From the Sideline — Basketball Transfers Becoming the Norm

It always raises eyebrows for a fan-base when a player in any sport transfers away from their school. That's an understandable reaction - especially when a player is an underclassmen, and has any level of success.

But the reality is, we are in a time where it is far from uncommon to see players bolt from one campus before their eligibility has expired.

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello annually compile a list of transfers from Division One programs. The one they posted at 7:10 ET on Wednesday, March 30th, already had roughly 50 players who have earned their undergraduate degrees and are eligible to transfer to another school and play next season.

That list doesn't include the undergrads who are transferring, and will have to sit out a year before they can resume their collegiate careers. It was a number that was well over 100. I quit counting because I knew it would grow before most of you actually saw this post.

The list also didn't include two Alabama players who have decided to leave Tuscaloosa.

Justin Coleman and Michael Kessens were great guys to cover, represented the school and the program well, and had moments that showed why they were recruited to UA in the first place. Both will be nice additions to whichever rosters they wind up on.

But the fact that both tweeted that they AND Coach Johnson believed they should transfer, tells me Avery was okay with the move - for the futures of both the young men, as well as his program.