Let's talk '23

[CopaCat]

You can tell that we aren’t used to losing recruiting battles.

Personally, I don’t need to know why we lost them. I need Tommy Lloyd & Co to know why we lost them and to make sure they do everything in their power not to lose them again.

I actually agree. Just surprised at where we are at on the recruiting trail right now. Never thought we would be a month into the off-season and have brought in nothing after losing so many players.

[Merkin]

When was the last time we switched a recruit when all signs we pointing away from us?

Tolbert?
Othick?

Midnight Lute! Stole both those from Tarkanian.

[CardiacCats97]

You can tell that we aren’t used to losing recruiting battles.

Personally, I don’t need to know why we lost them. I need Tommy Lloyd & Co to know why we lost them and to make sure they do everything in their power not to lose them again.

I actually agree. Just surprised at where we are at on the recruiting trail right now. Never thought we would be a month into the off-season and have brought in nothing after losing so many players.

It’s definitely concerning. And hopefully the staff is doing everything in their power to get an influx of talent. If we go into this coming season without replacing the talent we lost, it’s going to be a frustrating season.

I know everyone is enamored with Tommy’s record over his first two seasons but this is where he will truly earn his salary.

[TucsonCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

[ChooChooCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

[Beachcat97]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Very telling comment from Choo.

Ramey and Henderson were fine, but they're not game-changers. Nembhard's impact at Gonzaga next season is likely to be greater than Ramey's was at AZ this past one.

Feels like we're seeing a steady decline of overall talent coming into the program. That could change, of course, at 5pm today.

[TucsonCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Ramey was considered a high quality recruit, Choo. Not a world changer, but not a scrub either. And Henderson exceeded most of our expectations. Obviously we want the best guys possible, but we had a damn good year last year (NCAA Tourney flameout excepted), despite losing three first round picks to the draft, thanks in large part to those guys.

Now you are far more connected to the recruiting of our team than I am, or than anyone else on this board, so if you feel that it is truly time to panic, perhaps we should start to worry. But if we get the year-over-year development of the guys that are still here, we bring in Lewis, and pick up a couple more serviceable pieces to plug and play (ala Ramey and Henderson) we should be right back in the thick of things for next season. Let’s not forget that with those two, we were among the betting favorites to win the NCAA tourney (prior to shitting the bed against Princeton, or course). I’m not a sunshine and roses type of fan, but I just don’t see the imminent demise of our program on the immediate horizon, just because we haven’t picked up a transfer yet.

[TucsonCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Very telling comment from Choo.

Ramey and Henderson were fine, but they're not game-changers. Nembhard's impact at Gonzaga next season is likely to be greater than Ramey's was at AZ this past one.

Feels like we're seeing a steady decline of overall talent coming into the program. That could change, of course, at 5pm today.

Of course his impact will be greater. There is no one else in his team to act as a go-to scorer. At the moment, his roster consists of:

Anton Watson (if he pulls his name out of the draft) - A primarily defensive player, who can periodically get plenty of putbacks against smaller teams
Malachi Smith (if he pulls his name out of the draft) - A shooter, but not a good driver, and a poor defensive player
Nolan Hickman - Possibly the worst defensive guard in college basketball (the fans up here hate him)
Ben Gregg - A high energy guy, who can occasionally hit a 3 pointer, but another poor defensive player
Colby Brooks - A pure bench warmer
Abe Eagle - A pure bench warmer
Graham Ike - (transfer from Wyoming) - Good low post player, but can’t stretch the floor, and a poor defender. Also, he missed all of last year due to an injury. There is no telling how effective he may actually be, but I would t count on much, especially early.
Steele Venters - (transfer from EWU) Serviceable scorer, but easily pushed around. Can get hot from deep, but not very quick, or athletic
And three freshman, Yeo, Toohey, and Stromer. All have tools, but none are considered immediate high-level contributors.

In other words, Nembhard is going to have to win a lot of games by himself. So his impact will be greater, but it doesn’t mean they will have a better season.

[TheCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

You mean the guy that led that PAC in 3 pointers. I would take another. You can be alarmed with our current recruiting without running down former players.

[TheCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Very telling comment from Choo.

Ramey and Henderson were fine, but they're not game-changers. Nembhard's impact at Gonzaga next season is likely to be greater than Ramey's was at AZ this past one.

Feels like we're seeing a steady decline of overall talent coming into the program. That could change, of course, at 5pm today.

What would you say if we signed a 5 star point guard from last year who 24/7 said was the number #1 point guard in the country? Too early to panic and a lot of guys will be pulling their names from the NBA draft after feedback. Let's see where things sake out in the next month.

[Beachcat97]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Very telling comment from Choo.

Ramey and Henderson were fine, but they're not game-changers. Nembhard's impact at Gonzaga next season is likely to be greater than Ramey's was at AZ this past one.

Feels like we're seeing a steady decline of overall talent coming into the program. That could change, of course, at 5pm today.

What would you say if we signed a 5 star point guard from last year who 24/7 said was the number #1 point guard in the country? Too early to panic and a lot of guys will be pulling their names from the NBA draft after feedback. Let's see where things sake out in the next month.

