Brody Fox, left, and Elyce Knudsen, right, were each D3hoops.com All-America selections in 2024. Now they start for The Citadel and Illinois State, respectively. Citadel athletics photo by Reily Rogers; Keelen Marlow, ISU athletics

By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com 

If you’re anything like me, trying to follow all the action in Division III basketball leaves little time for anything else. I generally have no idea what’s happening at any other level of basketball until after I return from Fort Wayne in March.

If you’ve been following Division I basketball, though, you may have seen familiar names and faces on your screen. Former D3hoopers are leading a half dozen teams around the country, from underclassmen such as Miles Barnstable, who left UW-Whitewater and is now the leading scorer at St. Thomas or Brayden Fagbemi, putting up double digits at Central Arkansas after a stellar freshman season at Johns Hopkins, to grad transfers, taking advantage of the final COVID year to make progress towards a master’s degree and test their skills at a higher level.

I checked in on four D3hoops.com All Americans now plying their trade in Division I for some perspective on making the move. After all, even without a fifth year, there are always Division III players graduating early with an opportunity to move to Division I. It may happen less often in the future, but it’s not a trend that will ever stop.

One of the best things I learned in this process is that the stigma of Division III is much less than it used to be. Each and every player shared the most common refrain from their new teammates was “why didn’t you transfer earlier.” There was little expectation that a Division III player would be of lesser ability or need to prove themselves any more than anyone else.

“I think the transfer portal has changed things,” says UW-Stout standout and current leading scorer at Citadel, Brody Fox. “At the Division I level there are fewer players who stay anywhere for four years. You’re always starting with a new group. It sometimes feels like I’m a professional already.”

Using Division I as a stepping stone to professional basketball is beneficial in many ways. NJCU’s Damaris Rodriguez doesn’t appear to have missed a step transitioning to PG at the Division I level, but it has been a very different environment.

“A lot of things I did on my own at Division III are mandatory here. Lifting. Film study. Extra practice. Individual workouts. We have position coaches.” Rodriguez cited how much more prepared she feels for her plans to play overseas next season. She also talked about how many more plays she had to learn and remember now that the plan for a broken possession isn’t just “give it to Damaris and let her cook.”

For many Division III fans, it’s hard to believe players with such obvious exceptional talent, even from day one of freshman year, like Rodriguez or Millikin’s Elyce Knudsen, who’s now tearing it up for Illinois State, didn’t have many options out of high school.

“It was Millikin or one Juco offer,” says Knudsen. Both she and Rodriguez cite the confidence their coaches had in them and the loyalty they felt to their teammates as the reason they didn’t transfer earlier - choosing to play all four years in Division III, despite having opportunities to move on.

“The people and the most important thing to me,” says Knudsen. :I was so grateful for the people I got to play with. I made a commitment to coach Lett and I wanted to honor that, no matter what other pressures were there.”

Fox felt a similar connection, choosing to return for his senior year at Stout after testing the transfer portal. “I wanted to be an All-American, but more than that, I wanted to be there for my teammates and get my degree from Stout.”

The connection and camaraderie was also important for John Adams, who has joined Fox at Citadel after four years at WPI. “Division III is just so much more player led, because the coaches can’t be with you in the offseason. You develop deeper relationships.”

Adams isn’t closing the door on a pro career, but for him, this transfer was more about personal growth and development. “I have a mechanical engineering degree and I was going to use it, but I thought why not try the transfer portal, maybe get my MBA, and try something new, make myself uncomfortable.”

As with Rodriguez, Fox also noted the extra layer of discipline the Division I level is giving him, “I can’t get away with the same things I could. The details are more intense.”

Knudsen had to overcome an early season injury, but her determination was undiminished. “I knew I could be the hardest worker and the best leader; that’s true at any level, but I also wanted to make sure I could have the same impact on the court as I did in Division III.”

Rodriguez had to take 19 credits over the summer to get on pace for her degree and felt overwhelmed by the jump in physicality and skill level. “The pace is a lot different, way faster. There’s just a different atmosphere. I didn’t think I could do it at first, but I pushed through.”

There may be doubts from the players themselves, but these four - and countless others - are proving that good basketball is good basketball and good players can contribute anywhere. Knudsen thought she was escaping the CCIW when she transferred, but Illinois State’s first game was against Illinois Wesleyan and the super talented senior class Knudsen battled her entire career.

Illinois State won the game, but the Titans proved they belonged on the court. When I aksed Knudsen how many of the players she played with in Division III who could hang in Division I, it wasn’t the conference she thought of first, but a humbling experience in the spring of 2022 when the Big Blue were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by eventual champions, Hope.

“The talent Hope had my sophomore year,” she notes, “One through ten on that team could’ve played at the Division 1 level. It was just so impressive.”

That talent pool isn’t drying up. Division III players will continue to choose to transfer for any number of reasons, but if our graduates find themselves with an extra year of eligibility and the opportunity to go somewhere else, it’s important to remember that all the same values still apply.

“Don’t transfer just to transfer,” says Fox. “You still need to go some place you’re wanted. It has to be a good fit.”

“Pick the place that wants you,” echoes Rodriguez.

We want everyone to feel valued and included at Division III, but if and when our players move on - we’ll continue to go with them and root for their success. After all, their success is our success. Any exposure to the level of play we have in Division III makes it a viable option for talented players everywhere looking for a great academic and athletic experience.