There is nothing wrong with pointing out the current ridiculous state of the portal. Is it “selfish?” Well, sure, but that’s what being a fan is all about. Fans are concerned about their team and the state of the game and their own personal enjoyment of it. If selfishness wasn’t a factor then a team could go 0-30 every year and the reply should be “hey just be happy that you got to watch college basketball this year.”
I’ve said this before, I do NOT believe this is actually in the best interest of the players either. Unmitigated freedom to move is not necessarily the best thing for a young kid. If I see a kid played for 3 different HS “academies” and then is in the portal after his freshmen year in college, I am VERY skeptical of how that is actually benefiting the young man and to me likely points more to him having his strings pulled and likely having his head filled with delusions of grandeur.
I mean, a basketball roster in college has about 15 guys on it. Do these kids not do that math? Not all 15 are all going to play optimal minutes in optimal roles right from the VERY beginning. I wonder, did Phipps think he was gonna be all B12 as a freshmen? Did he not think that perhaps with his skill set/size that there was going to a pretty strong likelihood that playing at a P5 school (especially on a tourney team) might mean he rides the pine for a couple of years before getting a more legitimate shot after he’s grown/improved?
One of the fun/enjoyable things for college fans is the connection they have between themselves and the players. I’m a Sooner. Just like Wayman. Just like Buddy, etc. Personally, I have always been a bigger fan of pro sports and part of that is understanding/accepting that players come and go regularly. Your favorite may not be there forever. I’m fine with that and always have been. One reason I also like college sports is because it’s different. I like the contrast and different experiences as a fan. Same reason why I like baseball, basketball, AND football so much— they are different. I take away different things from each. The new transfer rules in college along with the mentality it seems to breed, greatly reduce that sense of “in it” for many fans. In all seriousness would we feel the same way about Buddy if he played here for two years but also played for Kansas and Michigan? What if Adrian Peterson had a historic year for the Sooners and then finished with Clemson? It’s OK to admit that it kind of sucks for the product.
I don’t really see a big issue with the sitting out a year rules. You don’t lose a year of eligibility and it’s not like you have to pay your own way during that year you have to sit out. You are still getting all the perks, attending class, etc. there is just a buffer year in place to help tamp down things from becoming rampant. 100% of athletes would still be allowed to transfer. No one is “trapped.” If you feel you made a bad decision or got screwed, you can still leave. You just have to sit out a year before you can play again. I honestly see nothing wrong with that. I don’t think it’s indentured servitude. And as always, in the case of a hardship there is a process already in place there. I’d also be perhaps willing to waive it as well in the situation of a head coaching change.
But what we have now is college free agency. And it will almost certainly have a negative effect on how fans view the game. Will it “end” college basketball? Of course not. Will it weaken an already weakened product? I think so. I also think you have to live in reality and adapt. If this is the way it’s going to be, at a school like OU I might come close to completely stopping recruiting HS kids. As 04 said, we might be best served almost always having an “old” team. Can’t really do that with your own kids now, so maybe every year OU should just be targeting upperclassmen that have exceeded expectations at smaller schools, let those schools develop them, and then pounce. Try to get 3-4 every year and essentially have a new team every season. Pretty much never have a freshmen or sophomore on the floor. I wouldn’t waste one second on a kid who needs development moving forward. If he’s not ready to rock the minute he steps on campus, I wouldn’t even look at him. Let him go somewhere else and then try to get him later when he’s put in the work.
