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Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: NIL Money
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greencat
2/16/2026 7:10 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
No I don't have exact dollar amounts - but I have compiled and seen estimates for the amount of $$ that COULD flow into the program. From a market analysis standpoint. And it isn't pretty. We're bottom 3 in the MAC and below almost every Horizon league school.

Again, not in actual dollars currently. In theoretical available dollars moving forward.

Athens Ohio is not the place to be in a spending competition.
It's a great place to be in a college atmosphere, picturesque landscape and good education competition.

We moved from the latter to the former.
How is Murray State doing in the NIL $$ department?

It's in a remote flat part of Kentucky, generic looking campus, a town much smaller than Athens.

Asking for a friend since they didn't have trouble paying to get 13 new players while also paying the previous coach over a million bucks to get lost.
I honestly don't know - I didn't do a market, demographic and alumni analysis of Murray. Maybe I should.
Since Murray dropped 115 points on Akron with a brand new staff and an all new roster, is there a way to factor in that 115 number into some sort of formula while you are working on it.

Here is the box score. Notice that Murray scored 68 on them in the 2nd half. Three more than we scored vs Akron in the entire game.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/g...
I lived in Murray for three years. What he says is true. Imagine a slightly more upscale Logan, and you've got Murray. Murray is in what's called the Purchase. This is the area added to Kentucky when President Jackson "purchased" the land from the Chickasaw Indian Tribe. The official name is the Jackson Purchase. Paducah is the "capital" of the Purchase. It is culturally very distinct from the rest of Kentucky. During the late rebellion it was by far the most rabid rebel area of Bluegrass State. My wife couldn't get into the social circles there because she wasn't eligible for the most prominent ladies group – the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The only real industry in Murray is several car-fix-up joints that have a national reputation for taking wrecked cars and fixing them up for dealers to sell without a trace of their past collision history. This was actually written up in a national magazine (forget which one) when I lived there. It's a source of great civic pride. I doubt they contribute too much to the MSU NIL pile. Other than that, there's almost nothing there. Might be a few businesses in Paducah that would contribute NIL money. But, greencat, is essentially correct that if MSU can raise enough money to "hire" good players there's no excuse we can't unless we just refuse to the play the new "ringer-for-hire" game.
What I noticed about Murray when I was there and it's been a long while:

The football stadium doesn't have a visitor side. It's all on one side. Strange.

The only restaurant at the time I saw was a Cracker Barrel. They were about to get some sort of chain place like a Chili's or Applebee's and it was the biggest news to hit the town like almost ever.

The Walmart carried more merch representing the local high school than the college.

That was about it.

I was in Paducah more recently than that and saw nothing representing Murray St.

Murray State and nearby UT-Martin are two of the most isolated colleges possible. Yet UT-Martin has a basketball roster full of international players even though the nearest airports (Nashville or Memphis) are around 150 miles away.
Last Edited: 2/16/2026 7:22:22 PM by greencat
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OhioCatFan
2/16/2026 8:49 PM
greencat wrote:expand_more
No I don't have exact dollar amounts - but I have compiled and seen estimates for the amount of $$ that COULD flow into the program. From a market analysis standpoint. And it isn't pretty. We're bottom 3 in the MAC and below almost every Horizon league school.

Again, not in actual dollars currently. In theoretical available dollars moving forward.

Athens Ohio is not the place to be in a spending competition.
It's a great place to be in a college atmosphere, picturesque landscape and good education competition.

We moved from the latter to the former.
How is Murray State doing in the NIL $$ department?

It's in a remote flat part of Kentucky, generic looking campus, a town much smaller than Athens.

Asking for a friend since they didn't have trouble paying to get 13 new players while also paying the previous coach over a million bucks to get lost.
I honestly don't know - I didn't do a market, demographic and alumni analysis of Murray. Maybe I should.
Since Murray dropped 115 points on Akron with a brand new staff and an all new roster, is there a way to factor in that 115 number into some sort of formula while you are working on it.