You're right, TC. I'm happy to give this all more time. Things could look very different by August. Heck, they could look different in three hours!

[84Cat]

[Postmaster]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Very telling comment from Choo.

Ramey and Henderson were fine, but they're not game-changers. Nembhard's impact at Gonzaga next season is likely to be greater than Ramey's was at AZ this past one.

Feels like we're seeing a steady decline of overall talent coming into the program. That could change, of course, at 5pm today.

What would you say if we signed a 5 star point guard from last year who 24/7 said was the number #1 point guard in the country? Too early to panic and a lot of guys will be pulling their names from the NBA draft after feedback. Let's see where things sake out in the next month.

You're right, TC. I'm happy to give this all more time. Things could look very different by August. Heck, they could look different in three hours!

What’s in 3 hours?

[dmjcat]

[pc in NM]

Their goal was definitely to leverage money. The crazy thing is that Gonzaga apparently outbid us. That is concerning to me.

Please cite one single piece of valid and credible evidence to support this - lacking that, this is no more than piece of bs.

Common fucking sense hombre, which I assume you don't have. It's as if you forgot how college ball works now or something. You think Nembhard just left Creighton for shits and giggles or what?

I don’t know.

Neither do you.

Until there’s evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt his own personal account of his decision.

[HiCat]

Carter Bryant to
Arizona

[TheCat]

This is one guy I was really hoping for. BTFD

[Alieberman]

He’s ‘24 not ‘23

[TucsonCat]

Their goal was definitely to leverage money. The crazy thing is that Gonzaga apparently outbid us. That is concerning to me.

Please cite one single piece of valid and credible evidence to support this - lacking that, this is no more than piece of bs.

Common fucking sense hombre, which I assume you don't have. It's as if you forgot how college ball works now or something. You think Nembhard just left Creighton for shits and giggles or what?

I don’t know.

Neither do you.

Until there’s evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt his own personal account of his decision.

I’ll tell you what, PC. I live in Spokane, and there is one, and only one, Zags player that is on the commercials that play every 15-minutes on local TV, for Northern Quest Casino. And that was Drew Timme. It is (by far) the largest NIL deal in this area. If what I have heard from those inside the athletic department, who were crowing about stealing one from Arizona, is true, then Timme will soon be replaced by Nembhard. If that is the case, there is definite proof that money was a motivating factor. I’ll come back on here, when the new season begins, to let you know. If he isn’t the new face of the program, and they choose another player, I’ll come back and admit that those who shared the information with me, and myself by association, were dead wrong, and Nembhard is a classy, stand-up gentleman.

[dovecanyoncat]

Their goal was definitely to leverage money. The crazy thing is that Gonzaga apparently outbid us. That is concerning to me.

Please cite one single piece of valid and credible evidence to support this - lacking that, this is no more than piece of bs.

Common fucking sense hombre, which I assume you don't have. It's as if you forgot how college ball works now or something. You think Nembhard just left Creighton for shits and giggles or what?

I don’t know.

Neither do you.

Until there’s evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt his own personal account of his decision.

I’ll tell you what, PC. I live in Spokane, and there is one, and only one, Zags player that is on the commercials that play every 15-minutes on local TV, for Northern Quest Casino. And that was Drew Timme. It is (by far) the largest NIL deal in this area. If what I have heard from those inside the athletic department, who were crowing about stealing one from Arizona, is true, then Timme will soon be replaced by Nembhard. If that is the case, there is definite proof that money was a motivating factor. I’ll come back on here, when the new season begins, to let you know. If he isn’t the new face of the program, and they choose another player, I’ll come back and admit that those who shared the information with me, and myself by association, were dead wrong, and Nembhard is a classy, stand-up gentleman.

I used to live in Liberty Lake (east valley) in the early-mid 90s and I always had the sense that Spokane had a shit-ton of $ concentrated in a few family dynasties attached to wood-products and mining. Has the wealth evolved beyond that sector? What's your take on it?

[CardiacCats97]

TucsonCat’s post makes me wonder why the Southern Arizona casinos aren’t lining up to put our (over 21) players in all their ads.

[TucsonCat]

Please cite one single piece of valid and credible evidence to support this - lacking that, this is no more than piece of bs.

Common fucking sense hombre, which I assume you don't have. It's as if you forgot how college ball works now or something. You think Nembhard just left Creighton for shits and giggles or what?

I don’t know.

Neither do you.

Until there’s evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt his own personal account of his decision.

I’ll tell you what, PC. I live in Spokane, and there is one, and only one, Zags player that is on the commercials that play every 15-minutes on local TV, for Northern Quest Casino. And that was Drew Timme. It is (by far) the largest NIL deal in this area. If what I have heard from those inside the athletic department, who were crowing about stealing one from Arizona, is true, then Timme will soon be replaced by Nembhard. If that is the case, there is definite proof that money was a motivating factor. I’ll come back on here, when the new season begins, to let you know. If he isn’t the new face of the program, and they choose another player, I’ll come back and admit that those who shared the information with me, and myself by association, were dead wrong, and Nembhard is a classy, stand-up gentleman.

