Transfer Portal 2024

[Old Titan]

Just wait till Eric Henderson takes the Drake job; could get worse in Brookings...

[theeagleman5]

Maybe Mayo can find a school willing to give him NIL $$ and free haircuts......rather bizarre style there....

[Keenan Henderson]

Mayo is from Lawrence, Kansas.  Bill Self may be giving him a call to come to KU.  Mayo did all he could do for SDSU: helped them to 2 NCAA's and won player of the year in the Summit League.  It is good to see him moving on.

If McBride does come back to ORU then he would be the favorite for player of the year in 24-25.

[Eaglefan 21]

Dang.

[EagleManiac]

Yikes. Bummer. 

[theeagleman5]

Maybe ORU can do a portal Dr. Pepper commercial......The Boz is probably available..... 

[2014Grad]

I don’t envy the work Springmann and his staff have ahead of them this summer. This season was a chance to show our better players and potential transfers why they should be at ORU, and we weren’t able to do that. Players have so many options now it’s crazy. We may literally have to “expect a miracle” to be competitive next few years.

[Keenan Henderson]

1 hour ago, theeagleman5 said:

Maybe ORU can do a portal Dr. Pepper commercial......The Boz is probably available..... 

Have you seen the commercial with Boz during football season, where the portal sucks up everything that is outside (hot dog stand, benches,etc).  It is kind of funny but oh so true of basketball and football these days.

That would be 8 ORU guys who have entered the transfer portal so far and we still have over a month (May 1st) before it closes.

[dave]

This situation has to be exactly the opposite of what Tim Johnson, Billy Wison and financial donors expected when they renovated the MC and built the MCAC. It has to be hard. In my life I have had to learn the difference between REACTING and RESPONDING to difficult situations. Reacting is an emotional response that often shows itself in fear or worry. Responding is thoughtful, and seeks to understand the situation, asks informed questions, and takes positive steps to resolve a problem. I hope and pray that the Golden Eagle leadership is able to respond to the disappointing season and mass migration and regroup. The present situation has to be tough to swallow. But at ORU we believe in what God is doing, even in the middle of the storm. Winning is really important, no doubt. Championships are always our goal. And we love to brag on ORU to our friends and co-workers when they win, for sure. But in the end, this university is more concerned with what God is doing and our response to it than W's and L's. I know this may sound a little corny, but this is an opportunity to find out if we really believe what is written on the baseline of the MC hardwood: "Expect A Miracle." Coach Springmann, you are the man God has placed in the position to lead this program. Respond to this moment you have been called, follow the path the Lord has set before you, continue to be a leader of young men and know you have our prayers and support. Press on! 

[GoldenEagleFan]

 

[Bogus Smith]

Although it is expected and sad that Isaac is leaving, we should all be proud of how he represented himself, our Lord, and the University in his time here.  AND...he walks away with a diploma! 

Isaac coming to ORU was a divine move in his life.  He was meant to be here at this stage in his life and he will go and do great things - overseas and in his ultimate profession. We all should be grateful for what he did for our University as he should be grateful for what the University has done for him, too.

God speed, Mackey!  You'll always have a place here at ORU.

[Old Titan]

1 hour ago, Bogus Smith said:

Although it is expected and sad that Isaac is leaving, we should all be proud of how he represented himself, our Lord, and the University in his time here.  AND...he walks away with a diploma! 

I will NEVER disparage a player with remaining eligibilty that transfers AFTER getting his diploma, ala Kevin Obanor, Max, Connor and now Issac (if he actually leaves).

Let's face it:  most males playing a revenue sport at major colleges these days are merely giving lip-service to the term "student athlete".  They live off-campus, they take all their classes online with tutors for every assignment, they can bounce from school-to-school without any (apparant) academic consequences and with no loss of eligibilty when they do so, and they're getting paid to perform.  They could theoretically play multiple seasons for multiple suitors without ever stepping on a college campus, much less earning a degree.

