Show And Prove: Pat McAfee Offers To Pay Indiana State University Mens Basketball Team 10K If They Win The NIT Tournament

Show And Prove: Pat McAfee Offers To Pay Indiana State University Mens Basketball Team 10K If They Win The NIT Tournament

We've all seen teams that ended up in the NIT who look 100% better than a lot of teams that got into the NCAA Tournament by an at - large bid. This year it was Indiana State. We all thought at least the story of Robbie Avila being a who's who player amongst the languishing legacy of men's college basketball would have been enough to get Indiana State into the tourney. Nope the NCAA screws it again.

Pat McAfee plans to do right by the NCAA snub to the Sycamores by offering a $10k NIL scholarship to each Indiana State basketball player (even the walk-ons) if they can win the NCAA tournament. This is one of the reasons I love the NIL landscape is the chance to reward teams we all think deserve recognition when the establishment doesn't show love. Here's to Indiana State on the rest of their journey to capture the NIT Tournament crown and the $10K.

An Open Letter to Florida A&M University's Board Of Trustees and Athletic Department: Hire Charlie Ward As Your Next Head Basketball Coach

photo cred: Tallahassee Magazine

The Florida A&M Men’s Basketball program has languished as a perennial doormat for the past 17 years. The solution to turning the program around may already reside in Tallahassee: hiring Charlie Ward as their head basketball coach.

On March 20th, FAMU chose not to renew Robert McCullum’s contract. McCullum posted a 67-133 record during his tenure as head coach from 2017 to 2024. Notably, FAMU Men’s Basketball has managed a winning record only seven times in the last 40 years. Five of those successful seasons occurred between 1987 and 1992 under the leadership of head coach Willie Booker. The last taste of success for the program was in 2007 when Mike Gillespie led FAMU to a MEAC Tournament Championship before losing to Niagara in the First Four elimination game of the NCAA Tournament. To put it bluntly, FAMU has long been known as a "football" school. Ironically, the potential to change that narrative might lie with the former Heisman Trophy winner turned high school basketball coach, if the job is offered. Ward checks all the boxes: a stellar playing career, a history of winning, NBA experience, player development skills, an understanding of the NIL landscape, and he already resides in Tallahassee.

Charlie Ward's resume from his playing days is legendary. A high school star in baseball, football, and basketball, Ward earned a scholarship to Florida State University. At FSU, Ward clinched a national championship (FSU’s first) as the starting QB in 1993, while also receiving the Davy O’Brien, Maxwell, and Heisman Trophy honors. Ward simultaneously started as point guard for FSU’s basketball team, reaching the Elite Eight in 1992 and the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in 1993. While football was widely regarded as Ward’s best sport, it was basketball where he left his professional legacy. Ward was selected as the 26th pick by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft. In a city known for devouring its own, Ward thrived in Jeff Van Gundy’s Knicks system as a floor general capable of sinking threes at a high clip and playing tenacious defense against a bevy of formidable guards throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. Ward enjoyed a nine-year career in New York and remains beloved by fans to this day. Until 2022, the Knicks had neglected to re-sign 30 draft picks eligible for a second contract, leading to fan-dubbed "Charlie Ward curse". Ward was the last draft pick to re-sign with the team after his rookie contract and went on to play 12 seasons in the NBA.

While Ward's playing accolades are impressive, it’s his NBA pedigree, winning mindset, and leadership skills that FAMU should consider. After retiring from the NBA, Ward joined Van Gundy as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets. During his time in Houston, Ward coached Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming in their prime, and mentored a young Rick Brunson, who now serves as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks. Following his stint with the Rockets, Ward transitioned to coaching a different sport. Driven by a desire to mentor young athletes, Ward coached high school football in Houston and Pensacola from 2007 to 2014. In 2018, Ward became the head basketball coach at Florida State University School. Under his leadership, FSUS has consistently ranked in the top 25 of the state in their division since 2019 and hasn’t experienced a losing record in his tenure as head coach. Ward led FSUS to a state title in 2022.

One could argue that Ward's lack of college coaching experience is his only drawback. However, he is actively engaged in NIL, a pivotal aspect of modern college sports that some traditional coaches have shunned but the most successful ones have embraced. Ward currently serves on the athletic advisory board for Rising Spear, a name, image, and likeness company established by former Florida State boosters to assist college athletes in Tallahassee in navigating the new economic landscape. Leveraging his knowledge of the NIL landscape and his passion for mentoring young players to become exemplary men could herald a new era of success in FAMU’s basketball history.

The coaching search for FAMU’s next football coach after Willie Simmons left for Duke began and ended in their own backyard. Ward, an FSU legend with family ties to FAMU (his father played running back for Jake Gaither), brings NBA coaching experience and high school recruiting expertise to the table. He's a proven winner. The opportunity to hire Ward as FAMU’s head basketball coach presents a chance akin to lightning in a bottle. The potential rewards far outweigh the risks.

Money Long: USC Phenom JuJu Watkins Partners With NerdWallet

This is just one of many deals that will continue to find Juju Watkins as she continues her basketball journey.

As reported by Darian Kelly at Business of College Sports, JuJu Watkins has entered into a name, image, and likeness deal with NerdWallet, a company that provides financial advice to small businesses and consumers.

The NIL deal between Watkins and NerdWallet is interesting because Watkins will share her contract publicly to ensure she is held accountable for the budget and financial goals she created.

Watkins is the nation’s second-leading scorer at 27 points per game and was instrumental in the Lady Trojans securing the last Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament championship. Watkins was named ESPN’s All-America team and finished as the runner-up for its National Player of the Year award.