s career in the Final 4, because hating Duke has become a tradition over the course of the Coach K era. The reason for that is because Duke had become the blue-chip program of the sport with the names everyone loved to hate because they stayed long enough to be learned. From Bobby Hurley to Christian Laettner to Grant Hill those guys shined when the sport was at its best. Without Coach K, is there another Coach that America will all rally around each other to root against? In the recent era of College Basketball, with players leaving school early coaches have become the stars of the sport just because they’re the most known. Although the recent player movement rule changes might feel overwhelming now, long term it is the best thing for the sport due to the fact that it is adapting.

The NCAA’s problem for a while has been the failure to adapt to modern times. There is no explanation for why it took until 2015 to add the 4 team College Football Playoff and eliminate the computer based BCS. The reality is that the NCAA has always failed to adjust and it has held them back in a big way. Luckily the NCAA stepped back and realized that in the big picture the introduction of the NIL would be a good thing, because it gives student athletes more of a reason to stay in school while making some money on the side.

In recent days, the buzz around the Kentucky Men’s Basketball program is that the returning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe is likely to return to school this Fall. This is important not only for Kentucky, but also the sport of College Basketball as a whole. Oscar is a dominant college player, but doesn’t project to be a high NBA Draft pick which leaves him in a difficult situation. Another successful year at Kentucky would definitely raise his draft stock, however it is easier said than done turning down professional options and the money that comes along with it. This is where NIL comes into play, as Oscar will have the opportunity to profit off of his NIL, and there are very few places to do that better than Lexington. NIL will improve College Basketball, as bigger name, high profile players will return to school thanks to NIL.

Since the NBA changed their Draft Rules that prevented players entering the league straight out of High School, the concentration on getting to the league has taken over College Basketball. It is apparent that everyone playing in College would like to get to the NBA eventually, however many programs have been hurt by an early draft entry. In the pre-NIL era, kids would be leaving early due to the fact that they wanted to secure some money right away and get to the NBA as quickly as possible. This important decision is going to be different for everyone based on their circumstances, however more times than not staying in school and developing to the best of your ability is usually the best route to go. For example, Ochai Agbaji of Kansas, was getting possible NBA buzz since his Sophomore year and it really started to intensify for him as a Junior. If Ochai would have left early, he could have been a second-round pick but staying in school and winning a National Championship boosted his draft stock in a major way. He is now projected to be a lottery pick which is super impressive, especially for someone who was not a Top 100 recruit coming out of High School. As a coach, it is very challenging to build up the culture of your program high enough that your players with professional options can trust the foundation built enough to stay.

When it comes to NBA scouts and the ability to get their attention, things change so quickly. Throughout the Regular Season despite being a former Top 20 recruit and showing flashes of greatness, there were some concerns about North Carolina Point Guard Caleb Love. Love is very talented and will play in the NBA one day, however things weren’t going so well with North Carolina. There have been many players in a similar position that would have given up when things looked bleak and left after the season ended. Instead Love led North Carolina all the way to the National Championship game, while hitting a number of clutch shots throughout the tournament. Now Love will have a legitimate decision to make as he will definitely get drafted in the NBA Draft but another successful season at North Carolina could make him a lottery pick. With NIL and the option to enter the draft and come back to school after, Love has a better chance of returning to Chapel Hill, compared to someone in his position just two or three years ago. Guys like Zion Williamson and Jalen Suggs showed many High School basketball players firsthand the benefits that playing College Basketball can provide. Despite being very highly ranked recruits coming out of High School, these guys were able to take advantage of playing on the world’s biggest stage and became household names because of it.

The media has tried to portray the narrative that playing College Basketball is bad for the student athlete and while the NCAA isn’t perfect, that statement couldn’t be further from the truth. With NIL now in the picture and NBA teams becoming more willing to draft the best player available no matter what age, there has never been a better time to play College Basketball. Per CBS and Turner the television audience for the first two rounds of the tournament was up 12% from 2021 and averaging over 9 million viewers per timeslot. The broadcasters said that the average viewership in 2022 is the highest through two rounds in five years. Duke’s Final 4 game against North Carolina, averaged an 8.6 rating and 17.66 million viewers across TBS, TNT and TruTV, up 14% in ratings and 15% in viewership from Gonzaga-UCLA on CBS last year (7.6, 15.39M) and the most-watched national semifinal since North Carolina-Oregon on CBS in 2017.

This offseason will mark a new era in College Basketball because of the changes in the number of options players have. From NIL, to going to the NBA with the option to come back or the Transfer Portal, these things long term couldn’t be better for the sport. They will increase fan interest throughout the offseason, while giving players the option to do what they think is best. It is not surprising that the coaches aren’t the biggest fans of these rule changes. They will have to adjust like everyone else and if you are complaining about the rules, then you’re falling even further behind.