Daily Digest | Whitman: Transfer portal ‘in an evolutionary space’; Illini hoops a ‘winner’ of transfer portal

There’s a lot of news each day. Illini Inquirer will try to make it easier to digest each weekday morning with the Daily Digest. 

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In a normal college athletics news cycle, the transfer portal would be the main topic of conversation. But, you know, conference realignment, NIL and such.

Still, the transfer portal was a topic of conversation during Josh Whitman’s media roundtable last week. The Illinois athletic director said the transfer portal — in its fourth year of existence and even busier with the one-time transfer in rule for a year — “is in an evolutionary space right now.”

During the last year, the NCAA added the one-time transfer exemption allowing immediate eligibility for players who haven’t transferred before. The NCAA also instituted deadlines of May 1 for fall and winter sports athletes to to be eligible for the one-time transfer exemption and July 1 for spring sports athletes.

• Whitman said all parties are still learning about the realities of the transfer portal and how to address them. Whitman thinks college athletics leaders could push for changes to help coaches have more roster stability and seemed to think student-athletes could be warier about entering the transfer portal given that many who enter the portal are struggling to find homes.

Whitman said of the portal: “I think it’s all relatively fresh. I think we’re still gathering data. I think there’s still a ton of story to be told about the transfer portal that isn’t fully formed yet. I think the reality is that there are a lot of student-athletes who get into the transfer portal who never get out. The reality is that it is a game of musical chairs. They get in the portal, and the music stops and not everybody has a place to sit down. That is a part of the story that has not been widely told. I think as time passes, it will become better understood.”

Whitman reiterated that he supports the idea of student-athletes needing to stay at the school to which he/she signs for two to three semesters before earning immediate eligibility after transferring.

• Whitman said: “I have this theory that if a student-athlete is required to stay at his first institution for two or three semesters that you’ll see the transfer rates go way down. …The reality is that there are a lot of people who are unhappy after their first year of college, not just the athletes. If we encourage them to stay, they’ll develop relationships, they’ll work through some of the adversity. I think in a lot of cases that where they are is a pretty good place and you’ll see transfer rates go down.”

Whitman isn’t against transferring — after all, his programs benefit from adding transfers — but he does seem to think some student-athletes are too quick-trigger on transferring.

• Whitman said: “Ultimately, I think transferring is a good thing in the right circumstance. If you have someone who is truly unhappy who truly wants a different opportunity, then they should have every opportunity to take advantage of that. What I think we want to do is find the intersection between that point and what I believe is our obligation as educators and help them learn confront and deal with adversity and also our institutional interests and roster stability.”

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Illinois dismissed track coach Mike Turk, Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman announced on Wednesday. Turk had been a member of the UI coaching staff for 15 years, head coach of the men’s program since 2010, leader of both men’s and women’s track teams since 2017 and the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams since 2020.

A national search will begin immediately to identify a successor to Turk, who had a salary of $208,000.

• Illinois cross country head coach Sarah Haveman, who is an assistant distance coach for men’s and women’s track and field, is under contract through 2023.

Fading results: In 2015, Turk led the Illini men to a Big Ten outdoor championship following a runner-up finish at the Big Ten indoor championships. But the Illini men had failed to place in the top-5 once since then. Meanwhile, the women won the Big Ten indoor championship in 2013 and finished second in the Big Ten oudoor that spring, but the Illini placed in the bottom-five of each Big Ten championships since 2014.

Whitman said in a statement: “I want to thank Coach Turk for his longtime service to the University of Illinois. Regrettably, following our Big Ten championship in 2015, competitive success in our men’s and women’s programs has been fleeting. With the programs now combined under a single coaching structure and with the recent opening of Demirjian Park, the time is right to usher in a new era for our proud running and field event programs. We wish Coach Turk all the best in his future endeavors.”

Bottom line: With a new, state-of-the-art facility in place, Whitman is trying to elevate a program that has a history of competing atop the Big Ten with both programs having consistent success in the 80s, 90s and 2000s.

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The Athletic’s C.J. Moore chose Illinois basketball as the biggest transfer portal winner of the offseason. Creighton, North Carolina and Florida were picked by the other three writers who contributed to the piece.

• Moore’s selection isn’t far from the consensus as the Illini’s transfer class ranks No. 2 in the country, according to 247Sports, behind only Texas Tech after adding Terrence Shannon (Texas Tech), Matthew Mayer (Baylor) and Dain Dainja (Baylor).

Moore wrote: “If there’s a team that went into the offseason set on building a replica of national champion Kansas with big, switchable wings who can also score the ball, it’s Illinois.

“I doubt many will pick the Illini as the preseason Big Ten favorite, but I’ll go there. I’d be really confident if I knew Illinois was getting the good Shannon, but I’ll bet on the talent and Underwood’s ability to motivate. The Illini win the Big Ten with Shannon and Mayer pivotal to that success.”

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Kofi Cockburn had six points and five rebounds in 15 minutes during the Utah Jazz’s 85-82 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers during Wednesday’s NBA Summer League Game in Salt Lake City. Cockburn fouled four times and shot 3-for-5 from the field. The Jazz were a plus-11 with him on the floor.

• Cockburn had five points, seven rebounds, two turnovers and two fouls in his Summer League debut on Tuesday.

How it looked: Cockburn didn’t make a big impact. He had some nice moments on the interior, but he still looked to be laboring a bit at times getting up and down the court and he missed a wide-open shot at the rim after a nice spin move. Cockburn won’t get many post-up opportunities in the Summer League, so he’ll need to make his impact through energy and effort.

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According to Pac-12 insider Jon Wilner, a source would be, “stunned,” if Washington and Oregon went to the Big Ten as it stands. Wilner stated the growing reality is that the two schools will have to make things work in the Pac-12, or leave and join the Big 12. The source to Wilner provided more information.

• “I’d be stunned if Washington and Oregon go to the Big Ten,” Wilner’s source said. “The Big Ten will sit back for two years, then try to get Notre Dame.”

The Big 12 reportedly is aggressively pursuing Big 12 programs, including Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado. Though many Pac-12 programs have released statements saying they support the league staying together.

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Have a great Thursday! We’re gonna get a Progressive commercial of Baker Mayfield moving out of the Browns stadium, right?