What's going on with the portal?
Only four players—KJ Adams, Dajuan Harris, Zuby Ejiofor and Ernest Udeh Jr.—are guaranteed to return to the Jayhawks. The list of players in the portal is massive, on paper: Clemence, Yesufu, Pettiford (already committed to ECU), Martin (already committed to Boise St) and MJ Rice. This is a trend that has raised eyebrows among Kansas fans in the wake of a disappointing tourney exit. Is something going on with Bill Self’s health that we don’t know about? Or is this just a sign o’ the times?
In the last three years, the algebra of player movement has changed substantially. The NIL, additional COVID years, an overdue revocation of the one-year transfer penalty. A new set of incentives has made its way to college basketball. Sometimes we’ll win—incoming freshman Marcus Adams Jr. spurned UCLA for KU because of NIL opportunities, and he explicitly said so!—and sometimes we’ll lose, as high-potential prospects like MJ Rice will decide to scope their options. That’s the reality, but that doesn’t mean you have to like it.
Something like the NIL puts KU ahead of the game, so I don’t think this exodus is worth the panic it’s generating in some Hawk fan spaces. While I don’t think something like Mass Strategies is as fleshed out as it could be—we should be picking up every dollar possible—they do seem to sense the urgency of getting guys into good situations for them and their families. Ultimately, that’s a very good and bodes extremely well for the new landscape.
At the end of the day, we all have loyalty to this program—that’s why you’re scanning a Jayhawks newsletter in mid-April with interest (thanks for nothing Royals!). To see players on the team make transactional decisions, one that take them away from the program, can feel distressing. I get that. As someone who looks at these dynamics from the player perspective as a baseline, it’s their right to explore what’s best for them. Basketball is a career for them now. That has changed the decision-making substantially.
Player movement is a problem in the NBA, too, and this was a league-wide discussion as the new CBA was getting hammered out. If fans and leagues desire continuity within their college programs, that sort of restriction would need to come from the NCAA and conferences themselves, I think. Conferences are scrambling because of constant realignment chatter and TV money, and won’t prioritize they absolutely have to. Maybe a more formal arrangement from the players themselves could force them to the table. Most unions also get cool jackets, too.
By the way, I’m liking the Stanford kid more than I like the Mich big guy. Come on down Harrison!