BeachedBear said:

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udaman1 said:

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Didn't the university just finish collecting $7 billion? No clue how it works, but maybe spill a little to athletics?

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My understanding is that a significant portion of the $7B is going to Athletic facilities. But NONE of that can go to NIL pool. I don't think the University can legally fund NIL.

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4thGenCal said:

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Big C said:

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This discussion raises an interesting question -- one that is being raised in corporate America and in society at large:

Perhaps it might be best, when constructing a team, to have the minimum NIL be maybe 1/10 of the maximum (those figures can be adjusted...1/5? 1/20? 1/50?).

Not just for "fairness sake", but also for team chemistry: When 2-3 players in the rotation are making multiples of what a cop or a fire fighter make and 3-4 aren't making enough to where they can have a car or afford to have their family fly in to watch them play twice a year, how is a coach supposed to manage the situation?

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Key issue all HC/staff are dealing with. NIL packages become focal points to players (and their families strongly weigh in). While the departing players all have basketball skills, there was a disconnect in one's own value. And crazy self evaluation. Then playing time and wanted role to be focal point of the offense/minutes played etc. - all being demanded. Its best for a new coach who inherits a losing culture (acceptance of losing, not consistent practice habits, me first approaches etc) to clean slate and create true team unity. But the moral side is to give as many as possible, the opportunity to change one's ways/improve etc. End of the day, staff is doing the right thing by being honest and wishing the departing players the best for them in their future. This staff will bring in a roster upgrade - its a ongoing process and not all players that will - have put themselves into the portal yet. But you bring up an ongoing issue that all coaches are now dealing with, regarding players 8-13 as in "what about me"? And the amount raised is limited.

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6956bear said:

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4thGenCal said:

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Big C said:

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This discussion raises an interesting question -- one that is being raised in corporate America and in society at large:

Perhaps it might be best, when constructing a team, to have the minimum NIL be maybe 1/10 of the maximum (those figures can be adjusted...1/5? 1/20? 1/50?).

Not just for "fairness sake", but also for team chemistry: When 2-3 players in the rotation are making multiples of what a cop or a fire fighter make and 3-4 aren't making enough to where they can have a car or afford to have their family fly in to watch them play twice a year, how is a coach supposed to manage the situation?

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Key issue all HC/staff are dealing with. NIL packages become focal points to players (and their families strongly weigh in). While the departing players all have basketball skills, there was a disconnect in one's own value. And crazy self evaluation. Then playing time and wanted role to be focal point of the offense/minutes played etc. - all being demanded. Its best for a new coach who inherits a losing culture (acceptance of losing, not consistent practice habits, me first approaches etc) to clean slate and create true team unity. But the moral side is to give as many as possible, the opportunity to change one's ways/improve etc. End of the day, staff is doing the right thing by being honest and wishing the departing players the best for them in their future. This staff will bring in a roster upgrade - its a ongoing process and not all players that will - have put themselves into the portal yet. But you bring up an ongoing issue that all coaches are now dealing with, regarding players 8-13 as in "what about me"? And the amount raised is limited.

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I think the recruiting strategy will be crucial. The reality is you need 8 guys that can play. Very few programs go much deeper than that in games that matter anyway. 4thGenCal points out what about players 8-13. Finding players that value what Cal can offer other than NIL seems to be critical. If you have to provide NIL $$ for all 13 scholarship players that seems like it takes Cal out of competition for the very players they need to have on hand to win.

So some scholarships may go to players that seemingly do not look like players that can advance the program. But they will be crucial to team chemistry, practice and will appreciate what Cal can provide outside NIL. But if you want to win you will need some players that require NIL $$. And who knows a couple of the players outside the rotation may develop and become part of the rotation going forward.

Not sure how to position that in your recruiting pitch, but it seems like you need a few guys that understand their roles and appreciate everything else that Cal can provide. So you can use the NIL $$ to secure the talents of players that have what it takes as a player.

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bearsandgiants said:

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smokeyrover said:

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6956bear said:

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4thGenCal said:

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Big C said:

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This discussion raises an interesting question -- one that is being raised in corporate America and in society at large:

Perhaps it might be best, when constructing a team, to have the minimum NIL be maybe 1/10 of the maximum (those figures can be adjusted...1/5? 1/20? 1/50?).

