College basketball rocked by record number of players entering transfer portal

About 1,000 players are in the NCAA transfer portal

A proposed new NCAA transfer rule is turning college basketball upside down. There are currently 1,000 players in the transfer portal with more to come.

“I predicted 2,000 at beginning of the year,” said Greg Kampe, head coach of Oakland University men’s basketball team.

Kampe and his staff are constantly checking the NCAA transfer portal.

“We don’t look at it, we refresh it. There’s so many kids going in and we all have openings,” he said.

The number of players wanting to transfer is ballooning, and in some cases, it’s big-time players.

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“The center from North Carolina is in the portal. If you’re the starting center at North Carolina, what’s better than that? Kentucky has kids in the portal, Duke has kids in the portal,” Kampe said.

Five Division I sports currently require transfers to sit out a season -- football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and men’s hockey. The NCAA is about to vote to change that, making one unified rule that all athletes can transfer once without penalty.

That is changing the landscape of college basketball, especially recruiting.

“What I think is going to happen is a lot of high school kids will be overlooked for kids coming out of the portal,” Kampe said.

Five of Kampe’s players have entered the portal. Additionally, Michigan State University’s Rocket Watts announced this week that he’s transferring.

Michigan basketball benefited from the transfer rule as Chaundee Brown and Mike Smith were big additions to the team this year that made a rune to the Elite 8.

Kampe said expect college teams to look completely different from year to year.

“You’re going to see roster turnover every year. You’re going to see a new kids every year, and really, you’re gonna have to cheer for your school,” he said.


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Jamie anchors sports coverage on Local 4 News Saturdays at 6 & 11 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m., in addition to hosting Sports Final Edition.