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Adam “Budd” Clark.
This was a guy that I thought would be an incredible addition to Seton Hall’s men’s basketball program when I watched his highlight tape last spring. When the Pirates got him via the transfer portal, I was beyond excited.
What I saw this season from Clark was impressive. An excellent defender, a good shooter from mid-range, a terrific distributor. Truly, his pairing with head coach Shaheen Holloway was a match made in heaven.
After an amazing bounce back campaign from the Pirates, fans were excited to see what the offseason would bring for the program. With many speculating that Clark was a guarantee to return for the 2026-2027 season, it appeared that no drama would unfold.
Only one problem, Clark isn’t coming back. What? Huh?
Yes, that’s right. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported last Thursday that the All-BIG EAST Second Team guard was entering the transfer portal.
Genuinely, I didn’t want to believe it but unfortunately, it’s real. Pretty much, an agreement could not be made for Clark to return to South Orange. Jerry Carino documents the whole situation pretty well in his published piece from last week so it’s worth taking a read.
This is a really boomer take from myself but hearing “agreement” or “contract” for a college athlete is really, really dumb. I have always believed college athletes should get paid, just through things like endorsements. Hearing a player sign a new contract to stay at their current school does not sound right.
Of course, money and Seton Hall is something that has not jelled well the past few seasons, especially in the era of NIL. All my life, I was under the notion that Seton Hall had a lot of money. A private, catholic institution in New Jersey having a lot of money makes sense.
Compared to schools in the Big Ten and the SEC, though, Seton Hall is not even in the same stratosphere as them.
In this era of college athletics, Seton Hall is in a difficult spot. Their best players transfer elsewhere and they can’t afford any of the top transfer portal entrees basically.
Besides Clark, names like Tajuan Simpkins, star freshman big Najai Hines, Godswill Erheriene and Jacob Dar have all entered the portal the past few weeks. Hines was notable because he was a fan-favorite in his first season with the Pirates and was a local product as well. Imagine how many more Clark to Hines plays there could have been had they both not left South Orange.
This is unfair to Holloway who has tried pretty much everything to compete in this era of college basketball. How is it his fault that guys like Dre Davis, Kadary Richmond and Isaiah Coleman leave? It should be on the school for not having enough financially to bring them back.
Honestly, money should not be a factor in the first place. You can definitely blame the institution’s higher ups. But, to some extent, the players who are asking for contracts way above what they are worth deserve the blame as well.
Holloway was the BIG EAST Coach of the Year for a reason this past season. He can develop young, talented and respectable athletes that play their butts off. He’s been able to do a lot with less talent like during his time at Saint Peter’s.
The transfer portal, mixed with having a small roster budget, has ruined the University’s ability to compete and get into something special like the NCAA Tournament. Men’s basketball is the campus’ most prized sport and yet here we are again with players leaving for bigger schools.
Holloway isn’t the only coach on campus dealing with the same issue. Women’s basketball head coach Tony Bozzella has lost multiple players to the portal this offseason including Jordana Codio, Zahara Bishop and more. Imagine players like Savannah Catalon or Jada Eads hitting the portal on some random April afternoon.
Both men’s and women’s soccer programs have had an influx of transfers throughout the 2020s. On the men’s side, head coach Andreas Lindberg has done well, all things considered, with the team appearing in the NCAA Tournament last fall. For Josh Osit on the women’s side, it has varied.
Former outfielder in baseball for Seton Hall, Aiden Robbins, has been amazing with Texas this season. With the success he’s having in the SEC, why would he have stayed in South Orange?
I can end it there and say it’s a school issue that their best athletes are leaving year in and year out, but I’m not. Specifically looking at the BIG EAST in men’s basketball, this offseason so far has been brutal.
Here’s a list of notable names transferring out from their schools:
Finley Bizjack (Butler, transferring to West Virginia)
Owen Freeman (Creighton)
KJ Lewis (Georgetown)
Malik Mack (Georgetown)
Stefan Vaaks (Providence, transferring to Illinois)
Oswin Erhunmwunse (Providence, transferring to Creighton) (Staying in the BIG EAST)
Eric Reibe (UConn)
Acaden Lewis (Villanova)
Bryce Lindsay (Villanova)
For a conference that gets consistently disrespected, this isn’t helping.
Back to Seton Hall, is there any hope for the future for this proud program? Will fans, including myself, ever see another BIG EAST Tournament Championship? Are they just a feeder program at this point?
Let me say this, considering how well Holloway recruited the portal last offseason, he has the ability to do it again. He can find the guys that fit the system he wants to play. He also has incoming freshman guard Darien Moore coming to the program so he can potentially be a vital piece for the team.
Although not much is known about what new general manager Nelson Hernandez will be assigned to do, he will potentially assist Holloway with recruiting.
The cards are really stacked against Holloway and the program, but the portal works in strange ways. You can be a top transfer prospect and not live up to expectations. You can also be a prospect that no one knows and all of a sudden become a household name.
The loss of Clark hurts, but I do believe better days are ahead for the program.