Rick Bozich

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Five shots from the rough, written with one eye on Augusta National:

1. Portal Party -- Bryce Hopkins (Kentucky) followed Dre Davis (Louisville) who followed Noah Locke (Louisville) who followed Matt Cross (Louisville) who followed Rob Phinisee (Indiana) who followed …

I'll stop here to check for updates from the NCAA transfer portal, which has made has made free agency the flavor of the month in college basketball.

According to one count, more than 1,700 players entered the portal prior to last season. Coaches expect that record to be crushed this spring.

Resistance is futile. Don't try to speak against it. After decades of having minimal power, the players have considerable clout today.

Eventually, I expect pushback from administrators and coaches. Recruiting and player development expenses are not insignificant. Most prospects are not plug-and-play.

And when it comes, this will be the best first step:

Maintain the one-time, no-penalty transfer option for sophomores, juniors or seniors with eligibility. But reinstate a one-season sit-out period for freshmen.

They can jump if they're certain they made the wrong college choice. But unless there was a coaching change at their program, they need to sit one season, the way the rule used to work.

The jump from high school basketball to college basketball brings inevitable adversity. For most guys it will be the first time they've spent significant time on the bench. They no longer get all the shots, all the minutes or all the love.

The wise ones assess their weaknesses and figure it out. They don't bolt.

2. Jurich Chatter -- Some people rolled their eyes in late February when Eric Crawford and I wrote about a behind-the-scenes push to bring Tom Jurich back for a second run as the University of Louisville athletic director. (Story link.)

Sure.

What's next? Saint Peter's beating Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament?

Six weeks later the Jurich talk continues to percolate as U of L's search for a permanent replacement for Vince Tyra continues.

The Jurich camp has influence as well as the approval of the former AD to make their case. They have not been timid about sharing their vision for Louisville athletics.

They're convinced Jurich is the best candidate, that his dismissal in 2017 was unfair and that he deserves to write a different ending to his legacy here.

I'll stick with what Eric and I wrote in February:

There is enough significant opposition to Jurich 2.0 that I don't expect it to happen. He lacks sufficient support on the Board of Trustees, and there are key members of the university's senior leadership that oppose the move.

There were many glorious days during Jurich's two-decade run. There was also considerable scandal in the basketball program as well as the botched second opportunity for Bobby Petrino. Jurich's leadership style tilted toward intimidation.

It's time for the University of Louisville to keep moving forward, not try to recapture 2012.

3. Remembering Lee Rose -- When Purdue followed Kentucky's lead and exited the NCAA Tournament with a Sweet Sixteen defeat to Saint Peter's, the Boilermakers ignited a trivia question:

Who was the last Purdue coach to guide the program to the Final Four?

Not Gene Keady.

It was Lee Rose, who directed a team led by Joe Barry Carroll, Keith Edmondson and Drake Morris to a loss to UCLA in the 1980 national semifinals in Indianapolis.

Rose, a native of Irvine, Ky., was 85 when he died this week in Charlotte after an 8-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Rose was a marvelous basketball tactician, something he proved at four head coaching stops. He won at least 20 games in seven of his eight seasons at Transylvania, his alma mater.

He went from Lexington to Charlotte, shocking the college basketball world by directing Cornbread Maxwell and the 49ers to the 1977 Final Four.

That got Rose the Purdue job. He went 50-18 and jolted Boilermakrs fans by leaving for South Florida. USF is a difficult place to win but Rose delivered five winning seasons in six years before he transitioned to a career as an NBA assistant coach for 15 seasons.

His friends and admirers always wondered what Rose would have achieved if he was ever given the keys to a powerful program like Kentucky.

Probably big things. But Lee Rose built a king-sized legacy on his own terms.

4. Waiting On Payne -- Look for official word on Nolan Smith's move to Kenny Payne's coaching staff with the U of L basketball program next week. Duke has already replaced Smith by hiring Elon head coach Mike Schrage to assist new head coach Jon Scheyer.

Although there have been reports Payne has settled on his other two assistants, a source told me this week that Payne is still considering candidates. He might have the complete staff in place next week.

5. Hoosiers From The Top Rope -- I'm not certain which player will be Indiana's starting halfback next season but I know which guy will create the most social media buzz:

Declan McMahon, a zero-star recruit from a prep school in Brooklyn, New York.

McMahon will be a preferred walk-on who won't have to fret IU's hefty out-of-state tuition because he is the grandson of WWE founder Vince McMahon and the son of Shane McMahon, a professional wrestler and promoter.

Declan McMahon is 6 feet tall and 192 pounds. He had scholarship offers from East Carolina and Fordham after visiting Rutgers and Duke.

Sources are trying to determine if he has a stage name.

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