Portal season (Abson, Spillers, etc)

[hapapp]

Serious question: If a player is receiving NIL money from a school and he decides to hit the portal, does the school have the right to demand reimbursement from the player?

Not receiving the money from the school.

[IM4ASU]

Obviously I don't understand how this nil bs works.

[311neers]

I'm not even convinced Kerns is leaving yet.

Abson and Tre'von very likely went to DK and said they had offers from programs in major conferences which transpires into a six figure check. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to turn that down. I'm sure the demographics of this sub may not like this, but being a young graduate is not easy now. My wife and I both have degrees from App, we feel like we're frugal and not big spenders and it's still challenging to get ahead in today's economy. Every month we ponder where all the money went. Don't even get me started on how difficult home ownership is now for the youth, especially here in NC in the desirable areas of this state.

Tangent aside, it has to be difficult for these young men to turn down the chance to have a quarter of a million dollars in their bank accounts when their playing days are over. Leaving college with money like that to your name is pretty life changing.

Maybe there are underlying issues. Maybe our lockerroom culture isn't as great as we thought and these guys wanted to leave. But I think the most likely explanation is they're being offered money that we can't pay them. It's very possible they didn't even want to leave in the first place, they just feel it would be silly not to. Pure speculation on my end, but this seems to be the most logical explanation for most of these moves these days.

Marsh is a bit more different. Maybe this means Harcum, Tate, and Brown are back and he didn't want to be in a reserve role for another season. I certainly don't see him climbing up the latter here, I could see him landing in the Big South or a weaker CAA school where he thinks the ball will be in his hands more. Again, pure speculation.

Maybe it means DK is gone. I hope not. If he's not and all these guys are just leaving on their own I can't imagine how frustrating it must be. To spend blood, sweat, and tears into building something from the ground up only to have it ripped away because of reasons that weren't even on a coach's radar 10 years ago.

Any bright spot? The portal is more loaded every year. Our staff has displayed a knack to find guys that fit their system and immediately contribute. Fingers crossed we can do it again.

But yes, it is exhausting.

IMO Marsh would have started next year over X Harcum Or Tate. He could have been the majority ball handler. I could see Abson getting some coin due to his defense and improving paint game, but Spillers is interesting. He’s a tweener as some would say. At a P5, he’s probably not big enough for PF/Center and doesn’t shoot well enough outside the paint to be a SF. He was excellent for us in feasting on smaller/less athletic 4’s.

Can’t wait to see where they land, will have to watch the rest of the careers from afar.

[AppStFan1]

I'm not even convinced Kerns is leaving yet.

Abson and Tre'von very likely went to DK and said they had offers from programs in major conferences which transpires into a six figure check. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to turn that down. I'm sure the demographics of this sub may not like this, but being a young graduate is not easy now. My wife and I both have degrees from App, we feel like we're frugal and not big spenders and it's still challenging to get ahead in today's economy. Every month we ponder where all the money went. Don't even get me started on how difficult home ownership is now for the youth, especially here in NC in the desirable areas of this state.

Tangent aside, it has to be difficult for these young men to turn down the chance to have a quarter of a million dollars in their bank accounts when their playing days are over. Leaving college with money like that to your name is pretty life changing.

Maybe there are underlying issues. Maybe our lockerroom culture isn't as great as we thought and these guys wanted to leave. But I think the most likely explanation is they're being offered money that we can't pay them. It's very possible they didn't even want to leave in the first place, they just feel it would be silly not to. Pure speculation on my end, but this seems to be the most logical explanation for most of these moves these days.

Marsh is a bit more different. Maybe this means Harcum, Tate, and Brown are back and he didn't want to be in a reserve role for another season. I certainly don't see him climbing up the latter here, I could see him landing in the Big South or a weaker CAA school where he thinks the ball will be in his hands more. Again, pure speculation.

