2025 Transfer Portal

[Hards Alumni]

Guess we'll have to settle for Isaac or Jacob.

Maybe Cain if he is Abel?

[BCHoopster]

Is that why we lost Scooter and Rodney McCray to Louisville?

Not sure what Rick thought about that, but not getting the McCrays was the start of the downfall of the program in the 80's.

[94Warrior]

Not sure what Rick thought about that, but not getting the McCrays was the start of the downfall of the program in the 80's.

That was a sticky situation - from what I've heard.  Through no fault of Big Rick, things became awkward after Majerus popped in unannounced for a home visit.  McCrays went to UofL, and the rest is history.

[MU82]

Nick Janowski of Pewaukee in portal now. Was recruited by Shaka. Redshirted this past season as a frosh. Former teammate of MilanMomcilovic. He is 6'4" and averaged 30.6 ppg as a HS senior. A very good shooter/scorer. Would be a nice get for MU. Will he end up with TJ at ISU?

I know nothing about this kid and I know nothing about what Shaka is thinking re the two openings on the roster. But I could see Shaka going for a more under-the-radar guy who still has lots of eligibility left, who wouldn't cost a ton, who can fill a specific need (3-point shooting in this case), and who wants to fit in with a program like ours.

[79Warrior]

That was a sticky situation - from what I've heard.  Through no fault of Big Rick, things became awkward after Majerus popped in unannounced for a home visit.  McCrays went to UofL, and the rest is history.

Raymonds dropped that ball.

[bilsu]

I know nothing about this kid and I know nothing about what Shaka is thinking re the two openings on the roster. But I could see Shaka going for a more under-the-radar guy who still has lots of eligibility left, who wouldn't cost a ton, who can fill a specific need (3-point shooting in this case), and who wants to fit in with a program like ours.

I basically get 100% of my recruiting news from MUscoop. From what I have read here Shaka promises his players and the players he is recruiting that he is about development and will not use the portal to bring in players over them. Assuming this is the case, he is not going to go after a player in the portal. It would make him a liar and would have negative effect on his recruiting efforts for next year.

There also is no need to have all 15 scholarships filled.

[MU82]

I basically get 100% of my recruiting news from MUscoop. From what I have read here Shaka promises his players and the players he is recruiting that he is about development and will not use the portal to bring in players over them. Assuming this is the case, he is not going to go after a player in the portal. It would make him a liar and would have negative effect on his recruiting efforts for next year.

I'm not sure your assumptions are correct.

[jfp61]

I basically get 100% of my recruiting news from MUscoop. From what I have read here Shaka promises his players and the players he is recruiting that he is about development and will not use the portal to bring in players over them. Assuming this is the case, he is not going to go after a player in the portal. It would make him a liar and would have negative effect on his recruiting efforts for next year.

There also is no need to have all 15 scholarships filled.

He has talked to at least 1 transfer each year.

It doesn't work out because transfers don't want to be bench players at our school, which is fine.

[Jay Bee]

From what I have read here Shaka promises his players and the players he is recruiting that he is about development and will not use the portal to bring in players over them. Assuming this is the case, he is not going to go after a player in the portal. It would make him a liar and would have negative effect on his recruiting efforts for next year.

There also is no need to have all 15 scholarships filled.

You are absolutely incorrect. Bizarro.

[MU82]

bilsu is a big fan of Porter Moser, who has used the portal brilliantly to build teams that have won 3 straight national titles at Oklahoma.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

https://dictatethepace.substack.com/p/very-early-portal-thoughts?r=3c83m

Too Many Open High-Major Spots and Not Enough Players
A rudimentary, middle school-level supply and demand problem. The long-anticipated matriculation of many of the 5th/6th year geriatrics out of college basketball and into the workforce has predictably resulted in a de facto short squeeze. Developmentally maxed-out mid-major players who wouldn't have sniffed a high-major rotation spot last year are now being signed to lucrative deals to be 3rd/4th options for Power 4 teams. The second-order effect here — and this is merely a working hypothesis — is that the Tier 1/Elite teams (say, the top 5-8) will be somewhat down from last season's extraordinary heights, while the Tier 2/Tier 3 teams (10 through 40 ish) will be way down. While Louisville and Vanderbilt were able to build Tournament-level rosters last year strictly utilizing the Portal, such a task is significantly more difficult this season (as Baylor is likely to find out) due to the paucity of P4-caliber players available in the Portal. There's no margin for error for these "build your roster from scratch" teams. Every "get" has to hit (or at least not completely flop).

[tower912]

Maybe Shaka is on to something.  The crux of this seems to be that everyone is competing for the same mid major players.

Amadou and Itejere were snapped up by the A-10.   Could it be there just aren't that many upgrades out there now that the COVID year is done?

Though later in the article, the author name drops Shaka and says that not using the portal is a ceiling capper.

[bilsu]

Maybe Shaka is on to something.  The crux of this seems to be that everyone is competing for the same mid major players.

Amadou and Itejere were snapped up by the A-10.   Could it be there just aren't that many upgrades out there now that the COVID year is done?

Though later in the article, the author name drops Shaka and says that not using the portal is a ceiling capper.

