WHO STAYS AND WHO GOES?

[91catAlum]

Jackson Grant is backing off his Commitment as per Skyline.

Yep.

[MinnesotaBobcat]

USU board still listing Battle, Osobor and Brown on transfer wish list, with “good sources saying 1-2 are done deals.” I get why they would want to go, but it sure is hard to watch all the uncertainty around this team when a month ago we were preparing for the big dance with a team that would be favored to repeat again next year. Weber state seems to be the biggest beneficiary of the offseason so far when you see all of the talent that has left the conference (and who are rumored).

[grizzh8r]

Jackson Grant is backing off his Commitment as per Skyline.

Shocker...

[AFCAT]

USU board still listing Battle, Osobor and Brown on transfer wish list, with “good sources saying 1-2 are done deals.” I get why they would want to go, but it sure is hard to watch all the uncertainty around this team when a month ago we were preparing for the big dance with a team that would be favored to repeat again next year. Weber state seems to be the biggest beneficiary of the offseason so far when you see all of the talent that has left the conference (and who are rumored).

Well, if that's all true, then Sprinkle giveth and Sprinkle taketh away.

[BobcatDel]

And as mentioned by others the spring MBB banquet in about an hour will have an “interesting aura” to it!

Can’t wait to see how the spring WBB banquet goes too!!

[GrizgradCatFan]

So who is going next? I don't see how Ray can unless he can graduate as he has already transferred and also Darius as he has already transferred. Anybody else have any insight on those guys if and or how they could?

[Cats15]

So, curious on how the BB banquet went for those that attended? I'm assuming (hoping) all players and staff minus Sprinkle was in attendance?

[DMMDCats]

So, curious on how the BB banquet went for those that attended? I'm assuming (hoping) all players and staff minus Sprinkle was in attendance?

I couldn’t make the dinner due to unforeseen circumstances.

My apologies, I have no information.

[lv2hoop]

The players had to be excused from the banquet when Coach Sprinkle came on to speak. That's all I know. Strange times indeed, as I assume it had something to do with undue influence with NCAA contact rules between players and coaches, etc.

[MSU01]

The players had to be excused from the banquet when Coach Sprinkle came on to speak. That's all I know. Strange times indeed, as I assume it had something to do with undue influence with NCAA contact rules between players and coaches, etc.

Presumably since he isn't allowed to have contact with players from other schools who aren't declared in the Portal. Must have been quite awkward but nice to see they kept everything above board in terms of the recruiting rules.

[aucat]

Tell you what, in today's college sports landscape, if you have a good year you better enjoy it because the bottom can fall out at anytime.

[Cat Grad]

The players had to be excused from the banquet when Coach Sprinkle came on to speak. That's all I know. Strange times indeed, as I assume it had something to do with undue influence with NCAA contact rules between players and coaches, etc.

Presumably since he isn't allowed to have contact with players from other schools who aren't declared in the Portal. Must have been quite awkward but nice to see they kept everything above board in terms of the recruiting rules.

I put this in the College Sports but I thought many would like to read it.

https://www.si.com/college/2023/04/04/n ... se-hubbard

[CelticCat]

Tell you what, in today's college sports landscape, if you have a good year you better enjoy it because the bottom can fall out at anytime.

Yup. But it also means you can have a major turnaround.

[catatac]

I didn’t read this entire thread, but I didn’t think Battle would leave because he’d have to sit out a year? Also, sucks losing Sprinkle but our next HC might very well be better…..

[MSU01]

I didn’t read this entire thread, but I didn’t think Battle would leave because he’d have to sit out a year? Also, sucks losing Sprinkle but our next HC might very well be better…..

If Battle is graduating this year, he can use the Graduate Transfer exception to be eligible immediately. If he isn't graduating, he'd need to sit out a year if he decides to transfer.

[Aunty-Bobcat]

He is not graduating. From what I have read, you can pretty easily get a waiver stating any transfer was completed because it was a mental health issue. Seems that one is pretty simple.

[MSU01]

He is not graduating. From what I have read, you can pretty easily get a waiver stating any transfer was completed because it was a mental health issue. Seems that one is pretty simple.

The question of course is will the NCAA require documentation of mental health issues in order to approve a second undergraduate transfer for that reason. If they won't and anyone who claims they have mental health issues is automatically approved, then they might as well have not bothered with their new rule in the first place.

[Desert_Bobcat]

He is not graduating. From what I have read, you can pretty easily get a waiver stating any transfer was completed because it was a mental health issue. Seems that one is pretty simple.

The question of course is will the NCAA require documentation of mental health issues in order to approve a second undergraduate transfer for that reason. If they won't and anyone who claims they have mental health issues is automatically approved, then they might as well have not bothered with their new rule in the first place.

From what I’ve seen on social media thus far, it seems like if you even think about having a bad day one time in your life you can get a mental health waiver. As we probably all know, the NCAA is notoriously bad at enforcing a rule like this. Heck they can’t even properly enforce tampering and recruiting violations, who thinks they’re actually going to get this one right too.

[Bobcatsinmso]

I would like to believe that Battle stays for his senior year. He can be the team leader while remaining as the big fish in the small pond of the BSC. He has already turned heads in the world of NCAA basketball, so transferring without the "mental health" moniker means sitting out for a year, which might be counter productive. I do fear that if Haslam follows Sprinks to Utah, Great O goes too. Would hiring Haslam as the next Head coach keep some of these players from leaving, or is that worth pursuing if a really good name crops up for the MSU job?

[MSU01]

I would like to believe that Battle stays for his senior year. He can be the team leader while remaining as the big fish in the small pond of the BSC. He has already turned heads in the world of NCAA basketball, so transferring without the "mental health" moniker means sitting out for a year, which might be counter productive. I do fear that if Haslam follows Sprinks to Utah, Great O goes too. Would hiring Haslam as the next Head coach keep some of these players from leaving, or is that worth pursuing if a really good name crops up for the MSU job?

In today's landscape of college athletics I think you need to simply hire the best coaching staff and recruiters you can find, whether those people are already on your staff or come from the outside. Hiring a coach just to make it more likely to retain current players seems like a shortsighted approach given how much player movement there is each year through the portal. The speed of MSU's turnaround under Sprinkle happened for one reason and it wasn't because his initial two classes of freshman recruits became star players!