Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Creighton assistant coach Ryan Miller

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Creighton assistant coach Ryan Miller, who talked about making the Elite 8 last March and his expectations for this season.

As a player at Mitchell High School you won the 1994 South Dakota State AA title, and in 2017 as an assistant at TCU you won the NIT: what is the key to winning championships? Having a team where every guy from 1-15 is willing to sacrifice and remains focused on doing their job.

In 2013 you were inducted into the Northern State Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? They have a history of athletic success, particularly in basketball, so it was a great honor. My coach, Bob Olson, was 1 of the best to do it. Whenever you get honors like that it is because of the people around you who sacrificed themselves to give you the opportunity to succeed. I have been very blessed to have amazing coaches dating back to high school so I received all of the details to learn what goes into winning. It has been a fantastic basketball journey and is still awesome.

You have been an assistant for a lot of great coaches including John Calipari/Steve Alford/Jamie Dixon/Greg McDermott: what is the most important thing that you learned from any of them? I have worked with so many great coaches (including Dave Rice) and each 1 of them have characteristics that make them successful. John is a great marketer and Greg is an offensive genius who also understands how to create a defensive scheme that exposes our strengths. I think he was a little ahead of his time with analytics when it comes to 3-PT shooting.

Last year you made the Elite 8 before Darrion Trammell made a free throw with 1.2 seconds left in a 1-PT win by San Diego State: what is your favorite memory from your postseason run? Just how our team overcame adversity. We lost 6 games in a row in late-November/early-December after having a good showing in Maui. We started executing and if a kid had a good shot he would pass it up to find a teammate who had a great shot. It was a heartbreaking loss to the Aztecs but the rally of the team was extraordinary.

Your team was 3rd-best in the nation by allowing just 9 FTM/12.4 FTA: what is the secret to playing defense without fouling? It is an everyday process to stay disciplined. You have to show your hands but play with your feet and make “vertical wall challenges”. Coach McDermott wants to make sure we take more FTs than our opponents because even the worst FT shooters will get 1 PT/possession.

You lost a few guys from last year but have some nice returning pieces like Ryan Kalkbrenner/Baylor Scheierman as well as some new additions like Steven Ashworth: how is the team coming together so far? It is coming together well. We had a trip to the Bahamas last month that allowed some of the new guys to jell with the old guys as we build an identity/chemistry. We are lucky to have some great leaders who have been there/done that. We have an exciting roster and will try to avoid any slip-ups early.

Your schedule includes games against Iowa/Oklahoma State/Nebraska/Alabama: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? All of those teams will present a big test: we lost a heartbreaker to Nebraska last year and Iowa is also a rivalry game. Alabama is a really good SEC team and Mike Boynton does a great job at Oklahoma State.

Your brother Mike won back-to-back NBA titles, your nephew Mason is 1 of your players, your father Tom/uncle Chris/uncle Alan/brother Jared/cousin Macy all played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? I would have to go with Mike. There was not much to do growing up so my parents put a basketball in our hands as soon as we popped out of the womb! Mike is 1 of the best shooters in NBA history and took it to the next level by making big shots both at Florida and in the NBA.

You have a birthday later this month: what are your plans for the big day? We start practice on the 26th and my birthday is the next day so I will celebrate it with family/friends. When you get top-10 preseason rankings you put a big bullseye on your back and you cannot sneak up on anybody. We will celebrate it…and then prepare to win a championship.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Since I arrived here the foundation was already set, but the goal is to have a great non-conference season by competing as hard as we can. The next part is to have a great conference season with a true round-robin schedule in the Big East, then hopefully put ourselves in position to get a high seed in the NCAA tourney and make a long run. We want to bust down that Final 4 door. March is tricky and matchups matter: the best programs are on the top-4 seed lines and get favorable matchups.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Duke C Ryan Young

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Duke C Ryan Young, who talked about having a “perfect game” last December and his expectations for this season.

You were born in Montreal and grew up in New Jersey: what made you choose Northwestern to start your college career? I moved around a lot growing up: my parents are both American but were working in Montreal. When I was in high school I received a lot of initial interest from Ivy/Patriot schools and later got recruited by some Power 5 schools. The 2 biggest things I was looking for were a good balance of academics/athletics: both Northwestern and Duke exemplify that balance. I vibed well with the Northwestern staff and thought it was the best place for me.

