menu
Logo
dark_mode
Logo
dark_mode
Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Should Ohio Hire a GM?
Page: 1 of 2
Bobcat Tattoo
General User
Member Since: 12/11/2022
Post Count: 256
mail
Bobcat Tattoo
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 2:17 PM
We’ve been lamenting the current NIL landscape ad nauseum, but we all know it isn’t going to change. So why not go the way of St. Bonaventure and hire a dedicated GM for the men’s basketball program? Maybe I’m being naive, but hear me out:

- Jeff Boals makes nearly $700K/year, well above the median salary for the MAC. If his salary was reduced to, say, $500K, that’s $200K extra each season we could allocate amongst the program.

- Woj at St. Bonaventure is making a paltry $75K. Now, I know that he could make far more in the open market and this a special case of him helping out his alma mater, but I have to believe that $200K would be reasonable. Hell, make one of the current assistants the GM and bump their salary a bit!

- Alternately, pay the GM 100K and allocate the other 100K to the NIL pool (or some other breakdown, like 150/50 or 125/75). From the numbers quoted in a different thread, that catches us up to our mid-major peers and would likely go a long way towards landing that coveted big man we’ve all been clamoring for.

Now, obviously asking Jeff to take a $200K pay cut is a bit dicey, but if he looks at it as $500K for personal use + $200K for building up the program at his “dream job”, would he go for it? I really don’t know. But IMO at this point the results don’t really justify investing 700K per year in him as a coach.

Another angle to look at would be hiring a GM in all sports (primarily working in the revenue sports of football + men’s basketball), and paying him/her a bit more, say $250K. Might attract better talent, and you could compensate by lopping off dollars from the coaches in a way proportional to the NIL their programs expend.

Recruiting is 100% the lifeblood of college athletics, so why not put more financial resources into it? Thoughts? Am I crazy?
BillyTheCat
General User
BTC
Member Since: 10/6/2012
Post Count: 10,860
BTC
mail
BillyTheCat
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 2:42 PM
I see it’s Happy Hour early today.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
General User
BLSS
Member Since: 7/30/2010
Post Count: 4,734
BLSS
mail
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 3:09 PM
I think the answer is yes, and that asking Jeff Boals to suddenly have a skill set that's very different than the one we hired him for doesn't make sense.

We hired one for football, right?
Alan Swank
General User
AS
Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,387
AS
mail
Alan Swank
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 3:31 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
I see it’s Happy Hour early today.
Or an early St. Patrick's Day. :)
Pete Chouteau
General User
Member Since: 11/17/2004
Location: You Can't See Me
Post Count: 1,697
mail
Pete Chouteau
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 3:39 PM
Not happening. The pay cut is a non-starter. A GM to manage NIL is putting the Brinks truck before the horse.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
General User
BLSS
Member Since: 7/30/2010
Post Count: 4,734
BLSS
mail
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 3:45 PM
Pete Chouteau wrote:expand_more
Not happening. The pay cut is a non-starter. A GM to manage NIL is putting the Brinks truck before the horse.
Same seems to be true about paying a coach $700k who seems out of his depth in the new recruiting landscape of college basketball.
M.D.W.S.T
General User
Member Since: 12/23/2021
Post Count: 3,812
mail
M.D.W.S.T
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 3:48 PM
Pete Chouteau wrote:expand_more
A GM to manage NIL is putting the Brinks truck before the horse.
Logan is the GM for football. I presume basketball will be getting one soon. Though 12 guys is far easier to manage than 100. I'm sure Jake Ness assumes most of those responsibilities.
Last Edited: 3/14/2025 3:49:09 PM by M.D.W.S.T
Bobcat Tattoo
General User
Member Since: 12/11/2022
Post Count: 256
mail
Bobcat Tattoo
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 3:50 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I see it’s Happy Hour early today.
Or an early St. Patrick's Day. :)
I am in Ireland now, so that is more like it!
Kevin Finnegan
General User
KF
Member Since: 2/4/2005
Location: Rockton, IL
Post Count: 1,230
KF
mail
Kevin Finnegan
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 4:26 PM
Jason Preston? I saw that Davidson just named Steph Curry its Assistant GM. Might as well market one of our own who seems to be dedicated to the university.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
General User
BLSS
Member Since: 7/30/2010
Post Count: 4,734
BLSS
mail
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 5:13 PM
I'm not wild about the idea of giving the job to Preston just because he's a (relatively) high profile basketball alum, and I'm definitely not in favor of giving the job to one of our current assistants.