Not just for "fairness sake", but also for team chemistry: When 2-3 players in the rotation are making multiples of what a cop or a fire fighter make and 3-4 aren't making enough to where they can have a car or afford to have their family fly in to watch them play twice a year, how is a coach supposed to manage the situation?

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Key issue all HC/staff are dealing with. NIL packages become focal points to players (and their families strongly weigh in). While the departing players all have basketball skills, there was a disconnect in one's own value. And crazy self evaluation. Then playing time and wanted role to be focal point of the offense/minutes played etc. - all being demanded. Its best for a new coach who inherits a losing culture (acceptance of losing, not consistent practice habits, me first approaches etc) to clean slate and create true team unity. But the moral side is to give as many as possible, the opportunity to change one's ways/improve etc. End of the day, staff is doing the right thing by being honest and wishing the departing players the best for them in their future. This staff will bring in a roster upgrade - its a ongoing process and not all players that will - have put themselves into the portal yet. But you bring up an ongoing issue that all coaches are now dealing with, regarding players 8-13 as in "what about me"? And the amount raised is limited.

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I think the recruiting strategy will be crucial. The reality is you need 8 guys that can play. Very few programs go much deeper than that in games that matter anyway. 4thGenCal points out what about players 8-13. Finding players that value what Cal can offer other than NIL seems to be critical. If you have to provide NIL $$ for all 13 scholarship players that seems like it takes Cal out of competition for the very players they need to have on hand to win.

So some scholarships may go to players that seemingly do not look like players that can advance the program. But they will be crucial to team chemistry, practice and will appreciate what Cal can provide outside NIL. But if you want to win you will need some players that require NIL $$. And who knows a couple of the players outside the rotation may develop and become part of the rotation going forward.

Not sure how to position that in your recruiting pitch, but it seems like you need a few guys that understand their roles and appreciate everything else that Cal can provide. So you can use the NIL $$ to secure the talents of players that have what it takes as a player.

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Agree. With the amount of open spots, I'm thinking Madsen will look heavily at all sources...JC guys, possibly D2 players (or even D3?), and maybe international for bench roles. Experience and maturity to support heavy rotation players coming from expected mix of D1 transfers, highly rated HS that get out of prior commitment due to coaching change, and maybe late bloomers. Intl could be a source for rotation guys as well.

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We should do whatever Gonzaga and St. Mary's do. We're a better school, with more NIL funding, and we should be outrecruiting, outcoaching, and outperforming both of these schools, every single year. There is no excuse.

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HKBear97! said:

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bearsandgiants said:

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smokeyrover said:

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6956bear said:

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4thGenCal said:

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Big C said:

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This discussion raises an interesting question -- one that is being raised in corporate America and in society at large:

Perhaps it might be best, when constructing a team, to have the minimum NIL be maybe 1/10 of the maximum (those figures can be adjusted...1/5? 1/20? 1/50?).

Not just for "fairness sake", but also for team chemistry: When 2-3 players in the rotation are making multiples of what a cop or a fire fighter make and 3-4 aren't making enough to where they can have a car or afford to have their family fly in to watch them play twice a year, how is a coach supposed to manage the situation?

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Key issue all HC/staff are dealing with. NIL packages become focal points to players (and their families strongly weigh in). While the departing players all have basketball skills, there was a disconnect in one's own value. And crazy self evaluation. Then playing time and wanted role to be focal point of the offense/minutes played etc. - all being demanded. Its best for a new coach who inherits a losing culture (acceptance of losing, not consistent practice habits, me first approaches etc) to clean slate and create true team unity. But the moral side is to give as many as possible, the opportunity to change one's ways/improve etc. End of the day, staff is doing the right thing by being honest and wishing the departing players the best for them in their future. This staff will bring in a roster upgrade - its a ongoing process and not all players that will - have put themselves into the portal yet. But you bring up an ongoing issue that all coaches are now dealing with, regarding players 8-13 as in "what about me"? And the amount raised is limited.

