KAEO Matt Cross

[inthescoop]

What's the latest on Matt Cross? We would obviously all love for him to come back to UMass. 10000%

[Upstate10]

Is there a NIL range we need to be in and is that range realistic? Is that a question the collective can answer even vaguely? Totally get why you would not be able to or would be uncomfortable answering. Just want to know if I should get my hopes up.

[TheInsider]

Since we haven't heard anything, I wonder if he's out there gauging interest and seeing if he can lock up a bigger offer before he pulls the trigger.

[tdmass]

^ That's what I'm thinking, but I don't know why more kids don't make inquiries and get some solid leads before announcing!

[Floyd]

Since we haven't heard anything, I wonder if he's out there gauging interest and seeing if he can lock up a bigger offer before he pulls the trigger.

Would hope these kids are looking for their best fit and situation instead of making it all about the $$. Matt seems to be a great fit for what this team needs, and I don't know what else he could want as far as opportunity for minutes etc. Maybe he wants to see what Frank pulls out of the portal before making any decision

[UMass'96]

Honestly, Matt should declare for the draft / go pro. He's done everything that he needs to at the collegiate level. Coming back for another year only places him at risk for injury and derails longer term professional goals. There's really nothing more that he can do at this level to increase his value. In fact, coming back for another year could potentially hurt him if he doesn't perform at the same level as this year.

For those trying to entice him to stay at UMass using NIL, this is incredibly selfish. If you really have his best interests at heart, you would encourage him not to come back. Unless of course, he wants to go pro in something other than basketball. If that's true, then yes, throw a ton of cash at him to return.

Somewhat unrelated, I have been wondering about NIL and its longer term impacts to players. For example, you have a kid that comes from a lower economic situation. Suddenly, s/he is now making a decent amount playing their sport... we'll say somewhere around 50K +/-. What happens when this athlete can no longer play, either at the collegiate level or higher? What happens then? We've provided an income for a few years that is no longer there. It's not unreasonable to assume that the athlete (and possible family) have adjusted their living standards accordingly. And now that the money is gone, what happens then?

How is this any different than a drug dealer? Enticing someone to give it try with the longer term goal of having them want more of it? If you think of money as the drug in this example, how is it different? Sure, the player gets some immediate short term satisfaction, but what happens longer term when the money is gone? Have we set the player up for failure? Keeping in mind as well that, if they are coming from an economically challenged situation, they may not have the discipline or knowledge on how to effectively manage the money appropriately.

Are we really looking out for the best interest of the athletes here? I'm sure that we'll hear the usual spin. But, I'm trying to ask a legit question here and am quite curious to hear thoughts from others. Would be interested to know if the Collective is thinking along the same lines and placing some sort of net in place to safeguard the athlete. Or, at least perhaps, getting them some financial advice. Does the Collective do anything like that?

[Floyd]

Well, I would hope they're getting a degree that lands them a decent job if there are no playing opportunities. Academic support and contacts they have available that the average student doesn't get hopefully is maximized as well. I think getting paid something to help them out is fine, but the academic side of the student athlete seems to almost be a joke now.

[69MG]

Maybe your post is an April Fools joke but I 100% disagree with you on Cross. While I love him as a college player, I don't think he has any chance at the NBA. Maybe in Europe but he can wait a year for that.

[JoleonLescottsHair]

Honestly, Matt should declare for the draft / go pro. He's done everything that he needs to at the collegiate level.

For those trying to entice him to stay at UMass using NIL, this is incredibly selfish.

Other than make the tournament? Or get a 1,000 points? Or grab 500 rebounds as a Minuteman? Maybe do something special with his teammates or even have his jersey hanging in The Bill as a nod to a great Mass kid who found a home? He’s done “everything.” No, not quite. And it is “incredibly selfish” for us as fans to cheer him, want him to lead the team we love because we have confidence in him? Selfish to want UMass and Cross to win by supporting him and his teammates with a scholarship, NIL, season ticket purchases, Court Club donations etc. You know, dumb sentimental shit like that. What a truly, truly awful take. Yet, somehow perfect for this era in sports and the workplace in general. Whatever Cross decides, I’m going to guess he doesn't view UMass hoop fans wanting him to continue as a Minuteman as “incredibly selfish.” If anything, I’m hopeful he finds it humbling and good motivation to return the love.

