It's been a busy start to the offseason for Virginia Tech basketball coach Mike Young. After the season ended last month, more than half of his team entered the NCAA transfer portal, leaving many wondering what was going on in Blacksburg.
The naysayers blamed everything on Young. But of course, there was always more to this story. The departure was less about Young and more about the NIL and players using their services.
Things started to stabilize earlier this month when Virginia Tech acquired its first signing from the transfer portal. It was UTSA guard Jordan Ivy Curry. Four more commitments followed, and it looked like Tech's 2024-25 roster would be even better than last year's team.
That optimism was shattered Monday when Ivey-Curry announced he was rescinding his commitment to the Hokies and restarting recruiting. Ivy Curry averaged over 17 points per game last season and was expected to be a starter for VT.
He said Jordan Ivy Curry has resumed recruiting. @aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
The 6-3 guard, who averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot 39 percent from three last season, previously attended Virginia Tech.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 29, 2024
If you follow the social media conversation, it appears Ivy Curry is headed to Kentucky.
Well, that's not what Virginia Tech fans want to hear since the Kenny Brooks debacle. But Ivy-Curry's commit, decommit, transfer has been a trend since his early days in college. He is a rare player who played at one school (UTSA), entered the portal, committed to another school (Pacific), and then returned to his original school (UTSA).
So while it's disappointing for the Hokies, it's probably not entirely unexpected. When a player transfers and signs with a school, that commitment is supposed to be binding, but we live in the Wild West with portals. The NCAA has completely dropped the ball on the portal and NIL, and until there is some regulation, this will continue to happen.
The transfer portal is good for college sports. However, schools should never be allowed to openly recruit players who are playing under contract elsewhere. But that's where we are. The Hokies have at least three scholarships remaining, and Young is expected to continue searching for a starting guard.