The fact that some (most?) revenue-sport guys at low-to-mid-majors are actually still GRADUATING (with COVID eligibility to spare in this case) is yet another selling point to Mom and Dad when trying to get Junior to sign at ORU:  "Look, we're a different kind of NCAA school:  we actually care about your son GETTING AN EDUCATION while he's here."

[Old Titan]

Matt Zimmer:  Jacks Get Hammered By The Transfer Portal, But Eric Henderson Insists On Remaining Positive

South Dakota State loses William Kyle and Zeke Mayo after NCAA tournament run.

The South Dakota State basketball coaching staff during their NCAA tournament game against Iowa State in Omaha on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

 

By Matt Zimmer

Today at 2:21 PM

 

BROOKINGS — Eric Henderson answered on the first ring and mock-shouted into the phone: "WHAT?!"

He was, to be clear, joking. The South Dakota State basketball coach knew who was calling and what the call was about.

Zeke Mayo, the Summit League player of the year, had just announced on social media that he will declare for the NBA Draft while maintaining his final year of college eligibility, while also intending to put his name in the transfer portal. This came one day after Jackrabbit sophomore William Kyle, the Summit League's defensive player of the year, also entered the portal.

Those two defections, coupled with the graduation of seniors Luke Appel, Charlie Easley and Matt Mims means the entire starting five from this year's NCAA tournament squad are all gone from the program.

I almost felt bad making the call. What did I expect Hendo to say? The news wasn't exactly surprising, especially from Mayo, who had suitors last year at this time and instead chose to come back to SDSU for another year intent on leading them to the Big Dance, which he did with a spectacular season. Kyle's departure felt like less of a certainty but it was by no means shocking. The 6-8 big man was probably the Summit League's most improved player this past season, becoming a force on both ends of the court and one of the most exciting players in mid-major basketball. There's no doubt his athleticism will be a big help to whichever major conference school acquires his services. Both student-athletes are likely to have large sums of NIL money thrown their way

But all of that is window dressing on a cold reality for Henderson, his team and SDSU fans. This is a tough day for Jackrabbit Nation.

South Dakota State forward William Kyle III looks to make a move against Denver on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, during the men's championship game at the Summit League basketball tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

While SDSU has been hit by the portal before, most notably with all-everything point guard Baylor Scheierman, who left for Creighton two years ago and established himself as one of the best players in the entire nation. But other than that, SDSU seemed to have largely avoided the same portal-poaching that has devastated the rest of the Summit League's men's teams.

This week it hit like a punch to the gut.

After exchanging laughs over his greeting, I asked Hendo what his reaction was to the news (great question, Zim), not really knowing what else to say.

"Well, obviously, it's very bittersweet," Henderson began. "You certainly...(long pause)....(longer pause)...honestly I don't even know how to respond yet, Zim."

I know it's a tough day, I responded. But to be clear, you're not mad at Zeke or Will?

"No, no, no," Henderson said. "That's the thing. It's just a delicate situation. Zeke had opportunities to leave last year and for him to come back and believe in what we do, I think that says a lot. And I think he benefited from that, too.

"College athletics is really changing, and I'm not saying for better or worse. Times are evolving so you have to be prepared for everything. None of it shocks me. I'm not surprised. Would I like to Coach Zeke for another year? Would I love to coach Will for another couple years? Of course, but I say that while being equally as excited to coach the guys that are in our program. I don't want to take away from that. Does that make sense?"

Yeah, it does. But the portal and NIL are making your job really difficult. Your program is kind of at a point where you're just good enough to develop players into being good enough to get stolen by the big boys.

"That's the hardest part," Henderson said. "You love challenges and stuff, and at the end of the day we're in the business of helping young people grow and be happy and so if they think that can be done elsewhere, better, what do you say? You wish them well, and I love 'em and you just want them to achieve their goals and dreams, and if we're a part of that, great. If not, that's OK, too."