---

I think the recruiting strategy will be crucial. The reality is you need 8 guys that can play. Very few programs go much deeper than that in games that matter anyway. 4thGenCal points out what about players 8-13. Finding players that value what Cal can offer other than NIL seems to be critical. If you have to provide NIL $$ for all 13 scholarship players that seems like it takes Cal out of competition for the very players they need to have on hand to win.

So some scholarships may go to players that seemingly do not look like players that can advance the program. But they will be crucial to team chemistry, practice and will appreciate what Cal can provide outside NIL. But if you want to win you will need some players that require NIL $$. And who knows a couple of the players outside the rotation may develop and become part of the rotation going forward.

Not sure how to position that in your recruiting pitch, but it seems like you need a few guys that understand their roles and appreciate everything else that Cal can provide. So you can use the NIL $$ to secure the talents of players that have what it takes as a player.

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Agree. With the amount of open spots, I'm thinking Madsen will look heavily at all sources...JC guys, possibly D2 players (or even D3?), and maybe international for bench roles. Experience and maturity to support heavy rotation players coming from expected mix of D1 transfers, highly rated HS that get out of prior commitment due to coaching change, and maybe late bloomers. Intl could be a source for rotation guys as well.

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We should do whatever Gonzaga and St. Mary's do. We're a better school, with more NIL funding, and we should be outrecruiting, outcoaching, and outperforming both of these schools, every single year. There is no excuse.

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And yet they've been more successful than Cal in MBB for years and years and I bet that won't change anytime soon.

Lots of posters on her downplaying all these player transfers and some like Shocky in his typical ahat fashion is trashing on student athletes again (completely classless). People can spin this however they want but the program is in a bad place and Madsen so far looks like a bad hire. Of course, he now has time to prove me wrong because Cal signed him up for the long term. Which shows why places like Gonzaga and St. Mary's are doing better.

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smokeyrover said:

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I sat next to a guy and his friend (knew Madsen while attending grad program at furd) at USC game. We spoke about the team and I gave raw assessment of Grant's season to date. Too many turnovers, lacking d/hustle, a tweener who had trouble creating off the bounce. His friend agreed with me on the last point. Said I liked his freshman season, but that it had been hard for him adjusting this year. The guy said that NIL was out of whack with the new players compared to the returners and that Madsen's spacing and use of Fardaws had really impacted Grant's game.

Revealed towards the end of the game that he was Grant's dad.
FWIW.

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HoopDreams said:

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Some people speculated that NIL would impact the locker room while others argued it wouldn't .

I think we got our answer and I'm not surprised.

I was/am a Newell fan. He went from starter to sixth man and seemed like some of his issues were confidence which impacts lots of players sometimes during their career. He also grew an inch and needs to gain some muscle as he came to Cal as more of a long SF but his future looks to be a stretch 4. I think plenty of teams will want him and expect him to improve and have a good career (remember he is only a soph)

I saw Grant practicing in the RSF on Thursday so I went up to him, told him he had some big games and wished him luck

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3Cats4CAL said:

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Why do you think Newell was one of the few players who didn't depart when Fox was fired?

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4thGenCal said:

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calumnus said:

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Sebastabear said:

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Quote:

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The guy said that NIL was out of whack with the new players compared to the returners . . .

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I think we are all learning how to adjust to the new world of NIL. That includes fans, coaches and (most importantly) players. The Cal men's basketball team definitely had some "wallet gazing" this year. A few very vocal player(s) were very, very concerned with what deals everyone else had and continuously stirred the pot in the locker room. This was unfortunate and really unlike anything we've seen on any other team.

Some of that, of course, relates to the large numbers of players brought in through the portal for MBB. But let's be honest. We are talking about a team that won three games last season. A team that set the P5 record for most losses in a single season. The idea that we just needed to tweak around the edges to fix the problems is borderline science-fiction. The team massively needed an infusion of talent and got it.

But one or more of the existing players felt like they should've been receiving equivalent deals to what the new players got. That's just not how this works. We aren't handing out participation trophies and orange slices here.

