Williams: How Kentucky Wildcats coaching process example of major change in college sports

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Ask columnist Jason Williams anything − sports or non-sports – and he’ll pick some of your questions and respond on Cincinnati.com. Email: [email protected]

Message: Kentucky is the bluest of blueblood programs and still couldn’t land an elite-level coach to replace John Calipari. No Dan Hurley. No Scott Drew. Mark Pope was far from UK’s top choice. Do you think all the changes in college sports had an impact on the process?

Reply: No doubt about it, and you’re going to see more so-called blueblood basketball and football programs spurned by top candidates for future openings.

The Kentucky process is a good example of how we must look at college sports way differently than we used to.

Some elite-level coaches are in situations where their available NIL money is as good or better than Kentucky or any other traditional blueblood program. We hear a lot about NIL and the transfer portal widening the haves-vs.-have-nots gap. For many coaches and programs, however, it’s an equalizer when it comes to taking on traditional bluebloods.

Elite coaches see they don’t necessarily need the Kentucky brand and all its fabulous facilities and rich history to reel in players and win national championships. Players no longer care so much about a program’s prestigious history or fancy locker room. They want to get paid, and the transfer portal allows them to go to the highest bidder. NIL and the portal are a big middle finger to history and tradition.

Perhaps another relevant question here: Should we still view Kentucky as a blueblood?

In the traditional sense, of course. In the context of today’s college basketball landscape, well, it at least raises the question. Fans will troll me for that. I’m merely emphasizing that we can’t look at college sports like we did for most of our lifetime. It sucks, I know.

Kentucky’s not alone. This goes for most programs. It’s what makes Hurley and UConn’s back-to-back national championships in the early days of the NIL/portal era…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/williams-kentucky-wildcats-coaching-process-232004101.html

Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer

Publish date : 2024-04-14 23:20:04

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