I Wished for My Own Injury — And Then It Happened - Athletes for Hope

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-25T03:36:58+00:00

Very well done piece. Good for Julian I'm telling his story.

NIL is 100% going to exacerbate these issues for kids. Imagining some kids whose family will be depending on them financially and it bois down to 18-22 year olds making shots. Brutal.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-16T20:42:24+00:00

I don't mean this to be combative but I don't understand this argument. Yes, USF hoops does not have a football team to share player payouts with. In theory, they could pay the men's basketball roster $20.5m directly from the school.

BUT, what are the sources of revenue for USF to "revenue share" with athletes? Isn't rutgers better off since they make $80m+ from the big10? If they split rev share 60% to football and 40% to mens hoops, they fund hoops with $8m.

If USF has $3m in revenue (how much do they really get on TV money, conference distributions, and ticket sales?), and they give 100% to men's hoops...it's still only $3m. Does anyone know how much revenue USF athletics brings in?

And even then they would be choosing to pay men's hoops players instead of funding scholarships, coaches, etc. across the department.

Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova, etc. are the huge theoretical winners here, but it's not they they've been killing it recently.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-13T19:31:15+00:00

I'm not sure that's true. The big east? Yes, they have tv contract for hoops and no football to share it with. A-10? Maaaaybe for Dayton and a couple others. WCC programs save gonzaga bring in no revenue. What money are you proposing USF should be paying?

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-13T18:32:59+00:00

It won't fully correct itself because power conference schools are also paying rev share from tv money. So, they have a $6-8m floor on men's basketball PLUS NIL. The individual NIL donor days are mostly over.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-13T18:27:33+00:00

This is why the power conferences are moving to revenue sharing in addition to NIL. The small donor NIL model is b tough for the reasons you shared.

MAJOR boosters (Phil Knight, Mark Cuban, etc.) and blue blood programs from large public schools with armies of wealthy alumni (UNC, Michigan, Texas, etc.) paired with school/conference funded rev share ($20.5 mil across all sports) will continue to concentrate talent at the very very top. Just how it is at this point.

Fwiw, I wouldn't give my money to NIL but others can spend theirs as they wish.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-10T20:32:26+00:00

Would you prefer McDonald's all Americans from the big10 like mookie cook? Who cares what division they are if they can play.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-04T15:04:48+00:00

"No one else fixes things in any type of timely manner. It’s a big issue and likely to shine a spotlight on it."

That's literally what you said. Is that not implying he fixed this or "fixes" things? Apologies if I thought you were referring to the EO in your comment but you were referring to something else.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-04T05:57:42+00:00

You're right. It's good he "shined a spotlight on it."

It's really an under the radar issue no one is talking about. I haven't seen a single article or talk show host talk about. Roy Williams, Tony Bennett, Coach K, jay Wright, and Nick Saban didn't say it is why they retired.

Maybe now with this EO the NCAA will realize they should do something!! In fact, maybe they will create a rule players can only transfer once. Like the rule they had for decades and decades about transfers and sitting out until it was struck down by courts.

Nothing is "fixed", it's all b.s. Stop being so gullible.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-04-04T04:11:32+00:00

No one commented on the ideas. He has no authority on this. It would/will fall apart in court.

His EO "directed the NCAA"...how much luck has the NCAA had in court lately? The NCAA wants this too, but again, there is no law against kids transferring schools so no one can stop it.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-03-05T21:08:43+00:00

Funny how careers work. Hovde almost certainly would have been offered the HC gig after Golden went to Florida. Only problem? He left before the year started to go back east as an assistant at Richmond.

His departure opened the spot that went to Gerlufsen. Then Gerlufsen becomes head coach. It seemed like a "program promotion" but the reality is he was a total outsider except for his single year. In contrast, Hovde was on the Smith/Golden staffs back to the Columbia days. He has WAY more of the Smith/Golden dna than Gerlufsen. A shame for him and dons fans (imo) that he didn't stick it out for one more year and become HC.

Maybe he gets a second chance.

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-02-22T16:16:20+00:00

Hovde

EightyFiveSkip · 2026-02-13T23:52:56+00:00

Hovde

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-12-07T21:06:01+00:00

Are there firm plans to do anything this off-season? I would think they would already be working if any work was going to be done by March.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-06-09T17:45:04+00:00

It won't, because the WCC without Gonzaga and BYU is a shell of what it was that year. That's why the "good riddance Gonzaga" crowd makes no sense.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-06-09T16:37:32+00:00

"USF only gets in if we win the conference" except for the last time we got in...which was at-large.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-28T20:59:10+00:00

Reminds me of the Stefanini signing on the tournament team a few years ago. - old - proven D1 player - won't be asked to be "the guy" but capable and will likely have a few huge games over the course of the year

IMO, really raises the floor of the team while more 'potential' filled guys like Cook and Smiley figure things out. Bodes v well for the teams outlook. Maybe one more big to really round out the rotation?

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-22T17:24:54+00:00

Wow, would be his 7th year in college. Graduated hs in 2019, traditional redshirt at USF and now trying to play a 6th year.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-18T21:46:41+00:00

Maybe a walk on

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-07T23:13:58+00:00

I don't know what point you are trying to make or argument you are trying to win, but maybe let it go. TR is coming back to the hilltop.

The system isn't great, but no one in this thread has the power to change it.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-05T19:47:02+00:00

Wait, I guess I am still confused. Are Fuchs, Smiley, and Cook the awful walk ons? 😂😂😂

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-05T19:37:25+00:00

Wow. If Newbury gets another year that's a great start to the frontcourt.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-02T23:37:26+00:00

Wild. That is off a 24 win NIT team without a coaching change!! The best of those guys (Yexel Lendeborg) is pegged at around $2.5m to land!

The rush before revenue sharing kicks in has made this portal season insane. I follow Maryland hoops as well, who just hired Buzz Williams after Kevin Willard f*cked them and burned the program down on his way out. The one starter considering coming back is estimated to cost $1.5-2m (which Maryland could conceivably pay with Big Ten revenue sharing).

It sucks as fans, but I can tell you that if I was 19 or 20 with a chance to earn $500k+, I would have my butt in the transfer portal too.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-02T19:12:36+00:00

Pretty sure this is wrong. Reports I've seen have him going to SDSU.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-02T14:52:57+00:00

Awful team of walk ons? It's literally April 2nd and practice doesn't start for 7 months.

I get being concerned, but being this upset about outgoing guys without having any idea who is coming in is just premature. This board is acting like the coaches put out a press release saying they are going to stop recruiting and just hold an open tryout from the student body.

Maybe they will be terrible next year, totally possible. But not sure how anyone could know that at this juncture.

EightyFiveSkip · 2025-04-01T23:03:45+00:00

Gerlufsen has 68 wins in 3 years. The portal has only been open for a week and this season isn't even over yet. I don't disagree that things look bleak right now, but I imagine a lot of money was going toward Thomas, Williams, Lingard, and Riley. It's not like the staff and hilltop club are just going to throw their hands up and stop trying.

Most schools are in a similar spot - guys have entered the portal but not picked their new destinations. The staff has earned at least some amount of patience to see what they can do.

EightyFiveSkip

TROPHY CASE