Kevin Saal Report Card

[Regul8te]

The only reason the basketball banquet even had a pulse last year was because the great billboard victory of 2022 was achieved right before the event.

And it was STILL pathetic.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

You honestly think WSU is further behind in NIL now than they were when Saal took over?? We literally had no NIL or strategy before him. What a joke.

Joke? You think NIL is a check box?? Since we have one collective we are equal to everyone else?

Clearly a lack of knowledge and desire to learn.

[SubGod22]

Joke? You think NIL is a check box?? Since we have one collective we are equal to everyone else?

Clearly a lack of knowledge and desire to learn.

You think we're worse off than before Saal took over in that department? There are also two NIL collectives for WSU with Armchair and Paladin.

Nobody is saying we're set, but we are definitely in a better place than we were before Saal got here.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

You think we're worse off than before Saal took over in that department? There are also two NIL collectives for WSU with Armchair and Paladin.

Nobody is saying we're set, but we are definitely in a better place than we were before Saal got here.

Thank you for spelling it out for the understanding impaired DSB. You were much nicer than I was planning on being. Nobody is saying we are completely set but light years ahead of where Boaty McBoatface had us. There are clearly some who are stung by the handling of the Hibbs situation and they are taking it to extremes.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

When ADKS took over, we were at Step 0. SEC was at Step 100.

Now we are at Step 10, and they are at Step 1,000.

Yes, we are further behind than we were.

Don’t believe me? Ask the players on Twitter how many NIL offers our players had BEFORE the coaching change. Ask the amounts they have been offered.

The teams at Step 500 have teams of recruiters calling, emailing, texting, players with no regulation. They have teams of marketers doing the same to businesses.

They have groups of players making MILLIONS.

Sit in your Missouri Valley mindset all you want. We are further behind now than we were and that will be an almost impossible gap to close.

[1972Shocker]

Still not sure I follow the downside. If I am only interested in giving to softball, this event doesn't prevent me from doing so.

There are absolutely opportunities to directly to support the sport of your choice in addition to attending matches and buying season tickets. Or buying season a pair of season tickets for sports like VB, WBB and Softball, which are generally pretty modestly priced, and then donating those tickets ot Big Brother-Big Sisters or the Boys and Girls Clubs, etc. which I have done every now and then.

Here are the support clubs for each of the sports:

https://goshockers.com/sports/2016/10/6/sport-clubs

https://goshockers.com/sports/2015/6...tery_Club.aspx

You can click on the photo for each sport for additional details.

I don't think the athletic department as a whole promote these that much. Seems like it is mostly up to the individual clubs and sports to promote their clubs.

And you can always just make a cash contribution to the WSU Foundation designated to support the athletic or academic program of your choice.

One of the things I think the fans enjoyed about the sport-specific fund raising events was the opportunity to mingle with the players and the coaching staffs in a casual, relaxed setting. Hopefully, there will still be an opportunity for this at the Black and Gold Gala.

We'll see how it goes. May take a while for it to really catch on and they can tweak it as they gain experience with it. Obviously, the time and effort to put on on combined event should be significantly less than the combined time and effort to put on numerous sport-specific events.

[ShockerExpress]

When ADKS took over, we were at Step 0. SEC was at Step 100.

Now we are at Step 10, and they are at Step 1,000.

Yes, we are further behind than we were.

Don’t believe me? Ask the players on Twitter how many NIL offers our players had BEFORE the coaching change. Ask the amounts they have been offered.

The teams at Step 500 have teams of recruiters calling, emailing, texting, players with no regulation. They have teams of marketers doing the same to businesses.

They have groups of players making MILLIONS.

Sit in your Missouri Valley mindset all you want. We are further behind now than we were and that will be an almost impossible gap to close.

Let’s look at peer institutions. We are not in the SEC and won’t be anytime soon.

Please tell me how we are worse off vs. others in the conference than we were a year ago?

This is dumb. Come on.

We had zero dollars a year ago, over half a million now. That’s not “further behind now than we were then.”

Quit comparing WSU baseball to the SEC. It’s a different game now than it was then.

[Kung Wu]

There are absolutely opportunities to directly to support the sport of your choice in addition to attending matches and buying season tickets.

Yeah, in my case one time I took it further and not only requested to make it sport specific, but also requested they earmark my donation specifically toward uniforms if they would (hoping to entice them to buy new ones).

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Let’s look at peer institutions. We are not in the SEC and won’t be anytime soon.

Please tell me how we are worse off vs. others in the conference than we were a year ago?

This is dumb. Come on.

We had zero dollars a year ago, over half a million now. That’s not “further behind now than we were then.”

Quit comparing WSU baseball to the SEC. It’s a different game now than it was then.

Sorry, I believe WSU is a National Program.

But ok, let’s exclude SEC baseball and now assume we are the AAA version of MLB.

How do we compare to AAC Teams?

