The College Basketball Transfer Portal is Open and Popping

While you spent the day after Selection Sunday filling out brackets, many college basketball players were looking for a new home. The transfer portal opened for business on Monday, and boy, business is booming.

Nearly 450 players submitted their names into the transfer portal on Monday and there are a few names that will ring a bell for Kentucky basketball fans.

Devin Askew is once again on the move. The point guard spent one season at Kentucky and one with Chris Beard at Texas before transferring closer to his home of Sacramento. Over the last two seasons, he’s been a featured player for one of the worst Power Six teams in college basketball, Cal. Askew averaged 15.5 points per game for Mark Fox in 2022-23 but an injury forced him to miss all but six games last season.

The other familiar name for Kentucky fans comes from the West Coast. Andrej Stojakovic was a sharpshooter recruited by John Calipari, ranked as the No. 24 player in the 2023 recruiting class. He was underwhelming in his only season at Stanford, averaging 7.8 points per game while shooting 32.7% from three-point land. He elected to enter the transfer portal after Stanford fired Jerod Hasse.

The College Basketball Transfer Portal Should be Delayed

College athletes are no longer restricted to one free transfer. They can come and go as they please. The college basketball transfer window is open from now until May 1. Frankly, it’s a stupid timeframe.

There is a reason why the college football transfer portal happens so fast and furiously. The season ends on the final weekend of November. Players must find a new school before the spring semester begins in January.

There are no constraints by the college academic calendar forcing college basketball players to enter the transfer portal immediately. They still have at least six weeks until the spring semester ends and 10-12 until summer sessions start. Why is everyone in a rush to hit the transfer portal?

If college basketball moved back its calendar, high-major programs would not opt out of the NIT to get a head start on portal recruiting. The NCAA should delay the basketball transfer portal until after the Final Four concludes. It cuts down on the offseason chaos and still gives players plenty of time to find a new home.

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