Duke Dark Money buys Final Four Spot

[HawkLogic]

A bunch of Rich Wall Street Insiders, rich alumni bought Duke a likely title and they don't want anyone to know how much they spent because then it is obvious just a purchased championship. Don't watch this Final-4 if you care about ever seeing any reforms to create a more level playing field. Iowa has no chance to ever be a final 4 team--no chance for Ronnie Lester and Lute Olson type Final 4 run. McCollum can get us to competitive, like Drake was vs Texas Tech but Sweet16 is probably the best we can hope for. IMHO.

from WSJ

Duke has steamrolled its way to the Final Four because it has one of the greatest collections of players in modern college basketball history. Yet who exactly is paying for a roster that cost millions of dollars to put together remains a gigantic mystery.

In a move that’s highly unusual for a major college program, there’s virtually no online footprint for Duke basketball’s booster collective. That’s not because the Blue Devils have somehow managed to construct a star-studded team without gobs of cash lining players’ pockets, though.

Instead, Duke is in a position to compete for its sixth national championship thanks to a group of high net worth donors who have chosen to operate in a way that makes them unique in the braggadocious world of college sports—by conducting their business from the shadows.

 

[ANYCHawk]

Yeah cause Duke has had a long history of not landing the top hoops dudes....

 

[bojihawk44]

Yeah cause Duke has had a long history of not landing the top hoops dudes....

No shit. This doesn't change anything, really. Blue bloods are still gonna recruit better than everyone else.

 

[Rocket_Fran]

Do you think Duke wasn't paying players under Coach K? Do you know where Spokane Washington is and what university is there without looking it up? Gonzaga. Do you think high level players were really only going to *eastern washington* just for Mark Few? Do you remember Kentucky in 2012 and their roster?

I agree it sucks and the hyper-centralization of talent is probably worse now at the top. But the exact same thing has been happening for the last 25 years. This was always the inevitability before further reform and restructuring soon. Soon-ish

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

Do you think Duke wasn't paying players under Coach K? Do you know where Spokane Washington is and what university is there without looking it up? Gonzaga. Do you think high level players were really only going to *eastern washington* just for Mark Few? Do you remember Kentucky in 2012 and their roster?

I agree it sucks and the hyper-centralization of talent is probably worse now at the top. But the exact same thing has been happening for the last 25 years. This was always the inevitability before further reform and restructuring soon. Soon-ish

Longer. Sam Gilbert was the sugar daddy for UCLA basketball 50+ years ago. Plausible deniability for those great coaches. Not taking away from their greatness as coaches, but the best programs have long had dark money benefactors looking after the welfare of their beloved programs.

 

[Tom Paris]

Yeah cause Duke has had a long history of not landing the top hoops dudes....

Which is why I despise that holier than thou fraud Coach K. He was cheating the whole time and had the balls to lecture others about right and wrong. I have no respect for that asshole.

 

[SI_NYC]

Yeah cause Duke has had a long history of not landing the top hoops dudes....

They've been paying for decades now. Nothing really is different.

 

[Rocket_Fran]

Longer. Sam Gilbert was the sugar daddy for UCLA basketball 50+ years ago. Plausible deniability for those great coaches. Not taking away from their greatness as coaches, but the best programs have long had dark money benefactors looking after the welfare of their beloved programs.

False, the world did not exist before my teenage years. And if it did? it still doesn't count.

 

[Rocket_Fran]

Which is why I despise that holier than thou fraud Coach K. He was cheating the whole time and had the balls to lecture others about right and wrong. I have no respect for that asshole.

Don't forget about the chicanery we all know he pulled as Team USA Coach.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

A bunch of Rich Wall Street Insiders, rich alumni bought Duke a likely title and they don't want anyone to know how much they spent because then it is obvious just a purchased championship. Don't watch this Final-4 if you care about ever seeing any reforms to create a more level playing field. Iowa has no chance to ever be a final 4 team--no chance for Ronnie Lester and Lute Olson type Final 4 run. McCollum can get us to competitive, like Drake was vs Texas Tech but Sweet16 is probably the best we can hope for. IMHO.

from WSJ

Duke has steamrolled its way to the Final Four because it has one of the greatest collections of players in modern college basketball history. Yet who exactly is paying for a roster that cost millions of dollars to put together remains a gigantic mystery.

In a move that’s highly unusual for a major college program, there’s virtually no online footprint for Duke basketball’s booster collective. That’s not because the Blue Devils have somehow managed to construct a star-studded team without gobs of cash lining players’ pockets, though.

Instead, Duke is in a position to compete for its sixth national championship thanks to a group of high net worth donors who have chosen to operate in a way that makes them unique in the braggadocious world of college sports—by conducting their business from the shadows.

Yeah, this is why they'll be forcing these NIL entities to be out in the open about who is paying who and how much.

Right now they don't have to. That's gonna change.........

 

[LaQuintaHawkeye]

 

[BrewHawk]

Which is why I despise that holier than thou fraud Coach K. He was cheating the whole time and had the balls to lecture others about right and wrong. I have no respect for that asshole.

Same goes for John Wooden with Sam Gilbert mentioned above.

