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For some schools, NIL is the cherry on top.
One question that has been raised about spending a gazillion dollars on renovating or building a new basketball arena is, “How much would that help the actual basketball team that plays in it?”
Back in the day, the so-called arms race in facilities was the most important element of recruiting — keeping up with the Joneses who were outdoing each other with their locker, weight, meeting and recreational rooms. The bigger and cooler and swankier won out.
When the Tar Heels played at Texas in 2001, Mack Brown gave the North Carolina press corps a tour of the Longhorns football palace, and it was uber impressive.
One wag asked Brown, “Do you ever NOT get a player you want?”
Brown said while some of the recruits don’t pan out to be as good as advertised, “We never miss on a player we go after hard.”
Twenty-plus years later, UNC has improved its facilities to rival any in the ACC but still misses on many players Brown really wants. That he keeps getting good recruiting and transfer classes speaks for his salesmanship about their “40-year commitment, not a four-year commitment” that involves a valuable education and life-lasting relationships.
The new gorilla in the room is money that can now go directly to athletes in the world of NIL, which means to some programs that have cheated for years, “Now It’s Legal!” Because it is.
And Carolina finds itself in the middle of the pack in raising and doling out recruiting money. So when 5-star athletes announce they are signing with certain schools, how much they are being paid never, ever gets into the published story.
Houston announced that 5-star and 6-foot-6 guard Isiah Harwell from Idaho has picked the Cougars because Harwell said 68-year-old head coach Kelvin Sampson is a “cool dude.” He could have said “cool cash dude.” Because Now It’s Legal.
Same for Texas, when they earned a commitment from 6-2 safety Zelus Hicks. It was far more for the money he made than the digs he would shower and dress in after practices and games. Sure, Texas still has awesome facilities but that was always going to come with his scholarship. For anything beyond that, “Now It’s Legal.”
Brown said to a group of supporters last week that some schools may have a $15 million NIL budget and Carolina might have $4 million, and that they have to figure out how to level that playing field. The Tar Heels have great kids in their program that do well in the classroom and stay out of trouble.
But the first time Brown talked to transfers he was trying to recruit several years ago, the talk of a beautiful campus, great academics and first-class facilities took a solid second seat to the question they ultimately asked the head coach. “How much NIL money will I get?”
Brown didn’t have an answer and still doesn’t.
Featured image via Associated Press/Erik Verduzco
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
I was just told by an alum supporter at Va Tech that SMU raised $500 million to cover NIL for the first 5 years in the ACC.
This is madness on a grand scale
Why do we need a smaller arena for basketball? And why do we need a new arena at all? Duke still plays in Cameron Indoor Stadium, which seats about half of what the Dean Smith Center seats. And they continue to out recruit us.
That’s a true statement, however the coaching style at Carolina and NIL deals plays a major role. At this point I can’t figure out which outweighs the other.
I wonder what making these payment amounts PUBLIC would do to their influence? Would a player take more pride in “Being Number One” in their NIL money and would schools take great pride in Being Number One in NIL spending or would it serve to rein things back a little. For many, MONEY is the number one driver of decisions yet so many look back and feel pride in their legacy.
Money continues to change all things. And the book, Hot Dog Money, does a good job of talking about money and influence buying college players. Carolina is mentioned for its bribery of football players but is not one of the star cheaters. The NCAA does nothing, of course, even with all sorts of FBI evidence.
I am a fan of UNC because we have a truly great school in so many different ways. I simply cannot understand choosing to go to South Carolina or Clemson, and I did spend 5 years attending Iowa State one year.
Go Heels.
It’s clear that the ROI with field/court on facilities and upgrades will not be fully realized. Nor is it clear if there was a solid plan on why the millions were spent in the first place other than everybody else is doing it. It’s vividly clear now that it should be about investing dollars on players to secure and retain talent. There are schools which can have it both ways, some that can choose one path towards success, and some who have no such options. Businesses often opt to sell off or discontinue unprofitable operations. Maybe Kenan-Flagler has a few smart, up-start graduate students who can help point the way forward because it’s clear that there are conflicting objectives with the existing powers in the Athletic Dept at UNC-CH. It might take a complete disregard of tradition and a revamped business first approach to achieve success. I’m not holding my breath.