In Reply to: I believe Cronin has said that he doesn't hold in too high posted by ej on April 27, 2025 at 11:46:42
A player like Dent is a game changer and he costs you what many schools have to spent total. Add that you're paying for Bilodeau, Dailey, Perry and Clark, all of whom have to be paid. That combined is an investment. I like the article that compared the NIL right now to the pros dealing with a salary cap - it's ledger stuff, what do I have to spend absolutely and what can I find to fill the support slots.
Booker was drafted as a starter. He's clearly not a proven sure fire guy but he has the athleticism so he probably filled the bill for getting as much as we could get in a post player without eating up all the rest of our money. Evaluating the others we're talking backups mostly so not at all surprising those two came in outside the top 300. So much depends on evaluation. If Cronin wants Brown to be tough and to be a support player, we'll see if he evaluated well. Jamerson wanted to come home and was okay with being a backup, low-minutes player - anything more than that is pure bonus.
To me, Cronin's grade on this portal class will depend on Dent mostly, of course, and then on Booker's contributions - and if he's a multi-year contributor, so much the better.
You have so much money available and you start with what you have on hand and want to keep, make them happy, and then you add what you are missing and really need - your limits are set by your budget and the marketplace - and after that there's what you have left and what is possible and trying to make the pieces fit. (and also nobody's done it before the way it's coming down last year and this).