Maybe it means DK is gone. I hope not. If he's not and all these guys are just leaving on their own I can't imagine how frustrating it must be. To spend blood, sweat, and tears into building something from the ground up only to have it ripped away because of reasons that weren't even on a coach's radar 10 years ago.

Any bright spot? The portal is more loaded every year. Our staff has displayed a knack to find guys that fit their system and immediately contribute. Fingers crossed we can do it again.

But yes, it is exhausting.

And what happened today is a big reason why I will not give a dime to pay to play. We just can’t afford to outbid the programs that are calling Spillers and Abson.

This is also why I am struggling with even buying season tickets to football anymore and why I am changing my mind on getting basketball tickets. I was excited about our team and it all evaporated today.

Why should we support these guys with direct money just to hope they stay when we know we won’t win the bidding war and they can just hit the portal like this? Really sad to see.

If Kerns hasn’t made a verbal agreement with a school or expecting to leave yet I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries harder to bolt now. I’ll respect the heck out of him if he stays but won’t blame him if he goes. We went from a title contender next year to just hoping we can be middle of the packet instead of bottom 3 in less than 24 hours.

[moonshine]

Several F from in-state programs available in the portal.

UNCC - Milicic
ECU - Johnson
UNCG - Mikeal Brown-Jones (All-Socon)

[9Steelman]

Bad day at blackrock! I am an alumni, 2 degrees, season ticket holder FB & BB since early 90"s, and Yosef donor for 30 years. I have put a lot of effort in getting to know the BB players and parents trying to make them feel special and wanted building relationships. I know this is not the same as Marshall losing their FB team 50+ years ago and I cannot imagine how that felt for the Marshall folks, but I feel so sad and deflated right now. We had a great year. I enjoyed being part of it and was hoping for continue fun and success with the players we could have had returning because I love App State basketball. PS Thank you Donovan and CJ. There are a lot of players in the portal who would love to be part of the App State culture, just got to find the right ones. We will all get thru this sad deflated feeling we have right now because " WE ARE APP STATE! "

[Bigdaddyg1]

This entire process is insane. You have to practically beg a good ball player to stay. It will also create animosity between fans and teams especially at our level when you know (or have a good idea) that certain "stars" are getting paid and if they don't perform up to a certain standard then the grumbling will get louder. Decent and intelligent fans in the past didn't ride a player as they were a student-athlete who was strictly on an athletic scholarship. That crap is changing now.

[WVAPPeer]

I think to survive this environment we must take each season as a separate entity. Nobody knows what is in store a year from now. It was a fantastic basketball season and getting to see most all games on ESPN+ was a blessing. The football season ended on a high note. I enjoyed watching every game. I'll watch the games next year for both teams no matter who the players are. Enjoy each season and don't worry or angst about who will return - We have no control over that - One of Coach K's earlier books was entitled A SEASON IS A LIFETIME and it deals with how each season is a totally separate and unique year which will be totally different the next season. I do agree with those who say they won't fund pay to play - but to say you might not get season tickets might be a little kneejerk -

[WASU 93]

Several F from in-state programs available in the portal.

UNCC - Milicic
ECU - Johnson
UNCG - Mikeal Brown-Jones (All-Socon)

Milicic has a lot of upside to his game. He just transferred in to UNCC from UVA--crazy times

[WASU 93]

I think to survive this environment we must take each season as a separate entity. Nobody knows what is in store a year from now. It was a fantastic basketball season and getting to see most all games on ESPN+ was a blessing. The football season ended on a high note. I enjoyed watching every game. I'll watch the games next year for both teams no matter who the players are. Enjoy each season and don't worry or angst about who will return - We have no control over that - One of Coach K's earlier books was entitled A SEASON IS A LIFETIME and it deals with how each season is a totally separate and unique year which will be totally different the next season. I do agree with those who say they won't fund pay to play - but to say you might not get season tickets might be a little kneejerk -

I won't fund pay to play (and would not have prior to today, so it didn't change). However, I really enjoyed this team and was considering being a first-time season ticket holder in basketball next year. (I would have only made it to about half of the home games, but was considering supporting the program) That won't happen now. But, I will still try to make it to 6 or 7 games in Holmes next year and a few on the road.

