2024-25 Season - Men's

JoshUCA

No problem! I try to catch them when I see them.

JoshUCA

I guess money talks…

JoshUCA

This is why we can’t have nice things around here! We get good players, and they leave for $$$. It is nearly impossible to build a program these days because the turnover is just ridiculous. It doesn’t matter how much a coach tries, if you don’t have the money, no one stays.

Gready

JoshUCA I’d say that we can’t always assume it’s money. Having a chance at winning and playing meaningful post season games is likely a huge factor. Winning games would keep lots of players from defecting IMO.

JoshUCA

Gready True, it may not always be money. However, how do we expect to build a winning culture if players don’t stick around long enough to win?

JoshUCA

Mulerider

This transfer portal is crap for this exact reason. Transferring with no consequence (unless they realize they aren’t up to snuff and go to a crappier program at the last second).

This is going to continue to hurt small and mid-sized schools like UCA. No loyalty to any program anymore.

Quick Fix for the short term:

Make all D1 athletes commit to a school for at least 2 years. You can break this rule if you move down a division, but not up. You can also break the rule if a coach gets fired or leaves.

If you break this contract by choice, you have to pay your NIL money back to said school. I don’t see a way you could make a student pay back school expenses.

JoshUCA

Mulerider that sounds like a reasonable idea, so of course it would never fly! 😂

Jmb3125

This is all crazy and downright sad but it is the athletic world we have to live in as Bear fans.

UCA is a great school with a proud history both academically and in athletics but we cannot seem to get over the hump in any D-I sport consistently. Every time we have stepped up a level in competition (NAIA, D-II, D-I), we get further and further behind.

The perennial problem revolves around trying to compete with a shoestring budget which affects everything from the quality of coaching and quality of facilities to quality player retention.

We needed a new arena years ago when we moved to D-I. It’s harder to retain good players with an old barn that has a leaky roof and ask them to go play in front of only 300 or so fans.

The portal has made it way too easy for them to walk away…

MountainBear

Welp, that stinks…

Mulerider

We need to hit the 501 area code harder than ever. What players at Conway, Benton, Bryant, etc could play D1 that we are overlooking? What players are wanting to stay closer home to family while still getting a D1 experience? Heck, what top D2 athletes could we go after at some of the in state schools?

Bigpurplebear

Probably an unpopular opinion, but the team was on the struggle bus long before the season was over. I wish him the best of luck, but you never know who is out there. Injuries and transfers are just part of the deal. Every team deals with it.

silerwill

Bigpurplebear injuries happen, and sure, every team deals with it. But not like this years team had to deal with it 😂

JoshUCA

MountainBear

Long athletic Forward, obviously our staff has an eye for talent to looking forward to watching him play.

JoshUCA

BEARS ADD LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL’S MOORE

(Guess I missed this when it posted)

501moneyman

Be on commit watch tomorrow! Shulman doing work in the portal!

501moneyman

JoshUCA

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