Departing Billiken Players via the Portal - 2025

[brianstl]

https://x.com/theportalreport/status/1909381348785082615?s=46&t=6urbQRIhStGl70a4QUhnHA

[willie]

10 minutes ago, brianstl said:

https://x.com/theportalreport/status/1909381348785082615?s=46&t=6urbQRIhStGl70a4QUhnHA

Thought he might have higher choices. 

[White Pelican]

15 minutes ago, brianstl said:

https://x.com/theportalreport/status/1909381348785082615?s=46&t=6urbQRIhStGl70a4QUhnHA

Did he gain anything by quitting when he did?

[BillsfaninKC]

8 minutes ago, willie said:

Thought he might have higher choices. 

Out of curiosity, why do you think that? Because of his play or because of his last name?

[willie]

Just now, BillsfaninKC said:

Out of curiosity, why do you think that? Because of his play or because of his last name?

Little bit of both. He was in our rotation and has some range. 

[CenHudDude]

4 minutes ago, White Pelican said:

Did he gain anything by quitting when he did?

If anything, I think he lost something.  He may have had a chance for more minutes with the Billikens to showcase his talents.

[2010andBeyond]

19 minutes ago, CenHudDude said:

If anything, I think he lost something.  He may have had a chance for more minutes with the Billikens to showcase his talents.

Also firmly established himself as someone who is willing to quit on his team when things don’t go his way. I’m guessing that is a pretty big turnoff to a lot of coaches. If he would’ve transferred at semester it would’ve been a better look. 

[White Pelican]

38 minutes ago, CenHudDude said:

If anything, I think he lost something.  He may have had a chance for more minutes with the Billikens to showcase his talents.

Well, I meant did he save a semester or something? He'd already played in several games I believe.

And yeah, the way the season and the injuries went, he would have had plenty of opportunity to show what he could do.

 

 

 

 

 

[ACE]

15 minutes ago, White Pelican said:

Well, I meant did he save a semester or something? He'd already played in several games I believe.

And yeah, the way the season and the injuries went, he would have had plenty of opportunity to show what he could do.

 

 

 

 

 

He probably saved a year of eligibility, correct? Not unlike our incoming transfer from Xavier.

[Pistol]

34 minutes ago, ACE said:

He probably saved a year of eligibility, correct? Not unlike our incoming transfer from Xavier.

I haven't seen any claim of a medical issue, but who knows, maybe there's a way to get the season of eligibility back.

[billikenfan05]

6 minutes ago, Pistol said:

I haven't seen any claim of a medical issue, but who knows, maybe there's a way to get the season of eligibility back.

litigation

[Lord Elrond]

14 minutes ago, Pistol said:

I haven't seen any claim of a medical issue, but who knows, maybe there's a way to get the season of eligibility back.

I would guess he or his lawyers see a way to get the year of eligibility back. How it will turn out I can’t begin to guess

[HoosierPal]

21 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said:

I would guess he or his lawyers see a way to get the year of eligibility back. How it will turn out I can’t begin to guess

He did have a back issue; fell hard in a game. Don’t have any idea how serious it was. He would need to get a doc to sign off on the NCAA Hardship paperwork. 

[dlarry]

2 hours ago, White Pelican said:

Did he gain anything by quitting when he did?

Mental clarity? 
Just wild speculation but I’m guessing he lost some of his love for the game.  I dont think he quits unless he was in a rough spot mentally when it comes to basketball. 
The time off might have been what he needed to get it back.

[73Billiken]

2 hours ago, 2010andBeyond said:

Also firmly established himself as someone who is willing to quit on his team when things don’t go his way. I’m guessing that is a pretty big turnoff to a lot of coaches. If he would’ve transferred at semester it would’ve been a better look. 

That's a good point but that aspect probably did not cross his mind (or those providing him with advice).  All too often these athletes have a higher regard for their play than they actually deserve. 

Playing at a lower level will maybe provide LH Jr with more minutes and greater satisfaction.

 

Good luck

[Cowboy]

-go be a big fish in a small pond, if that's for LHII good for him, I wish him well

[Old guy]

1 hour ago, HoosierPal said:

He did have a back issue; fell hard in a game. Don’t have any idea how serious it was. He would need to get a doc to sign off on the NCAA Hardship paperwork. 

Doc expert witnesses that will support whatever hare brained ideas the lawyers come up with are easy to find anywhere. I am sure he will have no problems finding a doc that can convince a jury he had serious incapacitating health issues. Every major employer HR department in the US keep docs on retainer to examine and approve benefits claims denials before they issue their claim denial. In case you do not understand what I am talking about, claims staff do not understand enough about medical issues for the HR department to risk going to trial without a real medical review by a trusted source.

