California Tour Set for Hawkins and Others Those are all valid points, cmt, and, as you have pointed out, there are a lot of positives regarding the transfer portal for the athletes as well. I especially like that an athlete can make a change without penalty when the "fit" at a school isn't working out for them and for players who simply want to play somewhere, perhaps a smaller program, where they can play more minutes and not just ride the bench.
I think the point that Dick Vitale was making was that it's easier now for the power programs to "poach" players from smaller schools who have taken the time and energy to develop players who were off the radar of the big programs. Of course, the NCAA rules prohibit schools from contacting players until they officially enter the portal but I think we'd be naive to believe that elite players from smaller schools are not being contacted "through the grapevine" in a myriad of ways before they decide to enter the portal. Sure, it's a good opportunity for those players in many ways but not so good for the smaller schools who are trying to grow the prominence of their programs.