Also important for everyone to realize that we are just a reflection of the fans' will. We are largely a pass-through entity. We do what our donors ask us to do. Nothing more and nothing less. Which is why we always tell players the minimum that they will receive with the hope that if they generate some more fan interest during the season, because of a spectacular game or series of games, then we will have more folks stepping up and contributing NIL deals for them specifically. That's just the way sports work. Michael Jordan did not get paid because he had an awesome haircut. Michael Jordan got paid because he was incredibly marketable, and his name, image and likeness were worth a lot to Nike. We had at least one player last year whose number got moved up a couple times because we had businesses wanting to hire him specifically. If the team blows up this year and wins 20+ games and gets into the tournament I expect a lot more of those opportunities will surface. We always strive to underpromise and overdeliver for the players.

And so far so good. No one, regardless of injury or lack of playing time who has stayed with the team and not entered the portal, has yet failed to earn their minimum number. Hell Matt Cindric on the football team got injured five minutes into the first game of the season and he still got every penny we had promised him. That's just the way we operate. But it means that we sometimes get outbid by comparison to competitors who promise the stars and the moon and then never deliver. Life is too short. Not going to play that game. And we think that eventually the smarter recruits the ones we actually want here at Cal will figure out that not all collectives are equal and that you need to pay attention to who you're doing business with.

I'm sorry there's so much sturm and drang surrounding NIL at the moment. But some of this is really growing pains. We are all learning how this works.

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Sebasta, much gratitude for all you are doing for Cal athletes and Cal athletics. Glad we have someone smart and principled in charge of our NIL program.

You are a perfect example of why I'd like to see management of Cal's revenue sports outsourced to an alumni group lead by intelligent, passionate, business savvy people like yourself.

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Sebasta is simply a smart, loyal, dedicated and passionate Golden Bear! The impact He has made is literally program changing in both of our major sports - kudos and thank you!! The smoke to be dealt with, takes a measured, caring and effective plan and Sebasta brings a needed business and practical approach.

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Sebastabear said:

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Quote:

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The guy said that NIL was out of whack with the new players compared to the returners . . .

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I think we are all learning how to adjust to the new world of NIL. That includes fans, coaches and (most importantly) players. The Cal men's basketball team definitely had some "wallet gazing" this year. A few very vocal player(s) were very, very concerned with what deals everyone else had and continuously stirred the pot in the locker room. This was unfortunate and really unlike anything we've seen on any other team.

Some of that, of course, relates to the large numbers of players brought in through the portal for MBB. But let's be honest. We are talking about a team that won three games last season. A team that set the P5 record for most losses in a single season. The idea that we just needed to tweak around the edges to fix the problems is borderline science-fiction. The team massively needed an infusion of talent and got it.

But one or more of the existing players felt like they should've been receiving equivalent deals to what the new players got. That's just not how this works. We aren't handing out participation trophies and orange slices here.

Also important for everyone to realize that we are just a reflection of the fans' will. We are largely a pass-through entity. We do what our donors ask us to do. Nothing more and nothing less. Which is why we always tell players the minimum that they will receive with the hope that if they generate some more fan interest during the season, because of a spectacular game or series of games, then we will have more folks stepping up and contributing NIL deals for them specifically. That's just the way sports work. Michael Jordan did not get paid because he had an awesome haircut. Michael Jordan got paid because he was incredibly marketable, and his name, image and likeness were worth a lot to Nike. We had at least one player last year whose number got moved up a couple times because we had businesses wanting to hire him specifically. If the team blows up this year and wins 20+ games and gets into the tournament I expect a lot more of those opportunities will surface. We always strive to underpromise and overdeliver for the players.

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Sent the game to overtime so that meant more great times @bwwings AND six free boneless wings. This March Madness, order using Blazin' Rewards before the last game of the day goes into overtime to receive the offer #OvertimeDeal #NIL #sponsored pic.twitter.com/MsPajxs1aE

— Jack Gohlke (@jgohlke34) March 25, 2024

OdontoBear66 said:

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48 teams out. Let the shopping begin

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Johnfox said:

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For those of you that have been looking for elite defensive players in the portal, USC's Kobe Johnson and ASU's
Frankie Collins are in the portal

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NEWS: Furman transfer guard Marcus Foster has committed to Xavier, he tells @On3sports.

The 6-4 senior says he chose the Musketeers over Indiana and Cal. Averaged 17 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season.

Story: https://t.co/jkhnoeYUxq pic.twitter.com/fqkTZSGxdf

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 27, 2024