The recruiting game has changed with the institution of the grad transfer rule..... Kids who still have eligibility though they have fulfilled their academic obligations to graduate from their previous school. As a reward, the kid can pick whatever school he chooses to play WHAT USUALLY MEANS his last year of eligibility. Obviously, the new school has to agree to it and it occupies a scholarship, as a result.
There are NEGATIVES to it.. If a kid is under scholarship at another school, a potential suitor can't contact them to recruit them early until the kid declares as a grad transfer. That can mean that relationships between coaches and players have to develop quickly, after the kid declares his intent to transfer. The other negative is a program usually gets the kid's services for only a year.
The POSITIVES OR ADVANTAGES can far outweigh the negatives.. First, the kid has PROVEN himself at the college level, usually at another D1 school.. SO you know what you are getting, somewhat. Because it is only one year, a team is NOT STUCK with a player for 2 or more years, if he does not work out. There is usually plenty of tape to watch the prospective player to see what kind of player he is and how he would fit in to the program if he transferred. The kid understands the balance of academics and athletics at a D1 school, so the risk is minimized compared to recruiting kids that are in JC or transfers.
What this is going to do is replace some of the Junior College recruiting, in my opinion.... JC ball, there are reasons a kid is playing at that level.. Could be a struggle academically or with character issues out of high school.. Maybe not disciplined on the court.. Developing late.. Those are potential pitfalls when recruiting JC players... The JC kid may struggle academically when transferring to a D1 school.. The academic rigor may be more intense than at a JC and personal issues may not be resolved.. Plus they have not proven themselves at a D1 school.... GETTING A GRAD TRANSFER IS USUALLY A MUCH SAFER "INVESTMENT" IN A KID COMPARED WITH GETTING A JC KID!!
When dealing with a list of transfers that ARE NOT GRAD TRANSFERS, BY FAR AND AWAY most kids that transfer are averaging 2 points a game or less...Most of the time, the issue is lack of playing time. Kid may not be good enough or in the wrong style or system... Kid may not like the coaching so he transfers.. May be too far from home and realizes he wants to be closer to family.. Maybe the academics aren't working out.. Relationship issues with teammates or girlfriends get strained and the kid wants out... TONS OF REASONS FOR TRANSFERS.. But you don't always know what you are getting.. Getting the kid that averages 10+ points a game as a transfer is the EXCEPTION and not the rule so a transfer list has to be sifted through well, many times, to get the type player a program wants for more than one year.
A kid may well get into a new environment and succeed.. A situation where he just needed some development and the right style. Transferring down(lets say from a Big Ten school to a mid or low major school, DOES NOT GUARANTEE SUCCESS).. I have seen D1 ballplayers transfer to D2 or NAIA schools and still not succeed so transferring DOWN isnt always the answer.. Getting a transfer is a risk similar to getting a HS player though they have had time in a program to understand the rigors of playing/practicing at a D1 level and time management at the college level.
The GRAD TRANSFER has revolutionized recruiting when looking outside of HS kids. It is interesting to see the results across the landscape of D1 basketball but it has a ton of good merit in helping both the graduate and the suitors, for that one year. THIS IS ALSO A GOOD REASON TO DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH KIDS EVEN THOUGH THEY DONT CHOOSE YOUR SCHOOL... You never know if you may have to re-recruit the kid as a grad transfer. That previous relationship may be the difference in getting the kid later or not.
There are NEGATIVES to it.. If a kid is under scholarship at another school, a potential suitor can't contact them to recruit them early until the kid declares as a grad transfer. That can mean that relationships between coaches and players have to develop quickly, after the kid declares his intent to transfer. The other negative is a program usually gets the kid's services for only a year.
The POSITIVES OR ADVANTAGES can far outweigh the negatives.. First, the kid has PROVEN himself at the college level, usually at another D1 school.. SO you know what you are getting, somewhat. Because it is only one year, a team is NOT STUCK with a player for 2 or more years, if he does not work out. There is usually plenty of tape to watch the prospective player to see what kind of player he is and how he would fit in to the program if he transferred. The kid understands the balance of academics and athletics at a D1 school, so the risk is minimized compared to recruiting kids that are in JC or transfers.
What this is going to do is replace some of the Junior College recruiting, in my opinion.... JC ball, there are reasons a kid is playing at that level.. Could be a struggle academically or with character issues out of high school.. Maybe not disciplined on the court.. Developing late.. Those are potential pitfalls when recruiting JC players... The JC kid may struggle academically when transferring to a D1 school.. The academic rigor may be more intense than at a JC and personal issues may not be resolved.. Plus they have not proven themselves at a D1 school.... GETTING A GRAD TRANSFER IS USUALLY A MUCH SAFER "INVESTMENT" IN A KID COMPARED WITH GETTING A JC KID!!
When dealing with a list of transfers that ARE NOT GRAD TRANSFERS, BY FAR AND AWAY most kids that transfer are averaging 2 points a game or less...Most of the time, the issue is lack of playing time. Kid may not be good enough or in the wrong style or system... Kid may not like the coaching so he transfers.. May be too far from home and realizes he wants to be closer to family.. Maybe the academics aren't working out.. Relationship issues with teammates or girlfriends get strained and the kid wants out... TONS OF REASONS FOR TRANSFERS.. But you don't always know what you are getting.. Getting the kid that averages 10+ points a game as a transfer is the EXCEPTION and not the rule so a transfer list has to be sifted through well, many times, to get the type player a program wants for more than one year.
A kid may well get into a new environment and succeed.. A situation where he just needed some development and the right style. Transferring down(lets say from a Big Ten school to a mid or low major school, DOES NOT GUARANTEE SUCCESS).. I have seen D1 ballplayers transfer to D2 or NAIA schools and still not succeed so transferring DOWN isnt always the answer.. Getting a transfer is a risk similar to getting a HS player though they have had time in a program to understand the rigors of playing/practicing at a D1 level and time management at the college level.
The GRAD TRANSFER has revolutionized recruiting when looking outside of HS kids. It is interesting to see the results across the landscape of D1 basketball but it has a ton of good merit in helping both the graduate and the suitors, for that one year. THIS IS ALSO A GOOD REASON TO DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH KIDS EVEN THOUGH THEY DONT CHOOSE YOUR SCHOOL... You never know if you may have to re-recruit the kid as a grad transfer. That previous relationship may be the difference in getting the kid later or not.
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