I used to live in Liberty Lake (east valley) in the early-mid 90s and I always had the sense that Spokane had a shit-ton of $ concentrated in a few family dynasties attached to wood-products and mining. Has the wealth evolved beyond that sector? What's your take on it?

I just drove through Liberty Lake this afternoon, on my way to Coeur d’Alene. It’s growing like crazy. No separation between Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake anymore. The big money in the area is primary controlled by the Hagadon family. They own 80% of CDA, Hayden and Post Falls, and drive a significant amount of the business in Spokane. Mining is still a big money driver, but less so every year, as the environmental policies in WA, have made it harder to hit the profit levels of yesteryear. With the exception of some of the old money, the casino, and the Hagadons, most of the money in the area is considered “new”, driven by a mass migration from California, and the west side of the state of WA. A little more diverse than it used to be, that’s for sure.

[pc in NM]

Their goal was definitely to leverage money. The crazy thing is that Gonzaga apparently outbid us. That is concerning to me.

Please cite one single piece of valid and credible evidence to support this - lacking that, this is no more than piece of bs.

Common fucking sense hombre, which I assume you don't have. It's as if you forgot how college ball works now or something. You think Nembhard just left Creighton for shits and giggles or what?

I don’t know.

Neither do you.

Until there’s evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt his own personal account of his decision.

I’ll tell you what, PC. I live in Spokane, and there is one, and only one, Zags player that is on the commercials that play every 15-minutes on local TV, for Northern Quest Casino. And that was Drew Timme. It is (by far) the largest NIL deal in this area. If what I have heard from those inside the athletic department, who were crowing about stealing one from Arizona, is true, then Timme will soon be replaced by Nembhard. If that is the case, there is definite proof that money was a motivating factor. I’ll come back on here, when the new season begins, to let you know. If he isn’t the new face of the program, and they choose another player, I’ll come back and admit that those who shared the information with me, and myself by association, were dead wrong, and Nembhard is a classy, stand-up gentleman.

By all accounts, Timme is "a classy, stand-up gentleman". And, most of his NIL $$$ came from national, not local, NIL sources. He signed with Seven1 Sports & Entertainment Group for representation in 2021, and a couple of his biggest deals were from Beats by Dre, Continental Tire. Most of his NIL valuation was based solely upon his name recognition, not on deals arranged through Gonzaga.

There is a likelihood that Nembhard could also make more from national sources, whether at Gonzaga OR Arizona.

And, let's not forget that Jada Williams is coming to Arizona with six-fugure NIL income before ANY local deals are made!!!

I honestly think you don't know WTF you're talking about! Prove me wrong, please!

[TucsonCat]

Please cite one single piece of valid and credible evidence to support this - lacking that, this is no more than piece of bs.

Common fucking sense hombre, which I assume you don't have. It's as if you forgot how college ball works now or something. You think Nembhard just left Creighton for shits and giggles or what?

I don’t know.

Neither do you.

Until there’s evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt his own personal account of his decision.

I’ll tell you what, PC. I live in Spokane, and there is one, and only one, Zags player that is on the commercials that play every 15-minutes on local TV, for Northern Quest Casino. And that was Drew Timme. It is (by far) the largest NIL deal in this area. If what I have heard from those inside the athletic department, who were crowing about stealing one from Arizona, is true, then Timme will soon be replaced by Nembhard. If that is the case, there is definite proof that money was a motivating factor. I’ll come back on here, when the new season begins, to let you know. If he isn’t the new face of the program, and they choose another player, I’ll come back and admit that those who shared the information with me, and myself by association, were dead wrong, and Nembhard is a classy, stand-up gentleman.

By all accounts, Timme is "a classy, stand-up gentleman". And, most of his NIL $$$ came from national, not local, NIL sources. He signed with Seven1 Sports & Entertainment Group for representation in 2021, and a couple of his biggest deals were from Beats by Dre, Continental Tire. Most of his NIL valuation was based solely upon his name recognition, not on deals arranged through Gonzaga.

There is a likelihood that Nembhard could also make more from national sources, whether at Gonzaga OR Arizona.

And, let's not forget that Jada Williams is coming to Arizona with six-fugure NIL income before ANY local deals are made!!!

I honestly think you don't know WTF you're talking about! Prove me wrong, please!

Jada Williams is a unique case. She had an enormous online following well before she ever committed to Arizona. And her NIL valuation reflects as much. Timme… Not so much. He had name recognition, but you are fooling yourself if you think that it was a full-on national brand. He was regional, at best, which is why you weren’t seeing Beats by Dre commercials (or magazine ads), featuring Drew Timme, in New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, New York, etc. Hell, you didn’t even see them in Spokane. His valuation was high, because the school facilitated his connections. Not because he had a significant online following (ala Jada Williams). His NIL-approved agent(a) worked with the school, and local businesses to make it work.

