Does ND’s academic rigor make us more susceptible to portal
by Georgia Hog (2024-04-02 08:29:14)
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departures?

I am not saying this is the case with Booth, but college basketball really seems to have transformed into little more than a minor league for the NBA whose marketing appeal is tied to college allegiances. Given the ease of transferring and the schools’ interest in keeping players eligible (I.e., ensuring that they receiving passing academic grades a la UNC), I wonder how many players are genuinely interested in juggling a challenging and legitimate academic load along with a primary focus on athletic and skill development necessary to put themselves in the best position for a professional basketball career.

In the past we heard stories of scholarship athletes “playing school.” How much more so now that the better ones are getting paid to play and easily can transfer if not happy with their present situation?

While I have no particular insight into Booth’s situation, I know for example that Blake Wesley hated the “school” part of ND. I suspect that there are many more like him these days, and there no longer are rules in place requiring or even encouraging an athlete to ride out a challenging academic situation to remain at his or her current school. Would LaPhonso Ellis have remained at ND if the current NIL and portal system were in place in the late 80s? How about Jerian Grant in 2013-14? What about Kyle McAlarney? I wonder.

I think it is rare top men’s basketball recruit who recognizes the full value of an ND education. And I also think the ND head coaching job has become even more difficult as a result of the recent changes.

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