Every identifiable player in this photo transferred into Bryn Athyn, from schools in New England and Missouri as well as nearby two-year schools and Division III Gwynedd Mercy. Photo for Bryn Athyn athletics by Marcus Booker

By Ryan Scott 
D3hoops.com 

With 2024-25 being the final year of general eligibility for those in school during COVID, there’s a lot of hope, in some quarters, that the tide of transfers will slow down considerably. Talking to coaches across Division III, though, they don’t see any change in this trend going forward. And, while some people will find a way to game any system, this might not be an entirely bad thing for Division III basketball.

“High school seniors don’t always know what they want,” says Bryn Athyn men’s basketball coach, Sean Westerlund.

He states perhaps the most obvious reality for anyone who knows a high school senior. Some students enroll in schools without their preferred major, just to play sports. Others find that the experience of college changes their aspirations. It’s easier to know what you want out of your college experience when you’ve had a little experience in college.

Changes to the NCAA transfer rules haven’t actually changed anything for Division III players. Our level has never had restrictions on playing time or required student athletes to sit out. We’ve seen transfers play for different teams in the same conference in the same season! (A small number of conferences do have restrictions that prohibit this.)

What has changed, with the prevalence of transfers at the Division I level and the ease of making connections through the transfer portal, is the general acceptance of the practice of switching schools. We can speak all we want about a lack of loyalty – and some student athletes do act and think like mercenaries – but the vast majority of transfers are just looking for the best fit academically and athletically, which has always been the grounding purpose of Division III.

“We did not recruit a single high school player this year,” says Westerlund. Frustrated by years of losing out on nearly every prospective freshman they pursued, Westerlund has changed tactics. “We don’t have great facilities; what we sell is the relationship aspect. Transfers understand that more. They don’t care if there are good bleachers or about school size. They just want to be loved and play in a system where the coach is being transparent.”

Bryn Athyn has a lot going for it – close knit campus, small class sizes, supplements from the sponsoring New Church denomination keeps costs low – but there are also some negatives. Limited academic options (Bryn Athyn typically has about 300 students on campus, and is intentionally small), a religious component (weekly chapel is required), and – perhaps the biggest impediment – no real on-court success.

Westerlund is quick to remind anyone that the Lions have set program wins records each of the last two seasons. While those are great accomplishments for a still-young program, 11 and 17 wins are not likely to move the needle for high school players with options.

“We bring guys in with at least two years of eligibility left,” adds the coach. “You can’t get a transfer graduated at Bryn Athyn in one year. We get them as sophomores or juniors and we know they’ll finish here.”

Bryn Athyn has chosen an unusual path to build a culture, but the results have, indeed, paid off. Beyond those record winning seasons, the Lions have been competitive in the UEC and have a legitimate chance to make the NCAA Tournament this season.

Westerlund notes, “We bring everyone back – eight of our top nine – and we added some really nice pieces. We lost the last game of the season by two points that would’ve given us top seed in the conference tournament.”

The hope, at Bryn Athyn, is the culture and reputation being built on the backs of transfer students will raise the program profile enough to win some of those high school recruiting battles in the future, but for now – they’re going to stick with what’s working.

Says Westerlund, “There will always be a place for transfers here.”

Transfers are also working for David Saur, head women’s basketball coach at Chatham. Sixteen of 23 players on the roster began their college career somewhere else. While a fair number of them are grad transfers who would be out of eligibility without the COVID exemption, like Bryn Athyn, welcoming players seeking a better fit will always be a part of Saur’s plan at Chatham.

Charjae Brock started her college basketball career at Division II Clarion. Chatham athletics photo

“Coming from the Division I and Division II levels, we were never at a blue blood program, so we always did the transfer thing. It was a nice supplement to every program I’ve been a part of,” says Saur. “Transfers are our niche at Chatham – for the school in general. The academic programs, opportunities in health sciences, the ability to transfer in up to 95 credits, the school is set up for this. It is playing to our strengths.”

Like Bryn Athyn, Chatham has not always been able to attract the level of talent out of high school that they’re able to recruit as transfers. To be competitive, they need to find players wherever they’re available.

Chatham is also in a unique position, with the institution way out ahead of new and innovative academic programs, which have been major draws for career minded players.

“We take up about half the MBA program this year with women’s basketball,” explains Saur. “Most of our grad programs are online, so they can work full time jobs, if they want to, and have time to play basketball. One of our nursing students went straight from our scrimmage the other day to her overnight shift at the hospital. We got on one bus and she got on another – the public bus to head to work.”

Those unique programs have also created extra turnover for Saur’s squad. Chatham offers a number of three-year undergraduate options. Three of the listed juniors from last year’s roster graduated and moved on to the next phase of life.

Like the Case Western Reserve men’s team from last season, Chatham brings in an unbelievable amount of experience. Those 23 players on the roster scored the equivalent of double Chatham’s 2023-24 average, and it’s physically impossible to give everyone the minutes they’re accustomed to playing.

“We started using the eight preseason practices on Saturdays – we’d practice and then do a team activity, watching football or Top Golf. We’ve been connecting every week,” notes Saur. “Everyone is going to have to sacrifice if we’re going to win this year – everybody. To contribute to winning at a high level, you have to get satisfaction from team success over individual numbers.” The Cougars have started 2-1 and it’s clear Saur is still working out rotations and minutes – a herculean task given the sheer depth he’s working with.

“Some of these high-level scorers coming in have tried hard to fit in. But we need you to add your strengths to the group. If you’re a scorer, we need you to score. It’s why you’re here. Some of them have been too unselfish. The biggest challenge is getting everyone playing the way we want to play. It’s just going to take time. We need all the reps we can get.”

The huge transfer influx this season was not entirely intentional, though. “The thought was: let’s go get Division II transfers who didn’t have a big enough role or proven Division III players who haven’t won yet. We went after those and you always go after more than you need. All of a sudden we looked up and everybody said, ‘yes.’ ” Chatham had just one commit back out after realizing how much competition there would be for minutes.

It’s a very unusual experiment – and one that earned Chatham votes in the D3hoops.com preseason Top 25 poll.

“This is where we want to be,” says Saur. “We want to win games in the tournament. We still have to work hard to get recruits in here, so we’re going to bring players in however we can. I think transfers will continue to be a big part of what we do going forward.”

We’re not as likely to see as many 23 or 24 or 25 year olds playing Division III hoops in the future, but the trend of players changing jerseys on a fairly regular basis? So long as teams can improve their programs through the portal, it will continue to be a factor. ... and maybe it’s just one more way of helping Division III programs fulfill their mission of finding the right fit for players, both on and off the court.