Now, what I’ve shared was shared with me. Admittedly, I do not work in the Gonzaga athletic department, but I have a number of friends that do. Could they be feeding me a line? Sure. But why would they? There is no benefit to them to do so. Again, they indicated that the majority of his NIL income did not come from national sources, but from local ones, and it was nowhere near as high as his valuation. I was honestly told to ignore valuation in these situations, because it does not reflect actual earnings. It is an estimate of earning potential. Nothing more. Again, what was shared with me is that the magazine/newspaper ads (Beats by Dre and Continental Tires) are only run locally, meaning distribution is fairly low (despite those being a national brands), and income is relative. The majority of his income was related to his commercials for the Casino (which are run on multiple regional networks, and reach a much greater consumer audience). Is it true? I don’t do his taxes, my man, so I can’t possibly confirm. But you know that, and you use your “prove it” line to reinforce your argument, which also can’t possibly be proven.

And by the way, I never said anything about Timme being anything other than a “classy stand-up gentleman”. I don’t care for his on court demeanor, but never heard anything bad about him as a person, and certainly never communicated as much, so please don’t attempt to put words into my mouth.

You can take what I’m sharing, or leave it, I really don’t care. But you can’t claim with full certainty that I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about, so respectfully shove the attitude in your pie-hole, my friend.

[ChooChooCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Ramey was considered a high quality recruit, Choo. Not a world changer, but not a scrub either. And Henderson exceeded most of our expectations. Obviously we want the best guys possible, but we had a damn good year last year (NCAA Tourney flameout excepted), despite losing three first round picks to the draft, thanks in large part to those guys.

Now you are far more connected to the recruiting of our team than I am, or than anyone else on this board, so if you feel that it is truly time to panic, perhaps we should start to worry. But if we get the year-over-year development of the guys that are still here, we bring in Lewis, and pick up a couple more serviceable pieces to plug and play (ala Ramey and Henderson) we should be right back in the thick of things for next season. Let’s not forget that with those two, we were among the betting favorites to win the NCAA tourney (prior to shitting the bed against Princeton, or course). I’m not a sunshine and roses type of fan, but I just don’t see the imminent demise of our program on the immediate horizon, just because we haven’t picked up a transfer yet.

I’m not saying it’s time to panic, but neither Ramey nor Henderson were world beaters, look no further than their performance vs Princeton. They were acceptable roster fillers to surround an All American caliber player like Tubelis. Next year we won’t have that All American caliber player to pick up the slack, so you’d need better in the portal than a Ramey/Henderson type. No matter who Arizona lands this team will make the tourney, will they be a top 2 seed? Definitely not. Maybe there’s another big option that’ll enter the portal that we can land, there’s still time, but this go around we have to aim much higher than a Ramey/Henderson type to fill two starting spots, otherwise it’s a kick the can down the road type year that’s built to pay off the following season.

[TucsonCat]

Not saying I don’t get nervous, when it comes to picking up transfers, but you all do realize that it was June 9th, and June 10th, when we picked up Ramey and Henderson Jr., right?

That's great and all if you want to be a team with that sort of quality player.

Ramey was considered a high quality recruit, Choo. Not a world changer, but not a scrub either. And Henderson exceeded most of our expectations. Obviously we want the best guys possible, but we had a damn good year last year (NCAA Tourney flameout excepted), despite losing three first round picks to the draft, thanks in large part to those guys.

Now you are far more connected to the recruiting of our team than I am, or than anyone else on this board, so if you feel that it is truly time to panic, perhaps we should start to worry. But if we get the year-over-year development of the guys that are still here, we bring in Lewis, and pick up a couple more serviceable pieces to plug and play (ala Ramey and Henderson) we should be right back in the thick of things for next season. Let’s not forget that with those two, we were among the betting favorites to win the NCAA tourney (prior to shitting the bed against Princeton, or course). I’m not a sunshine and roses type of fan, but I just don’t see the imminent demise of our program on the immediate horizon, just because we haven’t picked up a transfer yet.

I’m not saying it’s time to panic, but neither Ramey nor Henderson were world beaters, look no further than their performance vs Princeton. They were acceptable roster fillers to surround an All American caliber player like Tubelis. Next year we won’t have that All American caliber player to pick up the slack, so you’d need better in the portal than a Ramey/Henderson type. No matter who Arizona lands this team will make the tourney, will they be a top 2 seed? Definitely not. Maybe there’s another big option that’ll enter the portal that we can land, there’s still time, but this go around we have to aim much higher than a Ramey/Henderson type to fill two starting spots, otherwise it’s a kick the can down the road type year that’s built to pay off the following season.

Totally valid point. I’m not big on take a step back, development year either. But if it happens, perhaps we can enter a season with reduced expectations that we can actually surpass. Even Lute had the occasional down year. That said, I really hope one of those big options, likeyou mentioned above, pops loose over the next couple of months, because I really, really prefer to be competing for championships!

[arizonawildcats]

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Would love to have Tubelis back!!!!!!

Come back Zu!!!

[Merkin]

Would love to have Tubelis back!!!!!!

I think that would be universally agreed with, unlike the prior PG.

[dovecanyoncat]

Jada Williams is a unique case. She had an enormous online following well before she ever committed to Arizona. And her NIL valuation reflects as much. Timme… Not so much. He had name recognition, but you are fooling yourself if you think that it was a full-on national brand. He was regional, at best, which is why you weren’t seeing Beats by Dre commercials (or magazine ads), featuring Drew Timme, in New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, New York, etc. Hell, you didn’t even see them in Spokane. His valuation was high, because the school facilitated his connections. Not because he had a significant online following (ala Jada Williams). His NIL-approved agent(a) worked with the school, and local businesses to make it work.

