2024 Silver Waves Media NIL Power Conference

Panel #1 – Collectives 

Walker Jones = Executive Director, The Grove Collective (Ole Miss) 

Dan Furman = President, 502 Circle (Louisville) 

- Moderated by Carlie Tarbell = 6th Sense Consulting 

2 of the top 10 collectives in the transfer market this offseason 

- Ole Miss was the leader in CFB 

- Louisville was the leader in MBB 

“Everybody wants to win” 

- Need to show why donation = success 

- Proof of concept is critical 

- Green Bay Packers model – everyone owns a part of the team 

Fans/Donors don’t get to know the players like they used 

- Transfer Portal movements = new team/roster each season 

- Fans want to know the guys on the team 

Membership model with access just like a subscription service (Netflix, New York Times, etc.)

- Monthly payments in exchange for content, engagement, etc. 

Get involved with local & regional businesses within 200 miles of campus

- Owned by donors/alumni & do business already in the area 

- Integration with athletes in the local community 

Don’t think about what collectives were doing 2 years ago 

- “Think about what we are doing now” 

- There will still be a need for collectives even with revenue sharing 

- NIL + Rev Share = Still a need in the market 

Help young people learn skills needed for life & business 

- How to dress, talk, budget their time, balance their books, invest, etc

- All skills that can be learned through this NIL world 

Rob Sine – Blue Print Sports 

- Told story of football player who never smiled because was embarrassed about his teeth - Partnered with local dentist, got braces, & now he can’t stop smiling 

- Creating unique, helpful, and impactful NIL connections for student athletes

Panel #2 – NIL Agents 

Dan Poneman = NIL Agent, Poneman & Naiditch Representation 

Mitch Gilfillan = NIL Lawyer, Quinn Johnston Law Firm 

- Moderated by Greg Kristof = 6th Sense Consulting

Attorney-Client privilege agreements = Must be in writing 

- Offer → Acceptance → Consideration 

- Confidentiality clause should be Clear & Concise 

This is the 1st time kids & families are making life-changing decisions 

Our job is to help stabilize the ecosystem 

- Bad agents = enemies, Good agents = allies 

- Some coaches don’t like agents because agents can get more $$ for their kids - Important to get everyone on the same page

– AD/Collective/Coach/Agent/Player 

Don’t go on a visit or meeting asking “How much am I getting paid?” - You wouldn’t do that when you go for a job interview 

“Your value is what someone is willing to pay you” 

College sports isn’t going anywhere, so we have to change & evolve - “If my team beast your team, that means ‘I’m better than you’” 

- Fans will always want to support their teams

Panel #3 – How Do Mid-Majors Approach NIL? 

Tanner Gardner = Athletic Director, Pepperdine 

Wesley Mallette = Athletic Director, UC Riverside 

Heath Schroyer = Athletic Director, McNeese State 

Mark Orr = Athletic Director, Sacramento State 

Adam Tschuor = Athletic Director, Pacific 

- Moderated by Glenn Sugiyama = DHR Global 

- Moderated by Aaron Torres = Fox Sports 

“The answer is: We need more money… Now what’s the question?” 

- #1 = NIL, #2 = Nutrition, #3 = Player Development → from Heath Schroyer 

The AD has to be the one driving NIL 

- They are the one sitting with the donors, alumni, potential employers, etc - Help boost enrollment through the athletic department 

Recruitment vs. Retention 

- Depends on which one is your focus and how it will shift through NIL - Coaches still need to have good experiences & development to keep kids around

- Must take a deeper look at women’s sports and Olympic sports 

- “If we don’t have the kids, nothing else matters” 

Building a sustainable & consistent NIL Model 

- Not just a 1 year thing, must show growth over time 

- NIL + traditional athletic fundraising + multi-media rights 

True measure of success = “Are your people smiling” 

- Educate the internal department people first 

- Don’t take for granted that other departments/donors are educated and understand NIL 

“You can’t put a price on access” 

- Always be willing to give something before you ask for something 

- Fan experiences, donor engagement, athletic department collaboration, etc. 