If we create a new job, we can't be lazy about it. We need to make sure the goals are clear, the hire has relevant experience (i.e. knows how to evaluate talent, negotiate contracts, manage a 'salary cap', connect with players, set expectations super clearly), and interview aggressively.

Those skills are table stakes for this role and just because Preston was a good point guard for us does not necessarily mean he'd be good at this. We should be tapping into our sports management alumni and looking hard at who is working in pro front offices (or on staffs at P5 Football/basketball powers). We can't afford him, but we have an alum who is an assistant GM and ran analytics for the Magic.
cc-cat
General User
C
Member Since: 4/5/2006
Location: matthews, NC
Post Count: 4,043
C
mail
cc-cat
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 5:35 PM
yes. someone needs to have that roll (though not likely for just men’s basketball). Glad to hear the football program is responding to the real world. hopefully our graduate sports ad program is preparing graduates for the role, though knowing them they are still focusing on turning out SIDs

fyi. steph at Davidson is for soliciting and public profile not management. also helps that the co-gm is a billionaire finance guy.
Last Edited: 3/14/2025 5:40:16 PM by cc-cat
GoCats105
General User
GC105
Member Since: 1/31/2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Post Count: 7,861
GC105
mail
GoCats105
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 5:51 PM
Someone else mentioned in another thread that all NIL dollars for the program are distributed at the discretion of Boals, i.e. there aren't single player NIL deals for the basketball team. Is that correct? I wonder how many other schools are doing something like that. I actually don't hate this to a certain degree, but I'm wondering how it works. Is it a pooled salary type thing and everyone gets a fair share or is Boals legitimately the final word on how much a particular player gets and/or it's performance based?
Last Edited: 3/14/2025 5:51:50 PM by GoCats105
FearLeon
General User
Member Since: 3/12/2005
Post Count: 5,173
mail
FearLeon
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 6:49 PM
My GM vote goes to FJC31. He would be fantastic.
#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT #NoMissesAllowed #NoOtherTeamInAmericaFlexesLikeOhio #11Months
Alan Swank
General User
AS
Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,387
AS
mail
Alan Swank
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 7:03 PM
Raising any money for OU right now considering the beating the university is taking for "pausing" two high profile events is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. It's a career killer for a new person coming in looking to move up the ladder.
JSF
General User
Member Since: 1/29/2005
Location: Houston, TX
Post Count: 6,599
mail
JSF
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 7:23 PM
Yes, we should, but we don't have the necessary resources.
"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

