“The Portal” - 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023

“The Portal” - 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023

One of the top sports stories in Rhode Island (and far beyond) was the impact of the transfer portal on college basketball — by far and away the most popular sport in this state.

With the departure of Coach Ed Cooley from Providence College, the Friars saw a number of players depart, and new Coach Kim English brought three transfers with him from George Mason University, including two starters, Josh Oduro and Ticket Gaines.

But the University of Rhode Island saw massive turnover — a revolving door.

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Eight URI players left Kingston — almost all transferring.

And, the Rams added 11 new players for the 2023-24 season.

URI was awful last year and, to date, is only marginally better this season. The Rams are now 6-7 on the season.

 

Multiple Transfers

As GoLocal’s sports columnist Jim Malachowski reported two weeks ago, there will be complete and untethered free agency in college sports if the NCAA loses the lawsuit over the existing transfer rules, which is currently being adjudicated.

Many believe the judge will rule against the NCAA and in favor of college athletes. In a strongly worded decision, a federal judge in West Virginia issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) declaring the NCAA’s multi-transfer restrictions run afoul of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Seeing the writing on the wall, the NCAA agreed to accept a preliminary injunction for this school year. The injunction bars the NCAA from forcing athletes who have transferred two or more times to sit out a year.

This ruling effectively means any college athlete can play immediately this school year, even if they have transferred one, two, or even three times. It is free agency for all college athletes for this academic year.