MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Not much NIL money in CCIW. . . some guys used the extra year of eligibility after Covid and transferred for an extra year of play, getting an MA degree.  Leritz did that, likely now Roper at U of Chicago, too.  Lambesis earlier, too.  Yoder went away for a year, then came back to IWU. 

IWU'70

[GusD]

How much academic or NIL money is there in the CCIW?  The UAA? 

Grad transfers make the question more applicable, e.g. Chicago and IWU.

Not sure how much NIL money there is within the entire CCIW, especially considering we are talking D3 here, plus the fact schools certainly aren't going to be revealing any details about such assets. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that Wheaton and Wesleyan lead the way. In fact, a pertinent question with regard to this subject might be is Wheaton among the D3 leaders in this area. Also, whether or not it's designated as NIL (I'd bet not), IWU must have a fair amount of available money at hand in order to help bring it's astronomical tuition/room & board/fees "sticker price" back down to earth.

[Gotberg]

Does NIL allowed to cover tuition?  Essentially a full ride scholarship under the old days?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Does NIL allowed to cover tuition?  Essentially a full ride scholarship under the old days?

As long as the source is not the school itself, NIL is just money; the athlete can use it for whatever they want.  (They do need to be careful to pay taxes on it, though!)

[GusD]

Think of today's legal NIL money as yesterday's illegal money that was channeled to athletes from boosters and donors (largely alums) and companies whose apparel the athletes wore.

In both yesterday's and today's environments D3 money was/is minuscule compared to D1 with the main difference probably being that in the old days the illegal payments to D3 kids were practically non-existent as opposed to today's legal NIL money being relatively tiny in comparison.

The old, pre NIL days in D1 were often times very creative with things like Cadillac Tony sitting at a back corner table facing the front door, and having the waitresses drop the checks on his table instead of the athletes tables as they finished their pizzas and left.
Another popular scheme had each player assigned a "sponsor." The deeper the pockets of the sponsor, the bigger the star player he was pared with. The sponsor gave each player a weekly CASH gift. In basketball starters got a higher amount and reserves a lesser amount. In football, it would depend on what string you were ranging all the way down to 7th-8th string guys who got around $25.00 a week. And while they were usually Chevys or Dodges that sat in the dorm parking lot as opposed to Cadillacs or Buicks, the keys would be up in the rooms of those players who were good enough bring name recognition to the institution by virtue of their achieving All-American status.

[Gregory Sager]

How much academic or NIL money is there in the CCIW?  The UAA? 

Grad transfers make the question more applicable, e.g. Chicago and IWU.

Not sure how much NIL money there is within the entire CCIW, especially considering we are talking D3 here, plus the fact schools certainly aren't going to be revealing any details about such assets. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that Wheaton and Wesleyan lead the way. In fact, a pertinent question with regard to this subject might be is Wheaton among the D3 leaders in this area.

I challenge that "safe bet" of yours. I'd be very surprised if Wheaton is among the CCIW's NIL leaders, let alone all of D3. It's very much not in keeping with how Wheaton operates.

Wouldn'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. I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the school you support is right up there in NIL money as well, although, as you said, NIL money for D3 student-athletes is peanuts compared to what the D1s are raking in -- and if North Central is indeed topping the league (or close to it) in terms of NIL dough, methinks it's mostly going to the young gentlemen who wear helmets and pads.

[Gregory Sager]

NPU season preview:

https://athletics.northpark.edu/news/2025/11/7/mens-basketball-vikings-ready-for-a-fresh-start.aspx

[mwunder]

CCIW season kicks off tonight with Carroll at #5 Wash U.

Bring on the twists and turns until March Madness!

[devildog29]

How much academic or NIL money is there in the CCIW?  The UAA? 

Grad transfers make the question more applicable, e.g. Chicago and IWU.

Not sure how much NIL money there is within the entire CCIW, especially considering we are talking D3 here, plus the fact schools certainly aren't going to be revealing any details about such assets. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that Wheaton and Wesleyan lead the way. In fact, a pertinent question with regard to this subject might be is Wheaton among the D3 leaders in this area.

