College basketball coaches reveal difference teaching Xs and Os to freshmen, transfers

During transfer portal era, the way players are integrated into a new place has become a popular point of discussion. From a new campus, new city, and new teammates there is plenty to adjust to off the court.

On the court though, the ability to adapt has largely been overlooked, despite coaches repeatedly talking about integration throughout the season. From a new offense, to a new defense, and sometimes new verbiage there is plenty for transfers to learn before hitting their stride.

“What you’re trying to do is, you’re trying to say ‘hey, everything that you’ve been doing for three or four years, we’re going to do it a little bit different,” said Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson. “And I know you’ve had success but trust me this way.’

“Getting them to get out of all those habits that they bring by coaching what we do quickly. That can be hard.”

So, if integrating transfers to the Xs and Os is a difficult process, how does that challenge differ from previous years when a coach would show a handful of incoming freshman the playbook?

“I’ve done graduate transfers before, and they were older, so they had a better feel than a young kid would,” said Arkansas head coach John Calipari. “But I would tell you, when you’re dealing with a new group every year like I have, it’s all hard.”

Introducing freshmen

Every coach is familiar with the process of getting a freshman on campus and teaching them from scratch, a process which has pros and cons to it. The obvious pro – and biggest advantage over a transfer – is the ability to program the way they view basketball. Inherently, when explaining the system it become default once it sticks.

“Very different,” said Georgia head coach Mike White. “There are some advantages though with the freshmen, where it’s all they’ve heard.”

The challenge is making it stick. As a younger, less experienced player who has seen less sets and schemes than their counterpart, the process can take much longer to complete.

And as everyone knows, time is never on a coach’s side.

“We better continue through the year, that’s one of the things we take great pride in is how we get better in January and February,” USC head coach Eric Musselman said.

Reprogramming transfers

The inherent advantage the transfer player has over a freshman is experience, whether the information is new to them or not, it likely is not the first time they have been asked to learn a system. The simple skills which make a college junior better in the classroom than a freshman on campus apply when on the floor too.

“I have a group of players who are incredibly curious,” said Kentucky head coach Mark Pope. “They’re veteran guys who have all done it different ways, but I have a locker room that’s incredibly curious. I don’t have a lot of guys that are trying to hold onto a way they did it somewhere else or how they’ve done it before.”

The other aspect which helps a transfer is the inevitable overlap from one program to the next, especially when arriving at a program which places an emphasis on adding players who they believe will quickly fit into the culture.

“The reprogramming, you would think would provide more challenges than the natural freshman,” said White. “But I think it’s neutralized by the experience, by the fact that you’re a year or two or three older.

“‘I know this is what you guys called it at your previous spot, but this is what we call it,’ and boom, it’s easier than you would think.”

Overall, it appears coaches still view teaching a transfer the Xs and Os an easier task than introducing a freshman to entirely new concepts. However, many stress the need to treat the two groups differently when sharing the information to maximize the ability to get everyone on the same page quickly.

“Two distinct challenges,” said South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris. “I think how much you push with those two groups is going to be different. You’re level of acceptance of continual mistakes – I think you have a smaller tolerance potentially for older guys that have been around and understand.”

Ultimately, beyond all the newcomers there is a third group which becomes vitally important to the process. Returning players have the knowledge and experience to help guide anyone – whether freshman or transfer – to the right spot on the floor during live action.