Latest / Talkin' Tech / REACTION: Darrion Williams Enters The Transfer Portal

Transcript

REACTION: Darrion Williams Enters The Transfer Portal · Talkin' Tech

• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome in, everybody.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this is kind of a different thing that I'm doing here uh on the Talk and Tech podcast.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: We don't normally do kind of instant reactions or quick thoughts or anything like that.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: So um this is kind of the first one, but uh some big news surfaced.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, according to ESPN's Jonathan Gavoni and various other sources, Darien Williams has declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his eligibility and has also entered his name into the transfer portal.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I wanted to just come on here and talk about a few things, um, some overarching things with uh the state of college basketball and the transfer portal, uh, fan reaction and just kind of options here.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um so what does this mean?
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Things the short answer is it means a number of things.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: This means he'll be talking with NBA teams and potentially setting up workouts and getting measurables done to try to get a feel for where his draft stock is in the 2025 class.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, there's a deadline for players that have entered the NBA draft to withdraw their name and return to school.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the uh maintaining eligibility piece.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: If they started doing this a couple years ago, and players have taken advantage of it and gotten some good feedback from NBA scouts and teams and you know, figured out what they want to work on and return back to school for another year and potentially get drafted a little higher next year as they you know develop as a player.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: So Darien has, I believe, one year of eligibility left.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: He could have two.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: The numbers of eligible years a player has is kind of been a nightmare to figure out since COVID, uh, with the waivers and the new JUCO rule in the NCAA just being kind of a cluster.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: The NCA also is looking to potentially pass a new rule, giving all players a fifth year of eligibility.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: So that may even add to this even more, but that's beside the point.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: So one option here that I could see playing out, and this is like the least likely scenario, in my opinion, is uh Darien Williams gets good feedback from NBA teams and decides to keep his name in the draft and begin his broke career, which I think is ideal for all Texas Tech fans here that don't want to see Darien Williams kind of tarnish what he's accomplished at Texas Tech and you know, kind of go down as one of the best Red Raider basketball players, you know, of all time.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, if we get a situation uh like we've seen in the past with players that have transferred to other schools and they just kind of lose a lot of their legacy and what they accomplished at Texas Tech.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's ideal, uh, but it's also not a likely scenario, in my opinion.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the other option here is that Darren Williams doesn't get the best feedback from the NBA process and decides to play another year in college basketball.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, with him entering his name into the transfer portal, obviously this is gonna really come down to kind of a bidding war here.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Is a return to Texas Tech possible?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, but I think at this point in time I'd be very surprised if that actually happened.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: The most likely scenario is that Darren William Darren Williams is gonna come back and play college basketball for a new team next year.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Basically pull a Kevin McCullough, uh, if you will.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm seeing a lot of tech fans that are kind of angry and confused on social media, which I think are valid opinions and feelings to have, but also we all kind of have to understand how college basketball works in 2025.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: These relationships between a player and a team are more transactional than they've ever been before.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's an extremely rare case that a star player plays out his entire career at one school.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: College basketball is basically a bidding war, like I said, for talent every single year.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: D5's current agent is known for shopping his clients out to other schools.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's another piece of this that some may not know.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: He signed with PNW Sports Group.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Some people may know this.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same agency that Pop Isaacs is currently under.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll see with both of their kind of careers right now, they uh they like their guys to enter the portal and get the best bag that they can.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think it would also take a special type of person to uh not at least see what's out there, right?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I can't say that if I'm in Darien Williams scenario, that I wouldn't be doing the same thing because uh this is generational money that we're talking about here.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: But more on that in a second.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Darien Williams is a player that has excelled at the college level, but probably won't break into a role in the NBA.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't to say he's not a good player, that he won't have a career in pro basketball, but players of his type don't normally have long careers in the NBA if they make it at all, really.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Given the current landscape of NIL in college basketball and the significant sums being offered to these players, it maximizes the earning potential for each individual in today's environment.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it would be foolish for a player almost like Darion Williams to not test the portal to maximize his earnings here.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, we're talking about generational money here.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, these players in this year's transfer class are going to make two, three million a year next year.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's not hyperbole.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: That is teams are going to pay lots of money for top talent, and it's only gonna get worse as we keep on going, unless something's different.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: So uh just kind of for reference, last year's draft class, NBA draft class, Kyle Philipowski, who was the 32nd pick in 2024, he makes about 3 million a year on a four-year contract currently with the Jazz.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Jalen Wells, who I think a lot of Texas Tech fans um would recognize from last offseason, who was the 39th pick last year in 2024, he makes about 2.6 million a year on a three-year deal.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Kevin McCullough, who we all know, was the 56th pick last year.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: So second to last.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: There were only 58 picks in 2024 because a couple teams lost their draft picks, but um, he was the 56th pick.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: He signed a two-way contract with the Knicks and makes about 564K for this year for one year.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we're talking a guy like Darien Williams in this current situation could be making five to six times more returning to college basketball than he would as a very, very late second round pick in the NBA, which I think is probably where he would end up.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I don't know, he could go through this process and a team likes him and guarantees that they're gonna pick him at you know 31 or 32, then it may change his mind and he just goes to the NBA.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that's pretty unlikely, uh, considering who Darien Williams is, kind of his talent.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: He's not the most athletic uh player.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, there's a lot of aspects of his game that translate to college, but may not necessarily translate to a more high-speed athletic shooting professional NBA, you know.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: So another part of this is some are wondering why Texas Tech won't just pay Darien Williams, you know, two to three million next year and retain him.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I I can't really answer that because nobody knows kind of the behind-the-scenes stuff.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: There's only a select few that know exactly the financials of what's going on, and it's ever changing, right?
