Post by nashvillestag on Apr 3, 2024 12:50:41 GMT -5
There is a great article by noted college basketball writer Zach Braziller in the New York Post today depicting how Alabama, with the help of coach Speedy Claxton of Hofstra, was able to attain the services this season of former Pride star Aaron Estrada, a move that has certainly benefited the Crimson Tide as they get set to battle UConn in the Final Four this weekend. The interesting point that comes from this story is that Claxton actually encouraged and in fact helped his former player to make this move last spring even though he knew in the short term (like this season) his team would have less success because of it. Certainly what happened here was a case of the Hofstra boss thinking of and caring for a person he came to love taking precedence over his immediate team goals, and for that he should be lauded I think. I'm not saying that Fairfield or any other mid-major should feel morally obligated to follow this same path, especially since Claxton has had nothing but success in his term at Hofstra and hence is not under any special pressure to win big every year. But at the same time when you look at how this has played out, IE financial gain and better pro prospects for the player while at the same time promoting Hofstra as a great place for a new recruit to come to because of what the program can do for a kid's future, this has become a win-win type of situation for everyone involved. Just something to ponder because it shows there are more ways than one of looking at how this Transfer Portal business affects so many people in the game and how they react to it.
If the portal didn’t exist, we would probably not have gotten Bryson or Caleb. Ed Cooley did the right thing for Bryson. So the portal can be a good thing.
If the portal didn’t exist, we would probably not have gotten Bryson or Caleb. Ed Cooley did the right thing for Bryson. So the portal can be a good thing.
Without NIL money getting involved the portal would not be so bad. It is the purchasing of mid-major players by upper level programs that in my mind is the real issue.
Post by alsostagparty on Apr 3, 2024 14:33:09 GMT -5
I think there were always athlete pay-offs in some way by the big schools. It’s just a little more transparent now with NIL. With so many rabid fans demanding post season appearances from the schools and coaches, how can this ever be fixed? State legislatures, egged on by crazy fans, are already passing laws to not disclose some NIL details to protect their state’s school advantages and stick it to NCAA governance.
Some excerpts from the article Nashville refers to in the first post of this thread.
When last season ended for Hofstra with a second-round NIT loss to Cincinnati, Estrada had options. He could stay in school for another year with the Pride, go pro or transfer. The first two possibilities appealed to the 6-foot-3 Estrada the most, but Claxton pushed the idea of the third one. He could get paid significant money through Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) and play at the highest level of the sport, a perfect way to spend his last year of college basketball before going pro. “He honestly wanted to stay here, and we had to force him into the transfer portal. No, this is the better decision for you. It will put you and your family in a better position,” Claxton said. “It was hard, because if he came back, I might’ve had a top-25 team in the country. But at the end of the day, I have to do what’s in the best interest of these kids, not what’s in the best interest of myself.” Claxton and his staff worked with Estrada to find the best fit, sitting in on phone calls with him and his suitors, and helping to set up visits. They thought Alabama made the most sense, because of the Crimson Tide’s up-tempo offensive attack, the freedom coach Nate Oats gave his guards and a need in the backcourt.
As a Hofstra alum and season ticket holder, I am very proud of our coach. However, "because if he came back, I might’ve had a top-25 team in the country" would have been very exciting.
As a Hofstra alum and season ticket holder, I am very proud of our coach. However, "because if he came back, I might’ve had a top-25 team in the country" would have been very exciting.
Since you follow Hofstra closely, did Claxton know he had quality depth at guard before encouraging Estrada to seek the best fit and NIL deal possible? It’s one thing to help a talented player if you feel you’ll still have CAA level depth at guard; not sure Claxton would’ve been so generous if he felt he lacked returning talent at the guard position.
^^My post was trying to get more information on what the guard situation was at Hofstra when Claxton was helping Estrada find a good fit; not looking to denigrate Claxton. Even if Hofstra had lots of high quality guards on the roster, I think around 90% of the D1 coaches would have done the opposite of what Claxton did and tried to keep an Estrada level talent on their roster to get the best won-loss record possible and hopefully the conference bid to the NCAAs.
Sorry if it sounded like my earlier post made it seem like Claxton was acting in anything other than an altruistic manner with Estrada.
A client asked me to help one of his customers sons network to get a job in finance. Kid had an MBA which was completed immediately after his undergrad degree (same school). The reaction of a couple of people that I forwarded the resume to was that he hurt his job chances with the MBA-preferred path is undergrad, a couple years of work, then MBA. As an undergrad, he could slide into a more plentiful analyst position. MBAs compete for much fewer ssociate positions- they complete with folks from bigger named MBAs plus work experience. Kids should be counseled on this. Ivy’s say 4 get the degree and go
Obviously every situation and major is different but there os lots to be considered
This is the same account that stated Cooley was resigning from Georgetown a few days ago —— apparently a Big East parody account. I think we would have heard more about both situations by now if they were actually factual posts.
This is the same account that stated Cooley was resigning from Georgetown a few days ago —— apparently a Big East parody account. I think we would have heard more about both situations by now if they were actually factual posts.
There is a great article by noted college basketball writer Zach Braziller in the New York Post today depicting how Alabama, with the help of coach Speedy Claxton of Hofstra, was able to attain the services this season of former Pride star Aaron Estrada, a move that has certainly benefited the Crimson Tide as they get set to battle UConn in the Final Four this weekend. The interesting point that comes from this story is that Claxton actually encouraged and in fact helped his former player to make this move last spring even though he knew in the short term (like this season) his team would have less success because of it. Certainly what happened here was a case of the Hofstra boss thinking of and caring for a person he came to love taking precedence over his immediate team goals, and for that he should be lauded I think. I'm not saying that Fairfield or any other mid-major should feel morally obligated to follow this same path, especially since Claxton has had nothing but success in his term at Hofstra and hence is not under any special pressure to win big every year. But at the same time when you look at how this has played out, IE financial gain and better pro prospects for the player while at the same time promoting Hofstra as a great place for a new recruit to come to because of what the program can do for a kid's future, this has become a win-win type of situation for everyone involved. Just something to ponder because it shows there are more ways than one of looking at how this Transfer Portal business affects so many people in the game and how they react to it.
Interesting that 3 leading scorers for Alabama in last nights game against UConn were Mark Sears (transfer from Ohio), Grant Nelson ( transfer from North Dakota State), and Estrada ( 4th different schools). All looked very talented. A 4th starter was transfer from Wofford. Portal a quick way to get to higher level.
