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Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Minnesota Gophers had an impressive run, securing three consecutive victories which included back-to-back wins against ranked opponents. However, they’ve hit a rough patch recently, losing their last two games. This skid included a particularly disappointing defeat to Washington, who are at the bottom of the conference.
After briefly easing some of the pressure with that win streak, Ben Johnson’s seat is scorching hot again. But he does have one classic excuse, that he doesn’t have enough NIL money to work with. Is that an excuse or is it his fault? You can argue that. There’s no debating the actual problem, however.
Minnesota basketball needs to find more NIL money ASAP
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
According to longtime Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters, the Gophers are still way behind when it comes to NIL money. He reports that the average top 25 college basketball team spends around $4 million per season on its roster.
The Gophers, meanwhile, aren’t even shelling out a third of that. One big problem with the Minnesota Gophers current NIl situation is that they do not have an agent to help facilitate and secure top recruits.
Meanwhile, the NIL price tag for a top-25 team now is in the $4 million a year range, and the Gophers aren’t close to even a third of that. What Minnesota doesn’t have is an agent who can deliver impact players to the program.
Charley Walters – PionnerPress
Last season, the Gophers had a solid squad, featuring freshman Cam Christie. He’s now with the LA Clippers. But, they lost a lot of key players to the transfer portal. Pharrel Payne, a Cottage Grove native, took a $40,000-per-month NIL deal to play at Texas A&M.
Standout point guard Elijah Hawkins is making $30,000 a month at Texas Tech. Isaiah Ihnen is putting up 10.4 points per game as a starter for Liberty. Homegrown Braeden Carrington is one of the best players at Tulsa and Brooklyn Park’s own Joshua…
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Author : Minnesota Sports Fan
Publish date : 2025-02-02 15:09:00
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