The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, October 3, 2019— 5A
Big Ten reacts to NIL law with mix of apprehension, ignorance and support
ROSEMONT, Ill. — On Monday,
the college athletics world was
rocked to its core.
California Gov. Gavin Newsome
signed a bill into law that, starting
in 2023, allows college athletes to
benefit off their name, image and
likeness (NIL). It’s the beginning
of the payoff of a social movement
that
rallied
professional
and
amateur athletes alike to push
for the right of athletes to benefit
off the name on the back of their
jersey, as well as the name on the
front.
So it’s no doubt that this issue
cast a large shadow over Big Ten
Media Day on Wednesday. With
the ground shifting beneath their
feet, coaches from programs both
big and small were quick to get
ahead of the issue and take a stance
on the topic.
Some
chose
to
champion
the issue. Some chose to plead
ignorance. But none outwardly
said the move was bad for the
world of college athletics and
all that universities do for their
players. That is, except Big Ten
Commissioner Jim Delaney.
His argument rests on the back
of a claim that with only 1 or 2
percent of college athletes likely to
profit from this new rule, why spoil
the fun for the rest of the field?
Kicking off the day’s festivities
with his opinion on the issue,
Delaney argued that the sport of
basketball takes place in many
environments, some of which pay
their players and some of which do
not. The Big Ten and the NCAA do
not.
“We’re not perfect,” Delaney
said,
“but
I
think
that
the
opportunities that we have for the
great many shouldn’t be sacrificed
to the one percent who would
probably have an opportunity to
benefit here.
“It’s a college game. It’s different
than the NBA, different than the
Olympics and different than the
playground. So I think that we’re
able to maintain the opportunities
that we have for men and women
and avoid pay-for-play so far as we
can.”
As
it
stands
now,
the
California bill would not limit the
opportunities for the majority of
college athletes who won’t have a
shot to profit off their likeness. So
how this new law might potentially
take away from these athletes
in the Big Ten remains unclear,
but one thing is: the door to NIL
profits for college athletes has been
opened.
With this development comes
many concerns for coaches outside
the state of California. Now that
student athletes in the golden state
may have the opportunity to net
extra profits, any recruit with NBA
aspirations and common sense will
make a mad dash out west. The
question now turns to leveling the
playing field.
“I think there’s still ways we
need to learn because we do have
to keep this on a level playing
field,” said Penn State coach Pat
Chambers, “because if it gets out
of whack, well we’re gonna lose
out because of recruiting when it
comes to being competitive in the
Big Ten and across the country.”
For many athletes and coaches,
the question is about fairness.
What do you imagine when you
think of the traditional college
athlete? A pimple-faced teenager
struggling
to
handle
both
transition defense
and introductory
biology? Perhaps.
What
about
a
married,
father
of two with bills
to pay, mouths to
feed and a whole
course
load
to
balance? If that
doesn’t
sound
right, then meet Michigan State
forward Xavier Tillman.
When discussing the issue of
pay to play, Tillman was quick to
admit that a few extra dollars in
his pocket would go a long way
in filling the gaps his scholarship
can’t quite cover towards expenses
such as child care. The junior also
posited that the California ruling
could aid NBA-bound players in
navigating the business end of
things surrounding monetizing a
player’s
athletic
ability.
“I
think
it’s
good
just
to
educate
NBA
prospects
or
college
players
who
have
the
potential to play
in
the
NBA,”
Tillman said. “To
educate them on
business decisions
and stuff like that when they go to
the NBA Draft, so it’ll be kind of
nice for them.”
Other players, like the Nittany
Lions’ Lamar Stevens, thinks it’s
just flat-out wrong that others, such
as colleges and administrators,
are profiting off a college athlete’s
name and face – especially when
that athlete may be struggling.
Michigan junior forward Isaiah
Livers echoed this sentiment,
arguing that college players don’t
have other opportunities to earn
cash, so this new development will
be welcomed by those struggling to
make ends meet.
“At a time when you literally
have to spend money on your
rent, those are the things you’re
thinking about,” Livers said. “You
can’t spend this money because
you have to save it for something
that has to be paid for, and it’s kind
of dangerous like, ‘Man, I don’t
have the money to eat.’ You have to
go to a dorm and have someone let
you in, go get East Quad or South
Quad food, and it’s sad man.”
Joining Tillman and Livers,
there were several Big Ten coaches
who voiced active encouragement
of the ruling despite potentially
disruptive
unintended
consequences. Minnesota coach
Richard Pitino, Iowa coach Fran
McCaffrey and Nebraska coach
Fred Hoiberg were among some of
the big names who thought of the
bill as progress
for their student
athletes.