Dana Pump – The Pump Group 

- 25 years of the Harold & Carole Pump Foundation 

- 2 Boys, 1 Ball, 1 Dream 

- “People give to people” = It’s all about your relationships 

- Take care of people’s children, and they will give you whatever you want

- “Support the people that support you” 

- Touch people 3 times before you ask them for anything, especially $$

Panel #4 – How Can Collectives & Departments Coexist? 

Matt King = President of Basketball Operations, Arizona 

Doug Stewart = GM/Chief of Staff, BYU 

Luke Bosso = Athletic Director, IU Indianapolis 

Ed Kull = Athletic Director, St. Johns 

Derrick Coles = NIL, NCAA 

- Moderated by Glenn Sugiyama = DHR Global 

There’s a shift in how we communicate with NIL 

- Donors → Fans → Consumers 

Hiring the position = Is it team specific or for the entire athletic dept? - Someone that can ask the right questions and get a “YES” 

- Philanthropic model vs. Revenue-Generation model 

o Philanthropic model is dying out in college sports 

o They are no longer “struggling college kids” 

Don’t restrict yourself and your knowledge 

- Know everyone and everything so that nothing is a surprise 

Tap into the donors by introducing them to your team 

- Provide them basketball experiences 

- “Fountain of Youth” – taking a 50 year old back to their 18-22 college days 

Must understand P&L (Profit & Loss) 

- Generating Revenue – Managing Expenses = Keeping Every Promise - Donors = Investors in your “startup” 

Providing a fan experience is “Battling the Couch” 

- Why should a fan get off their couch, into their car, and come to a game?

Jack McGinley – NBA Operations Analyst 

- Undergraduate Advisory Committee 

- Provides data and draft feedback for prospective NBA players from college

Seth Berger – Players Era 

KJ Morton – Victory Logistics 

- “Sometimes it takes simplicity to deal with complexity” 

One on One with Ed Kull & Glen Sugiyama 

- “Figure out who you want to be, then you can figure out how you want to get there.” 

Panel #5 – Financial Sollutions & the House Ruling 

Chris Grant = Commissioner, Southland Conference 

Debbie Spander = CEO, Insight Sports Advisors 

Mike Haddix = CEO, Scout 

- Moderated by Alan Akina = TeamUP 

House Update 

- $20-$22 million in additional revenue per school 

- $3 million in additional scholarship money 

- Cutting sports/scholarships/staff/travel 

“There is still a world of opportunity out there” 

- Student Athlete → College Athlete 

- University $ goes up, but the collective with stay alive 

- Money flowing to WBB, Gymnastics, and VB 

10 years ago, you would never get into a car with a stranger, now we have UBER - It’s a new normal 

- 10 years ago was NCAA, now we are turning into a pro league

Panel #6 – Innovations in Women’s NIL 

Courtney Clements = General Manager, West Coast Elite 

Lauren Hoselton = VP of Marketing/Founder, The Grove Collective/Total NIL Aisha Foy = NIL Coach 

Maddie Salamone = VP, College Football Players Association - Moderated by Patty Medina = American University 

Prepare for NIL the same way you prepare to be a player 

- Work on your skills, education, & getting reps in the NIL space 

Developing the athlete outside of sports 

- Monetizing DEIB 

- Taking advantage of social media presence 

- Find out what makes you marketable 

Thomas Thomas – Basepath 

- Managing payments and systems for NIL 

Kevin Tarca – ROY 

- NIL platform to pay players directly 

Kevin Barefoot – Teamworks 

Kevin Keranen – Athlete.ai 

- Recruiting profiles/highlight tapes 

Derrick Coles – NCAA NIL 

- ACC = Agents, Collectives, & Contracts 

- About 92% of D1 schools have a collective 

- Some schools have multiple, more than 1 for every school in D1 - Morality clause in contracts → Students need to read these carefully! - We are doing BAD BUSINESS 

Keynote Speaker 

Adrian Wojnarowski = General Manager, St. Bonaventure’s “People don’t have brands, they have reputations” 

“We are not creating an environment of entitlement…” 

- “We are creating an environment of expectation”