KAEO Matt Cross

[MakeMullinsGreatAgain]

^ You may disagree, and that's perfectly fine. But saying college sports are "ruined" is hardly thinking outside the box.

but throwing a bag of cash at a kid is thinking outside the box? Pitino never recruited RJ when he was in HS - he becomes the head coach of St. Johns and throws a ton of money at him late in the portal cycle and RJ decides to leave - thats what i mean by its ruining college sports. Imagine where this team would be right now had RJ stayed.

I have the same fear with Curry next year - the way he is now playing - I guarantee a P5 will offer him a ton of money and he'll leave.

If you like having your team picked apart every year thats fine, but I don't.

[Juice Stand]

The NIL money is the enticement (which, let's be honest has always been there for the big programs, it's just out in the open now), the transfer portal is what allows players to bail year to year. I'm fine with NIL. Players work their asses off in practice, in the classroom, and on the court, they deserve something for it more than just the scholarship and a dining pass. It's the transfer portal that I have a problem with. With that said, I'm clearly a dumb dumb because without the portal we wouldn't have picked up Cross.

I think the bottom line to this discussion, for me anyways, is that we have a coach in place that is showing that he's pretty good at navigating the portal/recruiting space and I'm optimistic that he can build a program here, and we also have a good collective. I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the more active and well funded collectives in the conference. I think UMass is in a pretty good place.

[natwam2547]

^ You may disagree, and that's perfectly fine. But saying college sports are "ruined" is hardly thinking outside the box.

but throwing a bag of cash at a kid is thinking outside the box? Pitino never recruited RJ when he was in HS - he becomes the head coach of St. Johns and throws a ton of money at him late in the portal cycle and RJ decides to leave - thats what i mean by its ruining college sports. Imagine where this team would be right now had RJ stayed.

I have the same fear with Curry next year - the way he is now playing - I guarantee a P5 will offer him a ton of money and he'll leave.

If you like having your team picked apart every year thats fine, but I don't.

Either you misinterpreted my comment or I wasn't clear. I was understanding of your comment meaning you aren't alone and the thinking that it is ruining college sports is shared by many so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that there's that sort of opinion on here.

[MakeMullinsGreatAgain]

The NIL money is the enticement (which, let's be honest has always been there for the big programs, it's just out in the open now), the transfer portal is what allows players to bail year to year. I'm fine with NIL. Players work their asses off in practice, in the classroom, and on the court, they deserve something for it more than just the scholarship and a dining pass. It's the transfer portal that I have a problem with. With that said, I'm clearly a dumb dumb because without the portal we wouldn't have picked up Cross.

I think the bottom line to this discussion, for me anyways, is that we have a coach in place that is showing that he's pretty good at navigating the portal/recruiting space and I'm optimistic that he can build a program here, and we also have a good collective. I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the more active and well funded collectives in the conference. I think UMass is in a pretty good place.

I understand we got Cross and Cohen but who would you rather have right now - RJ, Tre, East, Degray, Noah, Garcia, TJ, Dibaji, McCory, Buggs, Dominguez or Cross and Cohen? I think we get hurt by the portal a lot more than we benefit from it.

[natwam2547]

This is UMass Hoops, not [insert player’s name here] Hoops.

I don’t begrudge any player doing what he/she thinks is in their best interests. That said, my interest is UMass basketball. If a player wants to be here great…and I support them 100%! If they feel the grass is greener elsewhere, good luck to them in their pursuits, but they fall off my UMass radar at that point.

I did not initiate this speculation. I’m just responding to it.

I think Matt, his family and other players are adult enough to understand that people’s opinions vary. This is not local community youth sports. It’s a business and I’m a paying customer. My views are as valid as any of yours.

Hit the nail on the head for me here. Now should we assume that this is causing an issue this year or make any sort of unfounded inferences about Matt as a player or teammate? Or whatever the hell g8won was saying? Absolutely not. But to think we have to censor ourselves on a umasshoops message board about our concerns about players leaving and constant roster turnover because a player might read it and take it the wrong way is a little ridiculous. We are fans. We love Matt and what he brings to the team. We all hope he stays. If he has a better opportunity for him in his last year in college, good for him. Doesn't mean we can't be disappointed about it in the end.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

We speculate all the time, no doubt. I think the issue here was the terminology used, and the seemingly doubling down on it (since corrected by said person - errors happen).

[NilesGold]

^ You may disagree, and that's perfectly fine. But saying college sports are "ruined" is hardly thinking outside the box.

