In the wake of a relatively average season, the Wofford men’s basketball team looked to round out the year at the Southern Conference Championship tournament, entering as the sixth seed. However, the team seemed to strike gold, miraculously advancing to the final where they sealed a spot in the NCAA March Madness Tournament for the sixth time in program history, their first since 2019.
Though the Terriers ultimately fell to the second-seeded University of Tennessee, they did so only by seven points, putting forth a performance to be proud of on a national platform.
Wofford athletic accomplishments like those of this basketball season are not uncommon. Even with our college’s small size, many Wofford sports teams have been able to make waves against much larger and more formidable collegiate teams. For their 2024 seasons, both women’s volleyball and men’s baseball walked away as conference champions.
All this to say, Wofford athletics leave an impression. Despite this, in the days following Wofford’s March Madness appearance, word spread that several players had entered the transfer portal.
The setup for Wofford’s 2024 men’s basketball season had been far from ideal. The team had only just welcomed their new coach, Dwight Perry, in the Spring of 2023 and they were also facing the impending loss of many key starting seniors, making the concept of another mass exodus of players even more disheartening.
Since many beloved figures on this team like starters Bailey, Sivills and Filewich, had transferred into Wofford themselves, it feels a bit hypocritical to condemn and blame the transfer portal entirely. Rather, it feels necessary to acknowledge where this situation leaves Wofford’s team, in terms of skill and spirit.
Wofford’s conference championship title game was undoubtedly fueled by the electric student section and campus-wide support. In the hours leading up to the game, Wofford administration coordinated buses to transport student fans. In the bleachers, Wofford students intoxicated with pride roared for each point, sometimes even hailing somewhat lewd cheers towards their opponents.
There is no question of the dedication, spirit and resources that are present at Wofford. To many, it feels special to be part of such a small population of Terriers, and therefore exciting to celebrate big wins like these within our tight-knit crowd. Perhaps the appeal is becoming lost as athletes are whirled and tempted by the possibility to profit, advance and build an image.
In the modern days of college sports, there are many more factors to a team’s success than merely skills or a program’s funding. The current controversy surrounding NIL deals is largely centered around the belief that reputable programs will win and win and win as players themselves transfer in for financial benefits.
It seems to me that both sides of the coin, the value of a player as some kind of investment. He who stays with one team has undoubtedly been built up by that program in some way and he who decides to transfer may be doing so as a sort of investment into building a personal brand.
The willingness to transfer also seems particularly ironic at a place like Wofford considering the undying loyalty even from even the most distant alum. Though maybe it is being proven that the spirit of small colleges simply cannot compete with the thrills of NIL contracts.
The prevalence of social media in every aspect of our lives has undoubtedly seeped into college sports as well. Anyone, especially an athlete on a recognizable team featured on national television, is capable of profiting off of their image.
Still, the concept of the transfer portal, despite the various reasons one may choose to enter it, strikes me as self-serving and desperate. Has the frequency of NIL contracts reduced what it means to be a student athlete to some degree?
Wofford and plenty of other schools offer many benefits to students and student athletes alike, though most of these benefits pertain to academics. To me, the whole transfer debacle seems like a bit of a waste on an already incredible opportunity to profit athletically and academically.
Overall, Wofford’s 2024-25 men’s basketball season seemed to be bittersweet. It was one full of spontaneity, victory and upsets– nothing unusual in the world of college sports. I imagine these upcoming changes could rock the boat, but with Coach Perry’s first Wofford season squared away and many underclassmen remaining, this also seems to present a situation where the team could thrive.
