UConn’s Geno Auriemma on NCAA transfer portal: ‘It’s a mess’

UConn girls’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma criticized the NCAA switch portal for being a “mess.”

“It was gonna be a multitude from the start, and it’s a multitude now, and it’s going to be a much bigger mess every yr,” Auriemma mentioned Wednesday morning through Zoom. “Loads of these youngsters are delusional. You understand, they’ve so many voices of their ear.”

Auriemma mentioned he was instructed that about 1,000 athletes are within the portal and an estimated 200 had not been contacted by anyone and wouldn’t be going again to their unique colleges.

“The switch portal is nice for, , a child who is aware of the place they’re going, which suggests they had been enthusiastic about it some time again, who has a spot prepared for them, a spot prepared for them,” Auriemma mentioned.

The variety of gamers within the switch portal is an indication of a much bigger downside, Auriemma mentioned.

“There’s one thing improper with the recruiting system, there’s one thing improper with the tradition of faculty basketball as we speak, there’s one thing improper with the entitlement that occurs to exist as we speak,” he mentioned.

“And there’s one thing improper with this concept of, , student-athlete welfare, that all the things must be finished to accommodate the student-athlete, with no regard in anyway to the coaches who work their ass off, to recruit these youngsters within the first place, work with them, assist them get higher, make them the participant that they’re. After which they up and depart with no penalties in anyway.”

Auriemma then gave a situation during which the roles had been reversed.

“If we, as coaches, simply name a child in and say, ‘Look, , I assumed you’d be rather a lot higher than this. So I’m taking away your scholarship,’ we are going to get crucified,” he mentioned. “However but a child can simply up and depart for no cause in anyway. Apart from, ‘I simply don’t wish to be right here anymore. I don’t prefer it right here anymore.’ OK. So, yeah, there’s a time when it’s completely positively acceptable for a child to should make a change. Consider me, I’ve been on either side of the place youngsters have left right here. And the place youngsters have are available in. I’ve been on either side.

“And, , each time that we’re on this scenario, I at all times ask the child, ‘What’s improper with you?’ That’s my first query. At any time when a child needs to switch, I say, ‘What’s improper with you? You’re at an incredible place, you’re beginning, you’re enjoying loads of minutes. You appear to be, , actually profitable. So there’s acquired to be one thing improper with you.’ After which once they reply me, if I preferred their reply, then I’m going ahead. If I don’t like their reply, then I say I’m not .

“However 1,000 youngsters? 1,000, it’s unbelievable. And now, it’s, , with the one-time switch, not having to take a seat out. Don’t get me improper, I don’t disagree. I believe it’s nice. However there’s acquired to be one thing improper with the tradition if it’s this unhealthy. On each ends — on the youngsters’, after which the coaches’ — there’s acquired to be one thing improper.”

The Huskies had two gamers switch after the 2023-21 season. On April 6, UConn introduced that sophomore guard Anna Makurat, who performed in 48 video games in two seasons at UConn and averaged 6.5 factors, 3.7 rebounds and three.0 assists per sport, would switch.

Twenty days later, the varsity introduced that freshman guard Autumn Chassion, a walk-on who appeared in eight video games and scored eight factors, would even be transferring.

UConn added Ohio State ahead Dorka Juhasz through switch on April 12. Juhasz was a two-time first-team All-Huge Ten choice and earned second-team All-Huge Ten and All-Freshman Group honors in 2018-19 for the Buckeyes. She was second on the group with 14.6 factors and led the group with 11.1 rebounds per sport.