With more mobility and exposure than ever, student-athletes are weighing what comes next.
By Jeremy Dent-Smith, Staff Reporter
This year was one of the most amazing of my entire life and certainly of my athletic career. As a guard on the men’s basketball team, my teammates and I made an unprecedented run at the Div. II National Championship. The men’s and women’s teams not only made history for Toros Athletics, but put Cal State Dominguez Hills in the record books as the first school ever to have both its basketball teams sweep the CCAA Championships.
For college student-athletes, that kind of achievement is the stuff dreams are made of. College sports has allowed me and many of my peers opportunities we could have only hoped for back when we were playing pick-up games with our friends until the sun went down.
The game was simpler back then—so were the stakes. College sports have always meant big money for schools, but it’s only until now that student-athletes could also benefit financially from all their hard work. NIL deals—or name, image, and likeness—offer student-athletes the chance to monetize their personal brand.
Balancing the love of the game with the high expectations of multimillion-dollar athletics programs and the potential for financial security can be a lot to consider. The opportunities for college athletes are out there, and sometimes that means they have to leave the places that gave them those opportunities first.
I’ve spent the last three years here at CSUDH, and I’m grateful for what this community has given me and the success I achieved alongside my teammates. But for me to do what I want to do with the time I have left to do it, that means leaving the city of Carson.
Earlier this month, I committed to play my final season at Stanford University. The decision to leave the Toro Nation wasn’t easy, but one I felt was necessary for myself and my family. My experience isn’t necessarily unique—in fact, a lot of student-athletes face similar decisions, including some here at Dominguez Hills.
Five years ago, many student-athletes lost a year of competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA had to act quickly but long before that, in October 2018, the organization introduced a new system that would go on to reshape college sports: the transfer portal.
The portal allows student-athletes to transfer to new schools without the one-year penalty that was previously enforced. This change, combined with NIL rights, has completely transformed the college sports landscape.
Thousands of student-athletes enter the portal every year. Nearly 21,000 athletes entered the portal in 2022—up from more than 17,000 the prior year. The transfer portal can be a powerful tool, but it’s also a stressful process. If handled poorly, it can hurt an athlete just as easily as it can help them.
Junior guard Nala Williams was a key contributor to the women’s basketball team’s dominant season. She said that her transition to San Diego State was a “scary process” at first, but ultimately the right move.
“Being at DH for three years, I became comfortable and could not see myself anywhere else,” said Williams, the Div. II WBCA Player of the Year. “I knew my time was up at DH and San Diego State really felt like somewhere I would want to spend my last year.”
The transfer portal has also been a pipeline for Toros Athletics. Senior forward Adam Afifi came from Chico State to CSUDH and said it was the best decision of his college career.
“When I was in the portal teams were reaching out, but being in the CCAA, I knew Dominguez was a good fit and the culture here is one of a kind,” Afifi said.
For coaches, the transfer portal poses a different set of challenges, since they have to keep watch for new recruits. Assistant coach Jackson Cascio is one of the lead recruiters for the men’s basketball team, and no stranger to the highs and lows of the process.
Recruiting often feels like a bidding war, Cascio said, with programs vying for top players based on the strength of their offers. “If it’s a player of high value or importance to your program, you better come with your best shot.”
Cascio added that navigating the portal can be especially difficult for Div. II coaches, who often find themselves competing against Div. I programs with better facilities and financial resources.
“Sometimes you are competing against Division I coaches who have more money and resources,” Cascio explained. “The portal has really become the main source of recruiting and has been good to our program so far.”
Whether they’re coming to or leaving from CSUDH, the transfer portal could bode well for the future of Toros Athletics, particularly as teams see more success. Players have more opportunities to make their mark on campus, especially at schools like Dominguez Hills, which has tremendous potential to bring together the Carson community in that special way that only college sports can.
After three years here, I’ve left a lot of blood, sweat, and tears on the floors of the Torodome. But I also left a piece of my heart on this campus. And because of that, no matter where I go, I’m sure I’ll always find my way back here.