Precisely my view.
1 Like
After Brasil lost World Cup to France in 2002 or whatever the brasilian senate brought Ronaldo in to testify the crushing loss. His quote summed it up:
āI will tell my truths. Others will tell their truths and from that the government will find their truthsā
Classic Brasil
6 Likes
Also, under the āitās all one thread / itās all one topic / itās all one postā category, this is IMO the same root issue as the Blue-White game streaming issue. Tonyās less than comfortable with some of the promotional aspects of the game, which (1) I totally understand, and (2) Iām totally annoyed by, because they are just neutral personal idiosyncrasies dressed up as pillars (not by Tony, but by his message board interlocutors).
(edit - will add any more NILsy thoughts to the NIL thread, because despite my opening line, I also appreciate a bit of order and organization)
2 Likes
This is exactly the kind of thing a non-pillar person would say. 
3 Likes
Itās kind of impressive in a perverse way that we got a 0 and done to commit to us at all, even if he never really committed.
7 Likes
And another thing re NIL that has nothing to do with anyoneās feelings on how ārightā it is, is that if there is a talented kid we are recruiting and itās clear the top thing he cares about is NIL, it just makes it way less likely weāll be able to land him in the end because there are a ton of schools that can straight up outbid us, even if we go all out. So I think itās also just a practical sorting mechanism. No judgement on any of those kids - go make your money - but if that is the number one thing, weāll lose them to any SEC or BIG team that wants them before the signing deadline.
Weāre in a spot to say āOf course we know NIL is also a consideration, and we have structures in place to help you earn when you come here.ā But we arenāt in a place where weāre going to win straight up bidding wars. So probably not a bad idea to just avoid them.
6 Likes
Is Jaylen Curry still an option?
1 Like
No idea. I wouldnāt write off Dexter Dennis from Wichita, Thereās at least genuine interest in him. Other than that, I suspect if thereās another visitor, itāll be someone fresh in the portal.
Sure havenāt
Less bullish for sure. Gotta say if it werenāt for the Wisconsin talk which seems completely credible, Iād assume they were getting Vander Plas. There wasnāt oh he committed and filed the paperwork kind of talk, but a good bit of confidence after he visited.
The NIL mention scares me with McNeil. But I canāt overemphasize that they really really liked him on his visit. That matters in transfer recruiting. All these guys know everybody is recruiting multiple players. They want to be wanted.
6 Likes
Thereās a difference between trying to win a bidding war and being allergic to the whole thing when it comes up, and thatās the sense I get from the Intel Report. If Iām wrong about that, then great.
Like if it comes up and Tony says ā ādonāt worry, we have a whole session on that with our āNIL coordinatorā coming up and youāll be very satisfiedā and then thereās a strong presentation, then that works.
But Iām worried that we arenāt that organized about it and we come across as being weak on NIL compared to everyone else ā so this is not just about bidding wars, we just look like weāre not even in the same universe.
And itās not just a sorting mechanism:
The NIL mention scares me with McNeil.
Kids up and down the board care about NIL so we better look organized about it.
4 Likes
Probably not a fit playstyle wise. I remember HGN saying Tony and Williford liked him and Vandross or Williford went to see him in the fall but he seems like a full court kinda guy.
1 Like
As for the NIL thing. I think this is an adjustment period. Itās came on fast. With 2022 recruits, it was a total non-issue. Now itās everywhere, particularly with transfers.
Some schools are making it their whole pitch. Technically, thatās against NCAA rules to promise deals to recruits. But itās happening and thereās no enforcement. And I actually think the majority of schools even at the high major level are on the same page as UVA. They have their infrastructure to assist and will play that up to recruits, and thatās it. But the Arkansass and Indianas etc are going to get the players who put money above all else.
7 Likes
The one spot UVa has a heavy need for in 2023 is the spot Bennett seems to thrive recruiting wise. The way the Johnson recruitment unfolded is disappointing but whether itās DeMary or someone else, I think that spot will pull a quality target with the time that will be there to offer.
3 Likes
Demaryās highlights are like 60% defense, sign me up. Looks like the physical counter to Reeceās agile defensive style. Also looks like a big dude in that film
5 Likes
I think these two posts get to the nub of the problem. The coaches and programs that were always willing to break the rules are happy to exploit the new system and even blatantly violate the rather permissive restrictions in the new system. It was a very easy and natural transition.
But those programs that have traditionally played by the rules are in various states of reconciliation to the new world. Tony appears to be on the left edge of that bell curve, though my knowledge of his approach to NIL comes entirely from this forum. He and Virginia will have to reconcile to this new world, but until and unless the NCAA does something to enforce the rules, we will always be at a huge disadvantage to the bag droppers.
Thatās the thing though: it really didnāt. It was easy to see this was coming from the time the first states passed their laws allowing it. And those laws all had 21-23 as their start dates. I guess it shouldnāt be a surprise UVA was caught flat footed but the speed of the change was very predictable. Not necessarily on the basketball staff as much as the administration but man itās frustrating at times we are always so resistant to change.
1 Like
Agree, but I suspect HGN meant as a major factor in recruiting, even compared to last year. Though I suspect, to your point, the speed at which it came on was at least somewhat predictable.
Iād be pretty excited if we land Mcneill. Do you think he significantly raises the teamās ceiling next year? Or is it just more quality depth and experience?
1 Like
If so, itās not a good statement on our recruiting or last yearās transfer recruiting or the hopes of Reeceās jumper ever getting decent.
So, basically my answer (if anyone cares) is: I SURE HOPE NOT!
I personally donāt have any real issue with how weāve dealt with NIL. We are moving at a reasonable pace, we arenāt pushing or bending the rules, and we have a program set up that will likely be a solid fit for the school and get kids some money.
UVA was never going to be one of the schools being the first to roll things out and being on the cutting edge of this stuff. I have no issue if others are frustrated by it, but Iām completely fine with it. Also, given how little info we actually have on how all this is going, we donāt actually know fully how things have played out. A lot of it is just us inferring it isnāt going well because we arenāt landing top recruiting targets, but to be honest, we were missing on a ton of top recruiting targets well before NIL ever came around.
2 Likes
Yea I figured thatās what he meant and Iām saying it was entirely predictable. This is the first transfer cycle where NIL has been legal and 2023 is the first class it is legal their whole cycle. Of course there was going to be a huge shift! Johnny Carpenter at least shouldāve known this was coming even if the older guys on staff didnāt realize it.
1 Like