You led the team with 6.1 RPG as a redshirt freshman: what is the key to being a good rebounder? It is about effort more than anything else: maybe 80% effort and 20% positioning. I knew that I wanted to do anything to help my team win and at the time that was rebounding and being a great energy guy.

You were a 3-time Big 10 Distinguished Scholar and named to the ACC All-Academic team in 2023 while studying for your accelerated MBA after transferring to Duke: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? The 1st thing is the tremendous amount of guidance/help from our phenomenal support staff/academic coordinators. It is difficult to fall behind because there are so many people ensuring that you receive the help you need and know what you are doing. The 2nd part is over-communicating early and often: at Northwestern we stuck around after the 1st day of class, gave our professors a detailed travel letter, and discussed what we could do to make up the time we would be missing. If you are up front with people about the sacrifices you have to make then most people will be pretty understanding.

Last New Year’s Eve you became the 1st player in school history to have a game with 20+ PTS/10+ REB while not missing a single FG/FT in a win over Florida State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up went in because you were “in the zone”? I think so. There was a lot of hype around it being a “perfect game” but all of my shots were essentially layups within 4’ of the basket. It was an awesome team win and I had it going from the paint so my teammates did a phenomenal job of finding me. It is always fun to make every single shot but the best part was getting a good win against a good opponent.

You finished last season with 68.5 FG%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? If you are taking mostly layups it is easy to keep your percentage up but I take pride in not forcing my shots. I am not as big/athletic as some of the other centers in the top conferences so I try to be a smart player who does not make mistakes. Typically that means I am not taking fadeaway shots or forcing threes. You have to perfect your craft and be patient until you get a good shot.

Last year you went 2-0 vs. the Tar Heels: how do you describe the Duke-UNC rivalry to someone who has never experienced it in person? I felt I was in a pretty unique position because I grew up a Syracuse fan due to my parents. I was not really invested in the Duke-UNC rivalry but I quickly learned that everyone in this state takes it pretty seriously. It means a lot historically and there are a ton of former players who come back for it. It is awesome for the fans to have something to get excited about: just watch them camp out for weeks to watch a 2-hour basketball game! It is a fun thing to be a part of.

You have several great freshmen on the roster including Jared McCain/Caleb Foster/TJ Power/Sean Stewart: which of them has impressed you the most? As a 6th-year guy I have seen a lot of freshman groups but what impressed me the most is how hard they are working collectively as a group every day to get up extra shots at 6 or 7AM. In my experience that is pretty rare, which is why I took note of it. We have more returning players than Duke has had in a number of years but the freshman still came in with a chip on their shoulder. It would be easy for a teenager to defer and just learn from the older guys but they came in excited and ready to prove that they can have an impact here. They all bring different things to the table.

Your schedule includes games against Arizona/Michigan State/Arkansas/Baylor: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I played a lot of games against Michigan State when I was at Northwestern and they are unique due to how fast they get the ball up the court. I have never played Arizona/Baylor before so they will be great tests for us early in the year.

Your father Patrick was a member of the crew team at Syracuse, your mother Tammy played volleyball at Syracuse, your sister Jordan played volleyball at GW, and your brother Kyle played basketball at Siena: who is the best athlete in the family, and who does your family cheer for when you play against Syracuse?! I think my mom might be the best: she never lets us forget that she was recruited at the highest level and played/excelled at a number of sports. Our game at the (JMA Wireless) Dome last February was very special: I had my grandparents there along with a number of friends/extended family. It was special to feel their support…but I made sure they were all wearing Duke gear!

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Individually, my goal remains to be part of a program that I can help win championships. I want to have an impact and do whatever it takes to help this team reach the postseason. We feel that we are as good as any team in the country. We have 4 starters coming back from a team that won the ACC title last March, but there is still a sour taste after losing to Tennessee in the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney so the goal is to make it to Phoenix next April. It is a long way away and there is an unbelievable amount of work that goes into it.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews FGCU SR G Brylee Bartram

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with FGCU SR G Brylee Bartram, who talked about making the NCAA tourney last March and her expectations for this season.

At Seffner Christian Academy you joined the school’s varsity team in 7th grade: what was it like to be teammates with players who were several years older than you? It was definitely interesting. Since that time I have been used to being around older players. It was a little intimidating at 1st but it turned out well for me as I got to push myself against bigger/faster/stronger players. It helped me develop into the player/person I became by having to work harder.

