College athletes couldn’t play for a season if they transferred schools until now
California college athletes and coaches reflect on how recent changes from the NCAA have opened up new opportunities and challenges for women’s college basketball
--
When Emily Eason joined Portland State University’s college basketball team in 2013, it wasn’t what she expected. She struggled with her self confidence, stress, and affiliation to her team, and ultimately made the hard decision to transfer schools.
When she got accepted into Sacramento State University’s basketball program in 2015, she wasn’t allowed to compete for a full year due to a decades-old eligibility rule established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the 1960s. Though Eason wasn’t allowed to compete or travel with the team, she was still expected to attend practices, do vigorous weight training sessions and participate in other team responsibilities.
Sitting on the sidelines, as well as the high-pressure recruitment process, took a toll on her confidence and mental health.
“You are strictly a practice player (and) your coaches don't really see you as an important aspect of the team for that year,” said Eason, who graduated from California’s Marin Catholic High School in 2013. “You don't travel, you don't play… it's not a good feeling.”
The rule –– which was originally established to give more predictability power to coaches in terms of filling their rosters –– changed last year, allowing student-athletes to transfer to a different college or university without forfeiting a season of playing time. While college sports across the board have seen an increase in the number of people hoping to transfer to a different program, women college basketball players have flocked to the transfer portal in record numbers.
“I know that my transferring decision was the best thing I could have ever done,” Eason said.
Shifting the power student-athletes have over their career
As of May 2021, over 1,000 student-athletes have signed up to transfer –– more than twice the number of women in the previous year ––, with over 30 programs across the country having at least five players attempting to transition to another program, according to an article in First and Pen.
While proponents for the rule change stress that the decades-old rule previously punished student athletes for making the best decisions for themselves, others worry the move –– coupled with a decision to allow college athletes to play for an additional year due to the pandemic –– could have complicated consequences for the college recruitment process into the future.Though there are many reasons why an athlete may decide to transfer to a different college, some recurring themes include disagreements on playing time, issues around team chemistry, educational decisions and coaching abuse, according to Coach Will Watkins.
One high profile case that brought the transfer rule into the national spotlight was Sedona Prince, a redshirt junior, who broke her leg the summer before freshman year at the University of Texas. After going through damaging physical therapy, she had two more surgeries and suffered from kidney failure from her prescribed medication, according to an ESPN article by Dan Murphy.
After her experience, she decided she wanted to transfer schools not because of the basketball program itself, but because she needed a fresh start.
But when she got to the University of Oregon, she found out her medical bills were not covered in the state. She had hoped that she would be given an exception and be able to play her first season in Oregon, but her request was denied by the NCAA and she ended up sitting out another year.
In another case more recently, Shasta Parker, who graduated from San Marin High School in 2018, transferred from the University of Portland to the University of California State San Marcos after winning the West Coast Conference tournament in 2020. But the pandemic cut her season short and she decided to enter the transfer portal. But this time there were twice as many girls trying to change programs.
“It was crazy going through recruitment again,” Parker said. “I was so much more knowledgeable about the process and I knew what I wanted in a school, coaches, and program. So that part was easier, but it was so stressful because there were so many other players in the transfer portal.”
For Parker, it was frustrating to see players trying to hop programs after already transferring twice before. “It makes people stop and think for a moment about their reasons for transferring in the first place,” she said. With players no longer having to sit out a season, many are skeptical about players intentions for transferring from program to program. Parker continues “it makes people stop and think for a moment about their reasons for transferring in the first place.”
Student-athletes are also now eligible to play for five season, not four –– adding another layer to the recruitment process
Will Watkins, Archbishop Riordan High School girls head coach and program director of Bay City Basketball AAU club, has helped women navigate the college recruitment process for nearly 30 years.
He said the NCAA’s decision to allow student-athletes to play immediately after transferring programs is the right decision in the short term. But he said the future impacts are still uncertain.
Another recent change he’s waiting to see the impacts of allows student-athletes to play for an additional year at an institution.
The rule was put forth by the NCAA in March of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the world. The rule automatically awards every division one athlete an additional year of eligibility. Meaning, all division one athletes can play for five years at an institution.
Watkins said this change has put additional pressure on high school players trying to climb the college basketball ladder.
With players staying an additional year and transfer players being able to step onto the court right away, the number of open spots on basketball rosters are limited for new recruits with their eyes set on a scholarship, he explained.
Typically, there are 14 to 16 players (and corresponding scholarships) for each basketball roster, according to Kylie Horstmeyer.
“(It’s) the right decision for this year, probably the next couple,” Watkins explained. “At some point, it’s a little overkill. Nobody wants to stay in college for six years to play.”
More competition or leveling the playing field?
Kylie Horstmeyer, who was a senior at Redwood High school when the pandemic first hit in 2020, decided to graduate early after accepting an offer to play at the University of San Diego.
Horstmeyer said initially, the team roster looked stacked because four senior players had decided to stay for an additional year. But she said the new transfer and eligibility rules have added some challenges.
As roasters start to grow, so does the competition for playing time among current players, she explained. The packed rosters also leave less room for future high school recruits.
Watkins worries college coaches will favor more experienced players, making it more challenging for high school players to get their foot in the door.
“If things were normal, normal without the additional year of eligibility, they would have been Division One players,” Watkins said, referencing his high school players.
But the change could also open up doors for players competing at junior or community colleges.
Doug Weber, head coach for Grossmont Community College in El Cajon, Calif., said the transfer rule change gives incoming freshmen a softer transition to college and allows them to focus on how to balance their school work and basketball in preparation of transferring to a four year college.
He said major college coaches might be more likely to accept a transfer student from a junior college opposed to an incoming freshman because they have more college experience under their belt.
Watkins worries that the two transfer rules will impact team chemistry and morale with players being able to move more freely from program to program. He said the pressure will be on for coaches to build programs that make players want to stay.
“It's all about the situation that the program is in and the philosophy of the coach and coaches staff,” he said, adding that it will take time for coaches and teams to adjust to the new rules.
Having talked to a range of college coaches from all levels, he has heard the different approach coaches had adopted when building their programs. Experiencing the first season of the new rules changes, coaches are still navigating the changing trends and the effects on their programs.
“I want to just make sure to encourage players to really do their homework and look for the right fit for them, not for the name that's on ESPN,” he added.