My blog about depression and mental illness: https://bit.ly/3buGXH8
Bobcat Tattoo
General User
Member Since: 12/11/2022
Post Count: 256
mail
Bobcat Tattoo
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 8:07 PM
Pete Chouteau wrote:expand_more
Not happening. The pay cut is a non-starter. A GM to manage NIL is putting the Brinks truck before the horse.
It may very well be a non-starter. But let’s say hypothetically that Boals struggles next year and is let go. Would we be in favor of paying the new coach say, $400K, hiring a GM at $200K, and adding $100K to the NIL pot? I certainly would. This wouldn’t raise the total expenditures but would, in my opinion, be a better way to manage the budget.
Last Edited: 3/14/2025 8:13:15 PM by Bobcat Tattoo
Bobcat1996
General User
B1996
Member Since: 1/2/2017
Post Count: 1,264
B1996
mail
Bobcat1996
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 8:50 PM
First of all good luck finding any information on Boals recent renewal contract information last spring, but he is making closer to 850 K, not 700 K. Also, like someone mentioned good luck getting the head coach to take a huge cut in pay to grab a GM. However in the last six seasons Ohio has 64 regular season conference wins trailing Akron by 19, Toledo by 16 and Kent by 7. Nice move by the administration making him the highest paid coach in the league.
Felix
General User
F
Member Since: 11/26/2010
Post Count: 132
F
mail
Felix
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 10:15 PM
Miami hired a real winner, who will make $300,000 this year. The contract is easily found online.
Last Edited: 3/14/2025 10:28:31 PM by Felix
giacomo
General User
G
Member Since: 11/20/2007
Post Count: 2,801
G
mail
giacomo
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 10:17 PM
Hiring a GM assumes that we have a pool of money to pay players in the NIL world. Better get out your checkbooks.
Athens
General User
Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Alexandria, VA
Post Count: 5,496
mail
Athens
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 10:51 PM
Bobcat1996 wrote:expand_more
First of all good luck finding any information on Boals recent renewal contract information last spring, but he is making closer to 850 K, not 700 K. Also, like someone mentioned good luck getting the head coach to take a huge cut in pay to grab a GM. However in the last six seasons Ohio has 64 regular season conference wins trailing Akron by 19, Toledo by 16 and Kent by 7. Nice move by the administration making him the highest paid coach in the league.
He's the highest paid coach because Ohio is the number 1 program in the MAC (as said by Jim Schaus). If that is true then hire a GM at the #1 salary in the MAC. Still cheaper than buying out Boals contract.
Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Fiami @ Peden with 25,086 fans
2023 10-7 near shutout of Iowa State @ Solich Field
2025 17-10 defeat of WVU @ Peden in front of 26,740
OhioCatFan
General User
Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 15,977
mail
OhioCatFan
mail
Posted: 3/14/2025 10:57 PM
Bobcat1996 wrote:expand_more
First of all good luck finding any information on Boals recent renewal contract information last spring, but he is making closer to 850 K, not 700 K. Also, like someone mentioned good luck getting the head coach to take a huge cut in pay to grab a GM. However in the last six seasons Ohio has 64 regular season conference wins trailing Akron by 19, Toledo by 16 and Kent by 7. Nice move by the administration making him the highest paid coach in the league.
One trick pony.
The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org
Bobcat1996
General User
B1996
Member Since: 1/2/2017
Post Count: 1,264
B1996
mail
Bobcat1996
mail
Posted: 3/15/2025 3:01 PM
If Ohio is the number one program in the conference, then Schaus and some of the people who think that way are living on another planet. Akron by far is the top hoops program in this conference. And Toledo and Kent have more conference wins in the last six seasons than Boals. Ohio is not the top program, however the administration doesn’t mind paying like it is the top program. Keep congratulating this administration on these contract blunders.
GraffZ06
General User
Member Since: 1/5/2005
Location: Dayton, OH
Post Count: 2,451
mail
GraffZ06
mail
Posted: 3/15/2025 5:39 PM
Should we? In an ideal world - yes.

Will we? No.

Not sure we have enough $$ to a) hire one or b) have enough $$ to spread around that it needs a position to manage it.
BillyTheCat
General User
BTC
Member Since: 10/6/2012
Post Count: 10,860
BTC
mail
BillyTheCat
mail
Posted: 3/15/2025 8:38 PM
We could have a fundraiser during Black Alumni Weekend when many of our former athletes come home. Oh wait!
JSF
General User
Member Since: 1/29/2005
Location: Houston, TX
Post Count: 6,599
mail
JSF
mail
Posted: 3/15/2025 11:25 PM
Bobcat1996 wrote:expand_more
If Ohio is the number one program in the conference, then Schaus and some of the people who think that way are living on another planet. Akron by far is the top hoops program in this conference. And Toledo and Kent have more conference wins in the last six seasons than Boals. Ohio is not the top program, however the administration doesn’t mind paying like it is the top program. Keep congratulating this administration on these contract blunders.
Dude is so angry at "the administration," he doesn't even know who's in it.
"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

My blog about depression and mental illness: https://bit.ly/3buGXH8
Showing Messages: 1 - 25 of 31
View Other Ohio Basketball Topics
reply
vertical_align_top
vertical_align_center
vertical_align_bottom
add_comment
chevron_forward
MAC News Links
chevron_left
Saturday, October 17, 2026
chevron_right
Who's Online

There are 87 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com

84 Guests