There is still plenty of work to be done, but this offseason certainly has a different feel to it. Division 1’s hitting us up asking about players. Watching Elijah Malone sign with Colorado and get a really nice NIL deal. Watching Riley Minix kill it for the Spurs in the NBA Summer League as they mention his NAIA roots.
Every offseason you see the talent come and go, but what you are seeing a lot more of this offseason is that the talent is actually getting noticed and is now getting scouted and recruited by D1 coaches. I believe, without having the exact transfer numbers, that this is the most we have ever seen make the transition from NAIA to D1 in one offseason.
For anyone who has followed NAIA basketball, the talent has always been here. I believe it’s deeper now than it’s been in the past, but the NAIA has always had some dudes. Just the past few years we have had G-League guys like Kyle Mangas, Myles Burns, Reggie Kissoonlal, EJ Onu, Michael Harden Jr, Torren Jones and overseas guys like Chris Coffey, Trevion Crews, Tristan Harper, Kenny Manigault and Soo many others.
However, I think that it’s been the success at the D1 level that Covid 5th year guys like Myles Burns (Ole Miss), Mason Walters (Wyoming), Riley Minix (Morehead State), Jaylon Scott (College of Charleston), Alex Gross (Morehead State) and a few others who have D1 coaches intrigued. I can’t tell you how many messages I have gotten, and I am sure many of you coaches reading this have gotten that say “I need a “Minix”!” You see, we could talk to we are blue in the face about how good the players are at the NAIA level, but what these guys did, with that Covid year, was go prove it.
I, by no means, am condoning transferring. Every situation is different and unfortunately not everyone transfers to a good spot. Heck, I would argue that not everyone even transfers to a better spot. I will say though, that if you look at NAIA basketball, right now, there is an argument to be made that that extra Covid year really helped gain a lot of respect for NAIA basketball. It’s unfortunate that it may lead to more kids leaving, but it’s also cool that more eyes are on this level as well.
Everyone’s journey is their own. The cool part, for us, is that we get to be part of a lot of players journeys along the way. This Friday, the ‘Road to Muni Podcast’ gets to interview two of the names above, who helped grow NAIA basketball for future generations. One who is looking to start a long pro career. The other who is looking to build off of his strong pro season last year! These two guys continue to help change the narrative of NAIA basketball and you won’t want to miss their interview on Friday!
