Quote from: nescac1 on May 01, 2026, 09:54:34 AMSo far, eight D3 to D1 transfers with likely at least a few more to come.  The guys still on the board who I expect would make the biggest potential impact in D1, or would be locks for the top two pre-season D3 all-American squads if they return: Sam Grieger, Dorion Glogovac, and Jevon Yarbrough.  As of now, Kye Robinson, Myles Barnette, Mason Funk, and Soren Richardson are the only returning all-Americans, so all are locks for either first or second team pre-season all-American next year (Robinson of course is a lock for first-team). 

IWU gets 2024-25 D3hoops.com National ROY Josh Fridman back next season - was a Preseason All-American in 2025-26. Suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in late-November.

Josh is expected to be 100% healthy at the start of 2026-27.  A guy who might end up in the AA mix next year.

Q-cast with Noah Cleveland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcx9LMqw-eU

Quote from: Gregory Sager on April 19, 2026, 10:58:49 AMTransfers have been a part of college sports forever. The portal simply added convenience -- and, thus, acceleration to a trend towards increased transferring that was already growing -- to a truth of academic life that has always existed. And NIL added incentive.

The transfer portal has added convenience for sure.

NIL $$ is the huge difference maker though. The amount of $$ guys like Noah Cleveland (Illinois State) and Jalen Overway (UW-Green Bay) have been guaranteed would shock most people. 

Before, a superstar D3 student-athlete with D1 ability might be willing/able to pay tuition instead of accepting a D1 scholarship. But now, the NIL $$ in many of these D3 to D1 transfer situations is just simply impossible to pass up...it can be significantly more than the value of the scholarship.

Quote from: north central on April 13, 2026, 09:42:08 AMTitan Q As a Weslyan fan you had to be thrilled hearing his responses because you probably got the feeling " Millikin won't be good with this guy" It's crazy a guy with no college basketball playing experience is a head coach in the CCIW. Maybe the only coach in the league without college playing experience. Just all seems really weird that there weren't better options .

I did not get that feeling.  I got the feeling this is the kind of person Millikin MBB needs.  I think he will do well.  Just my personal take.

There are quite a few successful head men's basketball coaches across all levels who didn't play.

Q-cast with new Millikin Head MBB Coach Tom Noonan...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pau-0N2Hr7k

Regarding games tomorrow...

MBB: IWU vs UW-Stout is on for noon. (Stout traveled to Bloomington today.)

WBB: The Midwest Challenge at IWU is on.  (All 3 visiting teams traveled to Bloomington today.)
-2pm: DePauw vs WashU
-4pm: IWU vs UW-La Crosse

Matt Lewis on the Q-cast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX0fM9DQa18&t=288s

Darryl, thank you very much for doing "How They Fared" again.  It's a huge help as a Top 25 voter. Hope all is well.

My season preview Q-cast with Ron Rose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxk0RbMmy2s


0:00 Q-cast appearance leader; 20th season at IWU
2:01 Overseas trip in August
4:20 Early practice
5:36 Exhibitions/"closed scrimmages"
8:30 Void from 6 seniors who graduated
11:22 New team/new identity
14:31 Coaching staff
17:17 Transfer portal; Casen Lawrence & Brady Ruggles
19:29 Noah Cleveland deciding to play
22:32 Why D3?
25:36 CCIW
28:37 2025-26 roster
31:22 Nathan Boldt, 6-10 Sr F (co-captain)
33:57 Karlo Colak, 6-5 Sr G (co-captain)
35:34 Nick Tingley, 6-4 Sr G
37:10 David Williams, 6-2 Sr PG
38:43 Brady Kuehl, 6-7 Jr F
40:44 Jackson Niego, 5-11Jr PG
42:59 Casen Lawrence, 5-10 Jr G
45:53 Brady Ruggles, 6-6 Jr G
47:52 Mason Funk, 6-5 Jr G
50:48 Dylan Schmidt, 6-4 Jr G
52:07 Alec Schmidts, 6-5 So F
52:55 Connor Williams, 6-2 So G
54:43 Alex Miller, 6-5 So G
57:05 Anthony Kemp, 6-5 So G
1:00:01 Josh Fridman, 5-10 So PG
1:02:59 Noah Cleveland, 6-8 So F
1:05:57 Luke Meyer, 6-9 Fr F
1:08:43 Bradley Biedke, 6-6 Fr F
1:10:49 Tucker Sennett, 5-10 Fr G
1:12:49 Micah Meiss, 6-5 Fr G
1:14:32 Sikma Invitational
1:17:39 Titans vs Nick Roper 11/19
1:19:24 at Yeshiva; steak dinner
1:21:47 Final thoughts

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 12, 2025, 02:39:40 PMI think people assume IWU has more going on, because it's precisely the kind of institution that's always leveraged partnerships well and has a reputation for strong alumni connection.