I challenge that "safe bet" of yours. I'd be very surprised if Wheaton is among the CCIW's NIL leaders, let alone all of D3. It's very much not in keeping with how Wheaton operates.

Wouldn'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. I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the school you support is right up there in NIL money as well, although, as you said, NIL money for D3 student-athletes is peanuts compared to what the D1s are raking in -- and if North Central is indeed topping the league (or close to it) in terms of NIL dough, methinks it's mostly going to the young gentlemen who wear helmets and pads.

While IWU allows athletes to earn NIL money from 3rd parties per NCAA rules, the school itself does not pay nor participate in this transaction nor can the payment be contingent on enrollment or participation..

[Gregory Sager]

How much academic or NIL money is there in the CCIW?  The UAA? 

Grad transfers make the question more applicable, e.g. Chicago and IWU.

Not sure how much NIL money there is within the entire CCIW, especially considering we are talking D3 here, plus the fact schools certainly aren't going to be revealing any details about such assets. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that Wheaton and Wesleyan lead the way. In fact, a pertinent question with regard to this subject might be is Wheaton among the D3 leaders in this area.

I challenge that "safe bet" of yours. I'd be very surprised if Wheaton is among the CCIW's NIL leaders, let alone all of D3. It's very much not in keeping with how Wheaton operates.

Wouldn'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. I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the school you support is right up there in NIL money as well, although, as you said, NIL money for D3 student-athletes is peanuts compared to what the D1s are raking in -- and if North Central is indeed topping the league (or close to it) in terms of NIL dough, methinks it's mostly going to the young gentlemen who wear helmets and pads.

While IWU allows athletes to earn NIL money from 3rd parties per NCAA rules, the school itself does not pay nor participate in this transaction nor can the payment be contingent on enrollment or participation..

I wasn't implying that the school was a party to NIL transactions in the official sense, although I could've worded my post better. When I said "Wouldn't surprise me, however, if Illinois Wesleyan is at the top of the league in NIL funds," I meant that the opportunities for student-athletes to make NIL money are likely more easily obtained there than at other CCIW schools, due to the school's connections to the local business community and the support that that business community has shown the school in the past and present.

[mwunder]

I wasn't implying that the school was a party to NIL transactions in the official sense, although I could've worded my post better.

Even the best of us admits when he is not as concise as he could have been. A quality we all should aspire toward.

[GusD]

How much academic or NIL money is there in the CCIW?  The UAA? 

Grad transfers make the question more applicable, e.g. Chicago and IWU.

Not sure how much NIL money there is within the entire CCIW, especially considering we are talking D3 here, plus the fact schools certainly aren't going to be revealing any details about such assets. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that Wheaton and Wesleyan lead the way. In fact, a pertinent question with regard to this subject might be is Wheaton among the D3 leaders in this area.

I challenge that "safe bet" of yours. I'd be very surprised if Wheaton is among the CCIW's NIL leaders, let alone all of D3. It's very much not in keeping with how Wheaton operates.

Wouldn'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. I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the school you support is right up there in NIL money as well, although, as you said, NIL money for D3 student-athletes is peanuts compared to what the D1s are raking in -- and if North Central is indeed topping the league (or close to it) in terms of NIL dough, methinks it's mostly going to the young gentlemen who wear helmets and pads.

If you look at a Wheaton roster for just about any sport you'll quickly see their athletes, more often than not, come from all over the country as opposed to most of the other conference members whose athletes are predominantly more local with perhaps some regional representation. I suspect many of the Wheaton athletes are children of alums, a large percentage of whom were likely contributors even before their kids matriculated. Additionally, we've all heard of the vast national network of Wheatie alums who have a strong propensity to strongly support their alma mater. I suspect they contribute whether they have kids enrolled or not. These relationships great for the College, and is what led me to surmise that WC may be near the top as far as NIL money both conference wise and nationally.

With regard to NCC, I'd say that wherever they rank in the conference there is absolutely no doubt that whatever their NIL fund totals, the highest percentage by far indeed flows "to the young gentleman who wear helmets and pads."

