A Grip on Sports: The madness that infects March is about to ramp up, not just on the court but in the transfer portal as well

A GRIP ON SPORTS • At about 2 a.m. Thursday morning, Spokane time, something magical happens. Spring. The start of the season of buds. And mud. Of potholes. Of planting pots. And, most importantly in the world this column resides, the season of college basketball transfers.

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• Yes, the calendar turns its new page early tomorrow morning. Most of us will be asleep. And when we awake, it’s not like the world will have changed, as if we were some modern-day Dorothy opening the door on Oz.

It will probably still be gloomy and gusty, as it’s been for a while.

Those winds will pick up Monday, when the NCAA’s transfer portal officially opens for basketball players. Who will it blow out of town? Or sweep in? And why the heck is it happening right in the middle of the best few weeks the sport has to offer?

The answer to the last question is simple – and complex. The simple? The NCAA, duh. The complex? Something to do with the academic calendar, though why that would matter much in this day and age when the word “student” seems to have been divorced from its lifelong NCAA partner “athlete.” And will soon be replaced by some form of the word “employee” if sanity prevails.

Though what’s happening concerning basketball’s transfer portal is anything but sane. Not with the amount of money that seems to be thrown around.

Back in November someone close to a Power Four starter shared with me an offer the player had received. For the 2025-26 season. Six figures. Seemed like a lot. But nowhere near the most recent offers the same player is receiving. Another zero has been added. All before the portal even opens and schools can actually talk with players – within the rules.

Sorry. Rules. Not sure there are any. And, if they are, how many schools even know them. You’ve probably heard the term “Wild West” thrown around a lot in describing the transfer and NIL financing system these days. As if it’s that congenial. It’s more like the toilet paper aisle at Costco in the early pandemic days. Ya, that crazy.

Which is why players like Washington State’s Isaiah Watts can’t wait until their team’s season is finished before announcing their intention to hit the open market. If they did, the shelves might be bare.

The floodgates will open Monday. A couple thousand players from Division I to Division III will enter the magic portal system. Some will be in it for the money. Fine. Others will be looking for a better fit. Even more will be just trying to protect themselves. As coaches change jobs – notice how West Virginia’s not playing in any tournament after its NCAA snub was quickly followed by the news its coach was headed to Indiana? – players will enter the portal to protect themselves. They know, just like you, the new coach will bring along as many former players as they feel will help them succeed. And they will be discarded.

The wild part? All of this is starting while 32 Division I teams remain alive for this season’s biggest prize. How does that make any sense?

The players are not the bad guys here, though that’s where many fans aim their slings and arrows. It should never be “good riddance.” “Good for them” should be the response.

After all, they are dealing with the system as it is, not the one everyone wishes was in place. A system with more order, more safeguards for the athletes and the schools, more intelligent oversight.

But how often have the folks running college athletics ever shown they can supply any of that? I’ll wait patiently while you research an example. Finding one was beyond me.

Put yourself back into your 19-year-old mindset – if it’s not too long ago and your memory of those days too fuzzy.

Think about all the things you loved about your life then. If someone came up to you and offered you a million dollars to relocate, promising you everything you love about your current situation will move along with you, while everything you hate would not, what would you say? Thanks to Google, I know how to say “yes” in 24 languages. And that person might hear them all.

It’s why so many basketball players will say “kyllä” to the portal next week.

