Transfers

It seems that over the past five to ten years more players from their original basketball programs than ever before. This year's number was right around 675 from Division One basketball programs. That's almost two per school. Why are so many athletes transferring?

Everyone wants to blame AAU basketball. I don't really blame AAU at all. It's a matter of the society that we live in today. The "fast food" or "microwave" mentality is the world that we live in. Everyone wants everything instantly. When the player doesn't get playing time a starting job right away, they decide to get out right away.

Another part of our society that I believe is flawed and one of the reasons why so many kids transfer is the ability to deal with adversity. How many kids really have to deal with adversity with the high school or AAU program? They are usually the best players and don't have to deal with some working their tail off to take away their starting spot or playing time.

At times, Mom and Dad are there to help the kids deal with adversity rather than the kids figuring things out for themselves. This is something that college coaches don't want to deal with. Let the kids figure things out for themselves and get them to adulthood. No parent wants to see their child fail but sports mimic life. They will fail and they might fall on their face. How do they respond to falling on their face? Hopefully, everything they have learned over the years will help them get back up and try again or like the video below, fail harder.



AAU does play a part in it but not in the same way people think. The main reason the plays a part in the transfer process is because if a kid isn't happy with his/her playing time with their AAU program they can immediately head to another team and play a more significant role. That type of commitment or lack of commitment is what makes it tough for college coaches in the future.

Now, let's look into the reason why players transfer.

New Coaching Staff
College basketball has become a big business and if the coaching staff doesn't win, then they will be replaced. It can be really difficult to start over with a new coaching staff, especially after getting to know the previous staff for potentially a player's high school career as well as a few years in college. The argument for that in a real life situation is this, what happens when you get a new boss at work? Do you immediately quit and find a new job? Do you test it out for a while and see how they are and what their system is? Different isn't always wrong. Maybe the new system is actually a better fit for the player than originally thought. Don't close doors.

Not Enough Playing Time
The real question is, how many freshmen or sophomores start and play significant minutes right away at their high school? Not very many, especially at the bigger schools (yes, it happens but not as often as people think). I would say there is a distinct difference between a 18 year old just starting college compared to a 22 year old in his/her fourth year of college. Especially with the strength and conditioning programs that college teams have. Mentality and physically, it's night and day. Same thing goes for a 14 year old and a 17 or 18 year old in high school.

I believe I stated this in a previous blog but coaches will say things to recruits and their parents that will get them believe they are saying something else. "We could see you replacing this guy," and the players and parents hear "You will replace this guy." "We could see you starting next year," and the players and parents hear "You will start next year." Big difference in both statements. If players and parents truly listened to what coaches are saying, there wouldn't be as much misunderstanding.

Not the Right Fit
There are times that coaches realize pretty quickly that they made a mistake in a recruit. They probably won't admit it publicly but they don't get a chance to see a recruit play with their team and that a huge issue. Why? They can't really tell if they truly fit into their system. A player might be extremely talented but he just doesn't fit because he doesn't have the basketball IQ to keep up with all the new language and plays they have to learn once they get on campus. It's hard to trust someone on the floor when they can't remember the plays regardless of how talented they are.

Not Enough Time to Evaluate
Division One coaches generally don't have enough time to evaluate prospects and make mistakes in the evaluation process. The NCAA allows unlimited evaluations during July but only seven total during the school year. So, if the coaches get a late start on the process then the possibility of a mistake increases. They have a weekend in April but should add either another week in April or May because there is generally a big different in team dynamics after those first couple of weekends.

We always want to blame the kids and their parents for transferring. Sometimes the players and coaches need a fresh start. I understand the transferring at times. I transferred when I was in high school after my family moved 20 minutes away. I don't regret the decision at all and I believe it made me a much better person and it prepared me for college more than I ever expected.

Just remember this one thing...THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE.