March is when college basketball games are most intense. But in the background of the sport’s postseason are the machinations of the transfer portal, with teams racing to raise money and gain roster clarity ahead of the portal officially opening on April 7. And while coaches are splitting their focus between preparing for conference tournament games and planning for the future, general managers and other new front office staffers for college teams can focus more fully on roster management.
With that in mind, Sports Illustrated granted anonymity to GMs (or those in similar roles, given the variance in titles for these staffers around the country) at three different high-major schools to speak candidly about the state of the pre-portal a month before the floodgates officially open.
