Quinnipiac Defies the Portal, Starters Return
Quinnipiac is set to return with 4 of their 5 starters and multiple bench pieces. In the era of an open transfer portal and NIL, how are they doing it?
In the current state of college basketball, we have teams with millions of dollars in NIL money, teams with no coaches, and teams with…well, no players. The idea of building a true “culture” on a team is virtually gone, players are free to earn higher paying deals at other schools in a wide-open transfer portal. The days of having star players on mid-major teams stay all four years seems like just dust in the wind now.
What if I told you a 24-10 small mid-major in the MAAC just brought back 4 of their 5 starters and multiple bench pieces? The Quinnipiac Bobcats just defied the odds. Within just a week, the Bobcats announced they were returning:
Amarri Tice - 12.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game
Paul Otieno - 11 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game
Savion Lewis - 8.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game
Alexis Reyes - 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game
Senior Matt Balanc led the team last season with 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, however, he unfortunately is out of eligibility. However, the Bobcats have been fortunate to pick up some helpful pieces to join their returning players. Just last week Grant Randall committed to Quinnipiac over George Mason, St. Bonaventure, and other mid-major schools.
How does a school of 8,900 students in the MAAC manage to bring back 4 of their key players and continue to draw interest in other mid-major recruits? There’s potentially some NIL money in place here. Bobcat Blitz is the school’s primary NIL Fund. They offer several high-tier packages for their supporters that could accumulate in the tens of thousands of dollars. However, with the glass door into the world of NIL covered, there’s no telling what kind of NIL funds are in use.
You have to believe that even if the NIL Funds were lucrative, some of these players would be able to make more money elsewhere. Look at NEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Derkack from Merrimack. Derkack went from playing in the NEC to now visiting Penn State, Seton Hall, Rutgers, and USC. Players from small schools are being poached left and right by larger schools, so it’s reasonable to assume players like Tice, Otieno, and Lewis would have had no problem landing at larger schools, yet they chose to return.
You could point towards Tom Pecora taking over for Baker Dunleavy after Pecora served in coaching roles with the team since 2017. Maybe continuity still means something in a sport that seems to be ruled by money.
Any way you put it, this should bring hope to other mid-major schools. Small schools can still compete. They can still field competitive teams and keep talent within their systems. While some schools will rollover, others will learn to adapt and find new ways to succeed.
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