Tulane has multiple players earning 6 figures. They went 19-40. They are rebounding after an exodus following their coach leaving.

Houston has multiple players earning 6 figures. They finished 2nd.

How about MVC?

Missouri State has 3 players earning 6 figures.

Do I need to go lower?

OK, Wichita State is in the realm of McNeese St and Nicholls St who both have 3 players making 6 figures.

But yeah, we are closer to competing than we were a year ago.

[ShockerExpress]

Sorry, I believe WSU is a National Program.

But ok, let’s exclude SEC baseball and now assume we are the AAA version of MLB.

How do we compare to AAC Teams?

Tulane has multiple players earning 6 figures. They went 19-40. They are rebounding after an exodus following their coach leaving.

Houston has multiple players earning 6 figures. They finished 2nd.

How about MVC?

Missouri State has 3 players earning 6 figures.

Do I need to go lower?

OK, Wichita State is in the realm of McNeese St and Nicholls St who both have 3 players making 6 figures.

But yeah, we are closer to competing than we were a year ago.

If so - I guess fair enough.

I’ll be the first to say what you posted makes absolutely no sense and I have trouble believing the specifics of it.

But I also have no idea. So maybe you’re right.

Taylor E reported that we’re about second best in the conference for basketball NIL behind Memphis. Something that makes sense from someone who would know. So, to me, your figures seem suspect at best.

[WstateU]

Sorry, I believe WSU is a National Program.

But ok, let’s exclude SEC baseball and now assume we are the AAA version of MLB.

How do we compare to AAC Teams?

Tulane has multiple players earning 6 figures. They went 19-40. They are rebounding after an exodus following their coach leaving.

Houston has multiple players earning 6 figures. They finished 2nd.

How about MVC?

Missouri State has 3 players earning 6 figures.

Do I need to go lower?

OK, Wichita State is in the realm of McNeese St and Nicholls St who both have 3 players making 6 figures.

But yeah, we are closer to competing than we were a year ago.

I guess I'm too thick heading to understand this NIL crap. Do we 'really' only have $500k in the coffers? $500k total? I honesty can't believe this is true? If true, we just as well give up and throw in the towel. With 3 players making 6 figures now and whoever else is getting paid, we'd be out of money in a matter of months. The math just doesn't work. I'm not trying to be a smart a$$, but what am I missing here?

Would someone please draw me a picture?

At least Ross and I didn't have to worry about this kinda $hit back in our day.

[WstateU]

I'll say one more thing about this before I crawl back into my hole. If Saal can't get it done, we're fooked...

[1972Shocker]

I'll say one more thing about this before I crawl back into my hole. If Saal can't get it done, we're fooked...

I assume that is the foxhole you share with ol' Ross.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

I'll say one more thing about this before I crawl back into my hole. If Saal can't get it done, we're fooked...

Sounding like a Liberal. We control our success. No one else.

WE can make a difference. WE can move the needle. It’s not the WSU AD, it is the WSU fans that have the greatest impact on their program. We just are not supporting at the level others are.

This is the piece so many have missed. MOST of our returning players had offers to play at other schools making more money. They came here. To play for Wedge/Pelfrey/Sirianni/Hibbs. They came to play for Wichita State. And a large number were committed to coming back next year. Regardless of the money flashed in front of them last year.

You will see in other threads I went back and forth on whether or not we should bring back Hibbs. After ECU I thought it was obvious. After how we played down the stretch, I thought it was obvious.

When I really looked at this team vs other teams, these kids fought to win for Coach Hibbs and WSU. But they are just kids. I know what pressure can do to a player, no matter the level. These kids felt they let Coach Hibbs down and were ready to fight to the death next year for him and WSU.

I can argue the issue each way, but this is the thing that keeps being brought up. That we are competitive at the NIL level. We are not. We had a coaching staff and group of players that believed in WSU. We threw that away.

If that is the way we feel ok. But if we are talking about Hosting Regionals and Super Regionals, we need to be comparing ourselves to the conference doing that regularly. That is not the AAC. Or the MVC despite ISU’s great season.

Today started out as a great day to be a Shocker. Tonight I feel like we are turning into UNI and we are still on the bubble for an NCAA Tourney invite.

[BostonWu]

Sorry, I believe WSU is a National Program.

But ok, let’s exclude SEC baseball and now assume we are the AAA version of MLB.

How do we compare to AAC Teams?

Tulane has multiple players earning 6 figures. They went 19-40. They are rebounding after an exodus following their coach leaving.

Houston has multiple players earning 6 figures. They finished 2nd.

How about MVC?

Missouri State has 3 players earning 6 figures.

Do I need to go lower?

OK, Wichita State is in the realm of McNeese St and Nicholls St who both have 3 players making 6 figures.

But yeah, we are closer to competing than we were a year ago.

There's a chance you are correct but absent factual evidence difficult to believe.