John Calipari shares his biggest concern with transfer portal

Like many coaches around college sports, John Calipari has used the transfer portal to bring in some key pieces at Kentucky. But he’s among the group that has some concerns with the portal, as well.

Calipari opened up on his worries during an interview with FOX Sports’ John Fanta this week. He pointed out the number of players that are in the transfer portal this cycle, and a number of transfers didn’t end up finding a new home last year.

That’s why Calipari asked how the amount of players to hit the portal — especially older, graduate transfers — impacts the college basketball landscape.

“As for the kids, we have 1,500 players in the portal, and here’s my question: How many are losing the scholarships that they had?” Calipari said. “We have to get it right for the kids and the sport. I have always been one of the guys who has said ‘fine, go’ to kids who want to enter the portal. But educationally, that’s where it gets difficult. If you graduate, and you want to transfer, that’s fine.

“But for the kids in their seventh year of school now, come on. It’s not healthy for an 18- or 19-year-old to be playing against somebody that old. Some schools are not recruiting freshmen, but only transfers. Power 5 schools are putting only 11 guys on scholarship because 13 or 14 is too many.” 

Calipari has had some big wins in the portal over the last couple years. The biggest, of course, is Oscar Tshiebwe. He committed to Kentucky from West Virginia ahead of the 2021-22 season and became a force for the Wildcats, averaging 17.4 points and 15.2 rebounds per game to win the National Player of the Year Award. His production dropped a bit this past season — he scored 16.5 points and pulled down 13.4 rebounds per contest — but he was still a key player for Kentucky.

Tshiebwe is currently testing the NBA Draft waters for the second straight year, but left the door open to return to Lexington for one more year.

Kentucky again struck gold in the portal last offseason by landing Antonio Reeves out of Illinois State. One of the top scorers in the Missouri Valley Conference, he maintained that level at UK by averaging 14.4 points per game while shooting a career-high 39.8% from three-point territory en route to SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2022-23.