IMO NU’s biggest problem right now isn’t coaching or evaluation. It’s money. The NIL gap is shaping everything about this roster.
Martinelli took a hometown discount. Around $2M is probably half of what he could’ve gotten on the open market. They gave Tre a deal that was competitive but still below market. This year they couldn’t afford plug n play transfers and went for developmental ones. That’s where NU is operating. Close, but not enough.
And this isn’t even about going out and winning bidding wars for top portal guys. This is about having enough to retain your hits and add real rotation players around them. Right now they’re struggling to do both. When you can’t consistently keep your core, continuity falls apart fast.
It’s also why it’s tough to put this on Collins. You can’t build a real Big Ten roster if you don’t have the budget to keep your best players or bring in plug and play help. Development still matters, but it only works if you can actually keep the guys you develop.
The realistic path with the current setup is pretty narrow. Retain as much of the core as possible. Find undervalued portal pieces. Try to peak when those guys are upperclassmen. That can get you competitive teams and occasional tournament runs, but it’s not how you live near the top of the league.
If NU wants to seriously compete, the NIL pool has to increase. At minimum, enough to retain core pieces and add real depth. Otherwise you’re asking coaching to make up for a talent and resource gap, and that’s just not sustainable in this era and in this league.
Martinelli took a hometown discount. Around $2M is probably half of what he could’ve gotten on the open market. They gave Tre a deal that was competitive but still below market. This year they couldn’t afford plug n play transfers and went for developmental ones. That’s where NU is operating. Close, but not enough.
And this isn’t even about going out and winning bidding wars for top portal guys. This is about having enough to retain your hits and add real rotation players around them. Right now they’re struggling to do both. When you can’t consistently keep your core, continuity falls apart fast.
It’s also why it’s tough to put this on Collins. You can’t build a real Big Ten roster if you don’t have the budget to keep your best players or bring in plug and play help. Development still matters, but it only works if you can actually keep the guys you develop.
The realistic path with the current setup is pretty narrow. Retain as much of the core as possible. Find undervalued portal pieces. Try to peak when those guys are upperclassmen. That can get you competitive teams and occasional tournament runs, but it’s not how you live near the top of the league.
If NU wants to seriously compete, the NIL pool has to increase. At minimum, enough to retain core pieces and add real depth. Otherwise you’re asking coaching to make up for a talent and resource gap, and that’s just not sustainable in this era and in this league.
