Watch games and watch rosters...
Quote from Grouchos on March 29, 2024, 8:08 pmI know that everybody is enjoying the NCAA tournament but while I know we see this every year, it almost seems like this year is unprecedented as far as seeing players who have been very successful leaving their program to go into the portal.
"ITP's (players "in the portal) are proliferating like Rump's lies.
I had done some work on a good, deep, early list of draft prospects and hardly any of them have not gone into the portal!
Going to be another wild season as I am sure they all will be until the NCAA, congress, or, some newly formed governing body for college basketball realizes that they need to make some changes, such as:
- If a player graduates and wants to get in a year towards his masters, as a graduate player, he has to do it at the school he graduated from. Otherwise, he can't play. Enough already of these "mercenaries" getting another year at another school.
- Freshmen? Almost every freshman has doubts during his first year. First, I don't think freshmen should be allowed to transfer...period. I think they shouldn't be allowed to transfer until they have been at their school for two full years. After that, let them transfer anywhere they want without having to sit out. Of course, there can be challenges to the above rule. And, depending on the circumstances, a freshman can be allowed to transfer after one full year. However, he will then have to sit-out the year and will lose a year of eligibility. The idea is to make these kids, their parents, their trainers, their AAU coaches, their high school coaches, and, their crystal ball gazer/advisers really think about what the consequences are before just thinking the grass is greener somewhere else. This will really help stabilize the game. If the powers that be were to adopt this rule but wanted to change it to letting freshmen transfer after their frosh year but making them have to sit the next year, I could live with that but it wouldn't provide the stability of not letting them transfer until they have finished two years of college at the same institution they originally enrolled at.
- Transferring, playing at 4 schools in 5 years, etc., etc. NO FRICKING WAY! Players are allowed two transfers, MAX. And, the second transfer means you have to sit a year-you can retain eligibility but you sit the year. This will also add an element of thinking. If you look at #2 and #3, that means that a sophomore can transfer once without sitting. Let's say he goes somewhere and plays as a junior and doesn't like it. He can then transfer as a senior but must sit the year. YEAH
What all the above does is really aid stability for each team as conservatively, the transfer rate will be cut by at least 60%. Most of the freshmen will NOT transfer after a 2nd year. And, those that do will likely be better prepared to make a decision on a new school. And, with only juniors allowed to transfer a 2nd time and having to sit a year, very, very few juniors will want to do that.
NIL? The NCAA sure screwed the pooch on that one by NOT thinking about the consequences (because they are toothless and don't want to lose any more money in lawsuits-it's all about the money with them and not for the greater good of the game/players). No school should be able to guarantee that every player (Texas A&M proudly proclaimed that every offensive lineman on their football team would make $70,000!) gets a salary (let's call it for what it is). Players can make money off of their name, image and likeness (tee shirt, uni sales, product promo deals, etc., etc.). That's it. Yeah, that means that the stars are making most of the money and hardly anybody else will, but, that's America. Capitalism at work, not Communism. If the players getting the swag are smart, they share it.
Lastly, it's time to stop giving out all the extra years. It was 5 to play 4 and it should go back to 5 to play 4.
All of this is designed to be a win (for players)-win (for coaches)-win (for fanbases). The players won't like it but that's because nobody likes the taste of the medicine that is actually good for you. It's so bad that the old days where a booster would get a kid's mother a house and give him anothe $150 g's are the good old days. This has to change.
The game has survived (somehow) the awful idea that a WIDE open shot from a particular distance should be worth an extra point. It has survived not allowing a defender to touch an offensive player. It has survived letting the offensive driver use his off hand like a machete to attack a defender (who is not touching him) and get the defenseless defender a foul. It has survived it's top talents playing one year and leaving early for the NBA draft. But, it cannot survive destroying itself from the inside out, under the current rules (non-rules?) which is the modern version of the wild, wild west where just about anything goes and the richest programs can just buy the players (which is most of what is happening with all the transferring from players killing it at low and mid majors to high majors+good players leaving other high majors for the cash).
The above won't solve all of the ills, because, like Pandora's Box, once the NCAA let everything go, the culture (the pre-college kids coming up & their parents) went almost completely in the toilet, willing to chance the ride for the riches.
