Ayanna Patterson has secured NIL representation ahead of her first season

[TeamFirst!]

Actually Jada Williams is the high school player I was thinking about with the huge social media presence. I don't get one aspect of her college choice. Both she and Kiki Rice are point guards choosing UCLA? Williams is probably the next Paige in terms of NIL money. Did Kiki choose UCLA to tap into Jada's social media and other media exposure? I know it's a controversial opinion but considering the money involved, would it not be part of the selection criteria for a lot of these top kids? It's hundreds of thousands of dollars in immediate money maybe and maybe millions over the course of their career. I think it would be a very big part of my decision.

And frankly, Uconn should use that in their recruitment while they have top social media presences like Paige and Azzi. It should be part of the recruitment pitch at least for some players. Jada Williams player's entire family moved across country to tap into NIL money while in high school. She probably got a full ride to La Jolla Country Day school as well. LA is the media and advertising capital of the world now. Are kids choosing UCLA for that reason?

Once empowered by Title IX, female athletes are now among big winners in new NIL era

High school basketball star Jada Williams is among a new wave of female athletes who are benefiting in the new NIL compensation era.

www.latimes.com

 

[Alydar]

Bueckers proved herself in high school when she had no advisers other than her parents and her coaches. And she remained humble and seemed to enjoy being around the girls who would drive hours to see her play. She just reeks of genuineness and spontaneity. That is priceless. She is the right person at the right time to take advantage of her situation and I can't think of anyone (other than myself) more deserving.

 

[TC22]

. Patterson, the No. 4 ranked player in the 2022 class, signed with Klutch Sports Group, the agency announced Wednesday.

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I do not have enough information about Klutch or the value of their representation to have an opinion about their org. I grant that. Will you grant that the biggest part of the value these players bring to the value proposition is the social media and general media presence? No eyeballs, little value. The bottom line is there needs to be something in the value proposition. For some players it's basically TV exposure during and after games. The podcasts and such are basically working their exposure to add value. PR, charity involvement, setting on the sidelines of NBA games even, is exposure and value enhancement. Every time someone sees Azzi, she adds value to the Chipotle deal as long as she stays positive in her image. Paige is a perfect storm but look at the social media following or Steph curry, who has around 40 times her social media presence.

Here’s where I don’t understand your posts. This entire thread is about Ayanna Patterson signing with Klutch. That’s what this thread is about. I have tried to explain what Klutch brings to the table. I don’t understand what you are arguing here. The whole purpose of hiring an agent is to help you get exposure and opportunities to cash in on your brand. Aliyah Boston will appear on the cover of a special edition Newsweek this week. I think Klutch is doing it’s job.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Newsweek is so hurting they were not even printed for much of the last 10 years. They were recently sold for $1 plus assumed liabilities. Ownership has changed many times as they struggle. They are no big deal any more. Klutch is at least a significant organization. I'm just wondering if the fit is right. It's not a horrible decision. They have a lot of signings. Hopefully she will get the attention she needs. If Ayanna blows up it's great for Klutch and her. If Ayanna blows up it would have been great for another agency as well. Every agency is not great just because they are big. I'm not trying to argue about it. I just hope for the best for Ayanna and it seemed like a quick decision and she's one of many in that org. I hope it works out.

 

[TC22]

You win. I'm out of this convo.

 

[Bone Dog]

I was also wondering about Jada Williams and Kiki Rice at UCLA. I think Williams announced her decision before Rice did, but I may have that wrong. I assume Rice will start at pg as soon as Osborne graduates (maybe even supplant her earlier) and Williams will be in her shadow for the next 3 years. The choice of school seems less interesting than who else chose it and when.

I'm afraid Williams may be in for a disappointment at UCLA. I wouldn't be surprised to hear she's entered the portal after a year or two. She didn't work this hard to build a social media presence just to squander it as someone else's sub. It's too bad, because she's got real talent -- maybe not as much as Ashlynn and KK, but she's still good.