NIL is going to be an important part of recruiting for the foreseeable future, so here’s how it’s impacted Michigan hoops.
In collegiate athletics, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has played a huge role in recruiting in recent years. In keeping up with the times, Michigan men’s basketball coach Dusty May is embracing the murky, yet lucrative world of NIL.
The Wolverines have made progress in that department. Earlier this week, Michigan hired Terése Whitehead as in-house Altius NIL Executive GM . She will undoubtedly help oversee a factor in recruiting that remains uncertain and lacks clear safeguards to protect young athletes.
When asked about NIL at a press conference earlier this week, May confirmed he has been in contact with Champions Circle and spends quite a bit of time working on NIL.
“We talk to them almost every day, it’s an extension of our team,” May said. “Our success is tied to their success and I think their success is probably tied to our success as well. Just like anything else, we all want what’s best for Michigan, and so we do whatever we can to help each other be successful. Those guys have worked incredibly hard to help us get to where we need to be in the NIL space.”
May and his staff have embraced the importance of transparency when talking to high school recruits and portal players about NIL.
“One thing Dusty has done a good job of is being truthful and honest with whoever comes in,” assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen said. “Sometimes with transfer portal guys, those are looking for truth and honesty. They only have a few years left, so they want to play right away and they want some truth and honesty.”
“I’ve been very upfront and said I want our guys to be taken care of as much as any player in the country,” May said. “Right now, that’s not feasible, I think everyone in our locker room will be making sacrifices, whether it’s financial or minutes. And ultimately, great teams have eight or nine guys that are capable of starting. There’s always that fine line between (NIL) being important and not being the most important thing.”
While May shied away from promising anything to incoming players, Michigan wants guys who prioritize improvement over making a quick buck.
“Every case is different, we’ve had to weigh that in every recruitment and that’s part of the information gathering phase,” May said. “Philosophically, we want the first question to be about player development, and hopefully the name, image and likeness piece fits.”
Like most schools, Michigan doesn’t want players who are thinking about NIL above anything else.
“If it comes up first, we’re not going to take you. We hope that comes up last,” Miskdeen said. “Usually for the recruits we’ve taken, that has come up after they were on the verge of making the decision.”
Miskdeen comes from the University of Georgia, and being in SEC, he’s heard about and seen a lot of southern schools embracing NIL. He also confirmed Michigan is on pace with those SEC schools.
“Dusty has done a good job with NIL, boosters and people that donate,” Miskdeen said. “We’re right there with several other SEC teams and right there with Big Ten teams. That’s credit to Dusty getting out, hitting the beaten paths and asking people for donations for NIL to help us build a really good basketball team.”
It’s clear NIL plays a role when it comes to recruiting, but it’s not the main thing that attracts recruits to Michigan. The coaching staff is hoping that building a winner and proving they can develop players will have recruits taking notice.
“I think you’re selling the vision, I think you’re selling the institution as a whole,” assistant coach Justin Joyner said. “This is a well-resourced athletic department, the bar is high, and I think really good players want to be a part of that. I think the Big Ten, given that it’s shifting a bit with USC and UCLA, there’s an attraction to the state of California from the West Coast. Ultimately, the best players want to play in the best programs, and that’s what we’re looking to build here.”