I never said it was thinking outside the box, I was simply asking for specifics about how/why he believes that college sports are being ruined. Maybe we'll get there one day, but objectively, right now it doesn't appear to me as though college sports have been ruined. Changed a bit, yes, but hardly ruined.

[LS71]

Don’t negotiate with terrorists

Get the fuck out of here with this clown bull shit

It may be a bit of hyperbole but if a player says give me what I want or I’m gone, in the context of college basketball, isn’t that exactly what that is?

Feels like ‘college’ hoops is morphing into a farm system to the pros…a step or two beneath the G League.

Correct me if I’m wrong…they get scholarships, NIL money and now the NCAA is clearing the path so schools can play players. Am I missing anything?

Are players who transfer multiple times actually pursuing degrees?

[minutefanjsf]

Don’t negotiate with terrorists

Get the fuck out of here with this clown bull shit

It may be a bit of hyperbole but if a player says give me what I want or I’m gone, in the context of college basketball, isn’t that exactly what that is?

Feels like ‘college’ hoops is morphing into a farm system to the pros…a step or two beneath the G League.

Correct me if I’m wrong…they get scholarships, NIL money and now the NCAA is clearing the path so schools can play players. Am I missing anything?

Are players who transfer multiple times actually pursuing degrees?

Devil’s advocate…how many kids finish college at the school they start, not athletes? How many kids don’t get degrees? College is a business. Always has been.

[LS71]

^ How many kids who have to pay their own way or kids on scholarships that are not athletic?

So many things happen to college age kids…change of interest career wise, money to pay…just to name two..

[69MG]

I don't know when you all were at UMass, but I do remember this from freshman orientation in 1965. The Chancellor said something like, "look to your left and look to your right. One of the two will not graduate. Which one do you want to be".

So yes, a lot of factors play into who stays at a school for 4 years. I just don't like the speculation that some of us feel that a player whom we have all come to love and respect has demanded a dollar amount to stay.

[NilesGold]

So yes, a lot of factors play into who stays at a school for 4 years. I just don't like the speculation that some of us feel that a player whom we have all come to love and respect has demanded a dollar amount to stay.

Just a hypothetical here, but if Matt Cross was an assistant coach at UMass, and a damn good one, could get 150k from other schools to leave, and was making $75k at UMass... and he said, I want to stay, but you guys have to at least come close to matching what I can get elsewhere... what would you think of that?

[Juice Stand]

The NIL money is the enticement (which, let's be honest has always been there for the big programs, it's just out in the open now), the transfer portal is what allows players to bail year to year. I'm fine with NIL. Players work their asses off in practice, in the classroom, and on the court, they deserve something for it more than just the scholarship and a dining pass. It's the transfer portal that I have a problem with. With that said, I'm clearly a dumb dumb because without the portal we wouldn't have picked up Cross.

I think the bottom line to this discussion, for me anyways, is that we have a coach in place that is showing that he's pretty good at navigating the portal/recruiting space and I'm optimistic that he can build a program here, and we also have a good collective. I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the more active and well funded collectives in the conference. I think UMass is in a pretty good place.

I understand we got Cross and Cohen but who would you rather have right now - RJ, Tre, East, Degray, Noah, Garcia, TJ, Dibaji, McCory, Buggs, Dominguez or Cross and Cohen? I think we get hurt by the portal a lot more than we benefit from it.

I agree, and that's what the bulk of my post was about. The multi-time no-sit transfer portal STINKS. My comment about being a dumb dumb because we got Cross through it was trying to have a little fun.

[69MG]

So yes, a lot of factors play into who stays at a school for 4 years. I just don't like the speculation that some of us feel that a player whom we have all come to love and respect has demanded a dollar amount to stay.

Just a hypothetical here, but if Matt Cross was an assistant coach at UMass, and a damn good one, could get 150k from other schools to leave, and was making $75k at UMass... and he said, I want to stay, but you guys have to at least come close to matching what I can get elsewhere... what would you think of that?

I would say it's a free market economy for employed persons. When the time comes that schools are allowed to pay players (the proposal has been made), it will be a free-for-all and retaining players will be a crapshoot. For now, players are still college students, not employees. Just the way I feel. I can certainly see that there are many points of view on this. I give a fair amount to The Collective so I do understand the situation.

[eldonabe]

Right now it is a free market, as soon as colleges can officially pay these kids as employees of the school it is going to get worse - these kids will be "contractually obligated" and if you think the schools are not going to hold them to the contract you are nuts.

Instead of a portal free for all it will become schools trading players contracts instead.