Aug. 29—GRAND FORKS — High school recruiting has traditionally been the lifeblood of college athletics.
The advent of NIL (name, image, likeness) payments and the transfer portal hasn't changed that. Yet for some basketball teams in the Summit League, the new variables are transforming how coaches recruit high school athletes.
"High school is incredibly important," Oral Roberts coach Kory Barnett said. "It's huge for you to be able to still build out that one, two, three years of getting to know a kid and the ones that really fit you. That's incredibly important. But with where the portal stands ... you have to be ready to adjust."
Coaches nationwide face massive attrition from season to season. UND, for example, will enter 2026-27 with just three returning players. North Dakota State lost eight players to the transfer portal.
Each spring, programs are forced to rebuild on the fly. The portal provides myriad options, with players entering from every division of college basketball.
#high #school #college #incredibly
The advent of NIL (name, image, likeness) payments and the transfer portal hasn't changed that. Yet for some basketball teams in the Summit League, the new variables are transforming how coaches recruit high school athletes.
"High school is incredibly important," Oral Roberts coach Kory Barnett said. "It's huge for you to be able to still build out that one, two, three years of getting to know a kid and the ones that really fit you. That's incredibly important. But with where the portal stands ... you have to be ready to adjust."
Coaches nationwide face massive attrition from season to season. UND, for example, will enter 2026-27 with just three returning players. North Dakota State lost eight players to the transfer portal.
Each spring, programs are forced to rebuild on the fly. The portal provides myriad options, with players entering from every division of college basketball.
#high #school #college #incredibly
2 months ago