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: They're they're working with this new um Rev share uh thing that may pass on April 7th.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: It may not pass for weeks or months down the road.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: We don't really know.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a lot of unknown in that area.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: What I do know is there's been rumored amounts that tech is potentially working on with other players like Christian Anderson and JT Toppin.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, JT was the returning, he's gonna, he would be the returning Big 12 player of the year.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: He was an all-American last year.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: He's gonna garner that$3 million price point to return to school, yeah, if not more.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure Christian Anderson is being highly coveted as well by other schools and could make upwards of one to two million, uh, even more.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's not confirmed.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Those are just rumors and kind of putting puzzle pieces together on my end.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: But JT's in a really similar situation to Darien, as you know, he probably will go through the draft process, but you know, if he doesn't get a first round grade, I don't know if he's just not gonna come back to school because if whether it's a tech or whether it's somewhere else, he's gonna get top dollar in college basketball next year.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I could absolutely see JT getting in that three million or even above range to return to tech, you know.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: So you you kind of have to balance all this.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's a salary cap you're dealing with, and and trying to, you know, see what makes sense for Texas Tech to you know spread the love and spread funds to and and kind of build your team around that.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I said, I mean, Darion Williams in the transfer portal next year in college basketball will make two to three million dollars next year.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's just going to happen, whether that's a Texas Tech or whether that's somebody else, uh, a player of his talent coming off and an all Big 12 first team, a guy who made clutch shot after clutch shot in uh the NCAA tournament this year, uh, showed that he can play at the highest level of college basketball and be one of the best players on one of the best teams in college basketball, will get paid that much money.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's uh it it's a balance, and Texas Tech is is trying to figure out what they're gonna do here.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: And the last thing that I kind of want to touch on here, how should fans react to this?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: You know, everybody's always concerned about how people act and uh whether people should think a certain way or another.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: What I can tell you is how I think about this stuff.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's fine to be upset that college sports aren't what they used to be, you know, the the transactional piece of things like this are frustrating, and it's fine to be frustrated with it because you want to see a guy like Darren Williams play for Texas Tech for his entire career and become one of the greatest Red Raiders ever and uh, you know, bring us closer to a national championship and everything of that nature.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: So um being frustrated that he may not be on the team next year, I think is absolutely fine.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that frustration is really more of kind of the state of college basketball and kind of why things are the way that they are now.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: And to me, that piece of it is not gonna change.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: If anything, it's only gonna get worse, and it kind of seems pointless to get upset or to get hung up on that part of it.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I I my initial reaction was I was not surprised, and guys are gonna do what they're gonna do.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it this is we're talking about generational money here that guys are playing with, and I I can't sit here and say that I would do something different and you know, take less money because I love this place and all that.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so yeah, I just think it takes a really special type of person and player to make that decision uh and not at least test and see what the market is for him in the portal.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I also think it makes the ones that stay that much more special.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, sports themselves aren't just transactional relationships.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's telling of a person's true character to be where their feet are and potentially take less money to try and run it back with a team that was so close to competing for a championship.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: But again, am I am I gonna pretend like I wouldn't do the same thing if I was in D5 situation?
