Williams & Blum Pod: Reflecting on a long realignment journey for the Big 12

[Mr.G.Spot]

The concern is right now we are in the bottom 10 percent of power 5 collectives in fundraising.

So while yes losing a player or two in a one year window may not seem like the worst possible rebuild, the reputation of losing one of those key guys after losing one of your best players in Hunter recently would spread the word in basketball circles quickly that Iowa State doesn’t have the resources, whether fair or not.

We are really just trying to get to the middle of the Big 12 in NIL funding and TJ can do wonders from there. Every ounce of support adds up!

Blum - keep spreading the word. We have the most opinionated fans that write zero checks. It's time to change or the trend of roster turnover will increase, especially in BB.
I hope I don't see it, but somebody on here will give a five paragraph dissertation on why they don't want to give to WeWill.

Please give, and Blum, keep up the great work!

 

[scottwv]

I got a similiar impression, although never any concrete example/story to confirm it. Like it was "suggested" he didn't like it - the $ simply made it a simpler or more immediate decision.

Hunch that he didn't necessarily dislike the program itself or the coach, but overall wanted to be somewhere other than Ames.

Again, I'm speculating.

I though heard or read someplace he wanted to go to a team where he didn't have to be "the guy" all the time and could share the load more... or am I confusing this with a different situation??

 

[Jer]

I though heard or read someplace he wanted to go to a team where he didn't have to be "the guy" all the time and could share the load more... or am I confusing this with a different situation??

There were a bunch of BS excuses, it all came down to money and Iowa State was informed of that as well. All of them were about as believable as my 7 year old's excuses for peeing in a bottle at summer camp last Friday and trying to get his friends to drink "Mt Dew".

 

[alarson]

It's dumb. This is the result of the NCAA burying its head in the sand and pretending they would never have to pay players. If they had been proactive they could have set up a more equitable system that didn't require the fans to essentially directly foot the bill. NCAA did nothing and now its the wild west.

Nah, they're getting the best of both worlds right now. Coaches and administrators get to keep the money from the big media contracts without having to dole some of that out to players.

I preferred it not being pay for play (and would have rather had the ncaa be given more tools to deal with cheaters) but if we're in a fully pay for play world i'd rather there just be a players' union and make them employees.

 

[Trice]

I'm not sure CW has a claim to being right about streaming when Yormark sprinted away from it almost instantly after taking the job, and the lack of a good linear TV deal literally killed the Pac. Obviously streaming is the future but it's not the immediate future. But whatever.

One point CW and Blum made that I think has been underplayed and I'll be curious to watch the effects of is the coming fan-unfriendliness of our future scheduling. It already sucks not knowing until 12 and sometimes 6 days out when your games kick off. Add in more Thursday or Fridays, potentially later kickoff times, inevitable ticket price increases as costs rise to cover player salaries, and I wonder if some fans start to fall away.

 

[NorthCyd]

Nah, they're getting the best of both worlds right now. Coaches and administrators get to keep the money from the big media contracts without having to dole some of that out to players.

I preferred it not being pay for play (and would have rather had the ncaa be given more tools to deal with cheaters) but if we're in a fully pay for play world i'd rather there just be a players' union and make them employees.

Coaches are control freaks and they don't have control over the NIL situation at all. You can't tell me the coaches who have lost players because NIL money that was promised to players didn't come through like this current system. I agree they want to keep the money and not give it to the players, but I don't believe for a second they like the way things are currently. There's a reason the NCAA is begging congress to pass legislation on NIL.

 

[Sigmapolis]

Not even close which is why we're trying to get awareness out there without causing panic

All of @Jeremy and your points are good ones.

I'm just glad to see TJ has somewhat constructed the roster to harden it against NIL poaching. There's no way to make it immune from it, but I'm sure he's setting things up to minimize that.

Hunter was a wake-up call for me. I hope it was for some others. I think I've already given pretty generously to the WWC. I hope more do. Losing Watson and Momcilovic just as they start to emerge as future stars and cornerstones of a program would hurt, though, given those are the two that seem most likely.

 

[jsb]

I'm not sure CW has a claim to being right about streaming when Yormark sprinted away from it almost instantly after taking the job, and the lack of a good linear TV deal literally killed the Pac. Obviously streaming is the future but it's not the immediate future. But whatever.

One point CW and Blum made that I think has been underplayed and I'll be curious to watch the effects of is the coming fan-unfriendliness of our future scheduling. It already sucks not knowing until 12 and sometimes 6 days out when your games kick off. Add in more Thursday or Fridays, potentially later kickoff times, inevitable ticket price increases as costs rise to cover player salaries, and I wonder if some fans start to fall away.

