When it comes to the offseason in college basketball in recent years…from this view it sure has been a good time to follow other interests. Maybe golf. Maybe stock car racing. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are some of the best theater in sports.
The spring and summer months for college hoops, on the other hand, have become a borderline depressing time, and not because there are no games. Discouraging news seems to always be just around the corner in this sport, to the point where no news at all would certainly be better than any news in so many cases.
Coach firings have gotten out of control, with school administrators learning absolutely zero from the FBI investigation into the sport and this spring regularly canning coaches who do things right. The number of coaches jumping to higher-paying jobs, often drastically exaggerated in the past, has increased as the money at the top level has become so filthy rich (and firings come ever sooner). The transfer silly season has become a complete mess.
(We shared our thoughts on transfers last year, ironically looking at the case of then-South Dakota transfer Matt Mooney. Ironic because Mooney’s move to Texas Tech ended up working out pretty well for him this year, as all saw the last couple weeks. Even with his success, it should be remembered that for every winner there are also losers; the South Dakota teammates he left behind did not have as enjoyable of a year, and the team he most certainly would’ve made better saw its win total sliced in half, from 26 wins to 13. Our main points a year ago still stand; young adults indeed have the right to transfer, but we sorely wish for their own sakes that more would value relationships and stability in their college years. Especially since the vast majority announcing their transfers claim they loved everyone and everything about their previous schools, immediately before telling us they’re moving on.)
On top of that, the final toll from the FBI’s investigation hasn’t come close to being exacted yet. And don’t even get us started on how no sport spends more time needlessly tinkering with its rules than college basketball, and this is another summer when the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee can make major recommendations for changes again, and probably will as the NBA/FIBA infatuation still is strong.
Amidst all that gloom, if only there were more stories like the one run by Forbes magazine Thursday morning. Seton Hall’s Michael Nzei, who just completed his senior season with the Pirates, recently agreed to begin his professional career-but not in basketball.
Nzei will take a position with Goldman Sachs in New York City, doing so without even testing the waters on a playing career. He almost certainly could’ve played professionally somewhere around the globe, but instead sounds perfectly content going to work in a non-hoops career that he is very interested in.
Nzei also pointed out in the story how Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard was supportive of his taking some intensive internships during his time as a collegiate player. From the story: “It made me realize the coaches really cared about me outside of basketball. Coach (Willard) understood where my head was at and how important (the internship) would be in my journey. He told me, ‘Mike, whatever you need, we’ll support you.”
It’s a wonderful story of college sports at its very best, very worth the read. It also should remind many why college sports are more good than often portrayed. Jerry Carino of the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press summed it up perfectly:
Mike landed a big-time job. He used the system, not the other way around. Remember that the next time someone declares college sports model broken. https://t.co/HRbMQOmksR
— Jerry Carino (@NJHoopsHaven) April 11, 2019
Even with its imperfections, college athletics works for many of its participants, when all parties use it as intended.
For those who are skeptical, it’s perfectly fine to advocate for improvements to the system. Any changes hoped for, though, should always be done with the aim still firmly placed on the academic and collegiate experience for the student-athletes first.
If coaches aren’t reasonably supporting athletes’ academic pursuits, if programs are requiring too many hours out of the week-then those are the issues that change advocates should want to see fixed first. Paying college athletes, or allowing boosters to legally pay them (which is exactly what name-image-likeness rights would quickly become) doesn’t do a thing for improving educational opportunities. It doesn’t help a bit in reining in the time demands placed on athletes. It doesn’t contribute a thing to the terrific college experience someone like Nzei has received.
Rather than the ever-popular victim mentality promoted by many commenting on major college sports, in a perfect world stories like these would be as frequent as the daily news about transfers or coaches names being floated for jobs. There are more of them than just Nzei’s (one about former Middle Tennessee State guard Edward Simpson a couple years ago was a personal favorite), and we could only wish such perspective like Nzei’s were encouraged more by all involved at athletes’ own schools, as well as by their support system before entering college.
Side Dishes:
- Hoopville contributor Ray Floriani has some thoughts on the NCAA Tournament final posted yesterday right here.
- It’s the offseason, but we have another episode of Talking Hoops With Ted Sarandis with Phil Kasiecki joining Ted here to talk about the NCAA championship game, coaching news and more.
- There has been plenty of coaching news the past few days. Among the most recent is that Nevada is set to hire Steve Alford as its new coach. It’s a very good hire for the Wolf Pack, and those scared by the number of Wolf Pack players who recently entered the transfer portal shouldn’t be. For one, we’ve seen plenty do this when coaching changes are announced this year, and then quickly turn around and decide to stay where they are after meeting the new coach (see: Alabama). For another, if the worst case is that Alford has to rebuild a roster from scratch with his own players, that may not be the worst thing either for a Nevada team that piled up productive talent (often from other schools) yet still lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Have a great Friday and a terrific weekend. With that, the Morning Dish wraps up for this season and we’ll take time off from regular duty, popping up on occasion as special events or news might merit. Thank you for reading and following along this season, have a great offseason and check in with Hoopville in the offseason. We’ll be starting our regular conference post-mortem series very soon and will have other features through the summer as well.
Twitter: @HoopvilleAdam
Thanks, Adam, and have a great “off-season.” I appreciate your insights on the state of the college game. The transfer issue is a tricky one. On one hand, you can see how a player should have some freedom, especially in the case of coaching changes. But the relaxation of rules seems to have created a situation where a player who may have been a “borderline” major recruit can use a year or two at a mid-major as sort of a glorified audition, and that isn’t good either. The idea, however, that he is transferring to continue his education at a school that has a major that isn’t available at his present location is a joke.
Thanks Paul, appreciate it. I agree. Transfers will happen. It’s more frustrating watching those who are happy still transferring. They’re losing some of the benefits of being part of a team and giving up for a greater good, and developing lasting relationships in the process. That’s their choice, but if one wants a 1- or 2-year school, go to a junior college. The increase in those playing at three schools in four years of eligibility is frustrating, too, for the exact reason you mention about it by the end usually having zilch to do with academics.