Skinn: George Mason 'capable of doing anything'
Head coach Tony Skinn talks about George Mason's 80-65 win over rival George Washington, a victory that sent the Patriots to their first Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament semifinal game in program history.
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San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Can schools like St. Bonaventure and FIU thrive in college athletics without the big bucks?
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — As schools prepare to begin sharing millions with their athletes, there is no avoiding the reality that if you're not a Power Four school, you're at a disadvantage. With major conferences running the show, St. Bonaventure and Florida International don't even have a seat at the table. FIU and St. Bonaventure aren't necessarily worried about a head-to-head fight over top players with deeper-pocketed schools. The priority has become survival and finding a balance between athletics ambition and financial sustainability. Adrian Wojnarowski spoke candidly about the challenges he faced during his inaugural season as the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team. Solidifying a recruiting class that would improve the team and embrace the school culture was not easy. After July 1, when lucrative paychecks will pretty much become mandatory for blue-chip prospects, it's not going to get any easier. With some 2,000 undergraduate students, the Bonnies are outnumbered in resources and revenue when competing even against other Atlantic 10 teams like VCU, Dayton, and Saint Louis. Wojnarowski, ESPN's former lead NBA reporter, thinks he has identified a formula for locating the ideal prospect. To him, St. Bonaventure is a landing spot for international players adjusting to a new culture and college life, transfers who may have fallen short at a high major and need development, or those looking to move up to a mid-major. He admits the school upstate New York could be a pit stop on a player's journey. 'I want them to see that our environment, our coaching staff, our small school, especially for international players coming over, what I really try to sell is your adjustment to American college life," he said at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and Affiliates Convention this week. 'I think for a lot of kids, it's easier in a school with 1,900 students than a school with 19,000. And you'll come to have two great years with us, and then you'll probably end up at schools with 19,000 or 29,000,' he said. "And so you're selling, for us, we're your first step on the way to somewhere else, or the other one to me is we're the place to come when you've got to get the basketball right.' If the plan goes awry and a recruit slips away, one thing the former NBA insider refuses to do is blame the money. 'Fundraising is hard, creating new revenue streams is hard, but the one thing that I try to stay away from with us is not saying, 'Oh, we didn't get him because they offered more money,' and using that as a crutch all the time. I really examine when we lost a player,' Wojnarowski said. 'Are we being honest with ourselves in saying that we did everything outside the economics to make our case to this person?' FIU has more than 40,000 undergraduates, but the athletic department is using a similar philosophy, pinpointing advantages and opportunities to come from the settlement instead of the negatives. Similar to St. Bonaventure, FIU doesn't expect to come close to the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap available over the next year. For a competitive edge, unlocking new revenue streams is fundamental. 'To compete, from a revenue standpoint, you have to think outside the box of your conventional fundraising and targeting donors,' senior associate athletic director Joseph Corey said. 'That's why you're looking at concerts being held at different venues, different festivals to generate extra revenue to bring in, different revenue streams, and not just fundraising going after the same donors. You've got to go beyond that in order to be able to compete.' Being based in Miami has its perks. Proximity to celebrities is one of them. In August, FIU secured a 10-year partnership with Pitbull, the singer and rapper who coins himself 'Mr. 305.' 'We did the partnership with Pitbull – Pitbull Stadium. He's on tour, but part of the deal was that he would be collaborating with us and doing events for us from a fundraising standpoint," Corey said. "You've got to think outside the box. Especially in a city like Miami, it's about the experience too.' Schools unlocking creative revenue streams is something that can be expected. FIU competes in Conference USA alongside teams like Liberty, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State. The football team went 3-5 in 2024, finishing sixth in the conference. The men's basketball team finished last with a 3-15 conference record. It's hard to sell donors on losing teams. 'Let's call it what it is, FIU's not going to be able to keep up with the Alabama's of the world, the Georgia's, Michigan, or Texas, but what can we do? We can be the best in our conference. That is our goal,' Corey said. 'Let's be the best in our conference and really compete there because once you're at the top of your conference, that means more revenue in other areas. Everyone wants to donate to a winner.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
First image of Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on field together
New England Patriots cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III were captured in a picture together on the practice field at minicamp. The All-Pro corner and veteran Super Bowl champion combination will be one of the most formidable duos in any defensive backfield. Gonzalez is coming off a season where he recorded 59 tackles, 11 pass break-ups and two interceptions, while Davis had 54 tackles, 11 pass deflections and two interceptions. Advertisement Together, they are a nightmare pairing who should give opposing offenses fits. For right now, they are making life hard for second-year quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots offense on the practice field. The Patriots posted a clip of Gonzalez snagging a one-handed interception against Maye on their social media account. Gonzalez has looked like a future star in the NFL, and now, he is being paired with one of the more reliable defensive backs in the league. That goes without mentioning all of the improvements along the defensive front. The Patriots' defense has improved at every level, and now, they have a real opportunity to make some serious noise in 2025. Advertisement Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook. This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: First image of Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on field together
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
First image of Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on field together
First image of Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on field together Top 5 CB duo in the league. 🔒 — Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) June 10, 2025 New England Patriots cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III were captured in a picture together on the practice field at minicamp. The All-Pro corner and veteran Super Bowl champion combination will be one of the most formidable duos in any defensive backfield. Gonzalez is coming off a season where he recorded 59 tackles, 11 pass break-ups and two interceptions, while Davis had 54 tackles, 11 pass deflections and two interceptions. Together, they are a nightmare pairing who should give opposing offenses fits. For right now, they are making life hard for second-year quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots offense on the practice field. The Patriots posted a clip of Gonzalez snagging a one-handed interception against Maye on their social media account. Gonzalez has looked like a future star in the NFL, and now, he is being paired with one of the more reliable defensive backs in the league. That goes without mentioning all of the improvements along the defensive front. The Patriots' defense has improved at every level, and now, they have a real opportunity to make some serious noise in 2025. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