In terms of alumni base, I do think IWU would be pretty well-suited to try something like Marietta is doing with Two Rivers Trust (https://www.tworiverstrustnil.com).  IWU has a loyal alumni base that wants IWU athletics to do well.

As I understand it, though, the university has chosen to not pursue this because it ends up creating confusion and competition for alumni support.  And I very much agree with this. 

As an alum that wants to give some money every year to support, say IWU MBB and WBB, I am put in position to choose between giving the money straight to the school (earmarked for MBB and WBB), or to the NIL collective...which ends up going to student-athletes. (Marietta MBB supporters have to somehow be in this confusing position currently?)

Just speaking for myself here, but if I have $1,000 to give to support Illinois Wesleyan MBB and WBB each year, I feel much better giving that money straight to the school (specifying MBB and WBB), knowing I can help fund the next holiday trip, or fix up the locker rooms, or whatever.  That feels much better to me than giving it to some entity that somehow gets the money to Josh Fridman, Sawyer White, and other student-athletes.

I love supporting the programs, am proud to do so, and I trust what the people who lead the programs will do with the money.  I personally don't believe in giving the money to the student-athletes.  To me, that is not Division III.

I hope student-athletes can make a couple bucks from NIL Club, or get some wings & drinks like the Hampden-Sydney guys had last year, or whatever.  But as an IWU alum, in terms of doing something formal with NIL, I'm glad to school has chosen not to.  For me, supporting the programs is supporting the student-athletes.

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 12, 2025, 01:40:10 PMI am curious how and where the rules apply.  One of the apparel sites I saw was clearly using official logos and fonts and stuff, which probably weren't vetted through the schools.  It's certainly a mess.

Not sure what the rules are, outside of some of the public NIL stuff out there: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/7/9/name-image-likeness.aspx

Looks like NIL Club is used by various student-athletes from most CCIW schools. Search field here:

https://nilclub.com/colleges

Football teams, volleyball, basketball, etc.

(Also many student-athletes from across D3.)

I just got a text from someone pretty familiar with NIL Club saying the average student-athlete in one of these groups makes $5 or $10 per month on average.

Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 12, 2025, 02:02:28 PMNow, if you want to me to talk in-the-know and on the record about IWU opera singers rather than IWU business connections to student-athletes, to use the classic Chicago expression, "I gotta guy ..." .

Coincidentally, so do I.

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 12, 2025, 12:53:19 PM

Quote from: Titan Q on November 12, 2025, 11:37:30 AM

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 12, 2025, 11:27:42 AMAnd you can say this with confidence because athletes are supposed to report NIL deals to the school, right?  So even if it weren't facilitated by the school or some NIL collective, it would be on the books somewhere.

100% confidence.

After this post, someone sent me this link:

https://nilclub.com/illinois-wesleyan-university/mens-basketball

There are several other pages (with considerably more money pledged) for other IWU teams.  A quick google also shows some logo apparel sites connected to individual athletes (although I didn't see any mbb players there).

I suspect there are lot of ways athletes may be exploring this on their own and I'd imagine the rules are still quite vague around the whole thing.

There's also likely quite the gulf between sponsors and alums "supporting" players and official NIL collectives coordinating with coaches and schools to do so strategically.

Yes, and whatever NIL Club is it clearly says, "The NIL Club is not affiliated with Illinois Wesleyan University."

IWU MBB has no NIL "collective", like Two Rivers Trust at Marietta (https://www.tworiverstrustnil.com), or anything formal whatsoever.

There was a suggestion above IWU student-athletes have NIL money coming in via Bloomington-based insurance companies, and other businesses.  And that just isn't true at all.

Within the NIL rules, all student-athletes are allowed to pursue different avenues on their own.  Like some ODAC kids last year who basically had a deal for food and drinks at a local establishment.

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 12, 2025, 11:27:42 AMAnd you can say this with confidence because athletes are supposed to report NIL deals to the school, right?  So even if it weren't facilitated by the school or some NIL collective, it would be on the books somewhere.

100% confidence.

Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 05, 2025, 12:40:45 PMWouldn't surprise me, however, if Illinois Wesleyan is at the top of the league in NIL funds, because it's an institution that has a lot of close ties to its local business community, in particular the two major insurance corporations that are based in Bloomington.

In terms of NIL at IWU, I can only speak for the IWU MBB program, since I am so closely connected.  But IWU MBB has no NIL effort in place of any kind. And no current or former IWU MBB student-athlete has ever earned a penny of NIL money.

I can't speak for WBB, football, volleyball, etc - simply because I haven't asked.  But I will say I have never heard anyone in the IWU Athletics department - and I am pretty closely connected - mention anything about IWU kids benefiting from NIL.

IWU does a nice job raising alumni funds for individual athletic programs - I donate to several of them.  That helps buy uniforms and fund trips, etc. But that is money that is going straight to the school and programs...obviously not the kids.