The transfer portal is popular among college basketball players, and for good reason.
It provides freedom they never had, to go where they want to go, play where they want to play, see where their skills might take them.
Their coaches have always been free to bolt for a better opportunity. Why shouldn’t players be afforded the same independence?
For a mid-major program such as the University of Delaware, it has been both a blessing and curse.
The latter surfaced this week when Blue Hens sophomore Andrew Carr appeared in the portal, which now contains more than 1,200 names.
Carr, out of nearby West Chester East High in Pennsylvania, was one of the main reasons Delaware won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title on March 8 and played in the NCAA Tournament.
But to paraphrase the viewpoint of one interested observer, just when Delaware was good enough to win its conference, it turns out that’s really not good enough to retain a top player in today’s college basketball world.
The 6-10 Carr, with three years of eligibility left because the 2020-21 season was a freebie due to COVID-19, was the centerpiece of future Blue Hen aspirations along with forward Jyare Davis and guard Jameer Nelson Jr.
Davis and Nelson both arrived at Delaware, by the way, after transferring – Davis from Big East member Providence and Nelson from Atlantic 10 school George Washington.
“We love our team that’s coming back, as of today,” coach Martin Ingelsby had said after Delaware’s 80-60 NCAA Tournament loss to Villanova at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, knowing in this day and age he needed to utter that latter qualifier.
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So the portal giveth, and the portal taketh away, sometimes even with the same player.
Delaware fans certainly remember how critical High Point transfer Justyn Mutts was to the 2019-20 team’s success, starting 9-0 and finishing 22-11.
And then, having graduated from college in three years, he was off again, to Virginia Tech. There, Mutts started the last two years, won the 2022 Skip Prosser Award as the ACC men’s basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year – no small feat considering the academic heavyweights in that league – and won the ACC Tournament championship this season.
One can lament what Delaware missed, but you can’t help but feel good for Mutts and how his move played out.
That was hardly Delaware’s first experience with a player eyeing the big time. The stunning departure of guard Ithiel Horton after his CAA All-Rookie freshman year in 2019 led to him landing at Pitt. He played two seasons, earned his degree and now, as fate would have it with eligibility still left, has plunked himself back into the portal.
When the NCAA decided two years ago that players no longer had to sit out a year after transferring, it opened the floodgates.
“It could be the Wild, Wild West from a recruiting standpoint,” Ingelsby said then, quite prophetically.
This is where college basketball is now. Every year, coaches have to convince players to stay, as well as recruit others to come. It makes every year a rebuild.
There are six players from Delaware State in the portal after the hard-luck Hornets went 2-25 with 11 single-digit losses in their first season under coach Stan Waterman.
DSU has also added a transfer in Mount Pleasant graduate Fah-Mir Ali, who’ll be at his third school in three years after starting at Radford as a freshman and playing in 11 games at Charleston this past season.
Speaking of guys being at three schools in three years, that also describes 2022 CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada from Hofstra, who spent 2019-20 at St. Peter’s and 2020-21 at Oregon. One of several Hofstra players who entered the portal after this season was 2021 CAA All-Rookie choice Kvonn Cramer out of Mount Pleasant High.
It’s quite a carousel, with all these guys swirling around and landing here and there. Hopefully, academic credits transfer as smoothly as the players who attain them.
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The Blue Hens did sign two high school Class of 2022 prospects in Gabe Moss, a 6-foot-8 forward from the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and 6-4 guard Cavan Reilly out of Bishop O’Connell High in Arlington, Virginia. Moss hurt his knee late in his season, likely limiting his availability as a UD freshman in 2022-23.
Delaware coaches were planning to use their two remaining scholarships on transfers. They had one prospect on campus Thursday. If Carr does bolt, they’ll have three, at least.
Mid-major programs such as Delaware are the new training ground for high-major programs to pluck talent. What should not and cannot happen is that players are pursued and contacted in illicit ways by bigger programs or their representatives. Those being wooed now aren’t just playing on high school courts, like in the olden days, which were just a few years ago.
Carr chose Delaware over a couple of Ivy League schools, Patriot League power Colgate and CAA rival William & Mary. Family familiarity, with dad Phil and uncle Tim having played for Delaware, certainly held weight.
That was viewed as a strong link to keep Carr at Delaware, though his performance over the last two seasons certainly demonstrated he may have the potential to play, for instance, in the Big East or Atlantic 10.
Carr averaged 10.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Hens, with a team-best 37 blocked shots while shooting 40.5% on 3-pointers (17 for 42). That inside-outside ability is a highly sought-after skill. But Carr was not an All-CAA selection, though he did make the All-Tournament team.
The portal isn’t always the promised land. Some players are better off staying where they are, continuing to hone their games and earn their basketball opportunities while focusing on getting a college degree. Being overly ambitious has led to regrets for more than a few.
The irony of these situations is that Carr certainly benefitted from the coaching he’s gotten at Delaware, which he may now spurn in favor of others. That will lead some to question loyalty.
But, in actuality, allegiance must, first and foremost, be to himself and what’s best for his present and future. It’s not to coaches, teammates, fans or family.
And that’s why the portal, a veritable declaration of independence for college basketball players across America, is both the godsend and scourge that it is.
Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