The Jacks have used the portal themselves — Matthew Mors and Nate Barnhart both transferred in from other Division I programs. Henderson has stuck to the gameplan of recruiting high school kids and developing them, and the Jacks have been more successful using that old-school strategy than most other mid-majors.

Will they have to abanadon that formula and go full-on portal hunting for free-agents?

Zeke Mayo leads South Dakota State into the Summit League tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Jenn Kenyon/Sioux Falls Live

"No, I don't think about it like that," Henderson said. "I still love my job and I still love developing young people. Just because we lost these guys doesn't mean we're gonna stop recruiting high school kids. Because at the end of the day, both Zeke and Will have done great things for South Dakota State and helped us accomplish a lot of great things. We're going to continue to recruit high school kids. But in the same breath, we do also have to put our team in the best position to be successful. Will there be more portal and transfer guys? My guess is that answer will be yes."

The legalization of NIL and the transfer portal have revolutionized college sports. On the one hand, it's given student-athletes a power and reward system they never had before and probably should have, to at least some degree. The NCAA took advantage of athlete labor for years, and anyone who still argues against that is being disingenuous.

Having said that, the fallout has created a new system that would be unrecognizable to any college basketball fan 20 years ago. Mid-major programs are quickly being relegated to mere farm teams for the power conference schools, while those gigantic programs have their own issues, with players hopping in the portal on an almost yearly basis. The coaches in the Big Ten or SEC also face new headaches, they just happen to be different ones than Henderson (and they also have more money to throw at those problems).

Henderson has made clear from the start of the NIL/portal era that he's supportive of systems that allow for the players to advocate for themselves. That system is now biting his program in the shorts, but Henderson isn't whining about it or looking for major changes in the landscape of college basketball.

"I always want to make sure the kids have opportunities that help them be successful," he said. "So I don't necessarily feel like it's all broken. I just feel like it's the way it is. We have to continue to adapt and be proactive — without losing the mission. Because like I said, I'm not mad at anybody. I just need to continue to evolve and adapt and change with the rules and how things are going while continuing to help young people grow and achieve their goals and dreams. I've done it with mostly high school kids. Does that mean I have to adapt? Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't help young people in the transfer portal learn and grow, too."

[GoldenEagleFan]

I’ve heard there’s a solid chance McBride returns to ORU, similar to Kareem last year. 

[Bogus Smith]

30 minutes ago, GoldenEagleFan said:

I’ve heard there’s a solid chance McBride returns to ORU, similar to Kareem last year. 

On the scale of remote, possible, or probable, I would say Mackey's return is "possible".  McBride is going to get a lot of attention and a lot will be determined on what his graduate studies can be and what the $$$ look like between the suitors.  ORU doesn't have to be the high bidder, but you can't pass up six-digits easily. 

I would put McBride's decision at 50/50 right now, with the longer he takes to make this decision the lower the decision for ORU becomes.

[ORob2]

1 minute ago, Bogus Smith said:

On the scale of remote, possible, or probable, I would say Mackey's return is "possible".  McBride is going to get a lot of attention and a lot will be determined on what his graduate studies can be and what the $$$ look like between the suitors.  ORU doesn't have to be the high bidder, but you can't pass up six-digits easily. 

I would put McBride's decision at 50/50 right now, with the longer he takes to make this decision the lower the decision for ORU becomes.

I KNOW you have more info than I do from Alabama, but if it were me, I would be saying that the longer it takes, the better the chances to return because he knows he has a spot on our roster.  Those other schools will want to lock him up, and they'll be rushing to compete their rosters.  He should know most of his potential options/offers within the month, right?

[Keenan Henderson]

SDSU still has 13 players (full roster), even with the transfers, listed on Verbal Commits for next season.  They brought in 4 freshmen in the offseason, so Henderson must have known that Mayo or others may leave.  

[Eaglefan 21]

A weird side note. I don’t think Tulsa has had a single player enter the portal yet. I believe they lost every player except for one last year so I guess it balances things out a bit.