South Carolina men’s basketball has seen success in the era of the transfer portal and NIL (26-8 record with an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023-24). But it has also stumbled through a 12-20 season that saw just two conference victories this year.

That volatility sums up the recent “Wild West” attitude of college basketball. Teams are relying more and more on hoards of funds to virtually purchase a roster of proven players. Oftentimes, that can lead to under-the-table deals and promises.

https://www.on3.com/south-carolina-basketball-battles-with-realities-of-transfer-portal-and-nil-era/

Collin Murray-Boyles (Photo by Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral)

“We had Collin Murray-Boyles, who has no interest in going anywhere, got an offer for $2.5 million from someone in our conference who was playing in the NCAA Tournament. By the way, we found out,” head coach Lamont Paris said.

The sophomore forward, of course, returned for his second season at South Carolina. Murray-Boyles earned Second-Team All-SEC honors and is being mocked by some as a first-round NBA Draft pick. The Columbia native averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per gam this season for the Gamecocks.

To Paris, the idea that a tournament appearance is detrimental to a team’s portal fortunes is not landed in reality.

“Let’s not pretend that there’s a world where you’re playing in the NCAA Tournament and you’re so locked in on preparing for these games that you are not making phone calls to agents, to handlers, to runners,” Paris said.

The Gamecocks have generated some waves for themselves in the portal so far this offseason. The program has received commitments from Providence forward Christ Essandoko and North Dakota guard Treysen Eaglestaff. Future Gamecocks have expressed excitement about future moves, as well.

“This year is about to be a movie after what I just heard…” 2025 commit Eli Ellis tweeted out on Monday.

For Murray-Boyles, decisions loom again this offseason, but not necessarily from the portal. He has yet to announce a formal decision on whether or not to enter the NBA Draft. Murray-Boyles has until April 27 to announce the decision and can withdraw from the draft until June 16.

Paris has cast doubt on the efficacy of holding tampering teams accountable, however.

“Is it provable? Would we have to subpoena records to get ‘Hey, there was a phone call that happened at this time’? I don’t think it’s enforceable,” he said.

With Zachary Davis, Arden Conyers, Nick Pringle, and Austin Herro all transferring out of Columbia, Paris has scholarships still in play for next season. The portal will remain active, and even through alleged tampering from rivals, the team must utilize the resource.