But, all of the above help the coaches who would like to coach and teach players again, instead of just "managing" them, praying that if they are super nice to them that the kid won't leave after the season. And, again, that'a a huge win for everybody involved.
That said, because some version of the above would be good for everybody, it will never happen. Things have to be completely broken now for anyone to support change...
I know that everybody is enjoying the NCAA tournament but while I know we see this every year, it almost seems like this year is unprecedented as far as seeing players who have been very successful leaving their program to go into the portal.
"ITP's (players "in the portal) are proliferating like Rump's lies.
I had done some work on a good, deep, early list of draft prospects and hardly any of them have not gone into the portal!
Going to be another wild season as I am sure they all will be until the NCAA, congress, or, some newly formed governing body for college basketball realizes that they need to make some changes, such as:
- If a player graduates and wants to get in a year towards his masters, as a graduate player, he has to do it at the school he graduated from. Otherwise, he can't play. Enough already of these "mercenaries" getting another year at another school.
- Freshmen? Almost every freshman has doubts during his first year. First, I don't think freshmen should be allowed to transfer...period. I think they shouldn't be allowed to transfer until they have been at their school for two full years. After that, let them transfer anywhere they want without having to sit out. Of course, there can be challenges to the above rule. And, depending on the circumstances, a freshman can be allowed to transfer after one full year. However, he will then have to sit-out the year and will lose a year of eligibility. The idea is to make these kids, their parents, their trainers, their AAU coaches, their high school coaches, and, their crystal ball gazer/advisers really think about what the consequences are before just thinking the grass is greener somewhere else. This will really help stabilize the game. If the powers that be were to adopt this rule but wanted to change it to letting freshmen transfer after their frosh year but making them have to sit the next year, I could live with that but it wouldn't provide the stability of not letting them transfer until they have finished two years of college at the same institution they originally enrolled at.
- Transferring, playing at 4 schools in 5 years, etc., etc. NO FRICKING WAY! Players are allowed two transfers, MAX. And, the second transfer means you have to sit a year-you can retain eligibility but you sit the year. This will also add an element of thinking. If you look at #2 and #3, that means that a sophomore can transfer once without sitting. Let's say he goes somewhere and plays as a junior and doesn't like it. He can then transfer as a senior but must sit the year. YEAH
What all the above does is really aid stability for each team as conservatively, the transfer rate will be cut by at least 60%. Most of the freshmen will NOT transfer after a 2nd year. And, those that do will likely be better prepared to make a decision on a new school. And, with only juniors allowed to transfer a 2nd time and having to sit a year, very, very few juniors will want to do that.
NIL? The NCAA sure screwed the pooch on that one by NOT thinking about the consequences (because they are toothless and don't want to lose any more money in lawsuits-it's all about the money with them and not for the greater good of the game/players). No school should be able to guarantee that every player (Texas A&M proudly proclaimed that every offensive lineman on their football team would make $70,000!) gets a salary (let's call it for what it is). Players can make money off of their name, image and likeness (tee shirt, uni sales, product promo deals, etc., etc.). That's it. Yeah, that means that the stars are making most of the money and hardly anybody else will, but, that's America. Capitalism at work, not Communism. If the players getting the swag are smart, they share it.
Lastly, it's time to stop giving out all the extra years. It was 5 to play 4 and it should go back to 5 to play 4.
All of this is designed to be a win (for players)-win (for coaches)-win (for fanbases). The players won't like it but that's because nobody likes the taste of the medicine that is actually good for you. It's so bad that the old days where a booster would get a kid's mother a house and give him anothe $150 g's are the good old days. This has to change.
The game has survived (somehow) the awful idea that a WIDE open shot from a particular distance should be worth an extra point. It has survived not allowing a defender to touch an offensive player. It has survived letting the offensive driver use his off hand like a machete to attack a defender (who is not touching him) and get the defenseless defender a foul. It has survived it's top talents playing one year and leaving early for the NBA draft. But, it cannot survive destroying itself from the inside out, under the current rules (non-rules?) which is the modern version of the wild, wild west where just about anything goes and the richest programs can just buy the players (which is most of what is happening with all the transferring from players killing it at low and mid majors to high majors+good players leaving other high majors for the cash).
The above won't solve all of the ills, because, like Pandora's Box, once the NCAA let everything go, the culture (the pre-college kids coming up & their parents) went almost completely in the toilet, willing to chance the ride for the riches.
