'The grass isn't greener': How USI men's basketball is navigating the transfer portal

EVANSVILLE — Stan Gouard has a clear message written on the whiteboard in his office. Just above the University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball coach’s computer and to the right of a list of each Ohio Valley Conference team with the number of players they’ve lost to the transfer portal, Gouard has a one-sentence note written for his players.

“The grass isn’t greener,” it reads, “it’s spray painted.”

Five Screaming Eagles — Isaiah Swope, Tyler Henry, A.J. Smith, Peter Nwoke and Gary Solomon — have entered the portal. At least two players from each OVC team have as well since the season ended. Only five players from the All-OVC First and Second Teams are still in the league.

Gouard held individual meetings with players last week with everyone he thought was returning. He found the quote while reading over the weekend and decided to write it on the board because he knew others were thinking of leaving. He had everyone look at the marker-inscribed sentence on the whiteboard and think about what it meant.

“I think that’s pretty black and white,” Goaurd said. “While you’re thinking you’re gonna go somewhere and have the same success you had at one place, it may not be the same somewhere else. … Some people are going to sell you a dream to get you there and, once you get there, you’re starting over from square one.”

The Eagles have lost Jacob Polakovich, Jelani Simmons and Trevor Lakes to graduation in addition to the five transfers. USI must replace four of its starting five and each of its top five scorers. Gouard said the only one he “really expected” to enter the portal was Henry because of a conversation they had prior to the season starting about Henry wanting to move closer to his family.

The only returning regular starter is freshman guard Jack Campion. The Eagles’ lone commitment from the portal is Eastern Kentucky transfer Taelon Martin.

Transfer portal tracker: Evansville, Southern Indiana men's basketball players

There are over 1,200 Division I men’s players in the portal with about 700 more in Division II. Gouard likened it to NBA free agency with the free movement along with the addition of name, image and likeness deals.

“That’s very disturbing,” he said. “That’s no knock on those guys. I’m always going to support those guys in whatever they decide to do. … It’s the norm. We have to adjust as coaches. I was hoping we didn’t have to adjust in this magnitude, but as coaches, we have to adjust to a new norm.”

Swope has already found a new landing spot at Indiana State and is the most costly of USI's defectors. The sophomore guard and Castle High School graduate led USI in scoring while starting 31 of 33 games and playing the second-most minutes per game. The Eagles planned on building around Swope with the number of graduates leaving the program but will now need to replace his production, as well.

Gouard said he spent “a few hours” talking with Swope about his decision to enter the portal and asked him to look at the quote written on his whiteboard.

“When you have guys like Isaiah Swope, who had the year he had, he’s gonna get courted. He’s gonna open his eyes to some of those opportunities,” Gouard said. “I can’t sit here and continue to cry over spilled milk. I wish he was here, yes I do. But at the same time, it’s his life, it’s his legacy and it’s his dream to play at the next level and if that’s going on somewhere else, then I gotta support that.”

The Eagles must replace 81% of their scoring while hoping to move up the OVC standings after finishing seventh this season. That is no easy feat.

How USI is approaching the transfer portal

Gouard and his staff view portal recruiting on a “need basis,” he said. He wants players who want to win and are serious about academics. They need to be “all in” and buy into the program whether they’re a regular contributor or someone on the bench. USI has talked to over 200 players over the past few weeks, Gouard said.

He feels USI needs experience above all else.

“It’s a lot of homework. It’s a lot of digging we do to find the quality guys that can come in and help us reach our goals,” Gouard said. “You’ll probably see on our roster a couple of one-year guys that are grad transfers. I think that’s important.

“We also need some young guys, we can break up the wires a little bit so we don’t have a team full of seniors so we’re not doing the same thing over again.”

As for how the Eagles are approaching the overcrowded portal, Gouard said it’s a variation of several different things. There’s some cold-calling guys they don’t know. They have been in contact with players they recruited in high school.

USI isn’t going to replace departing players like-for-like. Gouard said if he could find someone to replicate Polakovich’s numbers he’d be a genius. He said the staff is looking for athletic wings to step into Simmons’ role.

“We gotta get a few guys that can bring to the table what those guys brought to the table as a unit vs. individually,” Gouard said. “If Jacob was in the portal right now with his numbers, he’d probably go high-major to a Big 10 or a Duke. … There’s so many variables that we’re looking at as we’re bringing guys in.”

Gouard said he wants his team to be tougher, smarter and more balanced so everyone “believes in the whole system, not just the parts that are easy.” Those are only some of the variables Gouard and his staff look for in terms of cultural fit, particularly.

“If he’s a kid that we think is tough, then we’re gonna pull him up and look at him on the big screen,” Gouard said. “Watch highlights, watch some of his games, watch some of his possessions on the defensive end. Then we’ll call his coaches that he currently plays for and see if we can work something out.”

One down, three to go: Dealing with the NCAA transition period

Gouard said he’s looking at a mix of players in the portal, potential junior-college transfers and incoming freshmen. That’s a necessity when there are so many spots up for grabs.

Remaining ineligible for the postseason has given the Eagles an added obstacle in recruitment. USI cannot participate in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT because of the NCAA’s four-year transition period for programs changing divisions. Gouard said that was the top reason for players leaving the program and is one of the major concerns that arise in recruitment.

“I think the biggest thing for us as coaches is being honest and open upfront,” Gouard said, noting that USI’s postseason is the OVC Tournament and potentially the CBI. “If we can get past that hurdle, the conversation can proceed.”

The four-year period has forced the Eagles to look for an alternative route. He said USI will likely have a few one- or two-year players due to the transition clause. He wants incoming freshmen to redshirt so they will be eligible to play in the postseason once the period is over.

“I think the No. 1 way you approach it is transparency and honesty from Day 1,” Gouard said.

Other offseason notes: Schedule, workouts, outreach

There are still other areas of the offseason that need attention. Most of next season’s schedule is already in place: Home games against Western Illinois, Chicago State, Bowling Green and Purdue-Fort Wayne, plus road contests at Indiana State and Southern Illinois.

Gouard said there are other contracts in place that will be announced in “a few weeks.” He said USI will play a tough schedule similar to this season.

“It puts us in the fire early to see if we can build some type of camaraderie with our team. It lets us know where we are,” Gouard said, referencing games against Missouri and Notre Dame. “We want to make sure we put these guys on the big stage, give them a chance to play against some bigger programs.”

He also noted the revenue that comes from those games. The trip to Mizzou Arena brought $75,000 to USI. That’s an important part of scheduling.

“We’ll play some of those kinds of games again this year," Gouard said.

The remaining players are going through spring workouts while the Eagles are also looking to do some community service work in the coming weeks. Gouard said they also will probably participate in Habitat for Humanity and Feed Evansville.

“We’ll get these guys busy here pretty soon so that way we can give back to our Evansville community,” Gouard said. “Our guys enjoy doing it and it’s something important that we have to keep doing as we go forward.”

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: How USI men's basketball is approaching the NCAA transfer portal