Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#626      
jeff bridges opinion GIF
That's why I wrote it.
 
#627      
I guess my question would be what changes if they moved to the NBA, where free agency is already a thing? I suppose the major difference is that players are signed to a contract that keeps them at a team for some number of years so it's possible to plan ahead, so is the solution to simply have more ironclad NIL contracts that cover multiple years?
I think you nailed it. The contract can require staying N years, or maybe be a balloon payment system. It feels like it should be possible to come up with a fairly generic agreement to make the entire processes easier. e.g. one based on the number of years on the team, minutes played per game on average, and whether they got any awards (1/2/3 team All Conference, 1/2/3 team All American). If they get drafted, they get everything.

I couldn't think of other performance based metrics that wouldn't lead to other issues. e.g. becoming a chucker based on pts scored, or refusing to take the shot as the clock runs out because it would lower your shooting efficiency.
 
#630      
I get where he is coming from. I thought NIL money would be reserved for the loyal student athletes the alumni/boosters loved.

Imagine you work somewhere for 4 years and lead a massively successful project for your company that makes them millions... and then they hire on some random who, while skilled, brought their former company nothing and they are making 2x what you are.
Unfortunately this exact scenario happens every day in Corporate America.
 
#632      
Has the NCAA offered any thoughts on how to correct this?

When does the Covid freebie transfer/season run out? After next year?

Then does it go back to sitting out a year, waivers, grad transfers? Or does everyone now get a 1 time free no sit out transfer forever?
They will uh a, have to circle back.. It is, well... never ending.
 
#634      
I guess my question would be what changes if they moved to the NBA, where free agency is already a thing? I suppose the major difference is that players are signed to a contract that keeps them at a team for some number of years so it's possible to plan ahead, so is the solution to simply have more ironclad NIL contracts that cover multiple years?
I think coaches in the NBA who aren't also GMs can focus on coaching and not being the middle men to hook up teenagers with 6 or 7 figure "endorsement" deals.

I understand this is the "new normal" for college hoops and I'm good with it, but I can also comprehend that this "new normal" is more stressful for college coaches than the "old normal".
 
#635      
There’s a lot of truth in what you’ve said here. What I wonder is… just how long will those third parties be willing?
As long as they have tall $, it continues to stroke their egos, and they continue to have a staff of good accountants and attorneys to write it off as a business expense.
 
#636      
I get where he is coming from. I thought NIL money would be reserved for the loyal student athletes the alumni/boosters loved.

Imagine you work somewhere for 4 years and lead a massively successful project for your company that makes them millions... and then they hire on some random who, while skilled, brought their former company nothing and they are making 2x what you are.
Isn't that exactly how the professional world works?
 
#637      
So on the NIL stuff, some people seem to think the NCAA can make it go away. They can't. NIL is now a legal right. That's the precedent the Supreme Court has set. Like it or not, college athletes have a right to profit off their name, image and likeness. That is not going away. Ever.

There's an easy solution to the things people don't like about NIL. NCAA allows schools to employ and directly pay players as employees of the school, and sign multi-year deals to do so, and sets a cap on how much schools can pay.

It's unlikely to happen in our lifetimes though because once players start to get a piece of the NCAA's revenue, there's no turning back, and the NCAA knows that. Better for profits to have payment come from willing third parties. But allowing schools to sign multi year deals with players and capping salaries would help resolve two of the main complaints - constant transfer churn and lack of parity.
Eh that would only work to an extent. It is no different than Lebron going to Miami or LA. Cleveland could pay him just as much as either of the places he left for but the opportunities outside of basketball are what took him to the other cities. The same will be true of these players albeit to a lesser degree. The deals that are being called NIL are defacto sponsorships which will always be in line with market size and alumni that want to fund such things.
 
#638      
Eh that would only work to an extent. It is no different than Lebron going to Miami or LA. Cleveland could pay him just as much as either of the places he left for but the opportunities outside of basketball are what took him to the other cities. The same will be true of these players albeit to a lesser degree. The deals that are being called NIL are defacto sponsorships which will always be in line with market size and alumni that want to fund such things.
It is true that you will never get perfect parity. There will always be some destinations that are more desirable than others, and programs that have advantages over others. But just because you can't make the field perfectly level doesn't mean you can't make it more level. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
 
#639      
I think coaches in the NBA who aren't also GMs can focus on coaching and not being the middle men to hook up teenagers with 6 or 7 figure "endorsement" deals.