I don't blame the young men for maximizing their individual opportunities, but they could have won another championship by sticking together and building off this year. Most likely, half of them will have .500 or losing seasons next year (unless they are going with Kerns in a package deal somewhere).

Part of our roster this year was built off of someone else's players/recruits, so I can't completely hate the portal......but today sucks!

[WASU 93]

Serious question: If a player is receiving NIL money from a school and he decides to hit the portal, does the school have the right to demand reimbursement from the player?

Not receiving the money from the school.

Maybe the secret/solution to this is to write NIL Agreements much the same as contracts. Maybe they need to be multi-year agreements and their is a penalty for not completing the full term of the agreement. Or maybe, they need to be written with small payouts in the beginning and a balloon payment at the completion. (I won't be surprised to see this as the next step)

[Tru2ASU]

My question at this point is what job is Kerns taking?

One opening that Kearns was a finalist for that is open, but I'm not printing it. His name has come up a lot on their message board.

I don't want it to happen, and don't think it will, as they will have an abundance of candidates.

[Bigdaddyg1]

What blows me away is the whole collective thing. I completely understand and support the basic idea of NIL. If a young athlete's name, image or likeness is used on a video game or if they endorse a particular product then sure they deserve to be paid. But to simply get paid by some shady operation to play a sport is where the whole thing got out of hand- and is getting worse. I agree with those who say they don't blame the players because they are simply profiting off of a failed system-and it will fail. These 18-23 year olds are young and impressionable and many will be easily swayed by the lure of a quick buck. There will be zero loyalty to a school or coach. The idea of tying an NIL deal to a college scholarship as some sort of contract won't fly as they are mutually exclusive as I see it. Mid major teams in particular will be basically like minor league baseball teams. If you have one of these teams in your city you understand that the roster will turn over every year. It looks like we can only hope to find a few hidden gems each year and maybe win the Belt every now and then. This is the new reality and it sucks.

[MAD Doctor]

“Today I give my all to my bottom line.”

No, I can’t blame the players, but I’m not going to take money from my family to pay a 19 year old six figures to play mediocre basketball for one year before bolting to Virginia Tech. It’s all a shame.

[appgrad95&97]

All of this was so predictable. No one should be surprised. It's a shame, and I'm grateful for this season. But if a program isn't supported, this will happen. And the thing is, none of these guys will go to the NBA. They just have a shot a more appreciated program.

The fans stepped up support for the program to a level it's not been at for over 20 years, if not longer. We out numbered Wake on their own court last week. Look around other leagues similar to ours right now and you'll see plenty of teams getting raided. The problem is it's all about the highest bidder for players and coaches now. It's happening all across college sports, and it's all planned out by the big time programs and their TV partners. College athletics were special because the bond between fans and the team. Now the power players are trying to make everything operate like pro sports in an effort to chase more money, and they're killing everything that made college sports special while doing so.

1,800 for the ETSU game.
2,065 for ULM (conference opener)
2,535 for Ga St. (the game after our win at JMU)

That's not great fan support. But its more than that. What does the university or the athletic department do to promote the team? After we made the NCAAs for the first time in 20 years, what was the marketing campaign to increase season tickets?

In my opinion Kerns has done his job.

[MrCraig]

I'm just having a hard time believing this is all just because of NIL. There just aren't that many roster spots, and there's only so much money. I found a site that listed the 8 highest NIL earners in the ACC. #8 is Hunter Sallis from Wake Forest at $105,000.
People on this board keep saying stuff about, "well, if you're a 20 year old getting offered six figures, you'd bolt too." But there's just no way Spillers and Abson, as good as they are, are getting $100k offers from big time teams in big conferences.
I have no idea how much those guys get right now playing for App, but TO ME it seems like transferring to a mediocre P5 for a few thousand dollars isn't worth letting down another entire team and fan base. But, then again, in my time here on this earth I've found that I value loyalty a lot more than a lot of people, so...

