The transfer portal and NIL are the two hottest topics in sports these days and one HBCU basketball coach had some very strong thoughts on how both have turned things upside down.
Norfolk State men’s basketball coach Robert Jones said in a recent interview with WAVY10 News of Norfolk that both the portal and athletes’ newfound financial independence have made it tougher for smaller schools to keep up with the endless resources Power 4 universities have.
“This is now a glorified JUCO; we’re basically Norfolk State Community College,” Jones said. “I have so much more respect for JUCO coaches because they have to get a new team every year, every two years. Now we have to get a new team every year or two years and until the mid-majors get the money that high majors have, we’re never going to be able to keep kids here for a long time.”
Jones lost 2023-24 MEAC player of the year Jamarii Thomas (now at South Carolina) to the transfer portal last season. Jones chalks it up to everyone taking advantage of opportunities – from the players to the schools.
Howard freshman Blake Harper and Maryland Eastern Shore basketball standouts Ketron Shaw and his younger brother Kyrell Shaw have entered the NCAA transfer portal in recent days.
“It’s easy to get them, but it’s harder to retain them,” Jones explains. “There are a lot of kids who want opportunities and it’s harder to retain them because once they blow up, the big boys are coming.”