[billikenfan05]

16 hours ago, dlarry said:

Mental clarity? 
Just wild speculation but I’m guessing he lost some of his love for the game.  I dont think he quits unless he was in a rough spot mentally when it comes to basketball. 
The time off might have been what he needed to get it back.

I don't think this is wild speculation. Sr quote tweeted his portal tweet with "get your love for the game back" or something like that. 

[okay]

AJ Casey committed to Evansville. Also a potential landing spot for Hughes 

[Dr. Holly Hills]

On 4/8/2025 at 1:38 PM, brianstl said:

https://x.com/theportalreport/status/1909381348785082615?s=46&t=6urbQRIhStGl70a4QUhnHA

Yikes! That’s a rough list.  He should have at least played out the rest of the season here.  The team was at the lowest point when he quit.  No one was playing well.

new coach, new system, new teammates, all great excuses to throw in the towel.

[Aquinas]

I have no idea why Hughes left. It didn't  appear that he was buying into the new system. Clearly there was an opportunity for playing time. My view  is that his head was not in the game. There are a lot of reasons a player could want a change of scenery and a lot of them are off the court. I wish him the best. 

[billiken_roy]

1 hour ago, Aquinas said:

I have no idea why Hughes left. It didn't  appear that he was buying into the new system. Clearly there was an opportunity for playing time. My view  is that his head was not in the game. There are a lot of reasons a player could want a change of scenery and a lot of them are off the court. I wish him the best. 

as i have always contended, playing time and starting vs not is always a factor.   those buying into the rickma statement, "starting is for high school" which playing time is the same thing imo, have never played serious organized sports at any level below professional.  it matters to kids.   personally i dont hold that against any kid.  they all dream of big ending to their sporting career.   and if they cant get past that and accept reality, wish them well and let them move on without holding it against them we are better off not having that affect the whole team. 

[HoosierPal]

We all know that Isaiah Swope entered the portal on the chance that former DII players would be granted an additional year.  The first case, College of Charleston's Ante Brzovic, was denied yesterday by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina (4th Circuit) who found that the NCAA Eligibility Rule does not include any mention of business or commercial transactions and thus it is not commercial in nature and purpose. The opinion noted that there is no "binding legal authority" to show that the Rule is subject to antitrust law.

The article mentions the JUCO ruling by a TN court that allowed a Vanderbilt QB an extra year due to NIL issues.  However, it seems the SC 4th Circuit Court does not agree that the waiver should apply to ALL non-D-I levels.

The article mentions that there are nearly 140 players hoping to gain an extra season having played at least one season in DII.  This includes Swope.  While this recent ruling is not the end of the line, any quick resolution on the 140 players is likely out the window.  An appeal will plod through the courts, making a quick decision unlikely.  The NCAA could rule on a system wide eligibility rule sooner than the courts can decide.  Below is the free article from the Field of 68 Daily.

1. Did Ante Brzovic ruling end extended eligibility?

Ante Brzovic spent the last three years starring at the College of Charleston, which followed twos season at D-II Southeastern Oklahoma State.

That’s five years of college hoops, which normally means a player must move on to the professional ranks. But recent court decisions — most notably with college football player Diego Pavia — opened the door for an extended amount of time at the D-I level. A court ruled that Pavia’s time in junior college should not count toward D-I. That meant a blanket waiver was applied to all former JUCO players.

However, it seems the court does not agree that the waiver should apply to ALL non-D-I levels.

Brzovic, through his lawyers Mark Peper and Darren Heitner, argued that he should have additional eligibility because he wasn’t able to profit off his name, image and likeness rights. On Monday, a judge denied Brzovic’s request for a preliminary injunction to be eligible.

“Very high burden when you’re trying to win a two year case and you’re trying go win it in three weeks. It’s a much higher burden than one would think,” Peper said Monday. “And at the end of the day this judge, like a few around the country decided eligibility rules are not commercial in nature in other words they don’t affect the marketplace.”

Still, Heitner posted on X.com that there likely would not be a uniform binding precedent for extended eligibility, and more could be decided by appellate courts, or even the Supreme Court.

And when you have nearly 140 players hoping to snag an extra season, that’s no small thing. As The Athletic noted in a recent article, there’s momentum for the NCAA to permanently give athletes five years of eligibility. That wouldn’t necessarily clear the way for loads of sixth-year seniors next season, but it could be seen as a compromise if more guys like Chad Baker-Mazara (who turns 26 in January) are still playing.

Fewer one-off decisions, more uniformly applied rules. Sounds like five years will be here soon enough.

 

[WVBilliken]

On 4/8/2025 at 3:57 PM, ACE said:

He probably saved a year of eligibility, correct? Not unlike our incoming transfer from Xavier.

Yes.