2026-27 Ohio State Men's Basketball

[DZ83CK]

i don't understand, given the overall financial strength of the athletic department, why OSU can't (won't?) get the best coach capable of doing more with more. we're not some midrate outfit... go get it. we have the money. it's a choice.

The coach isn't the problem as much as the funding is the problem. Coaches like Calipari and May chose not to come to OSU because the roster funding was better elsewhere. OSU football is the priority for roster funding. OSU men's basketball absolutely is in a position where the coach has to take some gambles on high upside players to make up for not being able to buy the best players.

 

[DZ83CK]

So OSU needs the best coach capable of doing more with less. A coach that enhances super stars need not apply.

I don't think that I would go that far. They can get one star per season like Anthony Thompson or Bruce Thornton, and when those stars come they do get enhanced. Bruce Thornton developed really well over 4 years, he was getting better and better every season. But they will not have a team of stars. They have to win with building good teams that work together and doing well scouting, projecting and developing guys that aren't the highest end recruits.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I think this means they didn't over pay for Pippen and Jelavic. If they did I doubt they'd even be able to be in contention here

 

[shetuck]

The coach isn't the problem as much as the funding is the problem. Coaches like Calipari and May chose not to come to OSU because the roster funding was better elsewhere. OSU football is the priority for roster funding. OSU men's basketball absolutely is in a position where the coach has to take some gambles on high upside players to make up for not being able to buy the best players.

well... right... i understand that the funding isn't there, obviously.

what i don't understand is why the funding isn't there. we probably have one of, if not the wealthiest athletic departments in the country. other schools which shall remain nameless, seem to manage to do it. what's the blocking point for us?

 

[DZ83CK]

well... right... i understand that the funding isn't there, obviously.

what i don't understand is why the funding isn't there. we probably have one of, if not the wealthiest athletic departments in the country. other schools which shall remain nameless, seem to manage to do it. what's the blocking point for us?

NIL is based on wealthy donors contributing to the program. Duke has a ton of NBA guys, so does Kentucky, UNC, Kansas. OSU doesn't have that many former NBA guys to kick in to NIL. Some other programs might not have a rich history of pros, but they might have other rich donors instead who have fortunes from big oil or big tech. OSU has Les Wexner, who apparently has no interest in contributing to NIL, and no other billionaire donors. Most college athletic departments don't make money, and even OSU's profits are limited, we're talking $5M to $20M profit per year, and it's variable. Ideally the athletic department would cut down on costs and find a way to invest more in NIL, but that's not what higher education does, everything always gets bigger and more expensive. So they have to rely on wealthy donors, who aren't all that plentiful.

 

[buckeyemania11]

NIL is based on wealthy donors contributing to the program. Duke has a ton of NBA guys, so does Kentucky, UNC, Kansas. OSU doesn't have that many former NBA guys to kick in to NIL. Some other programs might not have a rich history of pros, but they might have other rich donors instead who have fortunes from big oil or big tech. OSU has Les Wexner, who apparently has no interest in contributing to NIL, and no other billionaire donors. Most college athletic departments don't make money, and even OSU's profits are limited, we're talking $5M to $20M profit per year, and it's variable. Ideally the athletic department would cut down on costs and find a way to invest more in NIL, but that's not what higher education does, everything always gets bigger and more expensive. So they have to rely on wealthy donors, who aren't all that plentiful.

I know "but look at Michigan" is a fun go to but scUM has been able to do it because they've pretty much currently waived the white flag and accepted that their football team is mostly ceiling capped at 9-3 type seasons and not being a serious threat for titles at all and have instead just thrown the sink at hoops now.

 

[calibuck]

Read somewhere that Calipari wanted to come to tOSU, but his quesiton of.....how much is in the 'pot' for good players. Apparently the answer from AD (?) wasn't enough for his liking. So why come to the Buckeyes when he could go to another program who could buy him better players to make his reputation better? The answer is obvious.

 

[calibuck]

For those with a short-term memory (me), Gene Smith led the charge to concentrate funds on the 'Director's Cup' athletes. Don't really know how successful that strategy was, but if memory serves, tOSU has finished in the top 6 (?) pretty much all the time. Football has been in the top 5 for years now, and is the most expensive game in town. Well, there's no New York celebration for the 'winner' of Director's Cup, just a byline in the newspaper (probably below the fold) about the year-end standings. I don't even know if there's a trophy, traveling or not, that a school can/would keep. Or even where to display it! It is, however, a symbol of financial commitment to many aspects of college athletics. Why, Ohio State is able to compete successfully on these varied stages, but fail so woefully in basketball is a mystery to me. Do not believe that a multi-million dollar HC is the answer, or throwing out $25M at five athletes that have performed 'pretty well', and hope to meld together to win a Natty. Truly don't have an answer, but do firmly believe that tOSU could be doing better. Would welcome a 'happy middle' here. Forgive the Monday morning rant, but want to see tOSU get back to winning ways, and not a one-and-done championship, but a sustained presentation of accomplishment.

 

[buckeyemania11]

For those with a short-term memory (me), Gene Smith led the charge to concentrate funds on the 'Director's Cup' athletes. Don't really know how successful that strategy was, but if memory serves, tOSU has finished in the top 6 (?) pretty much all the time. Football has been in the top 5 for years now, and is the most expensive game in town. Well, there's no New York celebration for the 'winner' of Director's Cup, just a byline in the newspaper (probably below the fold) about the year-end standings. I don't even know if there's a trophy, traveling or not, that a school can/would keep. Or even where to display it! It is, however, a symbol of financial commitment to many aspects of college athletics. Why, Ohio State is able to compete successfully on these varied stages, but fail so woefully in basketball is a mystery to me. Do not believe that a multi-million dollar HC is the answer, or throwing out $25M at five athletes that have performed 'pretty well', and hope to meld together to win a Natty. Truly don't have an answer, but do firmly believe that tOSU could be doing better. Would welcome a 'happy middle' here. Forgive the Monday morning rant, but want to see tOSU get back to winning ways, and not a one-and-done championship, but a sustained presentation of accomplishment.

I don't think there is really one answer.

I think it's definitely clear that you have to spend money, but yea it also involves a lot of luck of players actually meshing well and avoiding injuries.

Kentucky, North Carolina and Indiana all spent a lot of money and didn't do dick with it for example.