How transferring in Minnesota high school sports reached 'out of control' status

Joe Hyser was looking forward to having Minneapolis South's best boys basketball team since he took over the program 27 years ago. He and his team had an opportunity to finally reach the pinnacle: a trip to the state tournament.

A few unanswered phone calls to his players in late June bewildered the Tigers coach.

Soon he learned why the players had turned quiet. His team, with a chance at a top-five ranking in Class 4A, coming off its first winning season since 2015-16, had started to dismantle. Eventually eight players, including all five starters, transferred to five programs in nearby school districts.

"I love each of the young men who transferred. We had a great experience together, one which I will never forget," Hyser said. "Sure, I would have liked to have competed with them for a state title the next two years, but I don't dwell on the past or on what could have been. I like a challenge, and my focus is on improving this year's team and making it competitive.

"Each of the players are having a significant impact on their new teams, so I am happy for them."

Hyser's case is an extreme example of a trend, long building, that exploded in boys basketball this season. A study of rosters and conversations with coaches revealed at least 50 boys basketball players who are playing for new schools this season after scoring in double figures last season. One is playing at his third school in three years.

"There has never been this level of talent — impactful players — who have transferred," said Columbia Heights coach Willie Braziel, president of the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association. "It's out of control."

The numbers aren't as high in other winter team sports, but transferring is also having an effect. The No. 1-ranked team in girls hockey has three prominent players who transferred before the 2021-22 season. In boys hockey, the number of transfers statewide is in double figures each of the past two years. In girls basketball, Hopkins superteams of recent years were built on players who played youth basketball in other communities.

Hyser blames a mind-set springing from the temporary feel of commitments in college and professional sports.

"Player movement is becoming much more prevalent due to parent or player discontent, the trickle-down effect from the transfer portal in the college game, and the crazy free agency at the professional level," he said.

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has specific and extensive rules about transferring. As a starting point, all transfers are ineligible until sitting out one year.

Various exceptions lead to immediate varsity eligibility, the most common being a family saying it has a new residence in a different district.

Braziel, whose program has benefited from transfers and lost players, too, believes it's time for the MSHSL to become more authoritative.

"I don't know what the answer is for the MSHSL, but right now there are no checks and balances," Braziel said. "It's time for the MSHSL to get their head out of the sand on this issue."

Bob Madison, the MSHSL associate director who oversees transfers and eligibility, said the league takes a strong stance.

"We believe that athletics are a privilege, not a right, and we strongly encourage and support maintaining competitive equity between schools," he said.

Dealing with the process

Mike Zweber, activities director at Lakeville North since 2016, handles transfers to and from his district every school year. His school has athletes who transferred and are eligible this school year and some who are sitting out one year to become eligible.

He knows some people are confused about the steps to become eligible.

"There are a lot of people who believe they are an exception to a rule," Zweber said.

He also knows there are those who aren't confused at all, especially about residency.

"That is the loophole families take advantage of," Zweber said. "Families must have a home address or apartment in the district. There are honest as well as dishonest people about where they live. Some play the system to get around the rules."

Finding out who is telling the truth presents challenges, Madison indicated.

"We are not an investigative body," he said. "We are a governing body."

One step is to teach activities directors the rules.

"There are about 100 new athletic directors over the last two years," Madison said, an indication that about 25% of ADs changed. "We've tried to make sure they all received the proper information regarding eligibility. And they can always reach out to us if they have any questions. But it, 100 percent, comes down to the accuracy of the information provided and honesty of the person providing the information."

Zweber sees frustration about transfers showing up at various points in the process.

"You will have an opponent who will be upset saying a certain kid shouldn't be playing for that team," Zweber said. "On a team where you have cuts made, a transfer will take a spot from somebody who grew up in the community and has always played in the program. There are coaches who won't take transfers."

Domino effect

Starting point guard Jerome Williams was one of the last of the Minneapolis South players to transfer, enrolling at Minnehaha Academy two days before school began. It was familiar: He had previously attended Minnehaha Academy Middle School.

"My mind was going everywhere," Williams said. "Once I learned everybody was leaving, I was thinking of transferring, too. It was a very tough decision."

A 5-9 junior, Williams is the Redhawks' leading scorer, averaging 19.6 points per game. He played for Hyser his freshman and sophomore seasons, exiting as the Tigers' leading scorer (16.2 points per game) after the 2021-22 season, when they went 18-7.

He said he transferred for two reasons.

"Minnehaha Academy has a good environment at the school and it is better academically," Williams said.

He still thinks about what could have been at Minneapolis South. Three of his South teammates headed to Cretin-Derham Hall, two to Osseo, one to Park Center and another to Hiawatha Collegiate.

"We had a lot of potential," Williams said. "We could have possibly won state the next three years and even been nationally ranked."

Williams said Hyser is not to blame for the exodus.

"He is a great coach," he said. "I have the utmost respect for him. I don't think most of our players really understood the long-term vision the coaching staff and our peers had for us."

Hyser also has a backer in Braziel.

"Joe is one of the classiest coaches there is," he said. "Those kids were unfair to Joe. They decimated his program."

Hyser found some relief from speaking to the coaches who inherited his players.

"I really appreciated coach [Tim] Theisen from Osseo, [James] Ware from Park Center, [Lance] Johnson from Minnehaha Academy and assistant coach [Tony] Yazbeck from Cretin-Derham Hall," he said. "They called me to inquire about the players transferring. They were asking me about the players' character and why they were transferring.

"I told them what they already knew: that it's part of the game today. Those coaches calling me really helped me move on from this. Those coaches have been around long enough to have both benefited from transfers and been hurt by players transferring out of their programs."

Opportunity knocks

Poet Davis was expected to provide some offense and depth at guard for South. He now finds himself starting and running the offense.

"I haven't played point guard since eighth grade," Davis said. "I will do whatever it takes to keep South on the map."

A junior, he is the No. 1 scoring option, averaging 17.3 points per game, and team leader for the Tigers, who are 4-18.

"It's been a learning period for me taking on a bigger role. I am still adjusting," Davis said. "Being in a leadership role isn't just about scoring and your skill set. My voice is now being heard."

Davis heard other voices over the summer, teammates discussing transferring. He didn't think anything of it.

"I just thought it was a little talk. I didn't think it was serious," he said. "When everybody transferred it shocked me."

Hyser is appreciative of Davis and his teammates.

"I wasn't sure we would have enough players to fill our program for this year," Hyser said.

Then he showed his status as a proud Minneapolis native: "They have been an inspiration to me and the pride of the South Side community here in Minneapolis."

No easy solution

The issue of transfers, though growing larger, is not new.

"Transfers have been an ongoing issue forever, going back to the two-class system, and it involves public, private, urban and rural," Minnesota girls basketball historian Kevin Anderson said. "This is a universal situation."

Players see it from their own perspective.

"It's your life, your choice," Williams said. "You should be able to do what you want to do."

Coaches see it from another perspective. Hyser calls the issue societal.

"I don't know how to solve this problem. I do know that there will be a heavy price to pay by our young people who get hurt because we didn't step in and provide accountability and moral leadership when they needed us to," he said. "I believe our society has created a culture of weakness. People are allowed and even encouraged to jump ship when times get tough and go somewhere else where it's easier.

"If there is one thing in life we need to demand and foster among our young people today, it's perseverance. When a person struggles, when they are under the pressures of life, we need them to transform into something stronger."