Now, what I’ve shared was shared with me. Admittedly, I do not work in the Gonzaga athletic department, but I have a number of friends that do. Could they be feeding me a line? Sure. But why would they? There is no benefit to them to do so. Again, they indicated that the majority of his NIL income did not come from national sources, but from local ones, and it was nowhere near as high as his valuation. I was honestly told to ignore valuation in these situations, because it does not reflect actual earnings. It is an estimate of earning potential. Nothing more. Again, what was shared with me is that the magazine/newspaper ads (Beats by Dre and Continental Tires) are only run locally, meaning distribution is fairly low (despite those being a national brands), and income is relative. The majority of his income was related to his commercials for the Casino (which are run on multiple regional networks, and reach a much greater consumer audience). Is it true? I don’t do his taxes, my man, so I can’t possibly confirm. But you know that, and you use your “prove it” line to reinforce your argument, which also can’t possibly be proven.

Thanks for this context, and for the answer to my query about sector resources in the Eastern Washington/North Idaho region. Spokane was for me so white and weird back then. If not for Fairchild I doubt there would have been any POC other than tribal folk. But it made for a focused identity which I perceived as having the potential to harness regional money if it ever caught fire on a larger sports stage. Gonzaga basketball seems to have done that, so it's not surprising that the Timme success could be re-allocated to incoming recruits like Nembhard. I would have seen it beginning not with Continental Tire but with Les Schwab, but I'm a dinosaur. In contrast to Tucson, which competes with Phoenix, but doesn't have much common ground to mine to the East, Spokane can turn away from Seattle and connect with a bunch of like-mindedness all the way down to Boise and out across the northern tier. There's money there, just not alot of people, but still, it's a focused interest that matters.

[TucsonCat]

Jada Williams is a unique case. She had an enormous online following well before she ever committed to Arizona. And her NIL valuation reflects as much. Timme… Not so much. He had name recognition, but you are fooling yourself if you think that it was a full-on national brand. He was regional, at best, which is why you weren’t seeing Beats by Dre commercials (or magazine ads), featuring Drew Timme, in New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, New York, etc. Hell, you didn’t even see them in Spokane. His valuation was high, because the school facilitated his connections. Not because he had a significant online following (ala Jada Williams). His NIL-approved agent(a) worked with the school, and local businesses to make it work.

Now, what I’ve shared was shared with me. Admittedly, I do not work in the Gonzaga athletic department, but I have a number of friends that do. Could they be feeding me a line? Sure. But why would they? There is no benefit to them to do so. Again, they indicated that the majority of his NIL income did not come from national sources, but from local ones, and it was nowhere near as high as his valuation. I was honestly told to ignore valuation in these situations, because it does not reflect actual earnings. It is an estimate of earning potential. Nothing more. Again, what was shared with me is that the magazine/newspaper ads (Beats by Dre and Continental Tires) are only run locally, meaning distribution is fairly low (despite those being a national brands), and income is relative. The majority of his income was related to his commercials for the Casino (which are run on multiple regional networks, and reach a much greater consumer audience). Is it true? I don’t do his taxes, my man, so I can’t possibly confirm. But you know that, and you use your “prove it” line to reinforce your argument, which also can’t possibly be proven.

Thanks for this context, and for the answer to my query about sector resources in the Eastern Washington/North Idaho region. Spokane was for me so white and weird back then. If not for Fairchild I doubt there would have been any POC other than tribal folk. But it made for a focused identity which I perceived as having the potential to harness regional money if it ever caught fire on a larger sports stage. Gonzaga basketball seems to have done that, so it's not surprising that the Timme success could be re-allocated to incoming recruits like Nembhard. I would have seen it beginning not with Continental Tire but with Les Schwab, but I'm a dinosaur. In contrast to Tucson, which competes with Phoenix, but doesn't have much common ground to mine to the East, Spokane can turn away from Seattle and connect with a bunch of like-mindedness all the way down to Boise and out across the northern tier. There's money there, just not alot of people, but still, it's a focused interest that matters.

Spokane remains overwhelmingly white (although it is nothing in comparison to northern Idaho). And the farther north, and east, you go, the white it gets. Makes it super hard to find any good Mexican food, that’s for sure. Being half Hispanic, it is sometimes hard to find middle ground in this area. I sure do miss Southern Arizona! Born in Flagstaff, and raised in southern Arizona (with a stint in a New Mexico). That area is forever in my blood, and I miss my roots. That’s for sure!

[dovecanyoncat]

Jada Williams is a unique case. She had an enormous online following well before she ever committed to Arizona. And her NIL valuation reflects as much. Timme… Not so much. He had name recognition, but you are fooling yourself if you think that it was a full-on national brand. He was regional, at best, which is why you weren’t seeing Beats by Dre commercials (or magazine ads), featuring Drew Timme, in New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, New York, etc. Hell, you didn’t even see them in Spokane. His valuation was high, because the school facilitated his connections. Not because he had a significant online following (ala Jada Williams). His NIL-approved agent(a) worked with the school, and local businesses to make it work.

