The state of the NCAA is in a chaotic state at this point in college athletics. There appears to be no consistent rules, except when the NCAA decides to enforce them. The latest example involves the NCAA granting years of eligibility to former JUCO players, declaring that those years no longer count for eligibility purposes.
With the college basketball season rapidly approaching its end, most programs have less than a month left. Some teams will have the chance to compete in March Madness, while others will begin focusing on the offseason, turning their attention to the transfer portal to improve their rosters.
At this point, players are communicating with their coaches about whether they plan to leave at the end of the season. Thanks to new rules, players can move freely, allowing coaches to prepare for those departures. This gives coaches a better understanding of who they will lose and helps them know what to look for when rebuilding. The transfer portal is a particularly intriguing topic in college sports, and ESPN's Seth Greenberg shared a thought-provoking perspective on the subject in college basketball.
"The portal is tricky. It’s like an NBA trade—you know what you’re getting rid of, but you don’t know what you’re getting. The evaluation period is so short. You don’t get time to know the person, their DNA. Intel is limited. A staff must evaluate more than just the actual numbers," Greenberg posted.
His perspective is insightful, given that the portal window remains open for about a month after the season ends. This tight timeframe forces coaches to act quickly. Program heads rush to get recruits to campus as soon as possible. However, this urgency can be risky for both sides: the player may not have enough time to learn about the school, and the school may not fully understand the player.