How is one supposed to build a team in the NIL/transfer portal era?
I mean, look at this:
Nine players entered the portal.
And now Baylor's gotta start from scratch!
(Assuming standout freshman VJ Edgecomb declares for the NBA draft, which he likely will.)
This a school that won the NCAA Tournament just four years ago, and has won at least one game in that tournament in every season since.
They've got nobody on the roster from last year's team!
And I get it, the whole Name Image and Likeness thing, where kids can make money while playing ball in college, is a huge deal. And the transfer portal, allowing kids to switch schools at their own will when it's open once a year, has been pretty cool too.
Sure, it's made the basketball tournament a bit top-heavy, but the entertainment value has been amazing to witness.
But what have we done to college sports when a school like Baylor essentially has to start from scratch like this? How do you build a team in this new era?
Answer: You don't.
So hats off to Head Coach Scott Drew, who I'm sure will lead the Bears to yet another NCAA Tournament, despite this little setback. They've already picked up six great players from the transfer portal and have a four-star recruit coming in from high school, so they should be good.
Kudos to the Bears if they can put together another decent season in the Big 12 and sneak into the tournament again in 2026.
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