Garwey Dual and the Art of the Portal - Kevin Stacom
Kevin Stacom, Sports Analyst
Garwey Dual and the Art of the Portal - Kevin Stacom
It’s been a long time coming, but the fact that it is a business -- a Big Business can no longer be ignored.
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The Shoes, The Money
I remember scouting a Nike showcase camp of some of the best high school players in the country about 20 years ago, and I noticed that among some of the items for sale in between the courts were different sets of high-end shoes for sale on a card table. It wasn’t a “Payless” operation-there was nothing available for under about $700 or $800 - all suede, Italian leather, alligator, etc.
Every major college program had a coach there doing their recruiting due diligence. It was intended to market for these shoes. Against the backdrop of all these many players running up and down about four full courts was an obvious display of elite consumerism highlighted by the contrast of the aspiring athletes around them.
That image made a lasting impression on me. You didn’t have to be a genius to realize that the convergence of these two worlds would have to be reconciled at some point in the not-too-distant future. A lot of money has been changing hands, and finally, the piper (the players) are demanding to be paid (legally).
The NCAA last year instituted/sanctioned a program (Name Image and likeness, whereby schools were allowed to set up a technically 3rd party entity that enables them to distribute money to the athletes of their choosing.
They were seeking to avoid the pitfalls, for instance, that Dartmouth College has presented recently by the players deciding to unionize. The NCAA figured that an indirect payment system was the better option.
Old Days
It can always be a bit unseemly to insert yourself into an analysis of a current player or situation, but I thought it might help to illustrate the arch of change that has occurred over the years ( since I graduated from Providence College in 1974 - ouch!).
To begin with, there were freshman teams, which were a significant benefit in terms of helping players fresh out of high school adapt to new surroundings and to the academic demands and pressures separate and apart from the intense focus on basketball performance.
Transfers were generally frowned upon as being potentially disruptive to a program and being inherently unfair to those players already there who were loyally paying their dues, waiting their turn for their ascension through the ranks, and competing for the lifeblood of playing time. Transfers were to be handled judiciously in order not to risk your school being labeled a “bandit” program. You were able to utilize two full summers out of high school to develop skills and acquire playing experience to incorporate those skills before being thrust into a varsity game in your sophomore year.
On the positive side of all this mayhem today, a college player can enjoy freedom of movement and acquire valuable leverage for payment that an NBA player would envy. Right now, there are only 1-year contracts, so by performing well and making an impact, a player can reap almost instant rewards through the NIL system.
In the current system, the transfer portal opened on March 18th and will remain open until Wednesday, May 1st. When a player has officially entered the portal, other schools are permitted to contact the player, and the recruiting process begins.
Garwey Dual and the Art of the Transfer
This brings up the topic of Garwey Dual.
Garwey is a talented 6’5”, 190lb freshman guard who has entered the transfer portal, and his situation is a good illustration of how dramatically the college basketball landscape has changed. In a perfect world, a player such as Dual would have the luxury of developing and refining his game - letting his software catch up with his size, length, and athletic ability. There is a rawness to his game that suggests time is going to be needed to develop his talents. That is not meant to be a negative - if your upside is limited, you can reach your peak earlier.
Dual would show flashes of creativity and the ability to make plays and was willing to apply his length and lateral quickness to be a very promising defender. Like a lot of young players, his shooting needs to improve, as evidenced by his percentages-33% from the field, 25% from the 3pt line, and 67% from the FT line. As mentioned, he needs time to refine and work on his game, and time in today's new reality is in short supply in terms of making decisions on both sides of the equation- for players and coaches. Especially now with a considerable amount of money at stake.
The player has to decide relatively fast. Is this my best pathway to get where I need to be? And, the coaches likewise have to make decisions on the type of team, the style of play they want to implement, and how to fill out a roster accordingly. When Coach Ed Cooley left abruptly, new Coach Kim English was under a lot of pressure to pick up the pieces and secure what remained in the program, besides what to add by way of recruiting and by way of the transfer portal.
One piece of unfinished business was Dual, who originally was recruited by Cooley, then decommited when Cooley left. Coach English reengaged and was successful in getting Dual back in the fold, thereby lending some much-needed credibility to a program that was still shocked by Cooley’s departure. It was fairly certain that Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter would stay as the foundation but the best thing Coach English and his staff were able to do was convince Jayden Pierre to stay at PC to hold down the point guard position.
The leap Pierre made this year in his development at the point guard spot for Providence, and given the fact that he has two more years of eligibility, might have entered into Dual’s calculation that his best opportunity for a place to shine would be somewhere else
Another factor in the equation, as relayed to me by my old teammate Joe Hassett is that Kim English and his staff feel very good about a player Justyn Fernandez, a 6’5” 200-pound shooting guard, who in one game at George Mason was able to make eight 3-pointers in a row.
He sustained an ACL injury in the spring, and was redshirted this year.
Dennis Felton, English’s lead assistant, confirmed that Fernandez has an elite work ethic and has been in the gym like an old-fashioned gym rat and hopefully will be ready to go for next season. I mention him as a segue because 3-point shooting is a part of the game that English wants to really emphasize when he finally has a chance to construct a team with all the elements of his choosing.
I know the coach understands the importance of shooting, the fundamentals involved, and the critical importance of 3-point shooting, specifically in today’s game. I remember scouting him as a prospect at the University of Missouri He was an excellent shooter with excellent mechanics. Shooters can be sensitive creatures and have to be coached correctly- they have to know that they won’t be yanked on a couple of misses. They sometimes need to find their rhythm before it can flow in their direction
Coach Felton wanted to be clear that he has nothing but respect for all three of their players that entered the portal, and he wishes them nothing but the best for these young men (Garwey Dual, Rafael Castro, and Donovan Santoro). That is the positive side of this madcap system currently in place- that the players have the freedom of movement to pursue what they think is a better situation and make a few dollars doing it.
At least they won’t have to wash dishes at Sonny Russo’s (great man) restaurant like I did back in the day, or wait for my friend Ernie D to pick up a tab at the old Chalet restaurant, not to mention Marvin Barnes and myself pooling enough money to buy some Chinese food on Smith Street( LOL).
(Those readers old enough will get the references)