Here is the box score. Notice that Murray scored 68 on them in the 2nd half. Three more than we scored vs Akron in the entire game.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/g...
I lived in Murray for three years. What he says is true. Imagine a slightly more upscale Logan, and you've got Murray. Murray is in what's called the Purchase. This is the area added to Kentucky when President Jackson "purchased" the land from the Chickasaw Indian Tribe. The official name is the Jackson Purchase. Paducah is the "capital" of the Purchase. It is culturally very distinct from the rest of Kentucky. During the late rebellion it was by far the most rabid rebel area of Bluegrass State. My wife couldn't get into the social circles there because she wasn't eligible for the most prominent ladies group – the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The only real industry in Murray is several car-fix-up joints that have a national reputation for taking wrecked cars and fixing them up for dealers to sell without a trace of their past collision history. This was actually written up in a national magazine (forget which one) when I lived there. It's a source of great civic pride. I doubt they contribute too much to the MSU NIL pile. Other than that, there's almost nothing there. Might be a few businesses in Paducah that would contribute NIL money. But, greencat, is essentially correct that if MSU can raise enough money to "hire" good players there's no excuse we can't unless we just refuse to the play the new "ringer-for-hire" game.
What I noticed about Murray when I was there and it's been a long while:

The football stadium doesn't have a visitor side. It's all on one side. Strange.

The only restaurant at the time I saw was a Cracker Barrel. They were about to get some sort of chain place like a Chili's or Applebee's and it was the biggest news to hit the town like almost ever.

The Walmart carried more merch representing the local high school than the college.

That was about it.

I was in Paducah more recently than that and saw nothing representing Murray St.

Murray State and nearby UT-Martin are two of the most isolated colleges possible. Yet UT-Martin has a basketball roster full of international players even though the nearest airports (Nashville or Memphis) are around 150 miles away.
There is an airport in Paducah that handles commercial traffic. I remember picking up a speaker who was going to address our SDX chapter at that airport. UT-Martin is more isolated than Murray.

And, Murray has a very good Pizza restaurant: https://pagliaispizzaofmurray.com /
Actually, some of the best pizza I've ever had.

But, I'm nitpicking. Your basic point stands. Our AD's office has been asleep at the switch when it comes to NIL money and out-of-the-previous-box thinking when it comes to creating a climate of innovative recruiting.
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FJC31
2/17/2026 8:00 AM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
OK guys, I have no clue… Does anybody have a clue as to how much NIL money we have for basketball? I also don’t know, is there any way to get that information? Just asking for myself…haha
It's been confirmed based on a pretty close connection from a poster here that Simmons is making six figures. I assume use of the phrase six figures implies the low end.

That's all I know, but it gives you an interesting sense and helps calibrate a bit.
That's a jump from when Boals said - in confidence (apologies, coach), a few years ago - we couldn't bid $75K for a big. That was pre-Cornish. So my assumption was always that Ike was in that wheelhouse, and we couldn't offer it to anyone else. I've operated in the assumption our max cap is likely in that $100K area, and if it's all going to Simmons... I can't imagine we're spreading much more than $50K around.

If Simmons is making $100,000 I want to cry, but I'm also surprised we're playing in that sandbox. I doubt we having much more than $150K to play with. I would've said $100K at most. Maybe $200K if Simmons is indeed pulling down six figures.

We really need to get creative. I know we're trying, and when you're dealing with $100K you want to bring in a proven guy (12 / 6 at Toledo is pulling $100K?! good lord), but in all honesty, I'd rather see two D2 bigs getting $50K each and praying we struck gold.

$100K for me should buy more than 14 points, but maybe it doesn't.

Perhaps, the situation is crazier than I ever assumed.
I went to school with Simmons agent. He was a 6 figure signee -- no idea the amount. Pre-2024 portal cycle, I spoke with someone in the athletic department who mentioned at that time basketball program donations were previously at $239K.

That's all I have. I'm guessing it's gone up some since. Again, we're not flush but we aren't poor. It all comes down to how you spend and construct the roster. Having an offensive scheme would certainly help.

It might take a dip after this season if we keep going in the wrong direction.
Nice tidbits there.

