Dai Dai Gone!!

[SCKSCat]

Please, this is not complicated.
1. Coaches are treating players in their program better than they ever have. They have no choice.
Guys who abuse their players like Greg Marshall used to will struggle with unlimited transfer.
2. Coaches are going to use the resources they have to sign the very best roster they can. Resources include NIL, playing time, development, fan engagement, chances of winning, etc.
Any coach that does not will not be successful.
3. Players are going to look for the best situation for them and their family. That means NIL, playing time, etc, etc. Best situation may not be their current school.
4. Their will be lots of player movement as players seek the best opportunity.
5. We are lucky to have a staff who is able to get into conversations with the best players.

Fans can either
1. Enjoy the pursuit of better players and how we fill the roster.
2. Hate the entire process and check out from enjoying college basketball.
3. Relax and see what happens in roster construction and then follow the wins and losses like they normally do.

Funny how lots of fans are actively rooting for some players to transfer out but whine and moan when others transfer. Why did we not have such an outcry when Finister left?

As a fan, I feel like I can hate the current process, while still doing #1 and #3. I'm not ready to check out... yet.

Regarding Finister, I don't think there was an outcry when he left because it was pretty much expected he would enter the portal. Dai Dai was a different story. He was someone who was getting lots of playing time as a true freshman and was expected to return and be a big contributor to next year's team.

I am applying the Will Howard mindset to this whole situation.
Just to enlighten the unknowing, Howard was our quarterback and led us to a Big 12 Championship a couple of years ago, but entered the portal and signed with Ohigher State. Now Avery Johnson, who is more talented than Howard, is our quarterback.

So bottom line... Thanks for what you did, good luck in life, and we are just fine with the incoming people. College basketball has always been having players for a short time before they had to move on. Imagine what it would have been like if Mitch Richmond could have stayed an extra year. So the cycle of College basketball remain the same with players coming and going, change that and the sport will be dead. The struggle now is adjusting to the frenetic pace of the coming and going.

It appears that the other concern developing is big programs accumulating proven mid major players and the mid major programs losing pieces they planned on having to build competitive teams consisting of seasoned upper classmen.

[xtrawildcat]

As a fan, I feel like I can hate the current process, while still doing #1 and #3. I'm not ready to check out... yet.

Regarding Finister, I don't think there was an outcry when he left because it was pretty much expected he would enter the portal. Dai Dai was a different story. He was someone who was getting lots of playing time as a true freshman and was expected to return and be a big contributor to next year's team.

I am applying the Will Howard mindset to this whole situation.
Just to enlighten the unknowing, Howard was our quarterback and led us to a Big 12 Championship a couple of years ago, but entered the portal and signed with Ohigher State. Now Avery Johnson, who is more talented than Howard, is our quarterback.

So bottom line... Thanks for what you did, good luck in life, and we are just fine with the incoming people. College basketball has always been having players for a short time before they had to move on. Imagine what it would have been like if Mitch Richmond could have stayed an extra year. So the cycle of College basketball remain the same with players coming and going, change that and the sport will be dead. The struggle now is adjusting to the frenetic pace of the coming and going.

It appears that the other concern developing is big programs accumulating proven mid major players and the mid major programs losing pieces they planned on having to build competitive teams consisting of seasoned upper classmen.

Good post.
But mid majors now have a chance to sign more higher lever incoming freshman and joco players. Then watch them play and develop for a year or two or three or four. In some ways, that would be just as interesting and fun to watch.
Remember how much fun it was to watch Wade, Stokes, Brown, Pack, Pullen, Henson, etc as freshmen. Did not always win but fun to see what those guys could contribute.

[bigdeal]

I believe the cycle is becoming the mid majors sign the players and develop them for a year or two then the players leave for the majors while the kids who couldn't get as much playing time as they wanted after being recruited by a major leaves and ends up at a mid major. So the mid majors are becoming the farm system for the majors, but they do get some of the guys who couldn't make an impact early in their career at a major. Of course those same kids may then transfer out again after they get a year or two at the mid major so they can show they can play at the major level. As we all know, it is a mess.

[stlcatfan]

I thought Carter was very good at the beginning of this last year and then something changed. I believe there was something that upset him mid year.

I've wondered about that, too, although Carter did have a couple good games interspersed with his bad ones. At the time, I had hoped that the good game would pull him out of his funk, only to watch him go right back down the next game. It's probably good for him that he is back playing close to his home. A fresh start might do him some good.

[katlander]

I thought Carter was very good at the beginning of this last year and then something changed. I believe there was something that upset him mid year.

I've wondered about that, too, although Carter did have a couple good games interspersed with his bad ones. At the time, I had hoped that the good game would pull him out of his funk, only to watch him go right back down the next game. It's probably good for him that he is back playing close to his home. A fresh start might do him some good.

I really don't know what happened to Carter but surmise it may have been that too much was asked of him. I think Tang wanted him to become a dude, but he may actually be more of a role player. To his credit he tried to comply and prove he was dude-worthy, but alas it was a bit too much, Trying to force what better occurs naturally.

I think a similar turn of events occurred with Weber and Cartier Diarra.