Mike McBride interview

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

I'm very excited about this. It's a glimmer of hope and optimism. My timeline for results are not this upcoming season but next I want to see a tournament team that NIL can help provide.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Mike sounds great and seems very organized. My question is, the big numbers for Men’s BB are significant. What about all the other sports? You previously mentioned Golf. We have had great success recently. How will we separate money for the non revenue generating sports. They are going to want their piece of the pie.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

.............Also how do the other sports get their NIL money? Private donors?

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Shouldn’t there be a Seton Hall athletic Dept employee that ONLY focuses on basketball NIL (external fund raising) and roster/player management (dividing up funds for current/future players) that works directly with Sha and to a lesser degree the women’s coach.

Also this person needs to be 2nd in command below Bryan Felt and even with Sha so he can tell, not recommend, more of a priority in NIL and to loosen their stranglehold of donor database.

IMHO, McBride needs to focus only on NIL and have the power to change the AD staff, not just recommend them to think more about NIL.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Mike M doesn't need to concentrate on NIL for us to be successful. Hall Ball and Hall Hands on Deck will be successful if Mike is there to educate and promote our efforts.

I'm guessing that we have about $250K in the kitty going into next season, succeed in the $350K challenge and add what HHOD has raised, and we should be north of $1MM by the end of September. HHOD and Hall Ball will provide several new fundraising events in the fall and winter, if/when this plan comes together. Keep in mind that season ticket holders haven't been solicited for NIL help yet. I'm a hyper-positive fan and conservative when it comes to finances, I would be disappointed if we're not north of $1.5MM come late March.

Success depends on how well we market NIL and whether we can get supporters to buy in.

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

Encouraging that they actually hired someone who comes from an SEC school that knows how big time college athletics work and the importance of proper fundraising to make success and championship banners happen. I just pray that the powers that be will listen to what he has to say and implement his ideas. We can’t keep doing things the same way and hoping for different results, that just won’t work.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

He also seems to be saying NIL should be your first donation. That must have been pre approval by Pirate Blue. Is that the way you see it?

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Good info overall and I appreciate the effort by Colin, the Trove and the answers by Mike this early in his tenure.

From a reader point of view, the questions are way too long and sometimes leading the interviewee. I'd prefer shorter questions that make Mike think a bit more and follow-ups from the interviewer if he doesn't cover the topic or answer the question fully. Just my preference. The article becomes quite hard to read but I'm sure there are a lot of politics in the printed words.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

I think that is the # 1 takeaway I got from this...basically saying priority should be NIL over Pirate Blue....which is a major shift in thinking from the school...but one that is needed in this environment. Didn't say "abandon" Pirate Blue...but just ordered the priorities.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Really not much he can say with only 30 days on the job. He seems like an enthusiastic guy who is doing a good job with a good handle.

There seems to be four major sources of revenue for paying players:

1-SHU Alumni that have been historical donors. this is what we all think of naturally, but in my experience, large stoners are typically more focused on the mission of the university and the educational aspect. Having their contribution tied to recognition on bricks and mortar as well. (I’m a little skeptical, that they will be much upside from what these folks already contribute).

2-NIL sources: A business that will get an ROI from having a player promote. They may or may not be an alumni or affiliated with the university. It’s a business opportunity. (SHU is in a market with a lot of potential businesses but the value of an SHU player is small…big pool but needs attention).

3-Opportunists: I would categorize these people, as never having contributed to the University or sports program, but seizing an opportunity to have an impact…ego. (Big pool but probably the one with the most questionable people).

4-Fans: Once again, it could be a graduate or not, but somebody that just wants to contribute to paying players because they are a fan of the team. Kind of like crowd surfing. (A smaller pool of dollars that I would expect to have wild fluctuations year to year based on performance of the team)

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

This was a great interview (thanks Colin!!) but really filled with only platitudes. McBride's resume' though is outstanding for the supply side of play for pay.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Mike M putting out a number would be akin to painting himself into a corner. Most of the information that we're getting from other universities is bs, and disclosing a dollar amount might create dissention with players who think they deserve a larger piece of the pie.

Everyone wants an answer to the dollar question, but it will not be coming from the university. We have to have faith in the leadership and Mike has provided more information than any university employee before him. Mike is in charge of Pirate Blue, so his emphasis on NIL tells us a lot.

Many people are averse to contributing to pay athletes, but we need to consider how a quality athletic program contributes to the overall success of the university. HHOD and Hall Ball will provide events that benefit youth, the student body, and local community, these are opportunities for goodwill that will pay dividends as well.

My personal opinion is that $1.5MM is a good annual target and that number should be attainable if we communicate and market effectively. Success is up to us for the time being, corporations will remove some of the burden in the coming years.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Overall I enjoyed the interview. Thank you to all involved! A couple thoughts....

• There is only so much Mike can say a month into the job. He is clearly passionate about his work and I'm glad to have him on board.
• These interviews have a tendency to include leading questions and/or the interviewer will answer his own question before the interviewee has a chance to respond. For future interviews, it would be interesting to read someone's uninfluenced response (not trying to be rude just meant to be helpful feedback).

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Facts. We don’t have “that guy” which is the main reason I think Seton hall should be putting a larger emphasis on the average joe $500 donor. Hall Ball has largely ignored that base which is fine since their strategy is to target the Hanks and Jcalz of the world. But seton hall needs to endorse HHOD to focus on the working man.

We have 4k season ticket holders. With the right leadership and strategy we can field a competitive team.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

Mike M has stated that HHOD will have a seat at the table in his interview, we just need to figure out logistics.

We've already discussed season ticket holders with Mike and expect a push to solicit them in the fall. I caution that approval of Mike's plan is the key, and I'm confident that the university will go with Mike's suggestions.

