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SAN FRANCISCO — Whenever a program like the Texas Tech basketball team gets onto the national stage like the Elite Eight, eventually the questions from the media deviate away from the court.
Before the Red Raiders take on Florida on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, head coach Grant McCasland was asked a litany of questions Friday from local and national media about a bevy of topics. None of them involved his thoughts on the matchup with the Gators, the top seed in the West Region and one of the favorites to win the national championship.
Instead, McCasland was asked what he thought of the state of college basketball, the transfer portal and NIL.
More: How Darrion Williams, Texas Tech basketball pulled off one of the biggest Sweet 16 comebacks ever
Like most teams in the country, especially those still alive in the Sweet 16, Texas Tech is made up primarily of players who started college at other schools. This is not new, and it hasn't been new for a while, but guardrails that were once in place — such as players having to sit out a year for transferring to multiple schools — have been challenged in court and shot down.
This ruling in late 2023 opened up the proverbial floodgates a bit, making it even harder for teams to have any kind of sustainability in their programs year to year.
"Everybody's trying to figure out how to position themselves," McCasland said, "and with the ability to transfer every year and there being no way to hold people to a team that gives you a chance to build it, it's just so many people trying to figure out what's next. No one's trying to figure out how to be great where they are. They're trying to figure out what's next for them.
"It's not to say that those aren't valuable things to consider, but when it's just that easy to move teams — I think everybody should have the opportunity to move if it doesn't fit and if circumstances are that way. But I'm just telling you, when you're trying to build a team to win, it's very, very difficult."
More: Will Krista Gerlich return as Texas Tech women's basketball coach? AD Kirby Hocutt answers
McCasland continued by saying the sport of college basketball needed significant changes to keep up with modern times, and approves of the ability to transfer as a principle. He would just like to see a bit more control of the situation.
"It's just there's not a very good structure to build," McCasland said, "and make this something that's sustainable over time. Where we are right now is not it."
The next question involved McCasland's thoughts on what kind of guardrails he would like to see, to which he responded, "Man, I'm just trying to beat Florida, to be honest."
But McCasland went in depth, saying college basketball has been "moving more to a pro model" which can alter continuity for everybody, players and teams included.
He then shared a story about how Federiko Federiko, Texas Tech's 6-foot-11 big man off the bench, used his NIL money to help furnish his parents' home in Finland. That aspect, and players being able to make money off their name, image and likeness, are areas McCasland feels have moved things in the right direction.
"But when it comes to our ability to keep some continuity, there just has to be a structure that helps us build some momentum," McCasland said, "and build some character within our teams to grow and continue to handle adversity in a way that's real and helps them when they step out into the next opportunities."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland discusses the state of college basketball
Continue reading...
Before the Red Raiders take on Florida on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, head coach Grant McCasland was asked a litany of questions Friday from local and national media about a bevy of topics. None of them involved his thoughts on the matchup with the Gators, the top seed in the West Region and one of the favorites to win the national championship.
Instead, McCasland was asked what he thought of the state of college basketball, the transfer portal and NIL.
More: How Darrion Williams, Texas Tech basketball pulled off one of the biggest Sweet 16 comebacks ever
Grant McCasland's thoughts on the transfer portal, NIL
Like most teams in the country, especially those still alive in the Sweet 16, Texas Tech is made up primarily of players who started college at other schools. This is not new, and it hasn't been new for a while, but guardrails that were once in place — such as players having to sit out a year for transferring to multiple schools — have been challenged in court and shot down.
This ruling in late 2023 opened up the proverbial floodgates a bit, making it even harder for teams to have any kind of sustainability in their programs year to year.
"Everybody's trying to figure out how to position themselves," McCasland said, "and with the ability to transfer every year and there being no way to hold people to a team that gives you a chance to build it, it's just so many people trying to figure out what's next. No one's trying to figure out how to be great where they are. They're trying to figure out what's next for them.
"It's not to say that those aren't valuable things to consider, but when it's just that easy to move teams — I think everybody should have the opportunity to move if it doesn't fit and if circumstances are that way. But I'm just telling you, when you're trying to build a team to win, it's very, very difficult."
More: Will Krista Gerlich return as Texas Tech women's basketball coach? AD Kirby Hocutt answers
McCasland continued by saying the sport of college basketball needed significant changes to keep up with modern times, and approves of the ability to transfer as a principle. He would just like to see a bit more control of the situation.
"It's just there's not a very good structure to build," McCasland said, "and make this something that's sustainable over time. Where we are right now is not it."
The next question involved McCasland's thoughts on what kind of guardrails he would like to see, to which he responded, "Man, I'm just trying to beat Florida, to be honest."
But McCasland went in depth, saying college basketball has been "moving more to a pro model" which can alter continuity for everybody, players and teams included.
He then shared a story about how Federiko Federiko, Texas Tech's 6-foot-11 big man off the bench, used his NIL money to help furnish his parents' home in Finland. That aspect, and players being able to make money off their name, image and likeness, are areas McCasland feels have moved things in the right direction.
"But when it comes to our ability to keep some continuity, there just has to be a structure that helps us build some momentum," McCasland said, "and build some character within our teams to grow and continue to handle adversity in a way that's real and helps them when they step out into the next opportunities."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland discusses the state of college basketball
Continue reading...
