Siena alumnus and season ticket holder Jeff Uzzilia walks into MVP Arena to watch Siena men’s basketball’s first game of the season. He looks out onto the court and sees a whole new roster, almost zero players returning from last year’s team. He recognizes athletes’ names from looking at the roster but also feels like some players are missing. Uzzilia realizes this is the reality of being a fan of a mid-major school with the transfer portal.
According to RealGM, 149 MAAC men’s basketball players entered the transfer portal last offseason. Athletes will enter the portal to move up, like former Marist guard Josh Pascarelli transferring to Colorado State; others move down in search of more playing time, like former Marist center Matt McCool, who transferred to DII Jefferson University.
Coaches now work nearly year-round, learning to adapt to the portal. They must rebuild their roster just days after their season ends and fill the voids after losing important pieces to the portal. The portal is chaotic for players and coaches alike, but it is also a challenge for the fans.
“I’m sure it’s disappointing to fans because it’s hard to really appreciate the players,” said Marist men’s basketball head coach John Dunne.
According to Front Office Sports, during the 2024-2025 offseason, over 2,000 men’s basketball players entered the transfer portal, representing roughly 35 percent of all Division I athletes. This statistic includes graduate transfers. Transferring became more common when the NCAA adopted a rule change allowing players to transfer without having to redshirt for a year.
It takes fans three to four home games, or possibly the entirety of the team’s non-conference slate, to become familiar with their new roster. At the end of the season, half of the team’s roster, or more, may transfer, causing fans to learn a new team the following season and repeat the cycle.
“10-15 years ago, mid-majors had an advantage when they could keep guys and gain experience,” said Uzzilia. “I think that advantage is gone now.”
In the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, mid-major 11-seed Loyola Chicago made a Cinderella run, winning four games en route to the Final Four. 16-seed UMBC defeated the first-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the first round. This marked the first time a 16 seed beat a No. 1 seed in tournament history.
In the 2026 tournament, High Point was the only mid-major school to make it out of the first round, although the Siena Saints almost took down the number one overall seed, Duke. Since the Saints’ season ended, they have lost their head coach, Gerry McNamara, who signed with his alma mater, Syracuse, and two of its star players, sophomore guard Gavin Doty and Freshman forward Francis Folefac, to the transfer portal. Even when mid-major teams have a successful season, they are still forced to rebuild.
Although making a run in the NCAA tournament is more difficult, mid-major schools can take advantage of the portal by grabbing players coming up from DII or DIII schools. Marist graduate student guard Rhyjon Blackwell attended DII USC-Aiken before transferring to Poughkeepsie for the 2025-26 season.
Players are given more opportunities in the portal, but frequent transfers make it harder for fans to connect with their team. Senior forwards Trace Salton and Jaden Daughtry are the only two athletes on Marist’s roster who have spent all four years with the program.
Fans understand why players transfer, but it can be frustrating. The portal allows players to compete in a bigger national spotlight and make more money through Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities. They can also transfer when they feel they are not in the right situation.
“When they transfer, they are looking at athletics; there’s also academics,” said Marist faculty athletics representative Della Lee Sue.
Athletes first look at the opportunity to improve their chances of achieving their dream, but transferring can set them back academically. Each time an athlete transfers, they not only have to adjust to a new team but also a new campus and academic system. This is part of the risk that goes into transferring.
“Transferring is good, but you should have very good reasons to do it,” said Lee Sue.
It is challenging for players to start at the mid-major level and reach the next level. According to ESPN, only 30 mid-major transfers have been drafted to the NBA since 2016, despite the greater commonality of the transfer portal route.
When players enter the portal, they must apply to the school they transfer to. This can cause athletes to lose credits when they transfer, which can delay their graduation and cause them to lose eligibility. Although players can lose credits academically through transferring, they can also make more money by moving up to a high-profile school.
According to the New York Times, high-major players in college basketball will make upwards of $200,000-$1 million annually. Top-NIL evaluations can reach up to $3 million to $4 million a year. This allows athletes to stay in school longer, rather than turning professional earlier.
“The amount of money they’re talking about is a little bit outrageous,” said Lee Sue.
Athletes will continue to transfer from mid-major schools like Siena and Marist because of the opportunities, but there are risks to the portal. Recruitment in the portal moves quickly, which can make the decision harder for athletes, while potentially affecting them academically.
Marist women’s basketball junior guard Malea Egan experienced the speed of the transfer portal firsthand. Egan entered the portal after her freshman year at Montana State. Days after entering the portal, coaches reached out to her, and conversations started immediately.
“It’s [the transfer portal] like speed dating,” said Egan.
Egan ultimately chose Marist, but the adjustment meant learning a new campus and team located across the country.
Transfers like Egan will continue to be common in college basketball. As the transfer portal reshapes the roster each season, fans will continue to learn about a new squad each year. While the constant change makes it harder for fans to stay attached, they will still pack arenas to support their teams.
Edited by Mike Duda and Mike Schiavone
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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