 

[WSC72]

Agree with the comments that this has been going on for a LONG time, football, basketball, why is this even news?

 

[pink shizzle]

Nah, I'm watching the final four.

 

[amahawk]

Do you think Duke wasn't paying players under Coach K? Do you know where Spokane Washington is and what university is there without looking it up? Gonzaga. Do you think high level players were really only going to *eastern washington* just for Mark Few? Do you remember Kentucky in 2012 and their roster?

I agree it sucks and the hyper-centralization of talent is probably worse now at the top. But the exact same thing has been happening for the last 25 years. This was always the inevitability before further reform and restructuring soon. Soon-ish

It is above the table now.

 

[jerbob36]

I remember being so disappointed when I learned about Sam Gilbert and UCLA because I thought so highly of Wooden. I still believe he didn't know everything that was happening, but I believe that's only because he didn't want to know everything that was happening.

 

[Ladell-hawk]

Do you think Duke wasn't paying players under Coach K? Do you know where Spokane Washington is and what university is there without looking it up? Gonzaga. Do you think high level players were really only going to *eastern washington* just for Mark Few? Do you remember Kentucky in 2012 and their roster?

I agree it sucks and the hyper-centralization of talent is probably worse now at the top. But the exact same thing has been happening for the last 25 years. This was always the inevitability before further reform and restructuring soon. Soon-ish

Obviously, the hyper- centralization of talent at the top will just get worse in the era of nil. There will be a small number of teams with a lot of money for nil and a large number of teams that will be poverty programs, fun times.

 

[Ladell-hawk]

I remember being so disappointed when I learned about Sam Gilbert and UCLA because I thought so highly of Wooden. I still believe he didn't know everything that was happening, but I believe that's only because he didn't want to know everything that was happening.

He definitely knew everything.

 

[amahawk]

Obviously, the hyper- centralization of talent at the top will just get worse in the era of nil. There will be a small number of teams with a lot of money for nil and a large number of teams that will be poverty programs, fun times.

It might end up being a 16 team Big Time College Basketball League. At the end of the season thay have a championship tournament. Always a sweet 16 for everyone. It sounds crappy.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

This is a story about inflation.
There is nothing new as far as paying for players or buying rosters or attempting to purchase a championship. It's an increase in scale and scope. That's what's drawing attention.

 

[Mohawkeye]

This is a story about inflation.
There is nothing new as far as paying for players or buying rosters or attempting to purchase a championship. It's an increase in scale and scope. That's what's drawing attention.

Exactly. Does anyone on hear really think Ed Horton and Roy Marble and BJ Armstrong came to Iowa City without getting paid?

 

[Georgia_Hawk]

I remember being so disappointed when I learned about Sam Gilbert and UCLA because I thought so highly of Wooden. I still believe he didn't know everything that was happening, but I believe that's only because he didn't want to know everything that was happening.

Loved Wooden... until I found out about Gilbert
Loved Tom Landry.... and then I saw North Dallas Forty
Loved Pete Rose for his determination on the field.... then, the gambling
Loved the Cosby comedy specials... and then, well, you know

Took a long time for me to learn to be a fan but not a worshiper

Never liked Coach K, though

 

[Georgia_Hawk]

Exactly. Does anyone on hear really think Ed Horton and Roy Marble and BJ Armstrong came to Iowa City without getting paid?

I think Roy and Ed got more than just cash

 

[pistachio1999]

We want natty's on the cheap! Like Dollar General nattys.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

They've been paying for decades now. Nothing really is different.

Well, you may be right. But I don't think the amounts were anywhere remotely close to what the players are getting now. The dollars are astonishing and impossible to ignore. Sure, back in the day there were the hundred dollar handshakes and certainly a few thousand passed around, but I don't think anyone made a million.

Also, if you were a kid and not dirt poor, you could turn up your nose at a few thousand and play where you really wanted to. No longer.

 

[Drinkin Buddy]

I remember being so disappointed when I learned about Sam Gilbert and UCLA because I thought so highly of Wooden. I still believe he didn't know everything that was happening, but I believe that's only because he didn't want to know everything that was happening.

Bobby Knight RIP had great deep distain for Wooden and Gilbert and had expressed it publicly on numerous occasions. Wooden was like Paterno and chose to look away and point to his Pyramid of Success. For all the greatness that Wooden exhibited in Westwood the Gilbert thing really cut deep with historic coaches. Mostly because it was unnecessary; if you couldn't sell Westwood and Wooden on the merits then WTF?!

 

[jerbob36]

Did not know this. It makes sense for Knight. He was a lot of things, but he wasn't a cheater in regards to buying players. I agree that UCLA kind of sells itself. I had always hoped he didn't know the depth of Gilbert stuff, but you guys have opened my eyes up. Man.

 

[RocknRollface]

A bunch of Rich Wall Street Insiders, rich alumni bought Duke a likely title and they don't want anyone to know how much they spent because then it is obvious just a purchased championship. Don't watch this Final-4 if you care about ever seeing any reforms to create a more level playing field. Iowa has no chance to ever be a final 4 team--no chance for Ronnie Lester and Lute Olson type Final 4 run. McCollum can get us to competitive, like Drake was vs Texas Tech but Sweet16 is probably the best we can hope for. IMHO.

from WSJ

Duke has steamrolled its way to the Final Four because it has one of the greatest collections of players in modern college basketball history. Yet who exactly is paying for a roster that cost millions of dollars to put together remains a gigantic mystery.