Others,
like
new
Michigan
coach
Juwan
Howard
or
Michigan
State
coach
Tom
Izzo, were more
apprehensive.
Howard, making
$2
million
this year, claimed ignorance on
the issue, stating that he is too
preoccupied
with
getting
the
reigns under control of his program
to lend any thought on the issue.
Izzo on the other hand, making
$4.3 million this year, had done his
research and still is unsure about
the consequences despite voicing
support in helping athletes earn
whatever they can.
But he made one point crystal
clear: “I sure as hell don’t think
it’s politicians’ job
to get involved in
this.”
Whose
job
it
actually is will be
litigated to death
in
the
coming
years. With many
institutions seeking
to weigh in on the
hot button issue,
don’t think you’ve
heard the last of
college players being compensated
for their likeness. California’s
new law is just the beginning
with similar legislation being
introduced across the country, and
among all the confusion, one thing
is clear – college athletics are about
to change forever.
Michigan goalies focusing on mental readiness
Hayden
Lavigne
crouched
between the posts, knees bent,
head up and readied himself for the
oncoming shots.
Down the ice, 200 feet away,
Strauss Mann mirrored a similar
stance.
And somewhere in the middle,
Jack Leavy, the third goaltender,
stood, awaiting the signal to switch
with Lavigne or Mann.
Then it happened.
Lavigne raised his hand, and
Leavy headed towards him mid-
drill. As he reached the left post,
a puck was shot at Lavigne. With
Lavigne guarding the right post
and Leavy on the left, the two
goalies came up with a save. Then
Leavy took over for the remainder
of the drill — a seamless transition.
It was an example of the type of
synergy and ability they lacked all
last year.
Looking at the goaltending stats
from last season, the numbers don’t
lie. There’s nowhere to hide. Mann
and Lavigne struggled. Out of the
60 teams playing NCAA Division
I hockey, Michigan finished 59th
in goaltending. It finished the year
with 13-16-7 record.
New goalie coach Kris Mayotte
knows this season has to be
different.
“I think they’d be the first ones
to tell you that it has to improve,”
Mayotte said. “But I think from
what I’ve spoken with them about,
and from what I’ve heard, they
went into this last offseason with
that mindset and that goal that
they could come in this year and
improve on that. I think their work
ethic has been really good, their
attention to detail has been good
and their desire to improve.”
From the end of last season to
now, the coaching staff has been
watching, observing and taking
notes all in an effort to answer the
question that haunted Michigan
last season — who will be the
starting goaltender?
Despite the efforts, there are still
kinks to be worked out. Mayotte
spent the last month working to
break any bad summer habits the
three might have developed.
One of the biggest shifts between
summer and season training is the
focus required. In the summer,
goaltenders face multiple shots
back-to-back, sometimes all from
the same spot one player after
another. But in the game, there’s
only one puck to focus on.
Mayotte
matches
the
enthusiasm of Mann and Lavigne.
Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, he
reached out to introduce himself
and begin forming the important
bond between players and coaches.
The day of his first practice as
goalie coach, he wasted no time.
Two words broke apart the
huddle
signaling
the
end
of
practice: “Go Blue.”
Slapping their sticks against
the ice, the players skated for the
locker room. But the goalies, upon
changing, headed straight for
Mayotte’s office to review film.
“Having him not be shy at all and
jump right in to giving us advice
right away has been a good way to
just start the season,” Lavigne said.
“To make the most of these limited
practice hours that we’ve had. He’s
done a good job of just acclimating
real quick and getting us adjusted
to his new coaching style real fast.”
For Lavigne, the biggest obstacle
between him and the starting spot,
is his mental game.
A disappointing performance
in net and a lack of consistency
knocked his confidence last year.
During the 2017-18 season, Lavigne
was in net for the Wolverines
throughout their Frozen Four
run. But last year, the goaltending
he displayed during that run was
nowhere to be found. He ended the
season with a losing record, going
7-8-3 with an .883 save percentage
and a 3.16 goals averaged against.
Lavigne’s mental struggle was
so taxing that he couldn’t work
much on the technical side of his
goaltending like he wanted.
“Last year obviously was a tough
one for me,” Lavigne said. “But I
think I learned a lot out of it from
the mental side of things and how
to handle certain situations. How
to hold myself accountable and the
things that I wanna do that I didn’t
do very well last year. So it was a
good learning stone from there.”
Statistically, Mann didn’t fare
much better. He posted a 6-8-4
record, though slightly edged out
Lavigne with a .895 save percentage
and a 2.91 GAA.
Strauss’ obstacle is identical to
Lavigne’s. Throughout the summer,
he emphasized the importance
of getting in the right headspace
following a tough season.
Mentally, he emphasized just
playing and staying relaxed rather
than overthinking every save.
