Rice among the programs hit hardest by transfer trend
New coach Pera rebuilding after 23-win season
Scott Pera’s uphill climb looks like the steepest in the country.
Pera has his shot as the new Rice men’s basketball coach, but during this spring’s signing period, he had to replace 80 percent of a starting lineup that led the Owls to a 23-12 season, their best in 13 years.
Starting guards Marcus Evans and Marcus Jackson, starting forwards Egor Koulechov and Marquez Letcher-Ellis and reserve guard Chad Lott and forward Corey Douglas transferred after coach Mike Rhoades’ exit to VCU and Pera’s promotion. But Pera is not alone. “You look around, I think Virginia lost three guys,” Pera said. “How many has Memphis lost? Four or five? New Mexico lost how many before
coach (Craig Neal) was let go? That’s three regions of the country I just named in three different leagues from major programs that they’re having a similar problem.
“It’s everywhere. You have to find a smarter man than me to figure out how to stop it.”
The transfer market in college basketball is real, and it seems to hurt programs like Rice more than it helps.
A 2016 NCAA study said about 14 percent of the men’s basketball players on Division I rosters had transferred from another four-year college. Another 15 percent transferred onto Division I squads from a two-year school. NCAA data also shows that about 40 percent of men’s basketball players are not at their original school by the end of their sophomore year.
Of the 633 student-athletes on ESPN’s 2016 transfer list (excluding walkons), 546 were identified by the NCAA as transferring to another school and joining the basketball team. Forty-six percent of the 546 moved from one Division I school to another.
At the time of the study, 269 Division I men’s basketball teams had at least one player transfer out.
Grads play immediately
The graduate transfer rule the NCAA adopted in 2006, which allows graduating players to transfer without sitting out a year, keeps the numbers trending upward. Jackson will be a graduate transfer at California-Santa Barbara. Koulechov will be a graduate transfer at Florida.
Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard said it forces some administrators and coaches to walk a fine line between supporting student-athletes’ rights and constantly rebuilding a program.
“On the one hand, I want to say, ‘You know what? You’re an adult. I can’t tell you what I think is best for you. You’re going to have to make that decision on your own, and I support you,’ ” Karlgaard said. “On the other hand, obviously it creates issues for us because we’re rebuilding more of the team than we thought we might have to.”
Some call this an epidemic, but about 33 percent of all students transfer at least once in their college careers, according to the NCAA. So some say it’s merely a snapshot of today’s society.
Regardless, there has never been more roster turnover in college basketball than there is now. Rice is trying to figure out how to prevent this from happening again, or at least lessen the degree.
Not first time for Rice
After a 19-win season in 2011-12, Rice lost Dylan Ennis to Villanova, Jarelle Reischel to Rhode Island, Arsalan Kazemi to Oregon, Omar Oraby to USC, David Chadwick to Valparaiso, and Ahmad Ibrahim to the pros overseas.
Two more players — Sean Obi and Keith Washington — left after coach Ben Braun’s firing and Rhoades’ hiring in 2014.
Mostly, the desire to play on a bigger stage drives the latest exodus. Evans, who is heading to his home state with Rhoades at mid-major power Virginia Commonwealth, previously hinted he might have considered leaving even if Rhoades remained.
So Pera plans to adapt on the recruiting trail by focusing on players likely to stay because of the value of the Rice education.
He’ll tap into transfers, too. It might be more about fit than overall talent with this staff.
Recruiting will take some creativity, too, but Pera has recouped so far. He has incoming guards in Alec Spence and Najja Hunter and graduate transfers in AJ Lapray and Dylan Jones. Josh Parrish will transfer from TCU and sit a year. Malik Osborne, a 6-8 forward from Don Bosco Prep (Ind.), is the jewel of this class.
Pera will do all he can in recruiting. But the realization that a college basketball roster can drastically change is important.
“You also have to be a realist and understand there are a lot of moving parts and revolving doors in college basketball these days,” Pera said. “Until somebody comes up with an answer to help slow it down, it’s not going to change.”
The NCAA announced a new group study on Division I transfer rules to consider where improvements can be made. The group expects to finalize recommendations before the Division I Council meeting in June 2018. It will be the third group to examine transfer issues since 2012, and the earlier efforts produced significant change.
Although the group’s focus is on all of college athletics, it could lead to changes in men’s basketball.
As disheartening as wholesale transfers are, Karlgaard preaches patience. He looks at the bigger picture, too, such as the ongoing debate over TV exposure, be it traditional or non-linear, for mid-major schools.
Big stage pursued
If the bigger stage is what student-athletes desire, he believes Rice can provide that.
“I think the perception of some of our student-athletes in general is that they can better showcase their talents at other schools,” Karlgaard said. “We’re going to have to work on: How is it in our 13-game non-conference slate? Who are we playing? What kind of exposure is there? Are student-athletes able to test themselves against top-level competition?
“If we can get over the hump and start winning consistently, I think that’ll take care of some of that. But it’s going to be an ongoing challenge.”