Podcasts
Ep. 171 - Coach/Player Dynamic in NIL Era + Mr. Basketball USA Tracker
On Episode 171 of Ballislife's "In The Paint Show", ITP hosts Ronnie Flores, Ani Umana and Chelsea Hopkins go hard on the situation involving LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese and the dynamic between star player and coach in this current NIL era of college basketball. Many online are trying to pit Reese against her coach Kim Mulkey, but this topic is much bigger in scope than just the defending NCAA champs and its star player and its lighting-rod coach.
A.R. is currently suspended from LSU's team, but the ITP crew goes deeper on this topic, including the issue of student-athlete confidentiality rights, player-coach relationship as it pertains to protecting players from media onslaught and social media rumors, treating players different based on how much money he or she is earning through NIL, making star players available to the media after games, the locker room dynamics and how that has changed because of NIL, and treating players as student-athletes rather than pro athletes.
Chelsea talks about Mulkey flaming the fires of Reese's suspension by avoiding the suspension with the media and Ronnie questions the importance of the relationship between star and coach. How important is it for rotation players to be on the same page with the coach both on and off the court? Ani and Chelsea give their hot takes! The locker room dynamic is a big topic now that star players have the potential to earn as much or more than some on the coaching staff. Can a team win big if the players and staff are not on the same page off-the-court?
The crew then break down what makes a great coach at the collegiate level. Is Mulkey a great coach, or does she have great players?
The ITP Crew also talks about media availability and Ani breaks down how it can hurt branding and draft status by declining. Should it be mandatory that players are made available to media if they are requested?
Ronnie closes the topic by dishing on the future of big-time college sports. Are the players in the revenue sports headed toward employment? What is going to happen in the near future?
Switching gears, Ronnie reveals the results of the preseason 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker, which tracks the progress of the nations top high school basketball players. Duke-bound Cooper Flagg of preseason FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) leads a two-horse race in the 2023-24 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker powered by Ballislife.com. The 6-foot-9 forward edges last seasons Mr. Basketball USA honoree, Cam Boozer of Columbus (Fla.), in a close race between the two elite prospects among 20 national candidates.
Flagg garners six first-place votes, Boozer collects two while two other candidates receive one first place vote. The two other candidates to receive a first-place vote (one each) was undecided guard Dylan Harper of FAB 50 No. 18 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) and Rutgers-bound forward Airious "Ace" Bailey of FAB 50 No. 21 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). Will Harper join Bailey at Rutgers in the fall of 2024?
This episode is No. 6 of season six of the ITP Show and breaks down important topics in collegiate sports, so make sure to tune into Episode 171 from start to finish! Also make sure to check out our ITP Overtime shorts for more info, insight and behind the scenes stories!
(0:00) - Intro
(0:51) - LSU’s Angel Reese Suspended: Surprising?
(6:23) - Coach Kim Mulkey: Not Protecting Her Player?
(12:59) - Coach-Player Dynamic: Does Off-Court Matter Much?
(20:18) - Is Mulkey a Great Coach? What Matters Most in CBB?
(30:20) - Bobby Knight Parallel: Does Mulkey Need to Adapt?
(35:11) - NIL Era: Pro-Type Scrutiny For Student-Athletes?
(43:24) - Star Player Media Availability: What’s the Obligation?
(48:39) - ITP Hot Take: Are Colleges Going to Employee Athletes?
(52:27) - Mr. Basketball USA Tracker Results: Cooper Flagg!
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