We gave Mike the example that $200 from 2500 season ticket holders would net $500,000. If we can get that level of commitment from season ticket holders we're golden.

 

[Halldan1]

Some comments from the Trove

All collectives operate independently of the universities they support, therefore they don't answer to the NCAA. There are ways to circumvent scrutiny by the NCAA. Some coaches have no values and freely violate the rules while others play by the rules, history has shown that Pitino is one of the former.

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

Some comments from the Trove

Facts. We don’t have “that guy” which is the main reason I think Seton hall should be putting a larger emphasis on the average joe $500 donor. Hall Ball has largely ignored that base which is fine since their strategy is to target the Hanks and Jcalz of the world. But seton hall needs to endorse HHOD to focus on the working man.

We have 4k season ticket holders. With the right leadership and strategy we can field a competitive team.

This is where Seton Hall fails big time, cultivating donors. Sorry, I’m sure you think this is bitching but I’m just telling it how I see it. The university always pays attention to a small handful of big money people while totally ignoring the average alum who doesn’t have the means to donate 6-7 figures. These people still have the same passion, probably even more in some cases (look at the Booster Club for example, a group that seems to always be there through thick and thin doing whatever they can to support the team and university though largely ignored by their alma mater) and should not be ignored.

Just because you don’t make or donate 6-7 figures does not mean you don’t bring something valuable to the table. Time and talent is also important but the university does not seem to recognize that for whatever reason. Look at the hoops walshtrips is being made to jump through and what he’s been able to accomplish meanwhile Felt’s buddy who has absolutely no problem being recognized by the school planned a kids basketball camp while most kids were still in school and could not attend.

Seton Hall needs fundraising people who are passionate about Seton Hall and recognize and cultivate donors of all levels and types (financial as well as time and talent). You can’t ignore any group as you never know what they can do now or what they may be able to do in the future.

 

[Halldan1]

On the contrary this is what Mike is looking for. Constructive criticism.

He is intently reading this tread. Please keep the comments, positive and negative coming.

 

[williaza01]

Is he/are we exploring corporations/firms basically taking over and sponsoring the entire athletics department (including NIL) like has been rumored at other schools

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

Is he/are we exploring corporations/firms basically taking over and sponsoring the entire athletics department (including NIL) like has been rumored at other schools

Along this same line there was a post that was quickly locked that had a Twitter post about UConn partnering with a local TV station. I thought this was an interesting idea. Instead of News 12 rerunning the news every 30 minutes why not partner with Seton Hall and give all of our sports some local exposure during some of that time?

 

[Halldan1]

Just an FYI....

That thread was locked as a warning to said poster who was continuously creating UConn threads.

This is a Seton Hall board that has no issue discussing other topics. But it isn't the Boneyard and no posters here wants to read long daily threads about another BB program.

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

What will be your approach to get as much out of our small but dedicated fanbase?

Can we PLEASE stop with the small time thinking that we are too small or our fan base is too small to keep up!? We are the top team in the state and have consistently outdrawn the state school that is six times our size for decades! Stop being afraid of success, stop giving excuses why something can’t be done, stop being afraid of hard work. This type of thinking is what holds us back not the size of our fan base or the number of alumni we have. Duke has slightly more undergrads than we do, Does it hold them back? Do they use that as an excuse?

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

Just an FYI....

That thread was locked as a warning to said poster who was continuously creating UConn threads.

This is a Seton Hall board that has no issue discussing other topics. But it isn't the Boneyard and no posters here wants to read long daily threads about another BB program.

This is a discussion for another day and another thread.

My point was that partnering with a local NJ station that is available statewide, albeit only on cable and not streaming, might be worth looking into to give our Olympic sports some more exposure. Kids in New Jersey should be able to grow up watching our Pirates!

 

[thehall07]

This is a discussion for another day and another thread.

My point was that partnering with a local NJ station that is available statewide, albeit only on cable and not streaming, might be worth looking into to give our Olympic sports some more exposure. Kids in New Jersey should be able to grow up watching our Pirates!

News12 is the pinnacle of thinking small. Kooks Korner gets the branding to a place where it should be compared to what sleepy news12 would do.

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

News12 is the pinnacle of thinking small. Kooks corner gets the branding to a place where it should be compared to what sleepy news12 would do.

Obviously it doesn’t have to be News 12. They just have a lot of dead air time dedicated to news reruns. Any station available statewide, preferably with a streaming option, would be great. Gotta start somewhere. I really don’t watch all that much tv to begin with but I would tune in to see our various athletic teams.

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

On the contrary this is what Mike is looking for. Constructive criticism.

He is intently reading this tread. Please keep the comments, positive and negative coming.

Just curious, have you had any feedback you can share from Mike McBride on what readers have shared so far?

 

[Halldan1]

I just spoke for 45 minutes with Mike. We shared a lot of info but at this time I have to respect what I was told in confidence.

That said, it might take another month or so but you guys are going to love what he has planned. When word breaks our readers will be the first to know and then other forms of social media can be used to follow up as well.


https://www.hallballevents.com/

 

[TrueBlue1989]

 

[dehere23]

My question for Mike is whether this is something in our plans, ala Nova and now SJU.

 

[SHUisNJsTeam]

Is Mike working with whatever Jcalz was trying to do or has that ship long sailed? If Mike is, when will we hear about those plans?

Another tip for Mike, when events are held the Seton Hall employees helping to host these events would be much better served if they mingled with everyone instead of talking amongst themselves in a corner of the room or only talking to a very small handful of people they deem worthy. It’s a total turn-off. This pretty much goes for any university sponsored event, not just Athletics.