We very much need a fresh set of eyes on roster construction. To this point I truly feel like we're recruiting the highest rated recruits we can get - to hell with roster construction. Most people just say Boals can't recruit, and that's not necessarily true. I just think he's relying too much on others data. And maybe thats a place where we just don't have the money to do needed diligence. I have to go find my old post, but Boals has rarely had a recruiting class outside the Top 2. He's either #1 or #2. The only year OU wasn't highly ranked was Clayton's class. Because he was the only HS signee. And that worked out pretty well. We tremendously need to turn previous logic on its head, because our biggest weakness is a lack of TEAM. A lack of ROLES. A lack of OFFENSIVE IDENTITY. And that starts with Boals. Can we teach an old dog new tricks? That's for Lars to figure out. Otherwise, it pains me to say... we can't ride with Boals and his Gus Macker offense anymore. We just can't. We need an identity. And construct a true offense around said roster. I find it hard to believe Boals is so set in his 'create it if you got it' offense that he's willing to ride it into unemployment, but coaches are a weird breed.
This post just make me curious about the potential of bringing in a GM. Thought I saw that was a new position this year added to the football program (I may be mistaken but thought I came across their twitter awhile back). I think that's a way to combine Boals' recruiting skills with somebody who can dedicate 100% of their time towards roster construction and research.

Not sure that would be possible at this point in Boals' tenure but just has me thinking what direction the program is going to go in the post Boals era.
Even if we add a GM, the lack of development, offensive identity, and scheme still poise issues for Boals and his staff.

BLSS and others post advanced analytics on shot charts, lineup combos, etc, that are also available to our staff. Judging how we continue to play free willingly with no actual strategy, that data appears to be ignored. A lot needs to be fixed with this program.
I REALLY need to understand more about this. There really is no way of asking, but I sincerely doubt we're better at this than they are - which leads me to where you are... they're ignoring it.

And I don't understand how. Or why. Other than quicksand. And fear.
Your guess is as good as anyone’s on this board. I think we’re grossly underachieving, even with roster flaws.

Guys aren’t being put in spots to succeed and have probably checked out with how the season has gone for them individually and as a team.
Last Edited: 2/17/2026 8:00:43 AM by FJC31
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Casper71
2/17/2026 5:44 PM
With all this talk about Simmons from Toledo, I’m just wondering… Maybe they didn’t want him! He certainly isn’t Hadaway but he certainly is a talker. And, losing him certainly hasn’t hurt Toledo’s ability to play good basketball. I am assuming there is always a reason why a guy is in the portal.
Last Edited: 2/17/2026 5:45:41 PM by Casper71
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greencat
2/17/2026 7:00 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
No I don't have exact dollar amounts - but I have compiled and seen estimates for the amount of $$ that COULD flow into the program. From a market analysis standpoint. And it isn't pretty. We're bottom 3 in the MAC and below almost every Horizon league school.

Again, not in actual dollars currently. In theoretical available dollars moving forward.

Athens Ohio is not the place to be in a spending competition.
It's a great place to be in a college atmosphere, picturesque landscape and good education competition.

We moved from the latter to the former.
How is Murray State doing in the NIL $$ department?

It's in a remote flat part of Kentucky, generic looking campus, a town much smaller than Athens.

Asking for a friend since they didn't have trouble paying to get 13 new players while also paying the previous coach over a million bucks to get lost.
I honestly don't know - I didn't do a market, demographic and alumni analysis of Murray. Maybe I should.
Since Murray dropped 115 points on Akron with a brand new staff and an all new roster, is there a way to factor in that 115 number into some sort of formula while you are working on it.