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: I love Texas Tech, but I this is this is an insane amount of money that and career that you're that you're having to make these decisions through.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, say he but also say he commits to another school, Kentucky, North Carolina.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't even know if there's rumored teams out there right now, but say he commits to another fan base, those fans are instantly gonna love him.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you're gonna get those tech fans that are pissed at you and say horrible things on social media and um you know call you uh a quitter, call you a liar, do all that stuff.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: But he's gonna go to another fan base and get a lot of love from that end.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, Kevin McCullough, Texas Tech fans aren't too fond of him these days, uh, but Kansas fans sure like him, you know, for what he did over there.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: So um I I'm just trying to bring a bunch of different thoughts and and opinions out there and try to be empathetic to the situation of what these guys go through.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, and and try not to be, you know, a hypocrite when I'm talking about this stuff.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: There's also another reality where he transfers and doesn't live up to expectations, and he's now disliked by two fan bases, you know, the one he left and the one that he hasn't lived up to expectations at.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we've seen plenty of that, you know, on different guys.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: You you think about uh AJ Storer comes to mind from Kansas last year, where you know he was pretty beloved in Wisconsin.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: He was averaging 16 points a game, he was one of the best players there, goes to Kansas and immediately disappoints.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: And Kansas fans didn't like him.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, he was coming off the bench, he was playing minimal, he really just tanked his stock there.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: So there's always that reality, you know, when guys make a decision like this.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying that's gonna happen to D5.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying I even want that for D5.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying that you have to think about this kind of stuff because when you're talking with your agents, it's all sunshine and roses sometimes of, hey, you're gonna get paid here, you're gonna do excellent, we're gonna go to the NBA and you're gonna have a 10-year NBA career.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, those guys just hype them up and juice them up, and whoever's in his camp does the same thing.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, you have to look at every single aspect and make a smart decision based around everything that is being thrown at you.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you could also, you know, commit to a new school or coach based on the bag, and maybe it doesn't fit your style of play, uh, and your NBA stock is completely out the window, and you're another year older.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, these are all the risks and parts of making these sort of decisions.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think part of the frustration for us as fans is really kind of the unknown of it all.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we make an Elite Eight, you have a huge role on a really good team.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: Why would you transfer?
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: We start to make assumptions or maybe form opinions that could completely just not be the case.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: And we just don't know.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just not always a black and white situation all the time.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: The only true people that know the situation are probably the tech coaching staff, guys like Grant McCassin, Kellen Buffington, the general manager guys that deal with in I the NIL piece of this, uh, Darien Williams and Amon Desi and Keith Moss, who are his agents at PW Sports Group.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: So um, you know, a lot of people are probably mad at the agents as well.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is the agent's job, man.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're the agent's job is to take on a client and get that client paid and get him to the next level.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I can't even necessarily say the agents are bad people.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: I think I think most agents are pretty slimy just in general, especially college agents.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know, this is kind of their job, and that's kind of what they're being paid to do.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it take that for what it is.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, to kind of conclude here, Darien Williams has been a terrific player for Texas Tech.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I would love to see him somehow return to Texas Tech next year and play another year because he has such a unique skill set and he had and he commands.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: We we saw him just take over games on the biggest stage in the NCAA tournament.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he hit really clutch shots for us this year, a big part of that win at Houston, who could be the national champion come Monday.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm I'm thankful for his time here.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: I would absolutely be disappointed if he transferred in conference and goes to another school and you know, say he goes to Houston or say he goes to Kansas or say he goes to something like that.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm gonna boo the crap out of him.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: It just it is what it is.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I think tech fans should also keep in mind that Grant McCasslin is a hell of a coach, and Texas Tech has a lot of resources to get replacements for a guy like Darien Williams to continue the upward trajectory and compete at the highest level.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: That kind of sounds like a PR statement uh from Texas Tech here, but I I just think Grant has proved it with the success of this past year's team and uh what he's accomplished in just two years at tech, the NIL money that tech has committed to make this a winning program.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we've made three Elite Eights in seven tournaments with three different head coaches.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's a testament to Texas Tech, guys.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you do lose D5, whether he comes back, uh Texas Tech is gonna be fine.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna have a successful team, you're gonna find guys to replace him, and you're gonna be a competitor in this league for years to come because you have Grant McCassin at the helm.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: You have guys like Dustin Womble and other NIL donors, Cody Campbell, to help the success of this program and stay competitive with talented players that you get from the portal.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: So um, I know not a lot is going on right now.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lot working out behind the scenes with your current roster, so you're not really seeing Texas Tech's name in a lot of the big time transfers currently.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is a long process.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: You you have signed guys as late as July, as late as um, you know, June and and late May in the past.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: So this is it's gonna be a long off season, guys.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh whether you're not you're not seeing a lot of Texas Tech transfer news right now, and you're seeing guys commit to schools like Baylor and Cincinnati and everything right now, but it's a long off season.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta be patient.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see what's to come with Darren Williams, but I have all the faith in the world that the right guys are are gonna be on this team uh come next year.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: So those are just quick reaction thoughts.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I hope everybody has a has a good evening.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I know initial news like this can be uh confusing and and frustrating, but I think it's just not worth getting frustrated until you know things come to fruition.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see how it plays out and uh hope everybody uh enjoys their evening and and have a good one.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: Uh wow, first of all, uh got a lot of respect for Stephen and Tristan.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh their program, tough guys, just uh a lot of fun.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: This is wild.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: When I walked in and I knew this would be an awesome podcast, and these guys have been tremendous.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: I love you, and I can't wait for this journey.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: I would like to thank uh Stephen and Tristan.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: This is incredible.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: These guys have a passion and a love for this school.