Mizzou AD Laird Veatch Addresses Hire of Men's Basketball GM Tim Fuller

As the decision of the NCAA v. House settlement lingers, Missouri athletic director discussed what the hire of Tim Fuller can provide to its men's basketball program.

Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch speaks during a press conference inside Stephens Indoor Facility on April 26, 2024 in Columbia, Mo. | Abigail Landwehr/Columbia Daily Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Amid conversations of a changing college athletics landscape and future stemming from the approval of the NCAA v. House settlement, Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch provided more insight on the recent hire of men's basketball general manager Tim Fuller in a press conference Thursday.

How student-athletes are paid and the breakdown of revenue sharing funds are at the center of all the unknowns, which also directly as an effect on both the individual programs and coaches under Missouri's staff. To help manage the complexity of NIL deals, the trend for many colleges is to add general managers to their staff — particularly in men's basketball.

Carrying a background with college athletics, Nike and Overtime Elite, Fuller has the experience necessary to help coach Dennis Gates position the Tigers to where they need to be in the future. The interpretation of general managers differs depending at which college you look at, which peaks the interest of Veatch.

"(Gates) wanted to have that kind of role on staff and have somebody that can really help him interact directly with agents and manage some of those kinds of elements," Veatch said. "It is going to be different depending on the coach and the sport, and I think that's important is that we meet coaches where their needs are. Some coaches are positioned differently to manage this than others, so we need to support them in whatever they need."

The goal for the Missouri athletics department is to empower coaches to lead, which allows Fuller to offload some of the responsibilities of Gates typically is responsible for. That includes NIL optimization, roster construction and strategic planning.

The hire brings added structure to the staff, as long as it continues to meet the specifics of the House settlement.

The addition of Fuller might be the start of the general manager position in Missouri sports, but it isn't likely to be the last. The university will continue to expand in that lane, especially as the dust starts to settle and programs figure out the right path to take.

"There’s no question that we all have to continue to really invest in this area, with people that are focused on maximizing the opportunities that it provides, and have experiences, relationships, knowledge of how to navigate that space," Veatch said. "One of our big advantages, in my mind, is how advanced and just professional, thoughtful, our Every True Tiger bands group, and particularly Brad Larrondo (are) ... he does a wonderful job. Our staff there does a great job."

The general manager position is one of the many areas that are going to branch off from the House settlement, but Missouri has shown it is equipped to make the necessary changes to instill a strong commitment to the direction of its athletics program. Looking to the near future, there will plenty more it has to tackle.