Vanderbilt men’s basketball head coach Jerry Stackhouse was named the men’s basketball coach of the year from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Monday. The latest award for Stackhouse adds to his growing resume, which includes the Southeastern Conference’s co-coach of the year and the Ben Jobe National Minority Coach of the Year. (Vanderbilt Athletics)

Kind of a long one, read at your own peril.


Just got done listening to the VC Show, Vince Carter's podcast. He had Antawn Jameson on and he asked Antawn what went wrong with this year's UNC team and without hesitation Jameson answered "NIL". This really got me thinking about the impact of NIL in today's game and fresh off of the first ever Final Four to not feature a top 3 seed, I've got some thoughts on what we're maybe not talking about with NIL:

1. Time Management Issues

- One of the things Jameson really stressed was how they played pickup non stop during his time at UNC. They did nothing else besides school and basketball...they played every pickup game they could play and how that created chemistry and a feel for the game. Kids now, for the first time in their life, have other commitments. So add on this being the first time they're away from home, first time they're on their own, and first time they have more in life than school and basketball...that's a recipe for disaster.

2. There isn't a "Don't be like THAT guy" case yet

- The NBA is filled with stories about busts. Guys who couldn't handle the fame, the money, the women, etc. etc. Thousands of examples over the past 40 years. The NBA has trainings for rookies about what to do, what not to do, who to hire to manage your time/money, and many other safeguards in place to help these young men. Right now, we don't have that in the college game. College kids don't have a bunch of guys in the past to look at and say "wow, that guy really screwed up his future because of NIL, I don't want to do that." College kids don't have managers who keep their calendar and control what they sign and how stretched out their commitments make them. Unfortunately, as with anything new, there will be failures and the future generations will be able to look at those failures and learn.

3. Staying in College for the Wrong Reasons

- If NIL money is the main driving force behind someone returning to UNC, that will turn out badly. We talked about Redemption as the main reason Bacot, Leaky, and Caleb came back to school last offseason...but it's apparent that wasn't their main reasoning. They were flooded with NIL opportunities and that seemed to dominate their offseason plans, not staying on campus all summer to get better. Vince and Antawn said after they lost to Arizona in the NCAA's they didn't leave Chapel Hill for the next 12 months. They worked out til 2am every night because that loss stung them. It didn't seem like our loss to Kansas really stung like that. I'm sure it did to a degree, these are competitors who hate to lose...but man, they sure didn't play like a team that was out for revenge like our 2017 team did.

4. Coaches need to learn how to deal with this also

- Every coach is going to pitch NIL, and UNC should be no exception. You aren't landing kids without it and every school is pitching it down to the last guy on the bench. That said, once these kids get on campus, coaches need to do a better job at handling the 3 things above. UNC isn't the only team that struggled this season with it, we just had the highest expectations of the bunch. The final four right now is SDSU, FAU, UConn, Miami. Not exactly filled with top recruits getting top NIL money. Is that a coincidence? No way. Coaches MUST demand more of their players in terms of staying focused on the basketball and education side of college. Their job is harder now, they must adapt to it. We praise these younger coaches for understanding how to pitch NIL to kids...now they need to learn how to make sure their players are motivated as Vince and Antawn were.



Just some thoughts. We talk so much about NIL on here and it's usually only the benefits of it. Hell, we have some guys who post only about NIL and throw around crazy figures like it's all gravy. As with anything money related, it can get ugly quickly. Let's hope the future Tar Heels have learned from the 2022-23 Tar Heels.

For anybody who watched the GEICO Nationals, Paul Biancardi teased it throughout the week. The announcement of a Caleb Love transfer has brought this subject back to like. I spoke with a source very close to Cadeau and Link Academy Saturday morning. His quote to me was, "If everything goes correctly that's what will happen."

After the game he said he didn't know what he would do, but right now he is still in the Class of 2024. I'm still waiting on information to find out exactly what has to go correctly. I'm not sure if it is basketball or academically related. I will add to this thread as I find out. But for now it appears there is a very good chance of this happening. It also looks like Hubert Davis is having a change of philosophy with roster makeup and style of play. Small ball with multiple guards on the floor at once may be on the way.

Coby White wants to remain with Chicago Bulls in free agency but understands it's a business​

Coby White, the No. 7 overall pick for the Chicago Bulls in the 2018 NBA Draft will become a restricted free agent this summer. The Bulls will have the right to offer him a qualifying offer and match any offer White finds in free agency. "It is new for me so I hope it works out," White said. "I love Chicago. I love my teammates. So, I would like to be back." (NBC Sports)

Our guys looked the part this week in Chicago
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

In his 50 years in the profession, Mack Brown has never coached in a professional football league. But he now believes he may not have to leave the college ranks to get there. “We’re the NFL. We’re the mini-NFL,” says the 71-year-old Brown, the oldest active FBS head coach who enters his fifth season of his second stint at UNC. “That’s where we are headed." (Sports Illustrated)

BY UNC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Game two of this weekend's ACC Coastal Division series between No. 13 North Carolina and Miami at Boshamer Stadium on Friday, April 14, has been elevated to ESPN2 with a start time of 7 p.m.

The game was originally slated to be televised on ESPNU with a start time of 6 p.m.

The Tar Heels and Hurricanes will open their series in Chapel Hill on Thursday, April 13, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.

UNC faces Queens University of Charlotte tonight, April 11, at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at GoHeels.com.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @DiamondHeels on Twitter and on Facebook and Instagram at Carolina Baseball.

He’s just as good as anyone in the portal at the 3 and with his familiarity and energy he showed flashes. I know you’ll say he can’t stay healthy and didn’t make his 3’s but he did bring energy and hustled his ass off. I wish he’d come back and get 25-30 minutes a game and see what would happen.