McGuire and Buzz used JC transfers to fill holes. While I admire Shaka for what he wants to do, I do think not taking transfers is a ceiling capper. However, on the other hand he does not lose good players to the portal. Wisconsin goes to the portal but also loses players. One coach takes the long-term view, and the other coach takes the short-term view.

[PointWarrior]

" One coach takes the long-term view, and the other coach takes the short-term view."

And yet neither one has had any significant tourney success. 

[wadesworld]

" One coach takes the long-term view, and the other coach takes the short-term view."

And yet neither one has had any significant tourney success. 

Well, if you don't count a Final Four as "significant tourney success," sure.

[MuMark]

Relationship building in the portal.......

https://x.com/coachjack212/status/1912471238775091529?s=61&t=6XPB8f4sAKmJIzxgMcsCjw

[MU82]

Scott Drew will have to be Mr. Transfer Portal after Baylor lost ALL 14 of its players from this past season's team - 4 to graduation, 1 to pro hoops and 9 to the portal.

A few Scoopers are jealous of his good fortune.

[PGsHeroes32]

Chad Baker Mazara gonna be homeless at 30 book it

[tower912]

Scott Drew will have to be Mr. Transfer Portal after Baylor lost ALL 14 of its players from this past season's team - 4 to graduation, 1 to pro hoops and 9 to the portal.

A few Scoopers are jealous of his good fortune.

IU, also.

[BE_GoldenEagle]

I am getting enjoyment out of all these middling Big East fanbases clowning Shaka and Marquette for their portal strategy. For most of them, the offseason is the only time they can get their shots in.

[Nutty]

Well, if you don't count a Final Four as "significant tourney success," sure.

First, while Shaka made a Final Four, and that'll never be taken away from him and he gets all the credit any coach should get for it, there hasn't been any significant tourney success for Shaka since then.  It is a legitimate criticism of him since that run, as I think he's gotten his teams out of the first weekend once since then.  That includes being the coach at 2 very well resourced programs, including Texas, which is better resourced than any athletics department in the country.  At MU, he has underperformed his seed every year and his 3 best teams all lost to double-digit seeds. 

Second, how is a Final Four 15 years ago relevant to the discussion about the transfer portal and NIL?  Back in the pre-NIL era, there were a ton of coaches who would have taken a long-term view of roster building.  Greg Gard would probably still be building a roster the way Bo Ryan did, and the way Shaka is.  Jay Wright may still be at Villanova.  Maybe Coach K would still be paying off officials at Duke.  But, that isn't the reality anyone's living in anymore. 

The transfer portal is not a panacea.  But, players are professionals now who can come and go as they please.  Take care of the guys you recruited and have become cornerstone players.  Those who don't pan out, let them go and find the right level for their talents.  Then go out and get other players from other programs, and often lower levels, who appear talented enough to move up in competition and complement the guys already in your program.  It makes a coaches job a bigger pain in the ass with no down time.  But, that's the profession they continue to choose.

[The Sultan]

First, while Shaka made a Final Four, and that'll never be taken away from him and he gets all the credit any coach should get for it, there hasn't been any significant tourney success for Shaka since then.  It is a legitimate criticism of him since that run, as I think he's gotten his teams out of the first weekend once since then.  That includes being the coach at 2 very well resourced programs, including Texas, which is better resourced than any athletics department in the country.  At MU, he has underperformed his seed every year and his 3 best teams all lost to double-digit seeds. 

Second, how is a Final Four 15 years ago relevant to the discussion about the transfer portal and NIL?  Back in the pre-NIL era, there were a ton of coaches who would have taken a long-term view of roster building.  Greg Gard would probably still be building a roster the way Bo Ryan did, and the way Shaka is.  Jay Wright may still be at Villanova.  Maybe Coach K would still be paying off officials at Duke.  But, that isn't the reality anyone's living in anymore. 

The transfer portal is not a panacea.  But, players are professionals now who can come and go as they please.  Take care of the guys you recruited and have become cornerstone players.  Those who don't pan out, let them go and find the right level for their talents.  Then go out and get other players from other programs, and often lower levels, who appear talented enough to move up in competition and complement the guys already in your program.  It makes a coaches job a bigger pain in the ass with no down time.  But, that's the profession they continue to choose.

Lots of words when simply saying "the OP was wrong" would have sufficed.

[Nutty]

Lots of words when simply saying "the OP was wrong" would have sufficed.

Where is the fun in that?

[PointWarrior]

Well, if you don't count a Final Four as "significant tourney success," sure.

In current NIL and portal times....

[wadesworld]

In current NIL and portal times....

Okay, so he hasn't had "significant NCAA Tournament success" since NIL was passed.  That's been a whopping 3 college basketball seasons, of which he's made a Sweet 16.

Marquette has advanced beyond that point 7 times in the history of the program.  I hate to break it to Marquette fans, but we shouldn't be a fanbase to turn our nose up at a Sweet 16 appearance.  We have 6, including 1 from Shaka, since the 1979-1980 season.  An average of one every 7.5 years.  Shaka has one in three since NIL became a thing.