Once things clicked, he focused
on staying loose to allow for more
explosiveness out of his set up and
fundamentals.
Because being mentally strong
is such a crucial part of being
a goaltender — almost more
important
than
the
physical
strength in the eyes of Michigan
coach Mel Pearson.
Goaltenders have a variety of
resources available to them. During
talks between the netminders and
coaching staff, coaches stress the
importance of attitude, preparation
and focus on things that can be
controlled rather than what can’t.
A
confidence
boost
came
Lavigne’s way on Monday when the
Big Ten Coaches Poll was released
and his name was on the list of
honorable mentions.
“That’s a huge honor,” Lavigne
said. “After not coming off a great
season last year, it still means that
the coaches and the people that
participate in that poll still see what
I’m capable of.”
Even now with both goaltenders
mentally strong, the question of
who will be Michigan’s starting
goaltender is no closer to being
answered. The exhibition match
Sunday offers a chance for some
clarity. Pearson wants both players
to have an opportunity to show
what they’re capable of and how far
they’ve come.
“They’re both going to get an
opportunity in the first game,”
Pearson said. “They’ll both play
some minutes, and we’ll just go
from there. A lot of it’s based even
on just how they do there.
“You take it week by week right
now especially early in the season
because they both haven’t played
for so long. You just hope one of
them’s ready to go, if not both of
them. I’d like to see both of them
really have a great competition
and make it hard on the coaches to
decide who’s gonna play.”
Hailey Borja leads ‘M’
in Windy City Classic
Golf has its ups and downs. It
can have its beautiful drives down
the middle of the fairway or its
wayward shots deep into the abyss
of the rough.
It’s a patient game, and the
Michigan women’s golf team
stayed the course at the Windy City
Classic on Monday and Tuesday
in Golf, Ill. The
Wolverines
struggled
during the first
round
of
play,
but
eventually
finished
strong
in the second day
placing 14th out
of 15 teams
In a field full
of schools ranked
in the Top 25
according to the
Women’s Golf Coach’s Association,
Michigan coach Jan Dowling
knew it was going to be a test of her
team’s determination.
“It was a heck of a test for us
and a heck of an opportunity,”
Dowling said. “We had a solid
round (Tuesday) but I think the
first round Monday got us into a
pretty big hole,
so that part was
unfortunate but
I think it clears
up what we need
to
do
moving
forward.”
After
play
ended
on
Monday,
Michigan
sat
in
15th
place
with a score of
605
(plus-29).
Freshman Hailey Borja led the
team in just her second career start
as a Wolverine, sitting tied for 23rd
going into the second day of play.
Borja tied for 19th place when
the dust settled, shooting a 217
(plus-1). Dowling had nothing
but praise for the freshman
golfer, whose finish gives her two
consecutive top-20 finishes early
in the season.
“She’s one of the steadiest
golfers I’ve been around and I
think that will bode well for her
moving forward throughout her
career,” Dowling said. “She should
be pretty thrilled with her top-20
finish but I know she thinks she
could do even better.”
Following
Borja
were
sophomores
Ashley
Lau
and
Sophia
Trombetta,
who
shot
respective scores
of 226 (plus-10)
and 227 (plus-
11).
Trombetta
had
a
stellar
final
round,
finishing
out
with a 71(minus-
1), which made
her
the
only
Wolverine to hit
under par for the
tournament.
The results of
the Windy City Classic aren’t the
only results that matter for the
Wolverines, though.
Three
players
played
as
individuals at Eastern Michigan
University in the Shirley Spork
Invitational
on
Monday
and
Tuesday. Those three players were
freshman Julia Schulz, junior
Ashley Kim and
freshman Anika
Dy, who placed
first,
fourth
and
second,
respectively.
The next two
tournaments for
the
team
will
both be in North
Carolina as they
travel to Chapel
Hill to play in
the
Tar
Heel
Invitational next week and the
Landfall Tradition in Wilmington
at the end of the month.
“We had a nice finish to our
tournament
here
in
Chicago
and we hope to use that as
momentum,” Dowling said. “We’ll
be back at it again for two more
great tournaments coming up that
we’re really excited for.”
JAMES HILL
Daily Sports Writer
WOMEN’S GOLF
JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Under California’s new name, image and likeness law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsome this week, college athletes can make money off endorsements.
We had a nice
finish ... and we
hope to use that
as momentum.
It’s kind of
dangerous like,
‘Man, I don’t
have the money.’
You have to
... go get East
Quad or South
Quad food.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior goaltender Hayden Lavigne is coming off a poor 2018-19 season in which he split time with Strauss Mann.
MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer
(Borja’s) one of
the steadiest
golfers I’ve
been around.