Playing in a brand new, state-of-the-art basketball arena used to be more important than it is today.
The best players spend so little time in their home digs that they barely unpack their bags before moving on to the transfer portal or the NBA Draft. And the best of the best may not get there in the first place because they’ve been offered more money by pro teams or other schools.
So if you think it’s all about the money, it is. But where it goes is the conundrum. Players who once proudly wore the uniforms for three or four years are barely making pit stops and are forgotten by the fandom.
And it is especially heartbreaking for players like Caleb Wilson, who missed half the season and might have saved Hubert Davis’ job. He showed us how great he could have been without the injuries that curtailed his freshman year.
And if schools spend all of their money on a new arena, they may not have enough left to buy more great players to suit up in their new homes. Their opponents who spent more wisely will get the victory and laugh all the way to the locker room.
In the 1980s and 1990s, schools (except for Duke) that traded in their bandboxes for cushy courtside seats purchased by big donors are now left with the dilemma of downsizing for more students or upsizing with luxury suites.
It’s not a matter of money with most of the fat cats. Parking perks and pregame meals are all well and good, but once the ball goes up in the air and the team can’t compete to a standard that has been set by Hall of Famers before them, their tickets will be left on the dresser or given to friends who don’t support the program in substantive way.
Virginia is a good example of the balance that is necessary in facilities and money to buy players. They found a piece of land on the edge of campus and built a new building with two concourses that will allow fans to move around easily. They have hired smart coaches who also found players from here and abroad.
Despite an NBA championship and a good gift for gab, the jury will be out on Michael Malone and his $8 million annual contract before his first two seasons are done. He is loading up with the transfer portal, but yet to sign a superstar in the making that can compete with Duke.
Malone was a convenient hire without a buyout from a former employer and so far, he is doing the same thing that Bill Belichick has tried to learn from his 25+ years in the NFL. Like the Hoodie, there is no question that Malone knows how to coach, but he is competing with savvy, creative college coaches who aren’t as well-known but can build programs with various component parts.
Like Belichick, who had a huge welcome for the opening game before the schedule turned against him, Malone will be greeted with excitement and curiosity. All indications are that he will be supported with money beyond what Davis got, and if he can convince Henri Veesaar to return for his senior year, the Tar Heels can be competitive.
UNC smartly put the Smith Center debate on the back burner until we can find out what washes with the new basketball coach. Will Malone stay long enough to build a program worthy of an arena with a nine-figure price tag, if not ten?
Can alumni and fans afford to support the team that takes the court in this ever-changing world of pay-for-play?
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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