Wisconsin Badgers head basketball coach Greg Gard is among the growing number of individuals who desire some form of regulation to be implemented in this ever-changing NIL and transfer portal landscape.
That said, immediate assistance isn’t on the way. Gard has emphasized support for players receiving compensation in the lucrative world of college basketball, but the absence of regulations has led to a myriad of issues. With the transfer portal predating NIL, the concept of a level playing field has evaporated, paving the way to tampering and pay-for-play schemes, which complicate matters for programs like the Badgers.
“It’s notgonnahappen right now,” Gard said on Wilde and Tausch.“We’re gonnahave to operate as we havebeen in this world.”
Since the end of the season, Gard has seen four Wisconsin basketball players depart for the transfer portal, with second-team All-Big Ten wing AJ Storr and multi-year starting point guard Chucky Hepburn seemingly defecting from the program for more lucrative offers elsewhere.
Nevertheless, the challenge liesnot onlyin losing core piecesbut also inthe inability to win recruiting battles in this open market.NIL and pay-for-play have become synonymous in recent years, erasing traditional selling points in recruiting like winning culture and academics.Now,whoever has the up-front cash to land a player in the portal will likely get them.
“We can complain about it, but that’s not gonna solve the issue,” Gard said. “We just have to continue to fightevery dayand put ourselves in the best position to become a good team going forward.”
Gard emphasized the complexity of the current college landscape, where financial incentives drive most decisions, making it challenging for programs like Wisconsin basketball to compete. The unexpected departure of Hepburn helps underscore thefinancialdynamics at play, although Gard was careful not to suggest anyone has tampered.
“I wouldn’t say anybody is not following the rules,” Gard said.“There’sso many avenues to this that people on the outside don’t understand. It’s really driven by themarket of theplayers. Yeah, there are programs that maybe color outside the lines. At the end of the day, it’s about the money and where the money goesto.
“When it gets to a point where there’s astronomical amounts of money involved, I don’t blame the players for making sure they are in a position where they canfinancially reallytake care of themselves and their families.Anybodythat’sin anytype ofjob and offered an opportunity in a one-year window to double or triple your current salary, you’d likely do it in a heartbeat.”
While Gard acknowledged the financial allure of other schools, he stressed the need for fiscal responsibility. Conversations about player movement and compensation often involve numerous parties beyond just the head coach, reflecting the financial-driven nature of the business. In short, everything fans once knew is a thing of the past.Thisis pro sports.
In navigating this new reality, Wisconsin basketball must adapt and work to retain as many players as possible while acknowledging the inevitability of annual turnover.While losing top contributors has gutted the Badgers this offseason, they have primarily benefitted from the portal up to this point and will need to pillage smaller programs moving forward.
Fortunately, the cupboards are notcompletelybare. The Badgers will bring back starters Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl, along with John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, andKamari McGee, while also welcoming four-star point guard Daniel Freitaginto the fold. The goal now will be to find complimentary pieces from the portal to compete again in 2024-25.
Regardless, the path to competitiveness in this landscape relies heavily on support from fans and donors to bolster NIL initiatives. Until regulatory guardrails are established, programs like Wisconsin basketball must navigate the turbulent waters of turnover and financial compensation, all while hoping for future reforms that will re-level the playing field.
“You continue to do what we’ve done over the last year,” said Gard.“My staff and I have beenextremelyactive interms ofraising NIL dollars and having people impact what we’ve been able to do.
“We’ll continue to be competitive in the NIL world, but there is no ceiling. That’s where it just becomes an arms race.”
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