Wasn't CW's view always that streaming was a good thing? That's the way I remember him talking about it. Streaming was the future and we should embrace it because no one watches regular TV any more. I think it is clear that streaming might be the future, but it is not a good thing and it is best to avoid it for as long as possible.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I think it's dangerous to assume kids won't leave Ames because "they love it."

I mean, the freaking Mayor of Ames, Fred Hoiberg, left coaching in his home town, his alma mater for money. Why would some kid from Wisconsin stay who's actually been aware of Iowa State for 2 or 3 years of his life?

I think this NIL situation will either get worse until guardrails are put up, or get worse until it implodes on itself, leaving a big crater in the middle of it all.

 

[cyclones500]

I though heard or read someplace he wanted to go to a team where he didn't have to be "the guy" all the time and could share the load more... or am I confusing this with a different situation??

Correct, I do recall hearing that one.

 

[Cyrealist]

He had 800,000 reasons (supposedly) to not like Ames

So, using hypothetical numbers, if we went from 20K to 40K would that have kept him around? We have to sell kids on building a foundation for their life and career. Great players don't get lost in the shuffle at ISU. They are developed and showcased. Look at the guys we have in the NBA and other professional leagues.

 

[MugNight]

There were a bunch of BS excuses, it all came down to money and Iowa State was informed of that as well. All of them were about as believable as my 7 year old's excuses for peeing in a bottle at summer camp last Friday and trying to get his friends to drink "Mt Dew".

Well duh. That’s the recipe for Coors Light!

 

[Cyrealist]

I mean, the freaking Mayor of Ames, Fred Hoiberg, left coaching in his home town, his alma mater for money.

Fred considered coaching in the NBA to be his dream job. And, because of his health, he couldn't count on a long career. He had to be sure his family was taken care of. I'm pretty sure he wishes he was back in Ames today.

 

[brentblum]

So, using hypothetical numbers, if we went from 20K to 40K would that have kept him around? We have to sell kids on building a foundation for their life and career. Great players don't get lost in the shuffle at ISU. They are developed and showcased. Look at the guys we have in the NBA and other professional leagues.

Impossible to know. But when the word gets out that Iowa State is not even close to average in NIL spending, you won’t even be able to make that first call to players. It’s like seeing a starting salary on a job application and crossing it off immediately.

 

[Marcelason78]

The concern is right now we are in the bottom 10 percent of power 5 collectives in fundraising.….

Is the power 5 fundraising totals posted as public information?

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

Not even close which is why we're trying to get awareness out there without causing panic

Any chance you can sign up for Benevity?

A lot of corporations, including the one I work for, will match any donation to any charity but they have to be in the Benevity portal. No idea what it looks like on the non-profit side but my information definitely gets passed along based on the mail I get.

Connecting Nonprofits | Join Our Community | Benevity

Discover Benevity’s nonprofit solutions. Reach global supporters, simplify donation management, and grow your impact with innovative tools.

benevity.com

Also many corporations will pay money per hour doing charitable work, so I could possibly help out at an event and you would get $30 an hour or something donated directly to WeWill.

Huge companies use this like John Deere, Visa, Google, Starbucks, Microsoft, Coca-Cola etc.

Would be a simple way to boost donations without even needing to do much.

 

[brentblum]

Is the power 5 fundraising totals posted as public information?

It is not. Information gathered via word of mouth from Coaches on the recruiting scene.

 

[brentblum]

Any chance you can sign up for Benevity?

A lot of corporations, including the one I work for, will match any donation to any charity but they have to be in the Benevity portal. No idea what it looks like on the non-profit side but my information definitely gets passed along based on the mail I get.

Connecting Nonprofits | Join Our Community | Benevity

Discover Benevity’s nonprofit solutions. Reach global supporters, simplify donation management, and grow your impact with innovative tools.

benevity.com

Also many corporations will pay money per hour doing charitable work, so I could possibly help out at an event and you would get $30 an hour or something donated directly to WeWill.

Huge companies use this like John Deere, Visa, Google, Starbucks, Microsoft, Coca-Cola etc.

Would be a simple way to boost donations without even needing to do much.

Working with Benevity as we speak.

 

[Cyrealist]

I though heard or read someplace he wanted to go to a team where he didn't have to be "the guy" all the time and could share the load more..

I don't believe that. Every player worth his scholarship wants to be "the guy". This isn't high school girls basketball. Now he has Texas fans ready to jump on him for not being worth his money and ready to move on to the next guy.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

Working with Benevity as we speak.

Hell yea! I max out my matching each year and excited to include WeWill in the make up.