Bo Ryan’s No-Transfer List Could Set a Terrible Precedent
University of Wisconsin head basketball coach Bo Ryan is beloved among Badger fans, but a recent move to restrict the transfer opportunities for freshman Jarrod Uthoff has certainly turned some heads, and made people begin to question Ryan’s motives.
According to several reports, Ryan has restricted the schools to which Uthoff can transfer to continue his college basketball career. Uthoff approached Ryan recently and requested to be released from his scholarship to be able to pursue other opportunities which would be a better “offensive fit” for him going forward.
In response, Ryan outlined a list of schools to which Uthoff could not transfer which includes several Big 10 schools and other traditional Wisconsin rivals. While this is within Ryan’s scope according to NCAA basketball rules, the number of schools he outlined on the list is rather excessive, and creates a troubling precedent which future coaches could follow should they choose to make things difficult for departing players.
Among the schools Ryan placed on the no-transfer list are the entire Big 10 Conference, the entire Atlantic Coast Conference, and in-state rival Marquette.
Among the odd one-offs on the list was Iowa State.
I guess Ryan’s not a fan of Fred Hoiberg’s emerging “transfer empire” in Ames, or the fact Uthoff could help a school in the state where he played his high school basketball.
It’s obvious Ryan wants to prevent any possibility of Uthoff playing for a rival which could cause problems down the road. Understandable. In that case, name the rivals which you feel are the biggest threat– not two entire conferences.
For Jarrod Uthoff things have become significantly more challenging.
Having to transfer is never anticipated, and is an emotionally draining process.
I’ve been there myself.
By reducing the number of options Uthoff has for his future, Ryan has protected himself, but in return, has generated plenty of negative sentiment in the college basketball community.
Let’s all hope Bo Ryan backs off of his crazy list sooner rather than later and restores some sanity to Mr. Uthoff’s process.
Otherwise, a dangerous precedent will have been set which more coaches could look to capitalize on in coming years– making the transfer process so painful and limited that student-athletes will just stay put and endure the “devil they know”.
In that situation, no one wins.
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Kris Hughes is the College Football Network Manager for Rant Sports. If you enjoy his takes, you can follow Kris on Twitter, check out his personal Facebook page, or stop by his personal Tumblr page.
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More articles on Bo Ryan’s resistance to allow Jarrod Uthoff control over his transfer process:
Bo Ryan’s transfer ban list is large: http://es.pn/JbvN8N
Bo Ryan is angry Jarrod Uthoff is transferring: http://bit.ly/ILoxSi
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