michigan state Men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo said he has “no faith” in the NCAA’s plan to limit immediate eligibility exceptions for transfers twice because players will continue to use issues such as mental health to get waivers.
Izzo, who also said he is against players getting immediate eligibility if they transfer a second time, made the comments Friday morning on ESPN Radio’s “Keyshawn, JWill and Max.”
Earlier this year, the NCAA sent a memo to schools stating that players transferring a second time will not be granted a waiver and will have to sit out for one season if they transfer for reasons such as a coaching change. or a reduction in playing time. . But concerns about “physical and mental health” or “physical or sexual assault” will allow a player to qualify for immediate eligibility.
“I don’t have a lot of faith in the NCAA,” Izzo said. “This resignation thing. If you have a stepfather, you get a resignation. I just don’t believe in it, because I think someone, whether they’re a lawyer, whether they’re agents, whether they’re people, they’re going to just think about a different reason. Health Mental health is a big reason. I just don’t see why being left out is such a bad thing because 90 percent of the kids sitting around are not professionals anyway or they would become professionals.”
He said the waiver system that gives players immediate eligibility hurts them in the long run because they don’t learn to become resilient.
“I’m not for that. I’m not for anything,” Izzo said. “I just think we’re hurting the decisions that kids are making. I mean we’ve got 1,200. By Tuesday, we’ll have 1,500, and then we’ll have a second wave of kids on the portal. And kids are going to places that maybe it’s a little for the money, maybe because they’re worried about beating someone else. We’ve all had to beat people…and I think we’re losing that. Where’s the competitive advantage??”
Izzo also said that hundreds of players who enter the transfer portal never get a chance to play anywhere. He said the move impacts the player more than the program.
Those schools could, in the future, participate in the NCAA tournament with an expanded field. Izzo said he is concerned about the current ranking system (Michigan State, which made the Sweet 16, was ranked No. 7 after finishing third in the Big Ten) and its reliance on metrics. But he also worries that an expanded field could potentially dilute the postseason.
“I don’t know if I [would go] to 90 or not,” Izzo said. “I’m all for more teams coming in… but there’s something about this tournament that I hope we don’t lose. That’s the emotion of this, and it doesn’t dilute.”