You eventually broke the national high school record for boys/girls with 533 career 3PM: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? There is not a secret: it just happened naturally. I did not even know what the record was until a couple of weeks before I broke it. If you put in the work then you know you will make the shots: it is about confidence.

You began your college career at Florida and then transferred to Vanderbilt: why did you decide to leave the SEC, and what made you choose FGCU? Florida was pretty close to home and then COVID hit and everything was crazy. I liked my time at Vanderbilt but after their staff got fired I felt the new coach was not the right fit for me. It was a tough decision to transfer mid-year, which was a crazy process, but it was the right decision. I knew a little about FGCU and really thought that I could see myself in my home state so my family/friends could come see me play.

Last year you went 17-1 in conference play with only an OT loss at Liberty in January: how close did you come to going undefeated? Pretty close. We also lost some non-conference games to a pair of great teams in Stanford/Duke. We could have played better in all of our losses but that is easy to say after the fact: we just want to play our best basketball.

Last March in the Atlantic Sun tourney you won 3 games by double-digits to clinch the title: how much of a home-court advantage did you have at Alico Arena, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? We were very lucky to get the #1 seed and worked hard for that so that we could play at home. Our fans are great and show up every night and give us energy. The title game was electric and we played a really good game. I was proud of what we did but knew that it was not over yet so we celebrated…but stayed focused.

In the 2023 NCAA tourney you beat Washington State before losing at Villanova: what did you learn from your postseason run that you think will help you this season? We learned that we can compete with anybody. There was a lot of talk about us being a #12 seed but we never doubted ourselves. We played 2 really good teams and it gave us a lot of experience. We know the changes that we need to make to get a different outcome.

You are majoring in entrepreneurship: why did you choose that subject, and what is the post-graduation plan? I felt like it was a unique opportunity: I never had majors like that available to me before so it really intrigued me. Growing up I worked in different jobs and had different side hustles so I changed my major. It was a risk but I really love it. I eventually want to open my own business like a bar/restaurant but in the short-term I plan to get my real estate license. I have a lot of good connections so I think that I will have some really good options to choose from.

You lost all 5 of your starters from last year but still have 1 of the most veteran rosters in the nation with only 1 true freshman and 1 true sophomore: how do you think all of your upperclassmen will be able to replace all of that experience? It is a big transition but also not unusual for our program. We had a lot of players graduate but have a solid group of returners who continue to work and know what it is like to play here. We have some experienced transfers and everyone is jelling together to find our flow. We have a really talented team and everyone brings something to the table.

Your father Greg played basketball at Penn State and your brother Blake played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? We are a very competitive family and grew up competing against each other: our goal growing up was always to beat dad! It is hard to say who is the best because we are all different, which is why we butt heads when we play against each other, but we love each other through it.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I am going into this season continuing to be consistent in my approach to every game/practice. The ultimate goal is to win a national championship but we also want to win our conference and play our best every single day. If each individual improves then the team will improve so I will try to take my own game to another level.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Xavier SR G Dayvion McKnight

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Xavier SR G Dayvion McKnight, who talked about transferring from Western Kentucky and his expectations for this season.

In 2020 you were named Kentucky “Mr. Basketball” (joining past honorees such as Jack Givens/Darrell Griffith/Allan Houston): how big a deal was that, and what made you choose Western Kentucky? It was a big deal for me. There was only 1 Mr. Basketball from Shelby County before me so my family/I were very proud. Western Kentucky was just 2 hours down the road so I felt it was the best move for me.

You played in all 29 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? Coach Rick Stansbury just wanted me to do anything I needed to do to get on the floor: pass, rebound, etc.

In December of 2021 you had the 4th triple-double in school history with 11 PTS/10 REB/10 AST (and no turnovers) in a win over Centre: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? I would say #1.

You lost to FAU 3 times in a 2-month span last season while averaging 16 PPG/6 RPG/3 SPG: were they just another good CUSA team or 1 of the best teams that you have ever faced or something in between? They were definitely 1 of the best teams I have ever faced. They played great together and meshed well and were all about winning.

You rank #3 in WKU history with 412 AST/147 STL: what is the key to being a good PG? Just helping your teammates get open/score. You have to do a little of everything on both offense/defense.