ON THE OTHER HAND! You're only young once, and while I loved my time at App, if someone offered me some money to go somewhere really cool like Boulder, Colorado or Los Angeles or Miami or something, I'd probably do it. But again, I wouldn't jump ship to go to... Gainesville, Florida or basically anywhere in Virginia.

[BambooRdApp]

Serious question: If a player is receiving NIL money from a school and he decides to hit the portal, does the school have the right to demand reimbursement from the player?

Not receiving the money from the school.

Maybe the secret/solution to this is to write NIL Agreements much the same as contracts. Maybe they need to be multi-year agreements and their is a penalty for not completing the full term of the agreement. Or maybe, they need to be written with small payouts in the beginning and a balloon payment at the completion. (I won't be surprised to see this as the next step)

This is what I'm referred to in an earlier thread...maybe football related...if I had the money (but I do not), my nil agreement would be a deferred payment contract. Got to stay your remaining years to graduation (whether 1, 2, 3 years depending when I provide nil)...you get 50% at expected graduation (eligiblity exhausted). If not graduated, you get 5 to 10 yrs after to complete it at App. St. and I provide remaining 50%. I realize I am competing with other nils that would not require it ..but that would be my nil if it can be structured that way ...

[AppStFan1]

Bad day at blackrock! I am an alumni, 2 degrees, season ticket holder FB & BB since early 90"s, and Yosef donor for 30 years. I have put a lot of effort in getting to know the BB players and parents trying to make them feel special and wanted building relationships. I know this is not the same as Marshall losing their FB team 50+ years ago and I cannot imagine how that felt for the Marshall folks, but I feel so sad and deflated right now. We had a great year. I enjoyed being part of it and was hoping for continue fun and success with the players we could have had returning because I love App State basketball. PS Thank you Donovan and CJ. There are a lot of players in the portal who would love to be part of the App State culture, just got to find the right ones. We will all get thru this sad deflated feeling we have right now because " WE ARE APP STATE! "

Very true. Players like Donovan and CJ are indeed among the good ones out there. Thank you to both of them!

So many questions for our basketball program that seemed to be more solid. We know teams would come calling but I thought those guys would stay to finish the job if Kerns stays. I hope we will find out on Kerns pretty quickly.

[BambooRdApp]

Bad day at blackrock! I am an alumni, 2 degrees, season ticket holder FB & BB since early 90"s, and Yosef donor for 30 years. I have put a lot of effort in getting to know the BB players and parents trying to make them feel special and wanted building relationships. I know this is not the same as Marshall losing their FB team 50+ years ago and I cannot imagine how that felt for the Marshall folks, but I feel so sad and deflated right now. We had a great year. I enjoyed being part of it and was hoping for continue fun and success with the players we could have had returning because I love App State basketball. PS Thank you Donovan and CJ. There are a lot of players in the portal who would love to be part of the App State culture, just got to find the right ones. We will all get thru this sad deflated feeling we have right now because " WE ARE APP STATE! "

Very true. Players like Donovan and CJ are indeed among the good ones out there. Thank you to both of them!

So many questions for our basketball program that seemed to be more solid. We know teams would come calling but I thought those guys would stay to finish the job if Kerns stays. I hope we will find out on Kerns pretty quickly.

The others are not "bad ones". Not saying that is what you are insinuating..The kids are are just doing what the system allows.

[Rekdiver]

I dont think anyone blames the kids....The wild west of NIL has created anarchy. College BOD's need to figure how to tame this beast. i gave to one NIL but decided that all future donations go to the MAF. I wiii just take what the luck of the draw brings. I do think contracts with players is the answer that require minimum stays and buyouts is in the future.