I read this interview of Kenny at 247.
And I gotta say, I love this.
I bolded what I liked most -- at the end of the article.
The Pandora’s box that is name, image and likeness (NIL) has sent the world of college athletics into a state of uncertainty. The rules are few and far between. It’s a brand-new atmosphere with little-to-no guidance on what is allowed and what crosses the line. Miami is a perfect example of the new normal. Miami-based billionaire John Ruiz has been very aggressive. Just minutes after the Hurricanes basketball program landed Kansas State guard Nijel Pack, Ruiz proudly announced that Pack signed a two-year, $800,000 deal that included a car. But new Louisville coach Kenny Payne says he is not planning to use NIL as the end-all, be-all on the recruiting trail.
“It’s difficult because you have to decide, and you have to find out exactly what are the dynamics that you’re dealing with,” Payne told Cardinal Authority. “There are kids out there that are making decisions strictly off NILs, and that’s a mistake. Not that a school may or may not have a bunch of NIL money, whatever it is."
Payne took the Louisville job in March. After a disappointing 13-win campaign this past season, the proud Cardinals program was desperate for a leader to turn things around.
Enter Payne. The former Louisville star helped the Cardinals win a national championship in 1986 before putting together an impressive coaching resume that included stops at Kentucky and most recently the New York Knicks.
Payne quickly landed some big-name hires, like former Duke assistant Nolan Smith and former Maryland interim coach Danny Manning.
Payne has also locked in two four-star recruits in the Class of 2022 (Kamari Lands and Devin Ree), and Louisville landed Tennessee transfer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield who was a five-star prospect in the Class of 2021. Louisville is also a major player for top-rated Memphis transfer Emoni Bates.
But Payne believes that relationships are the key to Louisville’s success in the transfer portal, not gaudy NIL guarantees.
“For me, the NIL situation, look, we all have NIL, so I don’t want it to be a discussion with a basketball coach,” Payne said. “I don’t want to be the person. I have an athletic director, I have a person that’s over the NIL, I have a compliance person. Have that conversation with them and then we’ll go from there. That’s the way it should be. But the fact is, that you can never go wrong if you go with the hearts of the people that you want to work with. Let that be first. And then, are they qualified to help you reach your goals and dreams and are they going to help you be a better player. That should be second. And then you go down the list of things and you make a decision based on that opposed to NIL.”
And I gotta say, I love this.
I bolded what I liked most -- at the end of the article.
Louisville basketball: Kenny Payne condemns using NIL deals as sole reason to commit: 'That's a mistake'
ByISAAC TROTTER May 18, 4:50 PMThe Pandora’s box that is name, image and likeness (NIL) has sent the world of college athletics into a state of uncertainty. The rules are few and far between. It’s a brand-new atmosphere with little-to-no guidance on what is allowed and what crosses the line. Miami is a perfect example of the new normal. Miami-based billionaire John Ruiz has been very aggressive. Just minutes after the Hurricanes basketball program landed Kansas State guard Nijel Pack, Ruiz proudly announced that Pack signed a two-year, $800,000 deal that included a car. But new Louisville coach Kenny Payne says he is not planning to use NIL as the end-all, be-all on the recruiting trail.
“It’s difficult because you have to decide, and you have to find out exactly what are the dynamics that you’re dealing with,” Payne told Cardinal Authority. “There are kids out there that are making decisions strictly off NILs, and that’s a mistake. Not that a school may or may not have a bunch of NIL money, whatever it is."
Payne took the Louisville job in March. After a disappointing 13-win campaign this past season, the proud Cardinals program was desperate for a leader to turn things around.
Enter Payne. The former Louisville star helped the Cardinals win a national championship in 1986 before putting together an impressive coaching resume that included stops at Kentucky and most recently the New York Knicks.
Payne quickly landed some big-name hires, like former Duke assistant Nolan Smith and former Maryland interim coach Danny Manning.
Payne has also locked in two four-star recruits in the Class of 2022 (Kamari Lands and Devin Ree), and Louisville landed Tennessee transfer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield who was a five-star prospect in the Class of 2021. Louisville is also a major player for top-rated Memphis transfer Emoni Bates.
But Payne believes that relationships are the key to Louisville’s success in the transfer portal, not gaudy NIL guarantees.
“For me, the NIL situation, look, we all have NIL, so I don’t want it to be a discussion with a basketball coach,” Payne said. “I don’t want to be the person. I have an athletic director, I have a person that’s over the NIL, I have a compliance person. Have that conversation with them and then we’ll go from there. That’s the way it should be. But the fact is, that you can never go wrong if you go with the hearts of the people that you want to work with. Let that be first. And then, are they qualified to help you reach your goals and dreams and are they going to help you be a better player. That should be second. And then you go down the list of things and you make a decision based on that opposed to NIL.”
