By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – There are some things that just don’t make sense.

Like putting mayonnaise on a hamburger, putting sour cream on anything, and having the transfer portal open during college basketball postseason.

“Just another ridiculous, idiotic move,” Iowa men’s basketball coach Fry McCaffery said Friday on a zoom conference. “The portal was nuts anyway. Somehow, someway, we have to figure out that mess because it’s an absolute mess and it’s created by the organization that’s supposed to make sure there isn’t a mess.

“And that’s what is really disappointing.”

McCaffery was referring to the NCAA, which has seen its power and influence weakened by the creation of the transfer portal and with the rise of name, image and likeness.

The current open window for the portal started on Monday and will last until May 1.

At least 17 teams declined an invitation to compete in the National Invitation Tournament, and one of the main reasons is they would prefer to focus on roster building.

Iowa, on the other hand, has embraced the opportunity to play in the NIT and will face Utah in a second-round game on Sunday at 8 p.m. in Salt Lake City.

“If you go back, all of the rules were originally written to do one thing, and one thing only, and that was to protect the institution,” Fran McCaffery said. “There were no rules that protected the student-athlete.

“Now, it’s completely the other way. And I think we all agree, they’re no longer student-athletes. They’re professional athletes, and that’s okay. They deserve to be paid.”

Fran McCaffery also believes that NIL is a “good thing” for college athletics.

He just doesn’t like the lack of structure and how one-sided the setup is now in favor of the student-athlete.

“It’s a good thing, but until we have a two-way street, which is okay, you get paid, but you’ll have a contract,” Fran McCaffery said. “You can’t get paid and be a free agent at every point in time. That’s just completely idiotic to think that situation would work.”

It has been suggested that college athletics should establish a governing body in addition to the NCAA to help create more structure and accountability.

“Whatever governing body, if it’s a governing person or if it’s a governing body, they have to be allowed to govern,” Fran McCaffery said. “They have to be able to make a decision without getting sued.

“That’s part of the problem. The NCAA can no longer govern because every time they try to make a decision they get sued. So, it’s a broken system.