March Maddening? Timing of transfer portal opening can be tough on coaches still in the tourney

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Coaches still playing in the NCAA Tournament are having to split their time between preparing their teams for the Sweet 16 and talking to potential transfers who have entered the portal.

Such is life in college basketball.

Dawn Staley is one of those coaches, and she said it’s a huge challenge.

“I think the timing is all screwed up. It really plays on your ability to compartmentalize,” the South Carolina coach said. “If you aren’t — I mean, most coaches are, but if you are not really good at it, it can sidetrack you. But for us, the main thing, the main thing at this point is trying to win another national championship.”

The portal is open and 595 women’s basketball players entered in the first 24 hours, according to the NCAA. That’s 2 1/2 times more than the 233 players that entered in the same time frame last year. There were 757 men’s basketball players in the portal in the opening 24 hours this year which also was more than double last season.

This is the first year that the portal opened up now. Last year, it opened a day after the NCAA Tournament selection show.

There were over 1,000 women’s basketball players in the portal. One name not in the portal yet, but entering soon is Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson, who led all Division I players in scoring this season. Her representatives at Klutch Sports Group confirmed to The Associated Press that she was exploring her options to transfer.

The portal has exploded over the last few years with NIL money becoming a major reason for players to transfer.

“A lot of kids are leaving because of it, but at the same time, I feel like you have to follow your heart instead of the money,” said guard Te-Hina Paopao, who landed at South Carolina as a transfer last year from Oregon. “Just be able to have fun with the game and create those relationships that I’ve created, and just be able to fall in love with the game again, and continue…

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Source link : https://www.nbcsports.com/womens-college-basketball/news/march-maddening-timing-of-transfer-portal-opening-can-be-tough-on-coaches-still-in-the-tourney

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Publish date : 2025-03-28 18:10:00

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