The volume of players in the transfer portal can often set off red flags for college sports fans, indicating either locker room problems or a culture issue.
However, despite having seven players leaving for other programs this offseason, the Blue Devils men’s basketball team is in a unique position. Head coach Jon Scheyer is welcoming six top recruits in this coming freshman class, including consensus No. 1 prospect Cooper Flagg and projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach.
The mass exodus has still incited some ire and panic from Duke fans, however, and The Athletic’s Brendan Marks released a lengthy thread addressing his take on the situation.
While fans in his mentions said they wanted to see players stay in place and grow over the course of a few years, Marks said he doesn’t think that’s the reality of college basketball anymore.
Lot of responses already, so I'll THREAD this:
I get being frustrated b/c you don't get to see guys "develop" over time. But… that isn't a uniquely Duke issue. Every fan base in CBB has the same complaint. Lower-level programs hate seeing their guys up-transfer, for example. https://t.co/L9N8aCU3QO
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) April 19, 2024
“That isn’t a uniquely Duke issue,” Marks wrote. “Every fan base in CBB has the same complaint. Lower-level programs hate seeing their guys up-transfer.”
“It’s unfortunate, but ‘lifers’ don’t really exist anymore,” he added in a following post.
Marks added that UNC fans had similar issues with the transfers of Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan this season, and it resulted in an ACC regular-season title.
UNC fans went through a similar frustration last season with all those guys entered the portal… and then in came Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan, and even if they were both one-year rentals, wasn't that worth it for the season UNC had?
Every UNC fan I know loved this team.
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) April 19, 2024
The reporter concluded that the five open spots on Duke’s roster will allow Scheyer to build a team specifically around Flagg, and that year-to-year turnover matters less than what product the second-year head coach provides from it.
So trust that Jon Scheyer has a plan, like Hubert Davis did. Once the smoke clears, it'll all make sense. Now he has flexibility to enact what he wants.
But winning is what matters most, especially when you only have one season with Cooper Flagg — who, yes, is *THAT* good.
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) April 19, 2024
