Former Purdue stars talk new world of college sports

The Three Amigos (Troy Lewis, Todd Mitchell, and Everette Stephens) and Steve Reid, key members of the Purdue men’s basketball program 40 years ago, have no regrets about their time at Purdue or the college basketball world.

Between the quartet, they played integral roles in the Big Ten title teams in a five-season span. Would they have liked the money NIL provides players today and the freedom of the transfer portal? Sure, who wouldn’t? But looking at modern-day college hoops through the lens of decades and the varying roles they still have in the game, they have concerns.

“I’m all for what the premise of it is,” said Mitchell, a 1988 All-Big Ten forward who now lives in the Miami, Florida area. “Can we put some semblance of guardrails up to where some of these mid-major schools aren’t just becoming the Triple A farm system for the Big Ten, SEC, and ACC, which is happening now. The one thing I would like to see is going back to, if you transfer, you have to sit out a year.”

Lewis, who coaches high school basketball in Centerville, Ohio, and coached IU’s Gabe Cupps (who is out this year due to a knee injury), was quick to respond.

“That’s not going to happen,” said Lewis, who was referencing Mitchell’s desire for a return to the mandatory year hiatus before being able to compete at a new school. “I’m am hearing rumors that players are going to get five years to use their four years across the board, with (a continued) no restriction on transfers.

“But I am glad for the players and I the NCAA did itself a huge disservice not dealing with this when the (Ed) O’Bannon case and Jay Bilas starting talking about the (Johnny) Manziel jersey. The could have gotten ahead of the situation, and they chose not to.”

For Reid, the transfer portal is the problem. As long-time Purdue fans know, the former point guard transferred to Purdue from Kansas State, sitting out the 1981-82 season.

“I transferred and it was the best thing for me, and I knew it was a risk having to sit out a year,” said Reid from his home in the Savannah, Georgia area. “And I as supportive of the players having the ability to make money, because there is so much of it in the big-time sports. It is the transfer portal that really bothers me. I am afraid in the not-to-distant future here will be just 80 schools left, because the football drives everything, right?

“I worry you won’t have (Cinderella stories like) Butler from 15 years ago in the Final Four in 10 years. They’re going to take their basketball teams with them, and you’re going to have 80 programs.. I know firsthand, there’s a there’s a there’s a mid-major school whose udget is $400,000 a year. They’re a pretty successful program. How can you compete with that?

Also, the challenges for high school kids and the fact that many high Division 1 programs focusing on the transfer portal and not the development that comes from bringing in freshman concerns Stephens.

“Some coaches would rather go and raid junior colleges and smaller programs and take those players who are more seasoned,” said Stephens, still living in the Lafayete area, talking about the challenging environment for high school kids.

Mitchell, who has a son who is a recruitable high school athlete, takes it one step further.

“Even if you’re highly rated in high school, some kids are deciding to go to smaller schools so that they can put up better numbers early in their college career, so that they can leave there and get bigger money somewhere else,” Mitchell said. “They’d rather do that than go to a higher major school and sit or be a role player. They thinking is. ‘I’m going to average 18 or 19 (points) a game as a freshman, and then my sophomore year; boom I leave there and I can go get some money.’ I heard (St. John’s coach) Rick Pitino on the fact they are losing a lot of seniors and that didn’t cause him concern because he was only recruiting the portal.”

I shared concerns from guys who look at things differently 40 years later. They can’t help but wonder how they would have handled themselves in the new environment.

“I would like to think I would have stayed all four years at Purdue as I had a great experience,” Mitchell said. “But I don’t know.

Below: The Three Amigos and Reid talk 40th anniversary of “The Chair” incident and more.