But, all of the above help the coaches who would like to coach and teach players again, instead of just "managing" them, praying that if they are super nice to them that the kid won't leave after the season. And, again, that'a a huge win for everybody involved.
That said, because some version of the above would be good for everybody, it will never happen. Things have to be completely broken now for anyone to support change...
Quote from Walk Ons - Hoop Daddy on January 15, 2025, 8:13 amGrouchos, I have always been a fan of your writing on the website. You almost single handedly carry on the tradition of banter among the teams. In my early days, the banter was plentiful, frothy, and sometimes adversarial. But it was always entertaining. I used to try and get folks back to the forum, but I've really scaled back and tried to accept what we have. But enough of that.
I was reading your post above and I wanted to comment on what you said about the NCAA and their role in forming the new world of transfer portal and NIL. I read a couple of articles written at the time by folks who covered college sports when the changes occurred. The NCAA had just lost another court battle trying to hold the line on the radical changes in the rules. The writers said that after years of trying to prevent or slow the changes, they concluded that if they led the transformation, they would be blamed for all the ensuring problems. So they said basically they would not resist the changes but would not sponsor them either. In essence, they threw up their hands. They did not believe in say, big sponsorship money deals, so they said ok, if you want them, we won't stop you. But it was left to the other parties; schools, sponsors and players to sort it out. You've seen the results. Same for what is now free agency. The chaos is obvious.
It's easy to blame the NCAA, but these changes are not of their making.
Grouchos, I have always been a fan of your writing on the website. You almost single handedly carry on the tradition of banter among the teams. In my early days, the banter was plentiful, frothy, and sometimes adversarial. But it was always entertaining. I used to try and get folks back to the forum, but I've really scaled back and tried to accept what we have. But enough of that.
I was reading your post above and I wanted to comment on what you said about the NCAA and their role in forming the new world of transfer portal and NIL. I read a couple of articles written at the time by folks who covered college sports when the changes occurred. The NCAA had just lost another court battle trying to hold the line on the radical changes in the rules. The writers said that after years of trying to prevent or slow the changes, they concluded that if they led the transformation, they would be blamed for all the ensuring problems. So they said basically they would not resist the changes but would not sponsor them either. In essence, they threw up their hands. They did not believe in say, big sponsorship money deals, so they said ok, if you want them, we won't stop you. But it was left to the other parties; schools, sponsors and players to sort it out. You've seen the results. Same for what is now free agency. The chaos is obvious.
It's easy to blame the NCAA, but these changes are not of their making.
Quote from Grouchos on January 15, 2025, 4:47 pmI get what you're saying and I would agree and also disagree. But, to keep this fairly brief, let's just look at how the NCAA has handled the entirety of the transfer/portal thing.
First, why are grad students (mercenaries) allowed to leave their school to get a Master's at another? I call bullshit (pardon my French). Yes, let them get their Master's-but, at the school they are currently attending. If they want a more prestigious school and/or for whatever reason the school they attend doesn't offer a Master's program in their field, then they can transfer-but, if they transfer they can't play for their new school. Period. If we researched it I am sure that most of them are transferring for basketball instead of the degree. That also opens up more scholarships for high school kids.
Second, no freshmen should be allowed to transfer, hardship or no hardship. There's no time anyways to spend any significant time around one's ailing parents and/or grandparents, so, while the concern may be real, it's also convenient. Also, most freshmen are either homesick and/or unhappy because freshmen who have graduated high school in the last 10 years have never had to compete for their time. If they don't like their high school situation they can transfer on a whim. If they don't feel like they are getting enough "shine" on their club team they leave. 90% have never had to compete and that's a conservative estimate. By letting them transfer without the certainty of having to sit out a year at their new school the NCAA has fostered disruption and chaos in the game they are supposed to be stewards of. So, that is my solution. If a freshman wants to transfer he can but he has to red-shirt and sit out the year at his new school+he loses a year in eligibility, meaning he would be a junior when eligible to play for his new school. Now, if he waits to transfer as a sophomore, then he can go and be immediately eligible at his new school as a junior without losing any eligibility. On top of that, no player can transfer to another school within the same conference as his school. That will end a lot of the poaching crapola that is happening now.