Now, what I’ve shared was shared with me. Admittedly, I do not work in the Gonzaga athletic department, but I have a number of friends that do. Could they be feeding me a line? Sure. But why would they? There is no benefit to them to do so. Again, they indicated that the majority of his NIL income did not come from national sources, but from local ones, and it was nowhere near as high as his valuation. I was honestly told to ignore valuation in these situations, because it does not reflect actual earnings. It is an estimate of earning potential. Nothing more. Again, what was shared with me is that the magazine/newspaper ads (Beats by Dre and Continental Tires) are only run locally, meaning distribution is fairly low (despite those being a national brands), and income is relative. The majority of his income was related to his commercials for the Casino (which are run on multiple regional networks, and reach a much greater consumer audience). Is it true? I don’t do his taxes, my man, so I can’t possibly confirm. But you know that, and you use your “prove it” line to reinforce your argument, which also can’t possibly be proven.

Thanks for this context, and for the answer to my query about sector resources in the Eastern Washington/North Idaho region. Spokane was for me so white and weird back then. If not for Fairchild I doubt there would have been any POC other than tribal folk. But it made for a focused identity which I perceived as having the potential to harness regional money if it ever caught fire on a larger sports stage. Gonzaga basketball seems to have done that, so it's not surprising that the Timme success could be re-allocated to incoming recruits like Nembhard. I would have seen it beginning not with Continental Tire but with Les Schwab, but I'm a dinosaur. In contrast to Tucson, which competes with Phoenix, but doesn't have much common ground to mine to the East, Spokane can turn away from Seattle and connect with a bunch of like-mindedness all the way down to Boise and out across the northern tier. There's money there, just not alot of people, but still, it's a focused interest that matters.

Spokane remains overwhelmingly white (although it is nothing in comparison to northern Idaho). And the farther north, and east, you go, the white it gets. Makes it super hard to find any good Mexican food, that’s for sure. Being half Hispanic, it is sometimes hard to find middle ground in this area. I sure do miss Southern Arizona! Born in Flagstaff, and raised in southern Arizona (with a stint in a New Mexico). That area is forever in my blood, and I miss my roots. That’s for sure!

We moved to Montana when I was 12 and I grew up in Missoula in a UofM faculty family, so the whiteness of Montana was somewhat mitigated. But I spent years planting trees in the North Idaho/NW Montana national forest districts and the only Hispanics ever to set foot there were fellow treeplanters brutally abused by crooked contractors. The hippies remnant from my generation have spread out into those woods these days but they're still way outnumbered by the weirdo sovereign citizens tat run the region. Come on back to the desert Southwest. We'll keep the light on for ya.

[dmjcat]

There are still quality players in the portal......and still entering the portal

[Bordercat]

my Dad born in Tacoma but raised in Spokane. My brother born in Spokane. I have many cousins there and my uncle and aunt live there still. Loving this banter. I remember Cour de lane to be beautiful. I wouldn't mind living out that way.

[TucsonCat]

my Dad born in Tacoma but raised in Spokane. My brother born in Spokane. I have many cousins there and my uncle and aunt live there still. Loving this banter. I remember Cour de lane to be beautiful. I wouldn't mind living out that way.

It truly is a beautiful area. If you like having four, distinct, seasons in a year, it’s hard to beat. And for someone who grew up in the deserts of the southwest, having water everywhere is a unique experience. I live 15 miles south of Loon Lake, and only a half-hour drive from Lake Coeur d’Alene, Priest Lake, Pend Oreille, and Hayden Lake. Not to mention the Spokane River. The only thing I hate is the amount of snow we get, but hey, that’s life. I miss those desert sunsets, down in Tucson though! Nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world.

[dovecanyoncat]

my Dad born in Tacoma but raised in Spokane. My brother born in Spokane. I have many cousins there and my uncle and aunt live there still. Loving this banter. I remember Cour de lane to be beautiful. I wouldn't mind living out that way.

It truly is a beautiful area. If you like having four, distinct, seasons in a year, it’s hard to beat. And for someone who grew up in the deserts of the southwest, having water everywhere is a unique experience. I live 15 miles south of Loon Lake, and only a half-hour drive from Lake Coeur d’Alene, Priest Lake, Pend Oreille, and Hayden Lake. Not to mention the Spokane River. The only thing I hate is the amount of snow we get, but hey, that’s life. I miss those desert sunsets, down in Tucson though! Nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world.

Fall in the northern Panhandle is glorious. The Larch turn. The bugs are dead. The huckleberry burns flaming crimson and the elk bugle. Wood smoke lies low in the cold valley mornings and it's perfect warm in the afternoon.

[TucsonCat]

my Dad born in Tacoma but raised in Spokane. My brother born in Spokane. I have many cousins there and my uncle and aunt live there still. Loving this banter. I remember Cour de lane to be beautiful. I wouldn't mind living out that way.