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WSU: We linked above Greg Woods story on Watts’ Tuesday announcement, news that may presage more before the Cougars even begin their postseason tournament in Las Vegas. It is a situation just about every college program has to deal with. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has picks in the S-R for the first round of the NCAA tourney. Not all the games but many including all the West Coast-related ones. … We can also pass along corresponding ones for the women, courtesy of Jeff Metcalfe in the Mercury News. … I really liked this interactive men’s bracket on The Athletic site. Put your cursor over a team and see the odds it will advance. We can also pass along the official bracket from the NCAA and an easy-to-follow game schedule. … John Canzano caught up with former Oregon State coach Ritchie McKay yesterday. McKay’s Liberty team faces Oregon in Seattle (7:10 p.m. Friday, truTV). … For those Colorado fans that hope the school will move on from coach Tad Boyle, be careful. You might get what you want. … Utah State and UCLA know a few things about each other (6:25 p.m. Thursday, TNT). … San Diego State looked as if it didn’t even know what team it was playing in last night’s play-in game. North Carolina. Everyone’s selection villain. The Tar Heels rolled 95-68. … The Arizona Wildcats have been a four seed in the NCAA tournament before. They’ve had mixed results. They face Akron (4:35 p.m. Friday, truTV) … Colorado State hopes to have solid results against fifth-seeded Memphis (11 a.m. Friday, TBS). … Around the women’s game, half of the NCAA tournament teams will be fighting for eight spots in Spokane the last weekend of March. … An Oregon player knows the Ducks’ NCAA host arena well. … Oregon State is a big underdog to North Carolina 1:30 p.m. Saturday) but there are always reasons to believe in an upset. … There is no chance for Stanford to make an NCAA run. The Cardinal missed the tournament for the first time since the last century. … In football news, Oregon held a pro day but most of the big-name players watched from the sidelines. … Warren Sapp is settling in as a Colorado assistant. … Arizona kicked off spring practice Tuesday. The most-notable change? Everything seemed to move quickly. … The San Diego State defensive line has quickly become a strength.

Gonzaga: The Zags would not be in the position they are in, an eight-seed facing No. 9 Georgia on Thursday (1:35, TBS), with No. 1 seed Houston looming in the next round, if not for their gritty 58-51 win over Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference final. Jim Meehan talked with a few players about what that win meant. (As an aside, maybe they should have lost and hoped they dropped to an 11 seed. Getting through a six and then a three might have been an easier path to the second weekend again.) … Is Khalif Battle the Bulldogs’ X factor? As in X-cellent in March. Sorry. Nothing so corny in Theo Lawson’s story about the guard, who has been saying for a while now he’s built for March. … Elsewhere in the WCC, the Santa Clara men made 16 3-pointers last night to advance in the NIT. Seems familiar. 

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, could Montana, a 14 seed, become Cinderella tomorrow morning (10:30 PDT, TNT)? To do don the gown, the Griz have to upset third-seed Wisconsin. … Northern Colorado had a great season and reaped appropriate awards. … Montana hired its new women’s coach and it’s someone it is familiar with. Interim coach Nate Harris. … In football news, a former Stanford quarterback is headed to Montana State. … Idaho State has put an emphasis on getting stronger since the season ended.

Preps: Dave Nichols spent his Tuesday night at Lewis and Clark High, watching as the best basketball players in the Greater Spokane League showcased their talents in the Greater Spokane Basketball Showcase. … There is also this roundup to pass along covering Tuesday’s spring sports action. … Former Lake City star Blake Buchanan, who spent the past two year at Virginia, will enter the portal when it opens.

Indians: You know how Spokane is spending a trainload of money to bring Avista Stadium to MLB’s new minor league facility code? The Eugene Emeralds have been trying to develop the same sort of partnership to do that. But the franchise announced yesterday it has failed and will be looking for a new home. Can we suggest the Pullman Crimson?

Seahawks: The Hawks introduced Cooper Kupp to the Puget Sound media yesterday, though Kupp, as Northwest as his clothing indicated, didn’t really need one. His fashion choice in the fall will include wearing the No. 10, as he has his entire career. … Big names. Big improvement? To be seen. … Offensive line improvement? To be seen as well.  

Mariners: We linked this Times story on Rowdy Tellez yesterday. It ran in the S-R today. … George Kirby will not be joining the M’s when they break camp. … Seattle topped the Brewers yesterday.

Kraken: Four goals in the second period is good, right? It was for Seattle last night in Chicago.

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• If you have ever wondered why your favorite school’s athletic department staff has seen more inflation recently than the market for eggs, the portal and NIL have a lot to do with it. Say your school is making a historic run through the NCAA or NIT or WBIT or whatever. The coaches have to focus on that, right? But recruiting never stops, especially in the transfer market. There has to be folks dedicated to it. And there are. Everywhere. Until later …