In a move that’s highly unusual for a major college program, there’s virtually no online footprint for Duke basketball’s booster collective. That’s not because the Blue Devils have somehow managed to construct a star-studded team without gobs of cash lining players’ pockets, though.

Instead, Duke is in a position to compete for its sixth national championship thanks to a group of high net worth donors who have chosen to operate in a way that makes them unique in the braggadocious world of college sports—by conducting their business from the shadows.

Lol what?

Calapari frequently fielded more talented teams than this Duke team.

Half the nba played for him at Kentucky.

2 or 3 lottery picks at Duke BAU.

 

[LukaDuka]

I remember being so disappointed when I learned about Sam Gilbert and UCLA because I thought so highly of Wooden. I still believe he didn't know everything that was happening, but I believe that's only because he didn't want to know everything that was happening.

Sam Gilbert asked Coach Wooden who he wanted on the team & he went out and got'em. Wooden knew & so did all the other cheating coaches. Let's not be fools.

 

[LukaDuka]

Exactly. Does anyone on hear really think Ed Horton and Roy Marble and BJ Armstrong came to Iowa City without getting paid?

Ronnie Harmon flat out admitted it

 

[LukaDuka]

Did not know this. It makes sense for Knight. He was a lot of things, but he wasn't a cheater in regards to buying players. I agree that UCLA kind of sells itself. I had always hoped he didn't know the depth of Gilbert stuff, but you guys have opened my eyes up. Man.

You don't think Knights booster handed Isaiah Thomas' momma a bag? He could've went to DePaul and played for Ray Meyer and his best friend from Chicago, Mark Aguirre. He was well paid at Indiana.

 

[grayhair81]

OMG!
How much money did they "blow" on that roster?

 

[fivecardstud14]

OMG!
How much money did they "blow" on that roster?

Enough to get them to the Final Four.

 

[littlez]

I think Roy and Ed got more than just cash

We have a lot of fans that think we were pure as snow back then. 🤷‍♂️

 

[littlez]

There can still be cinderellas but it will be a year to year thing. A team like Drake can pop up but it will only last a year unless a guy like McCollum would decide to stay at a mid major. I think he would have kept most or all of those players, including Stirtz, and I know that sounds crazy. In no other program would Stirtz play 40 minutes and do whatever he wants at all times.

 

[mro1978]

makes you wonder if an ivy league school could become a juggernaut with NIL now?

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

A bunch of Rich Wall Street Insiders, rich alumni bought Duke a likely title and they don't want anyone to know how much they spent because then it is obvious just a purchased championship. Don't watch this Final-4 if you care about ever seeing any reforms to create a more level playing field. Iowa has no chance to ever be a final 4 team--no chance for Ronnie Lester and Lute Olson type Final 4 run. McCollum can get us to competitive, like Drake was vs Texas Tech but Sweet16 is probably the best we can hope for. IMHO.

from WSJ

Duke has steamrolled its way to the Final Four because it has one of the greatest collections of players in modern college basketball history. Yet who exactly is paying for a roster that cost millions of dollars to put together remains a gigantic mystery.

In a move that’s highly unusual for a major college program, there’s virtually no online footprint for Duke basketball’s booster collective. That’s not because the Blue Devils have somehow managed to construct a star-studded team without gobs of cash lining players’ pockets, though.

Instead, Duke is in a position to compete for its sixth national championship thanks to a group of high net worth donors who have chosen to operate in a way that makes them unique in the braggadocious world of college sports—by conducting their business from the shadows.

Nothing really very new, except the transfer portal and NIL$$$ have made everything within the rules. Duke freshman class is incredibly good. The changes have made it almost impossible for schools who can't pay out 7-figure amounts to get past the sweet 16, as you said.

 

[fivecardstud14]

makes you wonder if an ivy league school could become a juggernaut with NIL now?

Maybe Bill Cosby can give some cash to Fran.

 

[mro1978]

Maybe Bill Cosby can give some cash to Fran.

doubtful, I'd think fran has more cash on hand than bill does right now

 

[hawkjt]

Nothing really very new, except the transfer portal and NIL$$$ have made everything within the rules. Duke freshman class is incredibly good. The changes have made it almost impossible for schools who can't pay out 7-figure amounts to get past the sweet 16, as you said.

If this is nothing new why state that rules have changed the dynamic?

Does anyone think the 100 dollar handshake layers of the past declared that income?

So in the past most of these kids getting paid under the table we're probably tax scofflaws.
Not every kid or parents wanted to break the law. So that had a chilling effect on some of this activity as well as it being against NCAA rules.

Now,anything goes.
Not that long ago Butler almost toppled duke in national title game.
Seems like a remote possibility now.
Between NIL,unlimited transfers with immediate eligibility and school spirit-induced boosters...this system combined the worst of pro and college sports in a perfect storm of bad.