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College basketball transfer portal: Ball State's Payton Sparks hears from Arkansas, Ohio State among 15 teams – 247Sports
The college basketball transfer portal is beginning to spike since opening last week and Ball State center Payton Sparks is generating substantial interest after averaging 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season. Sparks — a 6-foot-9, 240-pound sophomore — led the Cardinals in rebounds this season and was one of three starters who averaged double figures in scoring. Sparks has already heard from Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Utah, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Dayton, Arkansas, Iowa State, Loyola Chicago, Florida, Butler, LSU, Georgetown and Ohio State, according to 247Sports’ Dushawn London.
Over 62 games (all starts) at Ball State from 2021-23, Sparks averaged 13.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in 28.6 minutes. As a freshman during the Cardinals’ 2021-22 season, Sparks averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 28 minutes over 31 games.
The Winchester, Indiana, native committed to Ball State in June 17, 2020, and enrolled with the Cardinals the following summer.
College basketball’s transfer portal opened last week. Isaac Trotter’s guidebook on storylines and rules pertaining to the process for players and coaches is expansive.
Coaches have differing philosophies on the portal, which is open until May 11, and how to build rosters, but one thing is for certain — never before have staffs been able to openly pursue proven talent with collegiate playing experience this fluid.
Numerous graduate transfers already entered the transfer portal prior to the March 13 opening, but that date kicked off the 60-day window for the rest of the prospective transfers to hop in the portal to examine their options. The one-time transfer rule is still intact, per usual. If a player has not transferred yet, they are immediately eligible.
“I wish that it would start a little later than the day right after Selection Sunday,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said in September. “You would hope you don’t have someone on your team, as you’re heading to the tournament, who is looking at the portal, but I would also be wrong to say that it won’t happen. Somebody who isn’t playing or getting minutes is going to be looking for a new destination. I’ll be shocked if there’s a tournament team not dealing with that, and look, you have to stay on top of transfers at every moment because that’s essential in building a roster.”
Name, image and likeness is going to be a factor in the transfer portal. It’s no coincidence that some of the teams who continue to dominate the transfer portal also have structured NIL opportunities set up.
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With new coaching staffs at Georgetown, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, St. John’s, Cal, Ole Miss and Iona among others, expect these programs to take a transfer-first mindset ahead of the 2023-24 campaign to quickly rebuild rosters.
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