Indiana hires Darian DeVries as head coach.

[Hawkfnntn]

Somewhere, Alfraud is shedding a tear

What a total tool he is. There's some in Indiana still wishing they'd have gotten him at any point these last 20 yrs. It's pretty wild. He's still toiling away at Nevada stealing $ pretty much. That'll probably be his last major stop. He just had a pretty bad yr and they won't fire him I bet. Nevada doesn't have any expectations for their hoops program.

 

[SwirlinLingerie]

I also don't even see why DeVries was at the top of the list for Iowa. Sure, interview him, but I don't see what sets him apart from a lot of other candidates that are likely in Iowa's ballpark. Because he's from Iowa? I think people need to get over that aspect, both from a candidate's interest level and a fit for the university.

Again, I don't know enough about McCollum to say for sure, but the fact he stuck around D2 so long makes me think this cat is a little different. In many ways, Iowa is an incredible opportunity. They let the last coach stay for 15 years with only modest success. They sell out women's games. Every game. Unbelievable passion for Hawkeye sports. Super healthy football program that anchors the finances of the department. Big Ten TV money. A relatively young AD who seems ultra bright and extra tough. Fans with realistic expectations but who will also make him the most popular person in the state if he wins two ncaa tourney games in a weekend. Read that last sentence again and think about how many other places that would be true.

I think the right candidate sees all these advantages. There will be enough NIL money there if you can show a little success and get the fans excited. In many ways, this is a sleeping giant for the right candidate.

 

[Hay Man]

How much of the NIL money is put on the head coach to drum up business? Sounds like Fran really didn't do much of that and will it be up to the new coach to get donors to buy in?

Head coaches are part coach, part salesman...and hopefully the new coach can sell donors on giving money to the program to fund the NIL shortage we have right now. It's the only way things will get better.

 

[Fryowa]

Right, but I am pretty sure that Beth has a pitch there right? The NIL was lacking because they had an entrenched old school coach who didn't embrace the portal, who didn't do any sort of fundraising or connecting with fans, that had petty disputes with the local and national media, who had petty disputes with officials, that had been suspended multiple times and had been ejected through games his entire career. That's an easy sell to someone coming in that, hey, the reason Iowa doesn't have NIL is glaringly obvious and if we had your vision and you as our coach, our donors have indicated that they are willing to donate to our NIL funds. She can point to Iowa's biggest donors that she's spoken to and she can also sell that Iowa will have a pretty robust bank account with B1G football money to get Iowa's basketball program back to where it should be.

Beth has a vision to sell, it could very well be a good vision, but it's not likely going to touch what Indiana basketball is committed to. Indiana is the better job, it's not even arguable.

Bolded is I think where the hang up is. I really don't think there's donors willing to do that. Heinrichs doesn't come out and say it in those words because he has to tread super lightly, but you can definitely read between the lines. The people in Iowa willing to put millions towards sports want it to go to football. I can't say as I blame them if I happened to be one myself.

Revenue sharing is going to happen at some point, but Heinrichs and others have said it's up to the schools as to how it gets divided up and between which sports. Yes, Iowa (Beth) can decide how to do that on their own, but if you have a guy who's willing to drop a few mil on football you have to keep him happy too. I know I keep coming back to Brad H but he's a literal one-man show for Iowa's NIL (he said it's him and one part time employee to keep as much money as possible going to athletes)...he feels that even with revenue sharing there's going to be huge pressure from big donors to funnel as much NIL as possible to football because it means more value to their own donated dollars. I have to believe the guy when he says that.

If you're a big donor about to write checks for say, $1.5 mil for football and Beth says we're giving 35% of rev share to basketball, maybe that big donor says, nope, I'm not giving that much money to anyone if basketball is going to dilute the total because then my own $1.5 mil isn't going to do as much (as if Iowa gave, say, 20% rev share to basketball).

I don't think it's Beth, and I don't think it's Fran (although Fran wasn't the best marketing face for Iowa by any means and it was time for a change IMO). I think it's a matter of 1) Iowa doesn't have as big a donor base in total as most B1G schools, and 2) those donors we do have have spoken that they are all about football.

 

[Fryowa]

How much of the NIL money is put on the head coach to drum up business? Sounds like Fran really didn't do much of that and will it be up to the new coach to get donors to buy in?

Head coaches are part coach, part salesman...and hopefully the new coach can sell donors on giving money to the program to fund the NIL shortage we have right now. It's the only way things will get better.

None right now. They can't be the gatekeeper, that has to be the managers of the collectives.

 

[Fryowa]

One thing BH said in the WUW pod that perked my ears was that the SWARM is going to play less of the total role when rev share starts. At that point it will be up to the school and programs. He talked about how starting this year revenue generating sports will have general managers who head that up and dish out amounts to players and they have the freedom to say who gets how much. Iowa's GM is Tyler Barnes, KF's son-in-law.

The SWARM will handle donations and the program GMs/Beth will handle rev share.

As an interesting side fact, Andrew Luck is Stanford's GM.

We are in the Wild Wild West now my friends, and we ain't getting this genie put back in the bottle.

 

[Hay Man]

What are the chances of bringing a guy like BJ Armstrong in to be the GM of the basketball team? I know he's an agent for a few basketball players, but he would be a huge asset to the program.

 

[SwirlinLingerie]

Right, which is why I think Goetz should explore (maybe already has?) if there is any interest from a guy like BJ or Ryan Bowen playing a GM role to help kick-start the program. Even on a consultative, interim basis if that's what one of them preferred. I'm not saying this is a career stepping stone for them - but they are both financially set and maybe they have interest in it.

 

[Gander Hawk]

So it goes

There are certainly other coaches who Might work out

But the Drake coach is a proven commodity

At least this season

DD certainly seemed like a promising one

Kinda CutThroat dealings

Apparently we are beggers not choosers at this point in time

Drastic rebuilding from the bottom up now

I wonder how many are just keeping their options open and are willing to stay/come back? It'd be crazy if Fran got another job and they all went with him.

 

[Hawkboys]

What are the chances of bringing a guy like BJ Armstrong in to be the GM of the basketball team? I know he's an agent for a few basketball players, but he would be a huge asset to the program.

I secretly was hoping he was a silent donater ready to give new millions to MBB NIL to help bring in DeVries.

 

[Gander Hawk]

I also don't even see why DeVries was at the top of the list for Iowa. Sure, interview him, but I don't see what sets him apart from a lot of other candidates that are likely in Iowa's ballpark. Because he's from Iowa? I think people need to get over that aspect, both from a candidate's interest level and a fit for the university.

Again, I don't know enough about McCollum to say for sure, but the fact he stuck around D2 so long makes me think this cat is a little different. In many ways, Iowa is an incredible opportunity. They let the last coach stay for 15 years with only modest success. They sell out women's games. Every game. Unbelievable passion for Hawkeye sports. Super healthy football program that anchors the finances of the department. Big Ten TV money. A relatively young AD who seems ultra bright and extra tough. Fans with realistic expectations but who will also make him the most popular person in the state if he wins two ncaa tourney games in a weekend. Read that last sentence again and think about how many other places that would be true.

I think the right candidate sees all these advantages. There will be enough NIL money there if you can show a little success and get the fans excited. In many ways, this is a sleeping giant for the right candidate.

So, you're a glass half-full guy.