Syracuse, N.Y. – Even though the NCAA tournament is just reaching the Sweet 16, it’s officially transfer portal season in college basketball. The NCAA’s transfer portal officially opened on Monday and as of Tuesday already over 1,000 college athletes had entered their names. The portal is a relatively new facet of college sports, so it’s understandable that fans have questions. I have received a lot of portal-related questions from readers in recent days. So I decided to address as many as I could in this week’s Mailbox. If you have questions for the Mailbox, send them to mwaters@syracuse.com. Q: Why is the basketball portal such a draw for basketball players? Isn’t there any loyalty to your school and team anymore? Mike: The NCAA’s transfer portal represents increased freedom of movement, the opportunity for more playing time and the chance to reap more financial rewards for today’s college athletes. It’s not just the portal. The real driver of the increased player movement is the NCAA’s decision to allow athletes to transfer without sitting out a season along with changes in NIL rules plus the Covid year, which gave players an extra year of eligibility. The portal provides a conduit for players; or their representatives, to communicate with coaches at other schools. Loyalty is a tricky thing. We demand loyalty from players and yet we see coaches jumping from school to school all the time. Sean Miller just left Xavier for the second time when that school basically rescued him off the coaching scrapheap following his dismissal at Arizona. And what some fans see as loyalty in the past was really a lack of freedom. I’ve talked with numerous former Syracuse players who have admitted they would have transferred if they could have played immediately rather than sitting out a year. Now, there are some cases of loyalty that could serve as a lesson to today’s players. Lazarus Sims was a back-up for four years and was on the verge of transferring before taking over as the starting point guard on the 1996 Final Four team. Allen Griffin, SU’s current assistant coach, stayed at Syracuse despite losing his starting job as junior. Then as a senior, Griffin became the starting point guard and leader for a team that advanced to the second round of the 2001 NCAA tournament. I don’t fault any player for seeking out better opportunities, but sometimes staying and working towards the goal has its benefits too. Q: So how does this transfer portal all work? Most of the players have representation. So does Alex Kline have a list of guys we might want. Do they target former recruits like a Drew Fielder (Georgetown) or Jalil Bethea (Miami) and try again? Money drives all of it, so how do you know what guys are asking for and what fits in your budget? Mike: These are all great questions. The transfer portal is still a very new element in the college game. Schools and coaches are still adapting to it. The most notable example of Syracuse adapting to the portal was the hiring last June of Alex Kline as the basketball program’s first general manager. Most players do have representation now. Kline’s job is to maintain contact with agents throughout the year to have an idea of which players might enter the portal. He can scout the player, make evaluation and also put together a valuation of what he thinks the player would command in the portal. Advance intel, as it were. The NIL budget is the key. We’re not sure of SU’s NIL budget, but I have been told that the coaches and the school worked hard to increase it over last year’s budget. Regarding players that Syracuse previously recruited coming out of high school, that will happen. But not always. Sometimes the need for a player is gone after a year because a school has brought in other players after missing out on the recruit. Also, the addition of Kline will help the SU coaches expand their search beyond those with obvious connections to the program. Q: Any major reason for Elijah Moore entering the transfer portal? Was it NIL or his unhappiness with Coach Autry or playing time? Mike: I would say that playing time is the main reason for most players deciding to transfer. Sometimes a lack of playing time results in a player not being happy with his coach, but the core issue is playing time. Since players no longer have to sit out a year when transferring, we’re getting a lot more transfers. With the advent of the transfer portal, some players want to “transfer up,‘’ going from a low- or mid-major school to earn a higher profile at the high-major level. And then there’s the newest element for transfers and that’s NIL opportunity. In the case of Elijah Moore, I think it’s pretty obvious that it was a playing time decision. Moore averaged 12.4 minutes per game as a freshman. Looking ahead to next season, he figures remain behind JJ Starling at the two-guard spot and there’s the addition of incoming freshman Kiyan Anthony to consider. Q: What’s your best guess as to why Chance Westry entered the portal? Mike: We can begin by referencing my answer to the Elijah Moore question. But after two injury-plagued seasons at Syracuse, my guess is Chance Westry is in need a change of scenery, a new start at another school and maybe going to a place where he can be assured of more playing time. Q: We read and hear about how basketball players are leaving their college programs and entering the portal. Many of us assume that it’s the player’s decision to leave for greener pastures. But how common is it, or has become in today’s age, for college coaches to tell a player that his services are no longer needed? Mike: You’d have to be a fly on the wall to know exactly how many times a player just decides to transfer versus how often a coach encourages a player to seek out other opportunities. It’s rare for a coach to simply push a player out the door. In most cases in which a coach is hoping a player will leave the program, all the coach has to do is let the player know what his expected role will be and that’s enough to cause the player to seek out those greener pastures. Contact Mike Waters anytime: Email | Twitter