The landscape of college basketball has been radically different since the introduction of Name, Image and Likness (NIL) and the transfer portal, which first launched in Oct. 2018. Another major shift came in 2021, when the NCAA removed the requirement for first-time transfer students to sit out a season, opening the floodgates for player movement like never before.
Now, the transfer portal has become a central force in roster construction, with coaches and programs adapting to a new era where player loyalty is fleeting, and where building a team is as much about retention as it is recruitment.
During the 2023-24 season Hofstra University men’s basketball head coach Speedy Claxton spoke about the impacts of the new era of college basketball.
“The landscape has changed drastically, and it’s not just us, everyone is dealing with it at every level,” Claxton said. “This year is the first year I’ve really noticed pretty much at every level you’re probably going to lose your better players to the transfer portal and that’s just what it is.”
After leading the Pride to their third straight 20-win season in 2023-24, Claxton barely had a moment to reflect before turning his attention to the ever-changing landscape of the transfer portal.
“With the landscape of college basketball now you need to move right along to the transfer portal,” Claxton said. “I’ve had no time to reflect because once the season was over, I met with the staff the next day and we started talking about the transfer portal and who we can look at.”
As another offseason has opened, the portal is once again shaping the future of the sport, raising questions about competitive balance, player development and the long-term impact on college basketball.
Mid-major teams like the Pride live and die by the portal, building strong rosters with the understanding that many of their top players may eventually move on to bigger opportunities.The biggest focus of the Pride’s offseason this cycle was retaining their dynamic two-headed guard duo of Cruz Davis and Jean Aranguren. Both players, who transferred to Hofstra in the previous year – Davis from St. John’s University and Aranguren from Iona University – were essential to the team’s success and to the Pride’s plans moving forward.
On Tuesday, March 25, Hofstra announced that both Aranguren and Davis would be staying with the program for the upcoming season. Thus, the biggest challenge of this offseason seemed to be a major success, with the team’s nucleus staying in the blue and gold.
Davis led the Pride last season in scoring with 14.4 points per game along with leading the team in assists with 4.4 on the year. Davis was the facilitator all year long with the offense running through him – from the inbound pass to the final shot.
On the other side of this dynamic duo was Aranguren, who initially announced he would be staying with the program. Just six days later, on Monday, March 31, his agent, Paolo Zamorano, told The Field of 68 that Aranguren had decided to enter the transfer portal.
What seemed like a victory for the Pride – securing both of their two star players – quickly turned into a major setback. Now, Claxton and his staff are left scrambling to fill the void, having initially believed Aranguren was commited for the 2025-26 season.
Aranguern narrowly missed leading the Pride in scoring behind Davis, averaging 14.2 points per game, while also contributing 4.2 assists per game. Aranguren was a versatile floor general, often displaying some of the most physical play on the team throughout the season. One of his crowning achievements was his ability to notch double-doubles. Aranguren recorded the second-most double-doubles on the team with six, just behind Michael Graham, who had seven.
While Davis and Aranguren both joined the Pride from the transfer portal, the flip side is the inevitable departures. While the Pride managed to retain one of these two stars, they couldn’t escape the reality of modern college basketball – six players have now announced that their time with the Pride may come to an end.
The first player to announce his potential departure from Hofstra was sophomore guard Eric Parnell, who made the announcement via his social media accounts. Parnell, a sharpshooter off the bench, averaged 3.8 points per game and shot 37.5% from beyond the arc during the season.
Sophomore guard KiJan Robinson’s time with the Pride may also come to an end as he announced his potential transfer from the program. The 6-foot-3-inch guard averaged 5.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and one assist per game during his campaign with Hofstra. His standout performance came against Saint Joseph’s University, where he went 8-9 on 3-pointers, finishing with 25 points and eight assists in his only start of the year.
Khalil Farmer could be wrapping up his two-year stint with the Pride after playing a key role in the bench rotation. Farmer averaged 4.3 points per game and contributed 18.6 minutes per game off the bench.
One of the most intriguing stories of the Pride’s season was Miguel Mantilla Pacchiano, who was an unexpected walk-on addition to the team. The junior forward saw limited action, playing just one game where he logged two minutes and scored a single point.
The next Hofstra player to announce his potential exit from the Pride is junior guard Jaquan Sanders. Sanders, who transferred in from Seton Hall University, started the season with the expectations from the coaching staff to be the leading scorer for the Pride.
In a preseason interview, Claxton expressed how impressed he was with Sanders, noting that he believed Sanders would emerge as the leader of the team.
“I would say [Sanders] from Seton Hall; he’s been really impressive so far,” Claxton said in the interview. “[Sanders] could score it, shoot it [and] pass it. We are probably going to run the offense through him. The other guys are going to have to play around him.”
Sanders started the season meeting expectations, averaging 14.6 points per game in his first five starts. As the season went on, his minutes gradually decreased, eventually leading Sanders to drop to the bench unit and then completely fall out of the rotation for a bizarre season.
Heading into his graduate year, TJ Gadsden has also entered the transfer portal. The senior guard started 23 games this season, though it was a down year statistically. He averaged 4.6 points per game, his lowest since his freshman year.
The transfer portal opened on Monday, March 24, and the Pride has already experienced significant changes to their roster. With six players potentially departing, there’s no doubt that Claxton and his staff will be actively involved in the portal, working to bring in as much talent as possible to strengthen the team moving forward.
