SCU needs to hire someone that can really fundraise.
Memphis has at least double the budget, maybe triple depending on how FedEx NIL is broken down between football and basketball.
We know the money is there.
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You do realize SCU is fundraising 100% of their NIL funds with a conference media payout of essentially zero. Memphis received an $11M payout from the AAC. Not to mention generating over $3M a year in ticket sales.
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Isn’t that just their money from the number of times they get on major network TV? No one else in the AAC is making anything near that kind of money on basketball. With NIL Memphis might be above 10M. Don’t really know.
St. Louis is also around 10 per Google AI. VCU similar to SCU. Obviously a huge gap in coaching quality makes the difference in outcomes between Memphis and St. Louis/SCU/VCU.
The problem with losing your best players every year is that in replacing them, you have to get it right every time. Gonzaga never had this problem. It’s so frustrating and the way out of it is fundraising. Or the university dipping into their own coffers to invest, but that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen.
There’s a value to major athletics that is bigger and stretches far beyond the original investment when you have success like this season. I think we all agree on that.
That said, it’s not unlimited. I moderate a fan forum, so I’m definitely very pro-invest in basketball. But $4 million sounds like an amount that approaches what my blood can handle. You can send something like 60 top students to SCU for free for that money or get a decent start on a new building on campus or start a new major.
At the end of the day, SCU is an educational institution. I’m in favor of basketball investment to the point where it enhances SCU’s fundamental purpose. But seeing some of these schools put tens of millions of dollars into revenue share and NIL makes me worry that athletic departments are starting to see the university as a necessary evil in maintaining their budgets, rather than the overall purpose for their existence. LSU spent a reported $200 million just in coaching salaries last year. Santa Clara will start training new doctors for years to come for a similar amount. I love me some sports, but I can’t justify chasing the top of the market now.
Point being, $4 million seems like a decent amount from a distance. If you can’t get a successful basketball team for that amount, I have a hard time stomaching the opportunity cost for the rest of the university at ever-climbing dollar amounts.
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What a refreshing outlook. Thank you for this.
I know it’s not the same, but yesterday I read that the University of Florida is considering a renovation of its football stadium that would cost around $1.45 billion – for what, 6 or 8 home games per season? – and it nearly broke my brain.
For so many reasons, I am thankful to be a Bronco.
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That was a thoughtful and cogent observation PM. I have loved SCU basketball for 55 years, but attach it to the value of the University’s educational mission. I would never want the hoops tail wagging the university dog. It should enhance, not define the school.
Of course if a well heeled alum wanted to pull a Mark Cuban, I’d not complain, assuming no strings were attached.
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Investing in basketball wouldn’t take away from SCU as a university; there’s a strong chance based on where the program is now that it would enhance it. Both the AD and the president have experience to know what a difference athletics can make for a university. Seem like the right people to support going big. So I guess it’s up to the Board of Trustees to show the vision and Owen and Sullivan to make the ask.
Basketball transformed Gonzaga - transformed enrollment, the academic profile, selectivity and establishing a global brand.
SCU has shown they can get players to the NBA - and have success when they get there. And now they have the NCAA proof as well. So the key to taking the next step is being able to offer enough money to get more high level talent and keep them longer if they aren’t ready to go to the NBA.
Gonzaga is finally out of the way. SCU has every chance to be the new Gonzaga - but not if they won’t pay. That’s what it’s all about.
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Assuming the Mahi rumors come to fruition… does our roster look like this?
Pg - Longcor, Castillo
Sg - Sash, Cochran
Sf - Mahi, Darlan, Badibanga
Pf - Ensminger
C - tadjo, gueye, francis
True freshman (redshirts?): Jolin, kuykendall, ensor
Positions are arbitrary, i put them down as I expect to get their most minutes at.
I would take our top 5 to win the league, and our second string to finish at least 7th. Maybe that’s optimistic but we feel incredibly deep.
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Midwest, I see the possibility that Castillo starting over Longcor, just because of his D1 playing experience. But I also believe that Herb doesn’t focus on who starts as much as situations and playing time. He can sell anyone on coming off the bench since Allen was a lottery pick.
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I expect that we will see all scholarship players dressed and ready to go when called upon, now that redshirts are a thing of the past. That’s 13, possibly 14 if Mahi returns. In essence, it’s all hands on deck unless injured.
Are redshirts a thing of the past for Herb and scu?
We had graves do it two years ago to become a first round pick. We had Longcor do it last year.
They’ve basically said they red shirted those guys to avoid them being poached.
Yes, the new 5 for 5 rule goes into effect this calendar year where a student receives 5 years to complete 5 competitive seasons, so if a player doesn’t play, he or she essentially has lost a season. It will become incredibly difficult finding minutes for 13/14 players. Egos will have to be massaged and candid dialogue between coach and player becomes necessary. College athletics has become an era of one year contracts and free agency.
There might be a bit of a hiccup with Mahi’s return. Apparently in response to the judges’ rulings the NCAA released a memo that would suspend the head coach for 50% of the games if a team were to sign a player who did not enter the transfer portal. I do not recall if Mahi entered the portal and the memo didn’t contain any guidance when it came to a player returning to the same team. This is a fluid situation and will probably involve more court cases and judges’ decisions.
Also I’ve heard that Tdajo is still not completely recovered from his knee surgery and Eli Jolin is in a boot
I believe Gueye and Castillo will have most playing time at their positions, even if they don’t start, due to Gueyes talent and Castillo’s talent and experience.