Jim Boeheim Discusses NIL, Syracuse Collective
On Tuesday morning, Syracuse Men's Head Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim joined the Orange Nation radio show with Steve Infanti and Paulie Scibilia to discuss multiple topics. Boeheim only took a few questions from the hosts, but he spoke at length about various issues currently facing the program. Among those subjects was the state of NIL (Name Image & Likeness) in college sports as a whole. These are the highlights:
On the state of NIL:
“Nil is nothing but colleges collecting money now and arranging deals for players and their collectives... When you start paying, are you going to pay everybody? What about the girl's teams?”
Boeheim explained that he feels that many people don't completely understand the full implications of the new NIL. He believes college sports are no longer about who has the best program; instead, it’s who is offering the most money. He specifically mentioned college programs such as Alabama and Texas A&M football, which received multiple million dollar donations from individuals to spend on NIL. Boeheim specifically acknowledged the Syracuse Women’s Volleyball team and their hard work. In his opinion, those women deserve the money just as much as anyone else.
On NIL and the new 315 Foundation:
“It (donations) all goes into the collective, and then the collective decides [what to do with it]; the university and coaches have nothing to do with it... They decide which player gets benefits or not. My hope would be that if we did get this going, all the players would get treated equally.”
The “315 Foundation” is a key factor in Syracuse’s efforts to be competitive in the new NIL world. The foundation will raise funds that are tax-deductible to the donors, and then the Foundation will coordinate charitable work with the student-athletes and ultimately make payments.
On recruiting and the upcoming team:
“The young players are eager, and they give different skill sets... I’m more optimistic than people would expect with the young group.”
Boeheim mentioned how the return of four veteran players has helped stabilize the group as a whole. While Syracuse doesn't have the top recruiting class or NIL deals, Boeheim is proud of people who want to be a part of the team. However, he mentions that eventually, to be a top team, NIL deals will need to be an emphasis.
On his sons Buddy And Jimmy’s basketball careers:
“Everybody said Buddy got all this [NIL] money. The biggest check he got was 5 thousand dollars. That’s not going to happen for everybody here... He’s making improvements.”
Buddy is currently signed to the Detroit Pistons, and his father called him the best shooter on the team. Meanwhile, Jimmy is set to play overseas in Greece beginning next week.
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