Here is the box score. Notice that Murray scored 68 on them in the 2nd half. Three more than we scored vs Akron in the entire game.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/g...
I lived in Murray for three years. What he says is true. Imagine a slightly more upscale Logan, and you've got Murray. Murray is in what's called the Purchase. This is the area added to Kentucky when President Jackson "purchased" the land from the Chickasaw Indian Tribe. The official name is the Jackson Purchase. Paducah is the "capital" of the Purchase. It is culturally very distinct from the rest of Kentucky. During the late rebellion it was by far the most rabid rebel area of Bluegrass State. My wife couldn't get into the social circles there because she wasn't eligible for the most prominent ladies group – the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The only real industry in Murray is several car-fix-up joints that have a national reputation for taking wrecked cars and fixing them up for dealers to sell without a trace of their past collision history. This was actually written up in a national magazine (forget which one) when I lived there. It's a source of great civic pride. I doubt they contribute too much to the MSU NIL pile. Other than that, there's almost nothing there. Might be a few businesses in Paducah that would contribute NIL money. But, greencat, is essentially correct that if MSU can raise enough money to "hire" good players there's no excuse we can't unless we just refuse to the play the new "ringer-for-hire" game.
What I noticed about Murray when I was there and it's been a long while:

The football stadium doesn't have a visitor side. It's all on one side. Strange.

The only restaurant at the time I saw was a Cracker Barrel. They were about to get some sort of chain place like a Chili's or Applebee's and it was the biggest news to hit the town like almost ever.

The Walmart carried more merch representing the local high school than the college.

That was about it.

I was in Paducah more recently than that and saw nothing representing Murray St.

Murray State and nearby UT-Martin are two of the most isolated colleges possible. Yet UT-Martin has a basketball roster full of international players even though the nearest airports (Nashville or Memphis) are around 150 miles away.
There is an airport in Paducah that handles commercial traffic. I remember picking up a speaker who was going to address our SDX chapter at that airport. UT-Martin is more isolated than Murray.

And, Murray has a very good Pizza restaurant: https://pagliaispizzaofmurray.com /
Actually, some of the best pizza I've ever had.

But, I'm nitpicking. Your basic point stands. Our AD's office has been asleep at the switch when it comes to NIL money and out-of-the-previous-box thinking when it comes to creating a climate of innovative recruiting.
Well, international airport anyway. I think the Paducah "airport" has the same commuter carrier as the "airport" in Parkersburg. Not sarcastic.

But my favorite interesting Murray factoid is that Ja Morant, the best basketball player in the history of the school is from a town of 3000 in South Carolina, 600 miles away.

Draw your own conclusion as it relates to the Bobcats situation.
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Clown Ohio Fan
2/17/2026 7:17 PM
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Last Edited: 2/17/2026 7:27:39 PM by Clown Ohio Fan
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Casper71
2/17/2026 7:27 PM
We are an offensive juggernaut tonight!
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BillyTheCat
2/17/2026 10:51 PM
FormerMember wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
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Clown Ohio Fan
2/18/2026 12:39 AM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
The NIL conversation is so simple if you just follow any other mid-major conferences and have a general idea of player value. Most mid-major rosters are gutted on a yearly basis yet Ohio kept their two best players and stole a starting forward from a conference rival.

That’s all you need to know. OU might not have a bunch of money compared to top mid-majors but they certainly have enough to keep up with 90% of the MAC outside of Akron and UMass.

I have on good authority what a number of players in the A10 make compared to guys in the MAAC and if you can use some reasoning, it’s not hard to figure out what players at Ohio should expect.
Last Edited: 2/18/2026 12:39:29 AM by Clown Ohio Fan
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FJC31
2/18/2026 7:30 AM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
Just follow this thread. SBH referenced a $400K donation Cromer left Boals. When I spoke to someone in the department pre 2024 portal, we were at $239K.

So, he’s right. We’re not rich, we’re not poor. Simmons was a 6 figure player whether anyone on here likes it or not.

Ted also mentioned in this thread UMass has $1.3 million NIL budget. UMass dropped to 6-8 in the MAC. As much as we want to complain about NIL being our shortcoming, it isn’t. It’s everything else outside of it because NIL money held all the success weight, UMass wouldn’t be worse than us.

You need money (we have some) and coaching ability (we don’t have this).
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greencat
2/18/2026 9:19 AM
FJC31 wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
Just follow this thread. SBH referenced a $400K donation Cromer left Boals. When I spoke to someone in the department pre 2024 portal, we were at $239K.

So, he’s right. We’re not rich, we’re not poor. Simmons was a 6 figure player whether anyone on here likes it or not.

