Dan Hurley: $14 million is minimum NIL budget for teams to be ‘in contention’ in college basketball
· Yahoo Sports
Earlier this week, during an interview with The Field of 68, Texas coach Sean Miller predicted multiple rosters of at least $20 million in college basketball this season. Thursday, Dan Hurley estimated the minimum NIL budget to be competitive is roughly $14 million.
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Hurley acknowledged the idea of the $20 million roster, which On3’s Pete Nakos also reported this week. Two aggressive spenders especially stood out during this past transfer portal window.
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In the modern era of college basketball, Hurley pointed out the need to invest in a roster as part of the quest for a title. While he admitted the exact numbers are unclear, the UConn coach estimated $14 million as the floor for the more competitive teams.
“Right now, if you want to be in the mix and have a chance to contend, I think anywhere, I would imagine, to be a true contending – and people can undersell how much they’re going to end up spending,” Hurley told Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman. “Everyone’s gotten players for cheaper. Obviously, the agents are going to say a number, the players are going to say a number.
“Staffs don’t want to look like we’re paying the max. But you’ve got to be spending, I’d imagine, somewhere north of $14 [million] if you want to be in contention to compete at the top of the big league or to try to play deep into the tournament.”
Dan Hurley: Retention can lead to ‘hometown discount’
Last year, UConn’s roster sat between the $8 and $10 million range, On3 previously reported. The Huskies are likely to be in that range once again this year after retaining key pieces such as Silas Demary and Braylon Mullins.
When it comes to retention, though, Dan Hurley said that’s where the idea of a “hometown discount” can come into play. Of course, there are ways to find value on the recruiting trail, though he admitted there’s a bit of luck involved when finding those players for such a bargain.
“Unless you just get lucky in some way where you’re just getting all these undervalued guys that you nail so many value pickups,” Hurley said when asked about $14 to $15 million being a target for title teams. “Because now that the agents are so involved, whether it’s domestic or international, they’re so dialed into, ‘What’s the role? Here’s the number, here’s the range, here’s the market.’ Anyone that says they’re getting these big discounts on these premium players just because they want to go play at their school.
“Now, I think retention, you’re always going to get players. If you run a good program and you’re doing things the right way, you’re going to get a hometown discount on your on retention guys. Yeah, I don’t think you can.”