Players Have Untapped Bargaining Chip That Could Slow Transfer Portal Going Forward

Notice of scholarship non-renewal date needs to align with portal window also

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
May 11, 2023 11:58 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There are two things that need to change in the world of college basketball:
1. These are no longer scholarships. These are player contracts.
2. The date on which coaches can decide to not renew a player's contract needs to be in line with the ending of the portal window.

The second NIL and the transfer portal teamed up to become the most unstoppable duo in college sports, collegiate athletics, especially on the basketball side, became professional sports. Players began leaving at a high level. Coaches began essentially cutting players at a high level also. And as players were shifted from school after school, the one thing that wasn't a concern was the academic side of things. There is no longer a scholar, so no need to pretend these are still scholarships. Anyone who has ever transferred to a new college only to learn that half their credits didn't come with them can attest to that.

For the most, these are one-year contracts where players wander into a city and hope for the best. If they're not good enough to jump into the NBA draft at season's end, then they have to hope they are good enough for that particular program to pick up the option on their deal so they get another season to prove themselves. If not, they are informed their services are no longer needed and they file the paperwork to explore their options as a free agent.

For the most part, players have adapted to this more professional approach to college athletics. However, there is one area where they haven't adjusted. Traditionally, offers from schools are single-year agreements that, until recently, were kind of an unspoken given for renewal so long as players remained eligible academically and kept their noses clean as far as staying out of trouble. The NCAA passed an athletic scholarship protection rule in 2015 that is supposed to prevent scholarships from being pulled for things like injury or a coach not being able to properly develop the for the athlete

There's even an appeals process where the athlete is to be informed of the right to a hearing before a non-athletic university board to make sure coaches are only pulling scholarships in the spirit of the guidelines. This has to be given in writing at the time of the mandatory written notice of scholarship non-renewal is given.

Of course, most often, it never reaches the point of a coach formally pulling a scholarship to make way for someone he thought to be a better player. Typically, the coach and player sit down together and talk about how the coach doesn't intend to play him next season and that the best option would be to enter the portal. If the player says he still wants to stay for whatever reason, then the coach might mention a consideration of not renewing the player's scholarship, but coaches at elite programs almost never go so far as to providing a formal notification of non-renewal.

What could start coming into play as athletes become more savvy and player representatives become more involved is players starting to negotiate for longer guaranteed deals. As elite schools like Arkansas develop a reputation for moving on from players, especially freshmen, after a single year, it becomes in the best interest for the athletes to include longer scholarship guarantees as part of the package they receive to go to a school.

Traditionally, scholarships are a single year guarantee that becomes legally locked in upon the signing of the letter of intent. However, single year contracts aren't the only option available to coaches. There are instances where multi-year scholarships have been given out. Players can negotiate an agreement for guaranteed multi-year scholarships so long as they're willing to stick by their guns. If they're highly touted, which is the case for pretty much every recruit sought after by a program that is viewed well enough to practice sifting of players, then finding a school that will throw in a multiple-year scholarship alongside all that NIL money is possible.

Such a bold move by Top 100 players would definitely change the game and could trickle down to the next 100 or so recruits, providing somewhat of a stabilizing effect within the top college programs. There would still be players like former Michigan Wolverine Hunter Dickinson who decide to leave because they don't think their NIL pay is enough to stay under contract with a particular school, but it would go a long way in decreasing player movement.

The other change that could help bring more stability to college basketball is moving the non-renewal date for scholarships. There is a dangerous window for athletes at the moment that takes place between when the portal closes and the July 1 deadline to notify an athlete his or her athletic scholarship has not been renewed. This means that if a player is still out there in the transfer portal after the deadline who is better than a current player on the roster, a coach can risk it and sign that player and refuse to renew the current player's scholarship.

While there's technically a rule against this, it only requires members of the university appeals board to agree there's reason for the player to be asked to leave, and the coach has home court advantage in this case. There are a lot of reasons that can be put forward as the "official" reason the player was asked to leave without saying he doesn't give us as good of a chance to win a championship as this other player.

Because of this, player contract renewal notices should be required to come out no later than the midway point of the transfer window. This allows coaches to get a good feel for who's in the transfer portal and conduct evaluations while giving players time to get in the portal and market themselves if their contract isn't renewed. It eliminates the weeks of uncertainty about whether they're going to get run out of town for a better player and avoids embarrassing situations created when players post graphics declaring their return, or in some cases make videos, announcing they are coming back only to have to leave a couple of weeks later.

On top of that, it lessens portal fatigue by fans who spend a full month tracking social media worried if their favorite player is going to be on the roster. If the midway point passes and that player is still on the team, there can be a sigh of relief as any movement going forward is viewed as a Christmas present and not met with concern akin to a kid thinking any moment now someone will come through the door and take their puppy away. It would help schools tremendously on the PR front. Also, if there is a difficult move to be made, it allows a couple of weeks for emotions to settle down and be salved with new arrivals.

Overall, these past couple of years have issued in a different world that have made it difficult to adjust, especially for players and fans. Changes need to be made in perspective and in rules. It may take some time to get things to a workable medium, but it can eventually get there. There will be more tweaks than simply these few suggestions, but they're a start. And a step in a different direction than what currently exists is the only way to figure out what will eventually work.