There was a day when people would commit to a college and stay there for four years. Maybe they would leave early from the draft, but the transfer portal was almost nonexistent. The transfer portal was for players with special circumstances. When the NCAA began allowing NIL and loosened the transfer portal restrictions, nobody ever thought that it would become what it is today. Gone are the days of developing players into senior stars. San Diego State is the perfect case study for this. Magoon Gwath and Nick Boyd have both officially entered the transfer portal. What do the transfers of the SDSU stars say about the state of college basketball?
SDSU Transfers Highlight Major Problems in College Basketball
From 0-star to Superstar to Gone
SDSU is hardly the only example of this, but they’ve consistently developed talent from nothing. Boyd and Gwath both entered SDSU as underrated talents, yet SDSU gave them the chance to shine. Both players have become great talents and impactful players. Gwath won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year this year in his redshirt freshman season. He developed into a strong three-point shooter and showed incredible upside. The potential showed, but he immediately hit the transfer portal. He may test the NBA draft waters, so this may be a moot point. However, he could also return and go to one of the bigger schools.
Boyd is one who probably hurts Aztec fans. He blossomed from a zero-star recruit to an FAU team that made the Final Four before transferring to SDSU this year. Boyd turned into a true star this season with the Aztecs, averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.9 rebounds, along with 1.0 steals per game. He was an all-around player who finally took the big leap into a star role. However, both SDSU stars immediately entered the transfer portal.
NIL Opens Doors but Closes So Many
I don’t think it’s any surprise that every single team in the Sweet Sixteen this season comes from a power conference. Mid-majors are dying as their players leave after successful seasons to play for the bigger programs. NIL has opened the door for people like Boyd and Gwath, who can earn money after barely being recruited in high school. However, with every single player that earns his NIL deal at a bigger school, a door closes on the NCAA Tournament hopes of a smaller school.
We are only two years removed from SDSU being in the national championship game, yet virtually their entire roster is gone. Some graduated, but several have moved on to other schools (Lamont Butler to Kentucky is a great example). The SDSU transfers are only the tip of the iceberg of elite players who leave smaller schools for bigger ones. One of college basketball’s biggest calling cards was the Cinderella runs from double-digit seeds. Florida Atlantic made a deep run before their coach, and most of their players were poached by bigger programs. There are no Cinderella runs this year, and they may become rarer than what happened this year: power conference dominance.
The Last Word
These players have the right to enter the transfer portal. However, this may all bring college basketball crashing down. Gone are the days of smaller programs building up into powerhouses like Gonzaga. Also gone are the days of domination from a mid-major team for years on end, like UNLV. The days are coming when college basketball is no different from college football: the same few teams playing for a national championship year after year. Upsets may still happen, but they are so much rarer than they were even three years ago. The SDSU transfers aren’t to blame; the system is. Until something changes in that system, college basketball may slowly be spiraling toward its doom.
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