It has been a soap opera trying to follow the NCAA and the courts last week. Lawsuits from several states targeting the National Collegiate Athletic Association's transfer policy of players looking to transfer to another school a second or more time have made things much different in the course of a week.
On Wednesday, a temporary restraining order was put on the policy, allowing players who were multiple-time transfers to play. That TRO was set for only 14 days. Then, the NCAA said those that did play may lose a year of eligibility if they play and the courts later decide the NCAA's policy should stay as written. Then, a short time later, the NCAA and the States involved in the lawsuit reached an agreement that any player that plays will be granted eligibility through the end of the spring semester.
And with that, UT Arlington faithful got to see Phillip Russell this weekend against Air Force. I heard many good things about he's abilities, style of play and game smarts. Looking at his stat sheet from the last couple of seasons shows he had the talent as a freshman and sophomore.
He started for the Mavericks and he looks every bit the part. 28 points in 29 minutes, 9-17 from the field, 4-9 from three-point land, 6-7 from the free throw line to go with two steals and two assists. He won the Newcomer of the Week award from the conference in the Mavs 76-73 win.
It will be interesting to watch the dynamic of the team with Russell in the mix. I believed the team was competitive and able to win most nights with the players the Mavs had while Russell was sitting. However, if one or two guys went cold, it became a struggle. It's been a while since there was a lockdown scorer on a UTA roster.
He may also make DaJuan Gordon, Shemar Wilson, Brandyn Talbot, Akili Vining and the freshman dandies in Kade Douglas and Makaih Williams better as defenses attempt to tighten around Russell. As long as Wilson, Gordon and Dwayne Koroma continue to rebound, UTA will be in the middle of it most nights.
The Mavs played with heart, but a familiar concern popped up. Like the games against Arizona and Grand Canyon, they let a lead slip late in the second half. UTA led by ten with under five minutes remaining and by seven with a minute and a half left. Four fouls, four turnovers and 0 for 3 from the field in the last five minutes hurt. But the defense came up with enough plays getting four rebounds on the four missed shots in that time and Wilson getting two blocks. Air Force missed a three at the buzzer to tie and UTA evened it's record against Division I foes, 6-4 overall.
As for the policy, I'm all for it as it stands. Collegiate athletics are turning more and more into minor league sports. As a fan, there was excitement watching Kevin Hervey, Erick Neal, Drew Charles, Kaelon Wilcon, Jorge Bilbao and company gel in the mid-aughts. Those days are gone.
When reviewing the older material surrounding UTA, coaches repeatedly referred to their sports as a program. "Building a better program," or "our _____ program," was how they referred to their players and their sport at the University.
It also made watching your conference peers easier. Preseason polls always meant nothing, but they have become increasingly less accurate as no one knows what to expect out of any team.
Now, with a constant turnover, it's harder to invest in the players. It was fun watching Kendall Weaver last year en route to Freshman of the Year in the WAC for UTA last year. Now, it's comically sad looking at his stat line as he sits on the UT Austin bench (4.3 points, 2.9 boards in 15 minutes with no starts). That's the latest example, but there's multiple every year. It's frustrating.
It also looks like the idea is to make life harder for those not in the "Power 6" conferences. It has helped that those non-"Power 6" conference teams pick up good players who rode the bench, but I'd rather watch a program build.
If these rules were in place in the 1990's, Gonzaga would still be a relatively unknown private school from the Pacific Northwest. I'd contend schools like Gonzaga and the small number of Cinderella schools in March make the sport better. Kentucky fans care about their school, and it's a good size base. But the rest of us, which is a vast, vast majority don't pay attention when they win. But a Farleigh Dickinson or Abilene Christian will, even if for a short term.
And it's not like the athletes lose anything but a year. They don't lose a year of eligibility, just have to sit out a year. Since 99 percent plus of the NCAA won't play in the NBA and the vast majority won't play professionally anywhere, that loss is relatively minor, especially when factoring in the NIL rules can drastically minimize opportunity costs in that scenario.
Who knows what will happen next year or after, but as of now until March, this UTA Mavericks team will be incredibly fun to watch.
I’m less impressed by Russell, as he seems to have cooled off the last two games. Nobody in blue and white has lately come close in my esteem to Georg Bilbao. I believe the transfer portal rules amount to a bleeding sore on the ass of the NCAA. After one transfer, there should be some kind of penalty for subsequent moves, like loss of a year of eligibility. It was entertaining, but kind of ridiculous to see starting QBs at some schools (Rice) that had already played at four other colleges, or the itinerant players using a sixth year of eligibility, thanks to COVID rules. Should 18 year olds have to line up against 25 year olds? It’s almost as dumb as forcing girls to play against (male) “trans” types.
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