How Shaka Can Save This Season

[NCMUFan]

Justin Lewis available?

[NCMUFan]

Fran Fraschilla today ...
(Reads like a message to Shaka)

If you want stay in step as a college coach in the "new normal," you will need to conform to survive:

1. Academic requirements & graduate rates mean nothing to most families of star athletes. It's about the money.

2. Accept that agents now run college basketball. And, unlike NBA certified agents, many are clueless at best & shysters at worst. Still have to deal with them.

3. Evaluation of high school & transfer portal talent is at all-time low. These decisions are torpedoing even great programs. So hire people who know hoops.

4. You have to be willing to cut players who can't play. Do you want to feed their family or your family?

5. Cultivate "sugar daddies" for your program. But don't have them paying for bad evaluations. These are smart business people. You'll be cooked.

6. Hire an NBA guy that knows the international market (most of you already behind) or G League talent.

7. Study new world of NIL insurance so you are protected against liability when the athlete sues. You'll also need to determine how to claw back funds when player is injured for extended period of time.

8. Don't worry about tampering. That's out the window too.

Understand that, while some say college basketball is at it best right now, there will be unintended consequences. Some of it is good, some bad & much, an overcorrection. Anyone who thinks they know where this ends, especially with non-existent leadership at the top of the sport, is a fool.

https://x.com/franfraschilla/status/2004594891200893296?s=46

Great post.  Like it or not, this is where the sport stands. 

[Pakuni]

Fran Fraschilla today ...
(Reads like a message to Shaka)

If you want stay in step as a college coach in the "new normal," you will need to conform to survive:

1. Academic requirements & graduate rates mean nothing to most families of star athletes. It's about the money.

2. Accept that agents now run college basketball. And, unlike NBA certified agents, many are clueless at best & shysters at worst. Still have to deal with them.

3. Evaluation of high school & transfer portal talent is at all-time low. These decisions are torpedoing even great programs. So hire people who know hoops.

4. You have to be willing to cut players who can't play. Do you want to feed their family or your family?

5. Cultivate "sugar daddies" for your program. But don't have them paying for bad evaluations. These are smart business people. You'll be cooked.

6. Hire an NBA guy that knows the international market (most of you already behind) or G League talent.

7. Study new world of NIL insurance so you are protected against liability when the athlete sues. You'll also need to determine how to claw back funds when player is injured for extended period of time.

8. Don't worry about tampering. That's out the window too.

1. This has always been true. Does anyone think Derrick Rose went to Memphis for academics? Or Marcus Dupree chose Oklahoma for its graduation rates?

2. Agree

3. Seems like this has always been true, at least the part about the importance of good player evaluations and hiring good people.

4. Agree. Not sure this is anything new at many places.

5. Again, this has always been true. It's just more out in the open now.

6. Agree.

7. Sure.

8. When was the last time a major program was sanctioned for tampering? Another thing I think that has always been true, it's just more out in the open now.

[brewcity77]

Will the NCAAT survive past 2032?

In its current form, I don't think so. More likely we'll get a BCS style tournament where the top football leagues run things and they give a few at-large bids to mid-major leagues and champions. I expect they'll do away with auto bids for the 14-16 seed type teams and replace them with HM teams that are higher in the metrics despite poor records.

[MU82]

Agree with most of what Fraschilla says. The last sentence is certainly true, and that also applies to Fraschilla.

[tower912]

Whole concept is pathetic.  One step closer to voluntary extinction.

[BCHoopster]

Why not play Walker right away? Supposedly a shooter, MU has none right now, so let him play!

[wadesworld]

Why not play Walker right away? Supposedly a shooter, MU has none right now, so let him play!

Waste a year of eligibility on a lost season. Smart!

Did the alumni determine he's one of the players that will get money or is his being pulled?

[Heisenberg]

Things are now moving fast ...

Three weeks ago Flowers played and scored for the Chicago Bulls.

Now at least 12 schools are lining up NIL money to sign him.

It's possible he plays in a college game in a few weeks when the spring semester starts.

https://x.com/joetipton/status/2005136366003437876?s=46

[Heisenberg]

Michigan State's Tom Izzo rips the NCAA for allowing professional players back into college.