I understand this is the "new normal" for college hoops and I'm good with it, but I can also comprehend that this "new normal" is more stressful for college coaches than the "old normal".
For coaches today, it is so much more stressful. Before, the coaches could do whatever they wanted to a teenager. Play them. Not play them. Kick them off the team. Make them change positions. Anything. They were gods!. For coaches, it was so much better for them when they had all the power. And personally, I am glad to see the change. College basketball was ALWAYS a dirty sport. You think Ruiz in Miami just started paying players? Come on. Now it is out in the open - and guess what? Miami got Pack a huge deal and Wong is upset and might transfer. So it isn't as easy as just "pay more." Any of us working today can sign a long term contract or have at will employment (allowing us to leave tomorrow). The fact that college athletes didn't have that option was always detrimental to them (and benefitted coaches). And by the way, Ruiz at Miami (and Illinois Guardians) could "sign" people to two year deals with increasing payouts (first year $100k, second year $200k, etc.). Creativity is going to be required, and old school bag men are done. For me, I love it. Creates an even playing field for people who have integrity who spent years battling the Selfs and Pearls of the college basketball world.
 
#640      
Eh that would only work to an extent. It is no different than Lebron going to Miami or LA. Cleveland could pay him just as much as either of the places he left for but the opportunities outside of basketball are what took him to the other cities. The same will be true of these players albeit to a lesser degree. The deals that are being called NIL are defacto sponsorships which will always be in line with market size and alumni that want to fund such things.
Exactly, which is why we should call NIL exactly what it is, a sham. It has nothing to do with usage of name, image and likeness. It is simply now mercenary professional basketball payments to 18 year old kids, 3 months removed from sitting in a high school desk, with no proven track record of success in the sport at the highest levels. Exactly what the NBA smartly has avoided.
 
#641      
It's a lot different. True, there were always sleazy agents and a bunch of coaches cheating. But generally speaking, there were many more honest coaches, even if their reason for honesty was fear of getting caught. Now it is a blatant bidding war. And don't say it always was because that is simply not true. Not even close to this degree. I love college basketball because of its amateur status, even if it had been infiltrated by cheaters. But amateur basketball is over. Maybe that's more fair for the "student athletes" but I for one will miss it. If I wanted to watch professionals I would turn on the NBA.
I’ll leave it at this. BU left ok state after 1 season. We can debate all we want on the merits of it. But those are the facts. In doing so he created uncertainty on that entire roster. He left for one reason, a better opportunity for himself. Those kids he recruited who never played for him felt some way about it I’m sure. But they had no power. Had to request to get out of LOI. Some would have to sit out a year. So seeing some power return to the players doesn’t bother me. I can understand how frustrating it is for some. But if you think for a second BUs agent wasn’t leveraging the “most wins in the big ten” the last few seasons into BUs most recent pay increase then I have some oceanfront property in Monticello to sell you. The coaches have been negotiating off the players backs for years. I think it is time they monetize their own performances as well. You’ve been watching “professional” athletes for years. Kofi didn’t come play in the middle of a cornfield for free, OA is well known for this. All they have done is remove the blinders.
 
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#642      
One major difference between the pros and NIL is the lack of transparency. So coaches don't have a way to know what they're competing against.
 
#644      
I know all you've written to be true. I'm no less enlightened than you. If you like what's going on that's great. Good for you. Enjoy it. But for me and many others who grew up watching actual amateur student athletics, we're going to miss it. I'm not trying to convince you that it's bad. I just believe it will never be the same. I know the world changes. It is pretty rare today to watch a team like the Bears draft a Payton or Butkus and they were Bears for life. I enjoyed that. Was it great for them? Maybe not. But I loved it. So, you love what's going on now? Awesome. Celebrate it! But don't bark at me for being an old man because I lament the passing of something I found to be a purer form of amateur athletics.
 
#645      
I’ll leave it at this. BU left ok state after 1 season. We can debate all we want on the merits of it. But those are the facts. In doing so he created uncertainty on that entire roster. He left for one reason, a better opportunity for himself. Those kids he recruited who never played for him felt some way about it I’m sure. But they had no power. Had to request to get out of LOI. Some would have to sit out a year. So seeing some power return to the players doesn’t bother me. I can understand how frustrating it is for some. But if you think for a second BUs agent wasn’t leveraging the “most wins in the big ten” the last few seasons into BUs most recent pay increase then I have some oceanfront property in Monticello to sell you. The coaches have been negotiating off the players backs for years. I think it is time they monetize their own performances as well. You’ve been watching “professional” athletes for years. Kofi didn’t come play in the middle of a cornfield for free, OA is well known for this. All they have done is remove the blinders.
Do you have any in Mahomet so Coach K can be my neighbor?
 
#647      
I have as hard of a time feeling sorry for millionaires as anyone, but it's not like most of these coaches weren't already working plenty hard. It is now just different (and adjusting will be difficult). Some will adapt and see it as just another challenge, and some will choose another path. I'd guess most of them didn't get into the business because they wanted to get rich though. Hopefully they enjoyed teaching and coaching and the top ones are there because they've busted their butts to get there. At least that's what I'm going to tell myself. Honestly, I'd have to love something an awful lot - in spite of the money - to put in the amount of time and effort recruiting, and now constant re-recruiting, requires.
 
#650      
I wonder how long Fred Hoiberg will last. He has been vocal about how much he dislikes the recruiting aspect of his job.
 
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