Why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Xavier? There was a coaching change so I felt it was time for me to move on. I talked to Sean Miller and he is a good coach for PGs.

You are 1 of several transfers on the roster including Quincy Olivari/Abou Ousmane/Logan Duncomb: how are the new guys fitting in with the old guys? We are meshing really well. There are only 3-4 guys returning from last year’s team so we have plenty of new guys. Those 3 other guys you mentioned all played in CUSA so we already knew each other.

You turned 21 last summer: what did you do for the big day? It was during 4th of July weekend so I just enjoyed a good cookout with my family.

Your schedule includes games against Purdue/Washington/Houston/Cincinnati and 1 of San Diego State/St. Mary’s: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Every non-conference game will be a big test, and the Big East is the best conference out there.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I want to lead the country in AST, be 1 of the best defensive guards in the country, and get to March Madness.

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Name, Image, and Lots of money: HoopsHD interviews Jeff Smith of the MESA Foundation NIL collective

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Jon Teitel

The marketplace for college athletes to engage in Name/Image/Likeness (NIL) deals was created in 2021 after the NCAA v. Alston case and now it seems like every college is ready to start spreading the wealth. There are already more than 100 “collectives” either in operation or being formed. They allow alumni/fans/whoever to donate money to assist a specific school in creating opportunities for student-athletes to make some money off of their celebrity. We have reached out to many collectives and will try to interview representatives from as many of them as possible to see how each of them operates. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Jeff Smith of the MESA Foundation NIL collective, who discussed what his group is about and what it has accomplished so far.

You are the President and co-founder of an NIL collective called “MESA Foundation” that was formed last year: how complicated was it to create (if at all), and why did you do it? We saw the need to have a response to NIL that seemed to be clearly taking off at rapid speed and were specifically concerned what the impact would be on the San Diego State basketball program. Starting it up took time and commitment but the real challenge has proven to be spreading the word to fans/supporters to get them to understand they need to take a more active role than most are used to. MESA is community-based and helps the underserved parts of San Diego: that part of “how we do it” has been amazing and very well received.

Your focus is on basketball: how/why would you decide to open it up to other sports? We have no plan on involving other sports: our plate and time demands are full as it is while we try to broaden the exposure of what we are doing. We have to ensure that our athletes truly participate in our various events and community efforts. That is considerably more manageable with our focus on just the basketball programs. The men’s program is the most widely recognizable and followed of all San Diego State sports, which definitely translates into a bigger and more direct impact on helping to raise awareness for the charitable causes we associate with.

How excited were your members for the Aztecs’ run to the title game last spring, and what was your own favorite memory from that magical season? It was an amazing run and it certainly helped bring awareness and shine a light on the team. People were watching which allowed us to communicate our message to the folks that were curious about NIL and considered supporting it. We still struggle with reaching a broader support base and have grown through our own media efforts and by the people that have joined and recognized the need to make sure this is successful spreading the word. If this is going to continue and we are going to remain competitive we really need institutional support, which we are pushing hard for. NIL is new and SDSU (like many schools) has been tentative to take the steps in promoting what we are doing and the need to support. We are at the point where that needs to take the next step and we are hopeful that it does.

What kind of connection does your group have with current coach Brian Dutcher/former coach Steve Fisher? We are in constant contact with them so that they are aware of what we are doing. They are huge supporters of MESA being successful. There are limits on what they can do but they have become active promoters. We had an event last weekend at the Del Mar Racetrack with both coaches and the players interacting with our members. The school is showing signs of recognizing the importance of MESA’s success to SDSU athletics and specifically the basketball programs and we will continue to look to the coaches to really communicate that message to the loyal fan base of Aztec followers.

Your website says that you are more about charitable organizations than commercial enterprises: how so? We have partnered with some of the most well-known organizations throughout San Diego. We did a youth camp for children of active duty military at Camp Pendleton and another camp with Inter-tribal sports: the Native American Community is huge here with I believe more area tribes than any other place in the country. We held another camp with the Police Department and their STAR/PAL program along with the Boys & Girls Club, and recently put together an opioid/fentanyl public service announcement in partnership with the US Attorney’s Office. We are doing a Walk for ALS and a blood bank drive on campus later in September to bring awareness to blood marker testing for Sickle Cell Disease with more events planned in the future.