Concerning Wesleyan, in addition to State Farm and County Companies, don't forget Beer Nuts and the Shirk family whose name adorns the highly publicized Shirk Center. However, while the biggest chunk of IWU NIL money likely stems from the business community, have no doubt that Wesleyan athletes benefit smartly from individual contributions from alums and other booster friends of the institution.

[GusD]

How much academic or NIL money is there in the CCIW?  The UAA? 

Grad transfers make the question more applicable, e.g. Chicago and IWU.

Not sure how much NIL money there is within the entire CCIW, especially considering we are talking D3 here, plus the fact schools certainly aren't going to be revealing any details about such assets. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that Wheaton and Wesleyan lead the way. In fact, a pertinent question with regard to this subject might be is Wheaton among the D3 leaders in this area.

I challenge that "safe bet" of yours. I'd be very surprised if Wheaton is among the CCIW's NIL leaders, let alone all of D3. It's very much not in keeping with how Wheaton operates.

Wouldn'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. I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the school you support is right up there in NIL money as well, although, as you said, NIL money for D3 student-athletes is peanuts compared to what the D1s are raking in -- and if North Central is indeed topping the league (or close to it) in terms of NIL dough, methinks it's mostly going to the young gentlemen who wear helmets and pads.

While IWU allows athletes to earn NIL money from 3rd parties per NCAA rules, the school itself does not pay nor participate in this transaction nor can the payment be contingent on enrollment or participation..

Of course this is correct with respect to IWU, and there has been and is no implication of any impropriety. However, while the "school itself" does not participate in NIL activities, there is no doubt IWU athletes receive handsome NIL benefits from both corporate and private contributors. Additionally, several Wesleyan athletic teams have organized NIL Clubs for supporters to subscribe to. In summary, it appears there's a high degree of probability that IWU is at or near the top of the league in NIL funds.

[Gregory Sager]

NPU's season opener up on the North Shore:

North Park 93
Lake Forest 87

Mike Vuckovic: 24 pts (10-17 FG), 7 rebs, 6:3 a:to, 3 stls
Julian Campbell 23 pts (10-15 FG, 3-3 trey), 6 rebs
Marquis Vance: 16 pts
Kolden Vanlandingham: 14 pts, 5:2 a:to, 4 stls
Jakhi Gray: 11 pts

Vikings have a lot of things to clean up -- the defense clearly needs work, and the free-throw shooting was atrocious -- but will gladly take the road win. A lot of good stuff to report, too: freshman Marquis Vance is going to be a serious CCIW player, Kolden Vanlandingham is shaking off the rust, and Julian Campbell is going to be even more of an offensive force in blue and gold than he was in red and black two seasons ago. (He got his 23 points in only 24 minutes on the floor, despite constant double teams and even an occasional, although probably accidental, triple team.) Most of all, as those of us who've been able to watch the Vikings practice this fall were already well aware, Mike Vuckovic has emerged from the end of last season's bench to be a top-notch all-around guard and team leader.

NPU pressed only briefly, for less than half a minute with about five minutes remaining in the game -- and the Vikings got two steals and two made layups in the space of 11 seconds out of it.

[Gregory Sager]

Nobody posted this yesterday, but Carroll started off the season for the CCIW by succumbing to Washington (MO), 90-78, at the Wash U Field House. All but 18 of Carroll's points were scored by three starters -- Michael McNab (22), Lamar Smith (20), and Jacob Naber (18) -- in the losing cause.

Earlier today, Carthage debuted on the road and smushed St. Mary's (MN), 98-75, up in Winona. No Ryan Johnson for the Firebirds today, but a couple of other usual suspects, Riley Brooks (19 and 6) and AJ Johnson (18, 5-7 from downtown) came up big in his stead, while Jabe Haith had 13 and Chris Schlesinger contributed 10 off the bench. Antuan Nesbitt cashed in 11 in his return to Carthage basketball and drew plaudits from Steve D. in the coach's postgame comments.