…and, your updated welfare queen style “don’t give money to low-income players because it is like hooking them on drugs” take is, well, beyond misinformed and wildly cringe worthy. Yikes. Yikes.

[Juice Stand]

While I share some of the concerns about how these kids are handling the stacks of cash they're given at a young age, I'm not going to worry too much about it. They're being given a free education and degree from an outstanding university in addition to the NIL $. If they choose to value a one-time $50k offer over the lifetime value of a degree, then I don't know what to say to that. We all have to make choices in life, and these guys have 4 years (and lately it seems like 5 or 6) to figure it out with basketball as an incredible safety net. To address this hypothetical directly:

What happens when this athlete can no longer play, either at the collegiate level or higher? What happens then? We've provided an income for a few years that is no longer there.

That's where the free education comes in to play. They get to decide how much they want to value that, and if they choose not to value it, then that's a choice they'll have to live with.

[PreecherJenkins]

Honestly, Matt should declare for the draft / go pro. He's done everything that he needs to at the collegiate level. Coming back for another year only places him at risk for injury and derails longer term professional goals.

you think Matt Cross is an NBA player? this guy is not any where close to being drafted in the NBA. He MIGHT make a summer league roster.

[UMass'96]

Ahh, this is a tough crowd for sure.

No, I don't necessarily think that Matt is at an NBA level. But going pro is more than the NBA. And I think that he has done enough to show his potential in this regard.

My take away from the few comments is, pay the players what they want. How they manage their money and if they do so successfully or not, is not our concern or problem. They should have a degree that offsets any concern about establishing money as a new dependency.

This assumes a lot, not the least of which is that they will actually get a degree. I'm pretty sure that upward of 40% if not more, transfers do not find a new landing spot. And it is clear that the value of the degree is no longer valued since it is not taken into account of overall compensation. And just for haha's, even the NBA and NFL require new players to receive financial counseling and advice. Not sure if we have that requirement at the collegiate level.

Jolean - I think that you miss the point. Certainly, everything that you said can be true about reasons for coming back. But I would hazard that most HS players are aspiring to play at the next level. As such, they build a resume to support that. Once that is true, the rest is simply dressing, I'm asserting that Cross has already proven his value to play at the next level. So, scoring 1000 points, or achieving XX number of rebounds, is pointless at this stage other than for personal goals. The risk of being injured and not being able to play at the next level, whatever that is, seems to me greater than the benefit. Hence my comment around being selfish. If we truly support the players, then we should also fully support them leaving or not coming back when it makes sense for them - whether that be transfer or pro or something else.

[inthescoop]

^Not a tough crowd. It was just a horribly awful take. Personal goals are pointless?

[UMass'96]

No, personal goals are incredibly important. And in all fairness, I don't know Matt's personal goals.

My assumption is that if you are playing at this level in college that you have personal goals of playing at the next level, whatever that is. And at this point, my take is that Matt has done the work that he needs to in order to do that. Why risk that by returning for another year of college.

[Juice Stand]

I don't think it was a horrible take, and I hope I don't sound like I'm piling on. I thought it was an interesting question, and I'm not going to burn you for having concern for the well being of players. Responding to this point real quick:

And it is clear that the value of the degree is no longer valued since it is not taken into account of overall compensation.

When I talked about the value of the degree in my previous post, I was talking more about real-world life value. The degree is just a piece of paper, it doesn't mean anything by itself, but if you (the student athlete) bust your ass for it, learn what you're supposed to learn, and earn that degree, it becomes so much more than a piece of paper. Put that on a resume with a 4-year career as a UMass basketball player, and you can go far.