What is the biggest difference between your own experience on campus a few decades ago vs. your son’s experience as he begins his own time as an Aztec? I was a student a little over 30 years ago. We did not have cell phones or really personal computers so I would start with that! The access/communication is just worlds apart and the facilities are different as well. Viejas Arena did not exist back then so the school has changed almost entirely for the better…although in a lot of ways it is still the same SDSU.

People are obviously free to do whatever they want with their hard-earned money…but do you ever have any second thoughts about whether you should be encouraging your donors to do something else like fight cancer/reduce homelessness? We never look at this as an “either-or” situation and would never encourage folks to choose to give to MESA over another charitable cause. Most alumni live in the area, are fans of the school/basketball team, and can watch the impact that the players are making on many different organizations rather than just picking 1 group. It seems to be a win from all directions and we have received nothing but positive feedback so far. You hear a lot about what is rumored to be going on behind the scenes with other NIL efforts at other schools, but I am proud to say that we are truly involved with many charities and community organizations and are putting in real time and effort to help those groups and their causes.

Do you think the NIL model will be as effective at a MWC school, and what is the biggest difference between your collective and those at high-major schools (if any)? There are some regional/conference-based differences so it is not always limited to Power 5 conferences. There are a lot of things you can do in Southern California. We do not have a single or small-group donor model because that is not San Diego or San Diego State: our primary focus is on expanding our platform to people who might not give $100,000/year but rather $100-$1000 or whatever they can afford. We try to make it accessible to everybody but at the end of the day our strength is in our numbers and the undeniable support the team has in this community. We are very different from most other schools but we think that is what will make ours a more sustainable and more broadly supported model.

Earlier this year we saw a basketball team’s season suspended (New Mexico State) and a football team’s coach fired (Northwestern) due to hazing: how concerned are you about entering contractual relationships with teenagers who might end up behaving badly? Not at all. One of the primary reasons we decided to take our approach is due to the type of athlete that our coaches bring in to play at SDSU. Anyone who follows us knows that we have a specific type of team-branded basketball that is based on defense and selflessness. We are trying our best to mirror that “team first” approach to what MESA is doing. Our agreements are performance-based: the players have to post on social media and have to participate in events if they want to get compensated and continue to be a part of MESA. They do have “good citizen” clauses in their agreements but we have not had any issues and definitely do not expect to have any in the future.

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Name, Image, and Lots of money: HoopsHD interviews Aaron Whaley of the Omaha Bull Market NIL collective

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Jon Teitel

The marketplace for college athletes to engage in Name/Image/Likeness (NIL) deals was created in 2021 after the NCAA v. Alston case and now it seems like every college is ready to start spreading the wealth. There are already more than 100 “collectives” either in operation or being formed. They allow alumni/fans/whoever to donate money to assist a specific school in creating opportunities for student-athletes to make some money off of their celebrity. We have reached out to many collectives and will try to interview representatives from as many of them as possible to see how each of them operates. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Aaron Whaley of the Omaha Bull Market NIL collective, who discussed what his group is about and what it has accomplished so far.

You are the chairman of an NIL collective called “Omaha Bull Market” that was formed last year: how complicated was it to create (if at all), and why did you do it? It was fairly complicated and not an easy process: the hardest part was to make sure we were in line with the NCAA/university. We wanted to partner with the university without infringing on any trademarks. The administration has been really great to deal with and they understand the value in it.

You own a real estate inspection and consulting business: how helpful is your background to running the collective (if at all)? That is 1 of my many businesses. I previously owned a real estate development company before selling it and have sat on several committees at UNO. Various UNO supporters that I have worked with in the past inquired whether I had any desire to do it: I did not at 1st, but my partner Matt Smith helped convince me to do it the right way. We heard some rumblings in town about people who were doing things that we did not like, which put me over the edge. I consider this my full-time job because the real estate manages itself. I was looking for a way to give back after having a great academic/athletic experience.

You played football at Simpson College in Iowa: how would your experience have been different if there was NIL money back then? We probably would not have received any money in D-3! I love that NIL is available but hate the way that some of the big schools are doing it,

Do you think the NIL model will be as effective at a WAC school, and what is the biggest difference between your collective and those at high-major schools (if any)? A lot of the numbers you are hearing are not actual numbers. I have been told that most schools are not filling out the compliance forms, so I do not know if the numbers you hear on TV are real. We have hockey players making enough money that they decided to return to school rather than go pro. I wish there was a database that everybody contributed to so that we could evaluate everything clearly. Is the 2nd-string lineman at a D-1 school making $100,000? I doubt it. We are doing deals that make sense and provide ROI to the businesses or our charitable partners in the community.