Ted also mentioned in this thread UMass has $1.3 million NIL budget. UMass dropped to 6-8 in the MAC. As much as we want to complain about NIL being our shortcoming, it isn’t. It’s everything else outside of it because NIL money held all the success weight, UMass wouldn’t be worse than us.

You need money (we have some) and coaching ability (we don’t have this).
Part of coaching ability in the new world of NIL and portal is recognizing and evaluating athletic talent. Take Jalen Breath for example. How can a 6-9 D-1 center not dunk the ball right next to the rim? Most h.s. centers can dunk a basketball. He again looked highly unimpressive against Ball State last night. He makes Wiznitzer look like an NBA center. Conners and Burris combined for two points on 1-5 shooting. Breath and Burris and Conners combined for zero points in the loss at Ball State.
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FJC31
2/18/2026 9:50 AM
greencat wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
Just follow this thread. SBH referenced a $400K donation Cromer left Boals. When I spoke to someone in the department pre 2024 portal, we were at $239K.

So, he’s right. We’re not rich, we’re not poor. Simmons was a 6 figure player whether anyone on here likes it or not.

Ted also mentioned in this thread UMass has $1.3 million NIL budget. UMass dropped to 6-8 in the MAC. As much as we want to complain about NIL being our shortcoming, it isn’t. It’s everything else outside of it because NIL money held all the success weight, UMass wouldn’t be worse than us.

You need money (we have some) and coaching ability (we don’t have this).
Part of coaching ability in the new world of NIL and portal is recognizing and evaluating athletic talent. Take Jalen Breath for example. How can a 6-9 D-1 center not dunk the ball right next to the rim? Most h.s. centers can dunk a basketball. He again looked highly unimpressive against Ball State last night. He makes Wiznitzer look like an NBA center. Conners and Burris combined for two points on 1-5 shooting. Breath and Burris and Conners combined for zero points in the loss at Ball State.
Reggie Keely couldn’t dunk. I’ll always defend Breath’s addition at the time because his body of work at UNCG. Conners came in with a strong season a year ago as well. Both got worse here, while internal players continue to not improve or given the same leash as others.

Everything else is irrelevant if you can’t maximize and coach up the players you’re bringing in.
Last Edited: 2/18/2026 9:51:34 AM by FJC31
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shabamon
2/18/2026 10:03 AM
greencat wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
Just follow this thread. SBH referenced a $400K donation Cromer left Boals. When I spoke to someone in the department pre 2024 portal, we were at $239K.

So, he’s right. We’re not rich, we’re not poor. Simmons was a 6 figure player whether anyone on here likes it or not.

Ted also mentioned in this thread UMass has $1.3 million NIL budget. UMass dropped to 6-8 in the MAC. As much as we want to complain about NIL being our shortcoming, it isn’t. It’s everything else outside of it because NIL money held all the success weight, UMass wouldn’t be worse than us.

You need money (we have some) and coaching ability (we don’t have this).
Part of coaching ability in the new world of NIL and portal is recognizing and evaluating athletic talent. Take Jalen Breath for example. How can a 6-9 D-1 center not dunk the ball right next to the rim? Most h.s. centers can dunk a basketball. He again looked highly unimpressive against Ball State last night. He makes Wiznitzer look like an NBA center. Conners and Burris combined for two points on 1-5 shooting. Breath and Burris and Conners combined for zero points in the loss at Ball State.
Nah, Breath can at least rebound and set a screen.
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Deciduous Forest Cat
2/18/2026 11:58 AM
FJC31 wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
Just follow this thread. SBH referenced a $400K donation Cromer left Boals. When I spoke to someone in the department pre 2024 portal, we were at $239K.

So, he’s right. We’re not rich, we’re not poor. Simmons was a 6 figure player whether anyone on here likes it or not.

Ted also mentioned in this thread UMass has $1.3 million NIL budget. UMass dropped to 6-8 in the MAC. As much as we want to complain about NIL being our shortcoming, it isn’t. It’s everything else outside of it because NIL money held all the success weight, UMass wouldn’t be worse than us.

