The Mountain West Conference is once again facing the reality of being a feeder program for high-major schools in college basketball. With 68 players entering the transfer portal this offseason, 18 have already found new schools, with 11 heading to power conferences and likely receiving significant NIL money. Notable transfers include New Mexico’s Donovan Dent, who will reportedly receive $3 million to play his senior season at UCLA, and players moving to schools like North Carolina, LSU, Wisconsin, and Miami.
The constant turnover of players from mid-major to power-conference schools is a challenging reality for fans to accept, as it means losing talented players to larger programs. In the past season, several of the NCAA’s top players were former MW players who transferred to schools like Texas Tech, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. This trend seems to show no signs of slowing down, as more players from MW schools are likely to make the move to power-conference programs.
While it is important for players to receive fair-market value for their talent and hard work, the ongoing exodus of players from the Mountain West to high-major schools raises concerns about the long-term competitiveness and stability of mid-major programs. Columnist Chris Murray highlights these issues and provides insight on the impact of player transfers on Northern Nevada sports. For more updates and analysis, follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray or contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com.
Source
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
