Greg Heister talks about how NIL has impacted Gonzaga and college basketball
Former Gonzaga Bulldogs All-American Dan Dickau discusses how NIL legislation has impacted college sports with ROOT Sports announcer Greg Heister
Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:07 So with a lot of the added eyes and excitement
00:10 around the program, players now with the new rules of NIL
00:16 are even more a face of the program team-wise,
00:20 but also individually they're forefront for themselves
00:24 to make some money.
00:25 Do you like the NIL rules?
00:28 What do you see?
00:29 Are there rules?
00:31 That's a good point.
00:32 I mean, what's your overall viewpoint of NIL?
00:36 Because I don't disagree with it.
00:38 I just think the NCAA screwed up by not putting things
00:41 in place to compensate student athletes based on how much
00:47 money was coming in beforehand.
00:48 Yeah, and I don't think my opinion means anything
00:50 on this subject.
00:51 But as you know, I have them.
00:53 Well, yeah, then that's what people want to know.
00:55 But no, I think it's great they're making money.
00:57 I think it's awesome that they're making money.
01:02 There are no rules.
01:04 And I know coaches and athletic directors
01:05 would argue against that.
01:06 But there's no cap.
01:08 There's no--
01:08 No, not like professional sports without salary caps.
01:11 There's no ceiling, right?
01:12 And so what it's done is created the wild, wild west
01:14 where the highest bidder gets the player.
01:19 And it's completely devalued the scholarship, in my opinion.
01:24 When Gonzaga's $65,000 a year, whatever it is,
01:28 that doesn't mean-- that's not in the formula anymore.
01:32 And even at a program like Gonzaga
01:34 where they are year in, year out now putting players
01:38 into the NBA, your chances of getting there
01:40 are still minute, right?
01:44 So I don't like that.
01:47 But I think they should be making money, absolutely.
01:50 The transfer portal is a bigger issue.
01:53 That's got to get fixed in regards
01:55 to setting clear timelines of when it closes.
02:00 Because it's impacting all the way down
02:03 to the high school kids.
02:04 Yeah, and combined with NIL, it does
02:08 allow this bidding war to go on for players
02:12 because they can just leave.
02:15 But my opinion doesn't matter on any of that stuff, man.
02:19 It's not that your opinion matters.
02:21 I'm interested in hearing multiple viewpoints of it.
02:24 I've heard some great takes.
02:26 Jim Harbaugh has a unique one that's
02:27 just come out in the last few days.
02:29 There are some absolutely terrible takes out there.
02:31 My biggest concern with transfer portal and NIL
02:35 is not about the money or the kids making money
02:37 or the economics of all of it.
02:42 We have all grown up loving college athletics
02:46 because we get to see development.
02:47 Heading a completely different space.
02:49 Yeah.
02:50 That's my concern with it.
02:52 When you can watch a Drew Timmy evolve and then hit pay dirt
02:57 at the end of his career, man, you literally
03:00 fall in love with that guy and his game.
03:04 And I'm concerned that as fans and as communities
03:08 who support these programs, that could be lost.
03:12 Yeah, that's true.
03:13 That could be lost because we're not going to watch kids.
03:16 Maybe Gonzaga will be a little different.
03:18 Maybe they'll be the outlier.
03:20 Time will tell with all of that.
03:21 But for the most case, you're not
03:24 falling in love with a guy or gal
03:27 because they've been loyal.
03:29 And we have watched them change and evolve
03:32 throughout their careers.
03:35 I mean, think about Kelly Olenek.
03:39 His issues at Gonzaga have been well-documented.
03:42 Had he left, we never would have saw the greatness evolve.
03:46 For sure.
03:47 And he may not have gotten to the greatness
03:49 if he went somewhere else.
03:51 We don't know that.
03:52 He doesn't know that.
03:53 He credits Gonzaga today for where he's at in his, what,
03:56 11- or 12-year NBA career.
03:58 Well, he's playing unbelievably well in the World Cup
04:01 right now for Canada.
04:02 So those are the sorts of things that I think emotionally draw
04:06 me to these games and these programs
04:08 and have become a fan for life.
04:11 I worry that college athletics as we know them
04:14 is being blown up right now with realignment, NIL.
04:18 And it's a completely different landscape.
04:20 So we'll touch on realignment in a second
04:22 because you and I have talked about this ever since a year
04:24 or so ago when it started to kind of become
04:27 in the forefront of things.
04:29 But NIL, Drew Timmy had an unbelievable partnership
04:32 with Northern Quest in Spokane a season ago.
04:35 What would your NIL go-to be if you were
04:38 a student athlete in Spokane?
04:39 Who would I have to pay?
04:41 No, no, no.
04:43 Who would you want to deal with?
04:44 Oh, who would I pay my money to?
04:46 No.
04:47 No, if they were paying me.
04:48 If they were paying you, yes.
04:49 That's what I mean.
04:49 Like, I would have to pay someone else.
04:51 Yes.
04:51 OK, who would your money go to?
04:52 I'd have to cut a check, frankly.
04:54 Let's be honest about that.
04:56 I'd have to cut a check.
04:58 No.
04:59 No, that's not happening.
05:01 No?
05:01 No.
05:02 Like, if you could pick--
05:03 No, no, no.
05:04 I don't value myself in that way.
05:06 That's why I'm saying, put yourself in those shoes
05:09 as a student athlete.
05:10 Would it be a car dealership?
05:12 Would it be a restaurant?
05:13 Fly fishing shop in town?
05:17 What would it be?
05:20 You know, I don't know.
05:22 Because I honestly believe at 20 years old,
05:24 the worst thing that could ever happen to me
05:26 is have a pocket full of money.
05:28 I think, honestly, that is the worst thing that
05:31 could have ever happened to me.
05:34 So I don't even allow myself to go there.
05:37 I mean, tip of the cap to Drew Timbey
05:39 if he's been able to save that money.
05:41 Because all I know is, back in my day in college,
05:46 the beer was everywhere.
05:49 So it would have been an unlimited--
05:51 there would have been kegs in every room.
05:53 And it would have just been a lot of fun.
05:55 You'd have been the life of the party.
05:56 I think I was anyways.
05:57 But yeah, no.
06:00 A pocket full of money, no.
06:02 Wouldn't have been good for me in college.
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06:08 (upbeat music)