It truly is a beautiful area. If you like having four, distinct, seasons in a year, it’s hard to beat. And for someone who grew up in the deserts of the southwest, having water everywhere is a unique experience. I live 15 miles south of Loon Lake, and only a half-hour drive from Lake Coeur d’Alene, Priest Lake, Pend Oreille, and Hayden Lake. Not to mention the Spokane River. The only thing I hate is the amount of snow we get, but hey, that’s life. I miss those desert sunsets, down in Tucson though! Nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world.

Fall in the northern Panhandle is glorious. The Larch turn. The bugs are dead. The huckleberry burns flaming crimson and the elk bugle. Wood smoke lies low in the cold valley mornings and it's perfect warm in the afternoon.

Truly. The amount of color, in both the Spring and the Fall, is almost overwhelming. A favorite activity, during weekends, at those times of year, is to simply take a drive and soak it all in. As long as it doesn’t conflict with a UofA sporting event, of course. I mean a guy has to have his priorities in order, after all.

[Bordercat]

my Dad born in Tacoma but raised in Spokane. My brother born in Spokane. I have many cousins there and my uncle and aunt live there still. Loving this banter. I remember Cour de lane to be beautiful. I wouldn't mind living out that way.

It truly is a beautiful area. If you like having four, distinct, seasons in a year, it’s hard to beat. And for someone who grew up in the deserts of the southwest, having water everywhere is a unique experience. I live 15 miles south of Loon Lake, and only a half-hour drive from Lake Coeur d’Alene, Priest Lake, Pend Oreille, and Hayden Lake. Not to mention the Spokane River. The only thing I hate is the amount of snow we get, but hey, that’s life. I miss those desert sunsets, down in Tucson though! Nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world.

Fall in the northern Panhandle is glorious. The Larch turn. The bugs are dead. The huckleberry burns flaming crimson and the elk bugle. Wood smoke lies low in the cold valley mornings and it's perfect warm in the afternoon.

Truly. The amount of color, in both the Spring and the Fall, is almost overwhelming. A favorite activity, during weekends, at those times of year, is to simply take a drive and soak it all in. As long as it doesn’t conflict with a UofA sporting event, of course. I mean a guy has to have his priorities in order, after all.

I actually grew up in Glendale, AZ. But life's twist and turns brought me to East TN. I actually live about 30 mins from Knoxville. I went to the the AZ game at Thompson Bowling arena when the refs screwed us over. But I totally agree the amount of color in the spring and fall is stunning for a kid who grew up in the desert and went to UA. Winters here suck. Trees are bare and the grass is dead.. that's when I long to be home and for those beautiful AZ sunsets.

[dovecanyoncat]

my Dad born in Tacoma but raised in Spokane. My brother born in Spokane. I have many cousins there and my uncle and aunt live there still. Loving this banter. I remember Cour de lane to be beautiful. I wouldn't mind living out that way.

It truly is a beautiful area. If you like having four, distinct, seasons in a year, it’s hard to beat. And for someone who grew up in the deserts of the southwest, having water everywhere is a unique experience. I live 15 miles south of Loon Lake, and only a half-hour drive from Lake Coeur d’Alene, Priest Lake, Pend Oreille, and Hayden Lake. Not to mention the Spokane River. The only thing I hate is the amount of snow we get, but hey, that’s life. I miss those desert sunsets, down in Tucson though! Nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world.

Fall in the northern Panhandle is glorious. The Larch turn. The bugs are dead. The huckleberry burns flaming crimson and the elk bugle. Wood smoke lies low in the cold valley mornings and it's perfect warm in the afternoon.

Truly. The amount of color, in both the Spring and the Fall, is almost overwhelming. A favorite activity, during weekends, at those times of year, is to simply take a drive and soak it all in. As long as it doesn’t conflict with a UofA sporting event, of course. I mean a guy has to have his priorities in order, after all.

Steelhead spotting; the rare lion; those pesky bears. There were no wolves in my day. I have a buddy, in his early 70s now, still laces 'em up and works around Bonners Ferry. I live vicariously through him. I think I have some Danners somewhere. We've threadjacked this enough, but I'm grateful to you and Bordercat for it.

[WildcatStunner]

Just moved to Charlotte, NC last summer. As someone who grew up in the Southwest, the amount of water and green trees still blows my mind.

[Merkin]

Just moved to Charlotte, NC last summer. As someone who grew up in the Southwest, the amount of water and green trees still blows my mind.

My daughter spent 3 years in the New Bern area until about a year ago. Amazing how green it was, with all the trees, and all that running fresh water. But she said they didn't get any change of color in the fall, the leaves just turned brown.

She also hated the weather, after growing up in the cool breezy central coast of California. No cooling needed here. The NC humidity was a killer, she said it was bad half the year. Which was certainly true when we saw her one May and another time we went.

She also hated rural NC. Said there were more smokers and less teeth than she was used to. Lots of bugs too. She had a beautiful house there, which they were going to keep and retire to, but they couldn't stand living there.

But my sister and her family love Charlotte. Obviously much more urban, and a lot of yankees there.

[azgreg]

[Postmaster]

Like to watch Tacoma FD

[Bordercat]

Just moved to Charlotte, NC last summer. As someone who grew up in the Southwest, the amount of water and green trees still blows my mind.