Lastly, while it's extremely rare, I did read about a guy playing his 8th year of college basketball this year and another who is in his 7th year. Let's get back to giving them 5 years to play 4 (no grad year remember) and giving a player an extra year if they played in less than half of their team's games due to the injury.
I want more stability in the college game. Restricting movement by making some changes instead of just restricting movement should be both possible and doable, the courts notwithstanding. I also want to see more high school players receiving scholarships, an area that has taken a real hit.
Oh, and, I forgot...the portal. Regardless of how many players transfer out, a DI team should be limited to only being able to take 2 transfers. That will contribute to "team harmony" as the players who remain on the team know that they have a real shot at earning more playing time for all their hard work, both in and off-season instead of seeing a bunch of mercenaries come in and take it. It also means, again, more available scholarships for incoming freshmen.
Without doing a poll, since I have some acquaintances who are DI coaches, I know they would love to see the above. They want to coach and do some recruiting. Not have to recruit 24/7 and squeeze a little coaching in when they can.
We can't go back to the way the game was but the current system can certainly be revised and improved.
I know the above is not a panacea for all the ailments and there may be some unforseen circumstances from the above proposals, but, even if the above is not 100% better I will take even 60% better than what we currently have in place as a "system" of some sorts watched over from afar by the fat cats sitting in dark banquettes with bbq sauce all over their faces...
I get what you're saying and I would agree and also disagree. But, to keep this fairly brief, let's just look at how the NCAA has handled the entirety of the transfer/portal thing.
First, why are grad students (mercenaries) allowed to leave their school to get a Master's at another? I call bullshit (pardon my French). Yes, let them get their Master's-but, at the school they are currently attending. If they want a more prestigious school and/or for whatever reason the school they attend doesn't offer a Master's program in their field, then they can transfer-but, if they transfer they can't play for their new school. Period. If we researched it I am sure that most of them are transferring for basketball instead of the degree. That also opens up more scholarships for high school kids.
Second, no freshmen should be allowed to transfer, hardship or no hardship. There's no time anyways to spend any significant time around one's ailing parents and/or grandparents, so, while the concern may be real, it's also convenient. Also, most freshmen are either homesick and/or unhappy because freshmen who have graduated high school in the last 10 years have never had to compete for their time. If they don't like their high school situation they can transfer on a whim. If they don't feel like they are getting enough "shine" on their club team they leave. 90% have never had to compete and that's a conservative estimate. By letting them transfer without the certainty of having to sit out a year at their new school the NCAA has fostered disruption and chaos in the game they are supposed to be stewards of. So, that is my solution. If a freshman wants to transfer he can but he has to red-shirt and sit out the year at his new school+he loses a year in eligibility, meaning he would be a junior when eligible to play for his new school. Now, if he waits to transfer as a sophomore, then he can go and be immediately eligible at his new school as a junior without losing any eligibility. On top of that, no player can transfer to another school within the same conference as his school. That will end a lot of the poaching crapola that is happening now.
Lastly, while it's extremely rare, I did read about a guy playing his 8th year of college basketball this year and another who is in his 7th year. Let's get back to giving them 5 years to play 4 (no grad year remember) and giving a player an extra year if they played in less than half of their team's games due to the injury.
I want more stability in the college game. Restricting movement by making some changes instead of just restricting movement should be both possible and doable, the courts notwithstanding. I also want to see more high school players receiving scholarships, an area that has taken a real hit.
Oh, and, I forgot...the portal. Regardless of how many players transfer out, a DI team should be limited to only being able to take 2 transfers. That will contribute to "team harmony" as the players who remain on the team know that they have a real shot at earning more playing time for all their hard work, both in and off-season instead of seeing a bunch of mercenaries come in and take it. It also means, again, more available scholarships for incoming freshmen.
Without doing a poll, since I have some acquaintances who are DI coaches, I know they would love to see the above. They want to coach and do some recruiting. Not have to recruit 24/7 and squeeze a little coaching in when they can.
We can't go back to the way the game was but the current system can certainly be revised and improved.
I know the above is not a panacea for all the ailments and there may be some unforseen circumstances from the above proposals, but, even if the above is not 100% better I will take even 60% better than what we currently have in place as a "system" of some sorts watched over from afar by the fat cats sitting in dark banquettes with bbq sauce all over their faces...