NCAA shortens transfer portal for college basketball to 45 days

Previous 60-day period had been source of frustration for coaches all offseason

The NCAA approved changes to its transfer portal window across all sports that will shrink the number of days for student-athletes to enter their name into the portal.

The move will give players 45 days, down from the original 60-day period, throughout the year to enter the portal. The new period will be divided up differently by sport, however. College football, for example, will open its portal 30 days after the regular season ends before reopening from April 15-30. On the other hand, men's and women's college basketball players will have 45 days after the regular season ends but will not reopen at any other point in the offseason.

The 2023-24 college basketball regular season that is weeks away from tipping off is slated to conclude on March 17, 2024. That would mean student-athletes would have until May 1st to enter their name into the portal. 

Though it won't be finalized until the NCAA's council concludes its meeting on Wednesday, the change has been expected for some time. Many coaches across the country in various sports have lobbied for a shorter window, mainly due to time management and roster construction restraints. A 30-day window was proposed but shot down on Tuesday in favor of the 45-day period.

Is Gonzaga undervalued heading into the 2023-24 college basketball season?

The new window does not change when a student-athlete can physically transfer schools, only when they can enter their name into the portal without penalty. Once an athlete has entered their name into the transfer portal, they're allowed to have contact with other schools and can transfer at any time. Graduate students will still be able to enter their names into the transfer portal at any time.

The transfer portal has been a vital tool in revamping the Gonzaga men's basketball program over the years. This offseason, Mark Few brought in Steele Venters (Eastern Washington), Graham Ike (Wyoming) and Ryan Nembhard (Creighton) as expected starters for the 2023-24 season. Likewise, Efton Reid (Wake Forrest), Hunter Sallis (Wake Forrest) and Dominick Harris (Loyola Marymount) departed the program via the portal over the offseason.

While the new rule wouldn't have impacted Gonzaga's new additions had it been put in place, it likely would've changed the trajectory of former Kansas and Gonzaga commit Marcus Adams Jr., the four-star recruit who reentered the portal in late August before signing with BYU on Sept. 2.