You need money (we have some) and coaching ability (we don’t have this).
Part of coaching ability in the new world of NIL and portal is recognizing and evaluating athletic talent. Take Jalen Breath for example. How can a 6-9 D-1 center not dunk the ball right next to the rim? Most h.s. centers can dunk a basketball. He again looked highly unimpressive against Ball State last night. He makes Wiznitzer look like an NBA center. Conners and Burris combined for two points on 1-5 shooting. Breath and Burris and Conners combined for zero points in the loss at Ball State.
Reggie Keely couldn’t dunk.
https://youtu.be/6b477AN_xkg?si=TIrtJQDOapW7R5xS

You serious, Clark?
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FJC31
2/18/2026 12:06 PM
Deciduous Forest Cat wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
Just follow this thread. SBH referenced a $400K donation Cromer left Boals. When I spoke to someone in the department pre 2024 portal, we were at $239K.

So, he’s right. We’re not rich, we’re not poor. Simmons was a 6 figure player whether anyone on here likes it or not.

Ted also mentioned in this thread UMass has $1.3 million NIL budget. UMass dropped to 6-8 in the MAC. As much as we want to complain about NIL being our shortcoming, it isn’t. It’s everything else outside of it because NIL money held all the success weight, UMass wouldn’t be worse than us.

You need money (we have some) and coaching ability (we don’t have this).
Part of coaching ability in the new world of NIL and portal is recognizing and evaluating athletic talent. Take Jalen Breath for example. How can a 6-9 D-1 center not dunk the ball right next to the rim? Most h.s. centers can dunk a basketball. He again looked highly unimpressive against Ball State last night. He makes Wiznitzer look like an NBA center. Conners and Burris combined for two points on 1-5 shooting. Breath and Burris and Conners combined for zero points in the loss at Ball State.
Reggie Keely couldn’t dunk.
https://youtu.be/6b477AN_xkg?si=TIrtJQDOapW7R5xS

You serious, Clark?
Got em. I worked this game as an intern.
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OhioCatFan
2/18/2026 2:43 PM
greencat wrote:expand_more
. . .
[Breath] makes Wiznitzer look like an NBA center. . . .


Please don't say this where FearLeon can see it. I'm afraid he might have coronary on the spot.
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spongeBOB CATpants
2/18/2026 4:53 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
Ohio has more money than several on this board realize. They're not rich but Simmons was FAR from cheap and keeping Pavs and Hadaway required legitimate NIL funds as well.

The team is below average because of how they've allocated their money and the lack of proper coaching and development. They don't have the type of cash to be a consistently top tier mid-major but they should be competitive in the MAC on a yearly basis and have been underachieving.
Give us the figures then since you seem to know.
Just follow this thread. SBH referenced a $400K donation Cromer left Boals. When I spoke to someone in the department pre 2024 portal, we were at $239K.

So, he’s right. We’re not rich, we’re not poor. Simmons was a 6 figure player whether anyone on here likes it or not.

Ted also mentioned in this thread UMass has $1.3 million NIL budget. UMass dropped to 6-8 in the MAC. As much as we want to complain about NIL being our shortcoming, it isn’t. It’s everything else outside of it because NIL money held all the success weight, UMass wouldn’t be worse than us.

You need money (we have some) and coaching ability (we don’t have this).
Part of coaching ability in the new world of NIL and portal is recognizing and evaluating athletic talent. Take Jalen Breath for example. How can a 6-9 D-1 center not dunk the ball right next to the rim? Most h.s. centers can dunk a basketball. He again looked highly unimpressive against Ball State last night. He makes Wiznitzer look like an NBA center. Conners and Burris combined for two points on 1-5 shooting. Breath and Burris and Conners combined for zero points in the loss at Ball State.
Nah, Breath can at least rebound and set a screen.
I'm no Breath fan but I'd take him over Wiz 8 days a week.
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Alan Swank
2/18/2026 8:30 PM
Murray has three things that Athens doesn't have - three 18 hole golf courses - two of which are country clubs. Draw your own conclusions on donations.
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