Izzo: "Shame on the players and same in the coaches."

https://x.com/spartans_illo/status/2005002310955729259?s=46

[jesmu84]

Michigan State's Tom Izzo rips the NCAA for allowing professional players back into college.

Izzo: "Shame on the players and same in the coaches."

https://x.com/spartans_illo/status/2005002310955729259?s=46

Tom should probably focus on the athlete related sexual assault on his campus first

[BCHoopster]

Waste a year of eligibility on a lost season. Smart!

Did the alumni determine he's one of the players that will get money or is his being pulled?

Redshirts now are ridiculous, MU needs a scorer right now, having a player for 3 years is fine, they will have enough time to find somebody else. MU needs help now, still have 19 games to play.  Let's see what he can do, has to be better then what they have now.

[Heisenberg]

Redshirts now are ridiculous, MU needs a scorer right now, having a player for 3 years is fine, they will have enough time to find somebody else. MU needs help now, still have 19 games to play.  Let's see what he can do, has to be better then what they have now.

Right now, Marquette has not beaten a team ranked in the top 200, and they've got four losses of more than 20 points

They're looking at a 12 and 20 season, probably worse.

—-

Let's assume Walker exceeds everyone's expectations, and maybe Even is the best shooter in NCAA basketball in the second half.


Where's that put Marquette at the end of the season? 15-17? 14-18?

This season is over. Quit trying to salvage the unsalvageable.

[Pakuni]

Redshirts now are ridiculous, MU needs a scorer right now, having a player for 3 years is fine, they will have enough time to find somebody else. MU needs help now, still have 19 games to play.  Let's see what he can do, has to be better then what they have now.

I'm not sure why we'd assume a kid who's never played in North America (other than perhaps a youth tourney) and apparently had no other known offers before committing to Marquette would be better than what they have right now.
Regardless, burning a full year of eligibility on half a lost season is a waste. Let's say the kid is great ... what does that do for us? Win 12 games instead of 10? No matta.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Right now, Marquette has not beaten a team ranked in the top 200, and they've got four losses of more than 20 points

They're looking at a 12 and 20 season, probably worse.

—-

Let's assume Walker exceeds everyone's expectations, and maybe Even is the best shooter in NCAA basketball in the second half.


Where's that put Marquette at the end of the season? 15-17? 14-18?

This season is over. Quit trying to salvage the unsalvageable.

12-20?? lol, they'd be lucky to win 8. Not a chance this team wins 7 games ROS.

[Shooter McGavin]

I'm not sure why we'd assume a kid who's never played in North America (other than perhaps a youth tourney) and apparently had no other known offers before committing to Marquette would be better than what they have right now.
Regardless, burning a full year of eligibility on half a lost season is a waste. Let's say the kid is great ... what does that do for us? Win 12 games instead of 10? No matta.

The benefit would be getting him acclimated to Big East Basketball so he is more advanced in his development next year. Also allows Shaka to know if he really has a player.  Obviously practicing against our current players is not useful for Shaka's assessments which have been poor partly because the talent on our roster is poor. But I get your point as well.  Just throwing it out there. 

[Billy Hoyle]

In its current form, I don't think so. More likely we'll get a BCS style tournament where the top football leagues run things and they give a few at-large bids to mid-major leagues and champions. I expect they'll do away with auto bids for the 14-16 seed type teams and replace them with HM teams that are higher in the metrics despite poor records.

absolutely. The high majors really started seething when George Mason made the Final Four, then other mid-majors like VCU, Butler, WSU, and Loyola made it. It was ok for those schools to spring the occasional upset and maybe make a Sweet 16, but the Final Four and the revenue from the units was supposed to be for the power conferences.

The power in college sports has not been consolidated with the P4 as much as it has been with the Big Ten and SEC. They're telling Charlie Baker what to do, and Baker is often caving to them. The expansion of the tourney is to ensure that 17-15 Minnesota or 16-16 South Carolina gets a bid, not 29-4 High Point or 27-6 Montana, who both dared to lose their in-conference tourney title games after winning their conference regular-season titles. Those schools don't even get an NIT bid anymore. Baker has talked openly about a new division. While the thought was that it would be for football, it's going to be an FBS/FCS split across all sports, and I suspect programs will have to dedicate a minimum amount of spending to be in that top division.