Huge Change In Transfer Rules

[VUGrad1314]

LOI's now severely weakened in power. Welcome to what is pretty close to College Basketball Free Agency each year. This will only exacerbate and accelerate the so-called "transfer epidemic" and is a huge advance in player autonomy.

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/new-ability-to-transfer/

[NativeCheesehead]

Time will tell how this shapes out. But there's no way the P5s let this through unless they thought it would ultimately benefit them. 

[IrishDawg]

LOI's now severely weakened in power. Welcome to what is pretty close to College Basketball Free Agency each year. This will only exacerbate and accelerate the so-called "transfer epidemic" and is a huge advance in player autonomy.

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/new-ability-to-transfer/

How exactly does this weaken a letter of intent that a kid signs in high school?

The only thing this changes is that a school can't specify (outside of conference rules, which typically doesn't allow a kid to transfer to another school within the conference) where a kid can and can't transfer to.  Still has to sit out a year unless it's a grad transfer.  Penalties will now be more severe for tampering with a kid enrolled at another program who is not in the database.  I don't think this really changes much of anything within the transfer market.  All this does is put kids in a database where any school (outside of conference rules) can then contact the student once they announce their intention to transfer.  What happened before is that a kid had to get permission from the school they were transferring from to have contact with each school that they were considering transferring to, which is both inefficient and awkward.  I know the NCAA calls it a major change, but most schools don't restrict an athlete's ability to transfer beyond the conferences' rules, so I consider it to be a pretty minor (but good for the kid) tweak.

[VU2014]

I actually don't have too much of a issue with this rule. I'm generally for the idea of allowing kids to transfer where ever they want. Obviously you hope no one follows a coach after he gets hired away from your program, but hopefully the departing coach is classy enough to not screw their former program. Often times we don't see that type of class in D1 basketball though.

The real rule change that I think could be catastrophic to the sport is if they get rid of the "red shirt transfer" rule where a kid has to sit out one season if he hasn't graduated yet. If they got rid of that rule then recruiting would literally become free agency and poaching would become even more rampant then it already is. College Basketball recruiting is just a complete sleazefest (especially at the Power Conference level).

[VUGrad1314]

It will be interesting to see how the potential elimination of the one and done rule impacts recruiting and the transfer market. Will this help mids or hurt them? I can foresee less graduate transfer poaching and less overall transferring but of course this means that a few of each year's top prospects will go pro instead of going to college. This might create a cascading trickle down effect that makes recruiting difficult for mids. I think it may be important to stay active internationally in order to stay afloat talent wise. Regardless I'm sure glad we moved up.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/250206/NBA-Sends-Memo-Suggesting-Possible-Elimination-Of-One-And-Done-Rule-By-2021

[EddieCabot]

It will be interesting to see how the potential elimination of the one and done rule impacts recruiting and the transfer market. Will this help mids or hurt them? I can foresee less graduate transfer poaching and less overall transferring but of course this means that a few of each year's top prospects will go pro instead of going to college. This might create a cascading trickle down effect that makes recruiting difficult for mids. I think it may be important to stay active internationally in order to stay afloat talent wise. Regardless I'm sure glad we moved up.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/250206/NBA-Sends-Memo-Suggesting-Possible-Elimination-Of-One-And-Done-Rule-By-2021

I don't see this having much of an impact, especially for mid-majors.  This will only impact 5 to 10 players per year ... a small number compared to the 4,500 or so playing D-I basketball.

I'm curious why you think this will impact the number of transfers?  Guys looking to go straight to the NBA (or after one year under current rules) certainly aren't transferring.

[VUGrad1314]

I think it will affect the transfer market because with fewer freshmen available to recruit the top programs will be more active in the transfer market, meaning that kids that may have gone to lesser high majors or top mid majors  will now end up at blue bloods and high majors  which starts a cascading downward effect that may affect the quality of transfers into the mid major ranks. Perhaps I'm wrong though. Maybe conferences like the MVC MWC and A10 will remain solid transfer destinations.