What kind of deals have you been able to work out so far? Most of our deals are tiny but we are doing some bigger deals. We do small deals of $500- $1000 or below, which helps because ⅓ of our athletes are not on scholarship. 1 of the biggest parts of my job is educating people. We are working with 1 athlete who does not have dental insurance, so we are trying to find him a couple of NIL deals to help him pay his dental bill. This is real-life NIL: I facilitated a deal with 1 female athlete who needed gas money to get home to see her family. I cannot get behind some of the 6-figure deals that some of the collectives at the biggest schools are doing. I’m a businessman at heart and if the deal provides ROI and the athlete and the business are happy it makes sense but that isn’t always the case. I am actively working on 14 deals that are sitting on my desk. We are working with doctor’s offices to car washes to local restaurants. The deal flow has definitely picked up and it is starting to come full-circle after people hear that we can do a 3-figure/4-figure deal. 1 company we are working with wants to bring awareness to mental health and is working with a few athletes on that.

In addition to basketball you work with hockey/women’s soccer athletes: why did you decide to do non-basketball sports? We are not specific to 1 sport: our very 1st deal was with a woman’s soccer player, and we also have a couple of basketball deals. The outdoor volleyball game at Nebraska last month brought a bunch of deals to our women’s volleyball players. I just wanted to make sure that everyone was included: I have 2 younger kids and we go to as many different UNO sporting events as we can. I like to be inclusive: I realize that the smaller sports are not getting deals as big as men’s basketball, but I like to spread the wealth when possible.

Your collective’s logo/brand contains a bunch of fascinating elements: what makes it so special? I cannot take any credit for that. We have a great graphic designer named Bob Lausten helping us out and Matt/I also strongly believe in bringing in students to help us out. We adopted the phrase that “we are doing NIL for all of UNO not just athletes”. We wanted everyone to know that we are Omaha-centric, so I love the fact that our website says it is “for athletes for fans for Omaha”. We separated the UNO “O” logo to make horns on our bull so that we would not infringe on any trademarks: it is still striking enough to be recognized as UNO. The “Bull Market” references spending and evokes a sense of strength and confidence which is how we want Omaha fans to feel about our athletes. We are here for Omaha and our logo certainly shows that!

You offer several membership levels ranging from $25/month to $10,000/year: what kind of extra perks do people get for being at the highest level? Access to athletes/special tailgates is the biggest perk. We have a silent partner who donated a suite to us at certain times throughout the year for basketball/hockey parties, and I sometimes give up my courtside tickets if we have members who want to attend a game. For $50/month we do “Bull Market Exclusives” which gives our members exclusive access to different players so that you really get to know them in a more personal way than just watching them on the field. We are getting the most reaction to that, which only requires a minimal investment: we try to drop 1-2 exclusives/week and will start our basketball content in the weeks ahead. We are different from most places and are pretty passionate about what we are doing even though it is pro bono.

People are obviously free to do whatever they want with their hard-earned money…but do you ever have any second thoughts about whether you should be encouraging your donors to do something else like fight cancer/reduce homelessness? I do a lot of charitable things and do not take any salary but am passionate about sports. I would never pressure anybody to donate because I know there are plenty of great charities out there, but we are doing this for the right reasons. We had a men’s soccer player who felt terrible about getting $500 so he went out and treated his entire team to dinner. My family has always taught me to give back and there are multiple ways to do so. We have our boots on and are working hard to do NIL for Omaha athletes the right way that benefits our athletes, charities, and business partners.

Earlier this year we saw a basketball team’s season suspended (New Mexico State) and a football team’s coach fired (Northwestern) due to hazing: how concerned are you about entering contractual relationships with teenagers who might end up behaving badly? It is a big concern so we do the best we can to vet everyone. All the athletes have to provide their social media accounts/information. I do not know if we will run into that (and I hope we do not) but we try to do our due diligence. I am a huge believer in everyone being nice to everyone else but there is no certainty in the world and will deal with it as it comes.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Name, Image, and Lots of money: HoopsHD interviews Aaron Whaley of the Omaha Bull Market NIL collective