As NIL arrives, Kentucky wants winning games to remain top priority
At this early stage, among the questions about NIL is how might it affect a player’s desire to w-i-n. Could an interest in profiting off his or her name, image and likeness distract a player from team goals?
TJ Beisner, whom Kentucky named last week as its director of player development for men’s basketball, leads the program’s effort to help players establish attractive personal brands.
When asked about Kentucky continuing to be an aristocratic entity in men’s basketball, Beisner said, “It’s the most important part.”
Beisner — a 2008 UK graduate who has more than 15 years of experience in media, communications and digital marketing — acknowledged the concern about NIL conflicting with team success.
“In this age of name, image and likeness, I know it is alarming to some people because it’s different,” he said. “Nothing about (wanting to win games) is changing. The young men who are coming to play basketball at the University of Kentucky, and who will continue to come to play basketball at the University of Kentucky, are coming here to win and be part of the Big Blue Nation.
“Everything that happens between the lines is how your brand will be defined.”
Beisner put NIL in the context of being part of John Calipari’s mantra about UK players seeking to be the “best version” of themselves: as players, as teammates, as community-minded people and … since July 1, as brands.
Self-interest plays a part in Calipari, his coaching staff and Beisner seeing winning games as the top priority.
“Winning is the absolute most important part,” Beisner said. “Or else you’ll be talking to a different director of player development who will be working for a different head coach.”
Divided locker room?
If NIL had been in effect when he played, former UK All-American Kevin Grevey said he would have been sensitive to sharing his profits by treating teammates to steak dinners. After all, teammates pass the ball to the star, set picks for the star and celebrate or mourn with the star.
TJ Beisner dismissed the notion of NIL causing jealousy or dividing teammates.
“I have seen people who have concerns about what is this going to do to the locker room,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s going to have any effect whatsoever.”
Beisner noted that all players are not equal in the NBA, which is where the Wildcats aspire to be.
“At the professional level, everybody has a different contract,” he said. “Everybody has different endorsements (and) different obligations. With leadership and communication and respect, (the difference) doesn’t affect the locker room.”
Given this is the infancy of NIL, Beisner said he did not know if poor play could lead to a player losing an endorsement deal.
Beisner likened NIL to playing time and number of shots taken. During the recruiting process, John Calipari makes no promises. A desire for more should inspire greater competitive spirit rather than disgruntlement.
Do’s and don’ts
Louisville reportedly advised its athletes not to make NIL agreements with Barstool Sports, a media company with ties to sports gambling.
UK issued an advisory to its athletes in July, said basketball spokesman Eric Lindsey, who declined to go into specifics.
TJ Beisner suggested that athletes could enter into NIL agreements with entities that compete with UK’s corporate sponsors. There’s one caveat.
When promoting a corporate sponsor, a Kentucky athlete can wear clothing adorned with a UK logo.
If the company or product competes against a UK corporate sponsor, “you’d have to be in your plain clothes …,” Beisner said. “You can’t identify with the UK logo.”
Fluid situation
TJ Beisner is tasked with helping UK players navigate NIL while staying within the NCAA rules.
“The challenge — or the opportunity — right now is just understanding the rules because they are new,” he said.
It’s a fluid situation. On Tuesday, the NCAA Board of Governors announced the 23 people who will serve on a Constitution Committee. A news release said its task is to identify “core principles that define college sports and propose a new governance model that allows for quicker change without sacrificing broader values.”
The committee is expected to submit a working draft in November. A vote will be taken to approve or reject proposals at the annual NCAA convention in January.
Of NIL, Beisner said, “The way we understand it now may not be the way we understand it in a year.”
‘Brand?’
NIL inevitably leads to references to a player’s “brand.” When asked to define what is meant by brand, TJ Beisner said, “What it means to me, honestly, is personality. And, obviously, the word ‘brand’ has a marketing aspect to it. …
“When you come to Kentucky, the brand you are signing up to be part of is winning. That’s the brand of Kentucky. Who you are and your personality is how people are going to get to know you. So, that’s your ‘brand.’ But we don’t want to lose sight of the brand as winning.”
At Cal’s direction
In announcing TJ Beisner becoming director of player development, UK said he would work “under the direction” of Coach John Calipari.
Beisner said he had had “a lot of phone calls” with Calipari in the last year or so talking about NIL.
“Cal and I have developed, I think, a pretty good close relationship over the last three years,” Beisner said. “Nothing the players do, nothing that I implement or ideas that I have will be implemented without the approval of John Calipari.”
That relationship is built on a mutual desire to consider new ideas and not be constricted by convention, Beisner said.
‘10 steps ahead’
During Dajuan Wagner’s appearance on The Players’ Tribune show “Knuckleheads,” he was asked about his college choice of Memphis.
“I don’t even know who (else) I was recruited by,” he said.
When he considered his college options, his father, former Louisville standout Milt Wagner, was working for then-Memphis coach John Calipari as basketball operations coordinator.
“He and my dad had that relationship already,” Dajuan said. “(Calipari) was 10 steps ahead, man.”
Speaking of ahead, the show’s hosts credited Dajuan Wagner with setting a telling precedent. After leading Memphis in scoring as a freshman in 2001-02 with an average of 21.2 points, he became — at the coach’s urging — Calipari’s first one-and-done player. He was the sixth player chosen in the 2002 NBA Draft. The only other freshman drafted that year was the 47th pick: Jamal Sampson of California.
High school senior Amar’e Stoudemire was the ninth pick.
Hall of Famers
Kentucky connections were readily apparent in two announcements made this past week by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
On Monday, the Hall of Fame announced this year’s three winners of its Mannie Jackson - Basketball’s Human Spirit Award. The three are Ray Allen, Vinny Del Negro and Renee Montgomery. The award recognizes humanitarian efforts.
Former UK coach Tubby Smith won the award in 2016. He and his wife, Donna, established the Tubby Smith Foundation in 1998. They’ve made the foundation a part of each stop during his coaching career.
On Wednesday, the Hall of Fame announced those who will “present” the inductees in the class of 2021. UK Coach John Calipari will join Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley in presenting Howard Garfinkel.
Garfinkel, who died in 2016, co-founded the Five-Star Basketball Camp in 1966. The camp set a new standard for basketball development. Players who attended the camp as promising prospects included Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Aspiring coaches who worked the Five-Star Basketball Camp include Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan and Calipari.
The enshrinement of this year’s class and recognition of the Human Spirit Award recipients will be Sept. 11.
Happy birthday
To Gerald Fitch. He turned 39 on Thursday. … To Jim LeMaster. He turned 75 on Thursday. … To Antoine Walker. He turned 45 on Thursday. … To DeMarcus Cousins. He turned 31 on Friday. … To Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson. He turned 62 on Saturday. … To Ryan Hogan. He turns 43 on Sunday (today). … To Terry Mills. He turns 73 on Sunday (today). … To James Young. He turns 26 on Monday. … To Archie Goodwin. He turns 27 on Tuesday. … To UK women’s coach Kyra Elzy. She turns 43 on Tuesday. … To Christian Laettner. He turns 52 on Tuesday. … To retired referee Don Rutledge. He turns 81 on Tuesday. … To Willie Cauley-Stein. He turns 28 on Wednesday. … To Kenny Walker. He turns 57 on Wednesday.
This story was originally published August 14, 2021 at 9:48 AM.