My daughter spent 3 years in the New Bern area until about a year ago. Amazing how green it was, with all the trees, and all that running fresh water. But she said they didn't get any change of color in the fall, the leaves just turned brown.

She also hated the weather, after growing up in the cool breezy central coast of California. No cooling needed here. The NC humidity was a killer, she said it was bad half the year. Which was certainly true when we saw her one May and another time we went.

She also hated rural NC. Said there were more smokers and less teeth than she was used to. Lots of bugs too. She had a beautiful house there, which they were going to keep and retire to, but they couldn't stand living there.

But my sister and her family love Charlotte. Obviously much more urban, and a lot of yankees there.

why would she retire there if she didn't like it?

[Bordercat]

I live in rural TN now in Jefferson County. The biggest thing I miss from living in the burbs in Glendale is mostly dining options. I don't like southern cooking for the most part and I love Mexican. Glendale became such a pain in the ass with traffic and just overall growth issues. You couldn't go to the bank, get a hair-cut, post office, any of that without waiting in a long line. Last time I went back there I was driving down the road near where I grew up and I see random people walking all over down Bell rd. I'm thinking wtf is going on? They were all homeless. My buddies work for Glendale FD and they tell me they are constantly dealing with that and crackheads all the time now days. They're definitely some country bumpkins where I live, people with few teeth etc. Depends really on different counties and such. It's a shame really we can't all live in a bubble where everybody is rich and affluent and cool like ourselves. I find in the south the various spectrums of socio-economics are just more closely conglomerated together, in small towns at least. In burbs mostly, we are sheltered from those issues. Maybe it's a good think to be exposed to it for the purpose of reality? I have grown to really enjoy the slower pace of life where I live, we don't have issues with bugs, and the fall and spring are gorgeous and the summers very mild. Winters suck. I'd like to be a snowbird. I do get homesick. AZ will always be my homeland. I will never go back to living in the burbs though, maybe some place like Cottonwood or something. As far as getting bored living here, just have to travel when possible for city-breaks.

[Merkin]

Just moved to Charlotte, NC last summer. As someone who grew up in the Southwest, the amount of water and green trees still blows my mind.

My daughter spent 3 years in the New Bern area until about a year ago. Amazing how green it was, with all the trees, and all that running fresh water. But she said they didn't get any change of color in the fall, the leaves just turned brown.

She also hated the weather, after growing up in the cool breezy central coast of California. No cooling needed here. The NC humidity was a killer, she said it was bad half the year. Which was certainly true when we saw her one May and another time we went.

She also hated rural NC. Said there were more smokers and less teeth than she was used to. Lots of bugs too. She had a beautiful house there, which they were going to keep and retire to, but they couldn't stand living there.

But my sister and her family love Charlotte. Obviously much more urban, and a lot of yankees there.

why would she retire there if she didn't like it?

She liked it at first, then grew to hate it. The politics in rural NC turned her off too. My sister in Charlotte and her hubby have a cabin up in the hills, and said rural NC is a whole different world than when she lived in Tucson, although like I said, she likes urban Charlotte.

Lots of retirees in New Bern. Cost of living is extremely low, and it doesn't have brutal winters, so see a old people there. Not a whole lot of families.

[IndianaZonaFan]

KJ Lewis’ Duncanville teammate. Let’s make it happen, please!!!!

But Mike Luke will run him off.

[Beachcat97]

Were we ever involved with Holland? I don't recall seeing his name mentioned in this thread.

[IndianaZonaFan]

Were we ever involved with Holland? I don't recall seeing his name mentioned in this thread.

No, but me and KJ want him!

[Bordercat]

Just moved to Charlotte, NC last summer. As someone who grew up in the Southwest, the amount of water and green trees still blows my mind.

My daughter spent 3 years in the New Bern area until about a year ago. Amazing how green it was, with all the trees, and all that running fresh water. But she said they didn't get any change of color in the fall, the leaves just turned brown.

She also hated the weather, after growing up in the cool breezy central coast of California. No cooling needed here. The NC humidity was a killer, she said it was bad half the year. Which was certainly true when we saw her one May and another time we went.

She also hated rural NC. Said there were more smokers and less teeth than she was used to. Lots of bugs too. She had a beautiful house there, which they were going to keep and retire to, but they couldn't stand living there.

But my sister and her family love Charlotte. Obviously much more urban, and a lot of yankees there.

why would she retire there if she didn't like it?

She liked it at first, then grew to hate it. The politics in rural NC turned her off too. My sister in Charlotte and her hubby have a cabin up in the hills, and said rural NC is a whole different world than when she lived in Tucson, although like I said, she likes urban Charlotte.

Lots of retirees in New Bern. Cost of living is extremely low, and it doesn't have brutal winters, so see a old people there. Not a whole lot of families.

New Bern got hammered by a hurricane a few years back. Charlotte is not a very impressive city. The Panthers stadium might be one of the best things they have going. I'm assuming the politics in rural NC is very conservative so I have no problem there. Where I live in TN we found a little neighborhood that has the suburban feel. We live closer to Ashville which has apparently become quite a shithole with lots of crime.