Because the NIL-fueled transfer portal can flip over roughly half of a high-major roster every spring, there are significant downstream effects.
That’s why it’s so unusual that Division II Point Loma will show up to face the Wildcats in an exhibition game Monday with a team that is fully intact after winning last season’s PacWest regular-season title.
The Sea Lions of San Diego last season won their third straight PacWest title, went 21-9 overall and only missed the Division II NCAA Tournament because they lost in their conference tournament and just missed the cut for an at-large bid in the West Regional.
They also put one player on the all-PacWest first team and two others on the second team, platforms that serve as handy shopping lists for NIL-powered Division I teams needing help from the portal.
“A big, a big portion of the all PacWest team ended up in the transfer portal,” Point Loma coach Justin Downer said. “We had guys end up at the University of Arkansas. We’ve had guys end up at UC San Diego. We’ve had guys end up all over the Mountain West.
Downer
“The reality is our top guys (at Point Loma) are more than capable of playing in those mid-major conferences. It speaks volumes to us and our university that our guys want to stick it out and maybe aren’t as interested in seeing if the grass is greener.”
There are a few reasons for that, the way Downer explains it. For starters, the Point Loma name is no joke: Point Loma Nazarene University is tucked next to parklands on San Diego’s Point Loma peninsula, literally overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
“It doesn’t get better than the cliffs of San Diego,” Downer said, chuckling. “I think a huge start is enjoying where you want to go to school.”
The school also attracts athletes seeking to be part of a smaller campus environment — PLNU has just around 3,200 undergraduates — or those wanting to build professional groundwork for a future in the San Diego area. Then there’s the school’s Nazarene faith, and the fact that Niche.com rates PLNU the No. 6 Christian college in the nation and the top-rated one in California.
“We have a ton of pride in being a Christian university, a Nazarene University, Downer said. “Faith is a pillar of our program, and it’s having faith in our teammates, having faith in in our coaching staff.
“I think the biggest thing is we try and identify recruits that want to be a part of something that’s bigger themselves. That’s maybe a religious value, maybe a Christian value. But more than anything, we want guys that want to be a part of winning championships, want to be a part of something other than just their own personal success.”
Ultimately, Downer says, that’s the really big driver of retention: Top Sea Lions players know they could leave for a role with a Division I team, maybe even picking up a few bucks in the process, but they also know they aren’t likely to win a national title on a low- or mid-major D-I team.
“Our guys enjoy competing for a national championship, and in the recruiting process we can identify that we’re chasing that,” Downer said. “It hasn’t happened yet, and we certainly have to get out of the West region before we can have our site set on that. But I think it’s appealing to recruits to not only go to school in San Diego, but to legitimately say that you’re trying to win every game on your schedule.”
Arizona men’s basketball head coach Tommy Lloyd looks over at a referee and makes a joke in the second half of the Wildcats’ exhibition game against Eastern New Mexico at McKale Center on Oct. 21 in Tucson. Arizona won 117-54.
And by every game, Downer means it.
UA coach Tommy Lloyd may have raised a few eyebrows when, after he was asked about the Big 12 challenges ahead during the conference’s media day in Kansas City last week, he said he “heard” that Point Loma had just beaten a Division I team in a secret scrimmage.
“We’ve got Point Loma coming in on Monday and you know what? Point Loma is a great Division II program,” Lloyd said. “We’re gonna be geared up for that.”
The rumor was true. Downer said the Sea Lions did indeed beat Cal State Northridge, a disclosure that sort of blows his cover.
“Aaah,” Downer said, laughing. “I was hoping (Lloyd) didn’t hear about it.”
The three UA players who went to Big 12 media day — Caleb Love, KJ Lewis and Jaden Bradley — said Lloyd had passed the word on to them, too.
If nothing else, the news signaled that the Wildcats should expect a much stiffer test Monday than they did in their 117-54 romp over Eastern New Mexico during their first exhibition game on Oct. 21.
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd chats with his players during a preseason practice Friday inside Richard Jefferson Gymnasium on the UA campus. Lloyd’s Wildcats will start the season ranked 10th nationally, according to the preseason Associated Press poll.
“We’re looking forward to `how can we grow from that last game?’ “ Love said. “That’s kind of been our word, build. It’s how can we build towards how we want to play during the season.”
For Lloyd, Monday’s game also provides a final opportunity to sort out a preliminary playing rotation before the Wildcats open the regular season on Nov. 4 against Canisius. At least one that doesn’t yet have center Motiejus Krivas in it.
Krivas continues to nurse an ankle injury, and Lloyd said he would likely be doubtful for Monday, which means redshirt sophomore Henri Veesaar could get another extended audition after dropping 19 points over 18 minutes against Eastern New Mexico.
It’s just that Veesaar and everyone else on the floor may have to work a little harder this time.
Maybe a lot harder.
“Point Loma is the type of team that you’re probably a little crazy to play in an exhibition game,” Lloyd said. “Basically it’s a Division I program. It’s a challenge we need.”
