'It's huge': Money talks as UNLV basketball nets big payday from NIL tournament

UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger celebrates a play during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against San Jose State at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, March 2, 2024. Photo by Steve Marcus

Think about how good of an offer it would take to entice someone to pass on a trip to Hawaii.

That’s the Godfather-level offer the UNLV basketball program received from the Players Era Festival, a Las Vegas-based event that is set to pay the Scarlet and Gray $1 million dollars for competing in its second annual tournament in November.

UNLV’s addition to the 16-team field was announced on Wednesday — just about nine months after agreeing to play in the 2025 Maui Invitational, which is scheduled for the same weekend.

NCAA rules prohibit teams from playing in more than one multiteam event, or MTE, per season, so the choice came down to a week of sun and sand at one of college basketball’s most prestigious in-season tournaments, or a big bag of cold, hard cash.

It turned out to be an easy call.

“For our program, it’s huge,” UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger said of the decision to pivot to the Players Era tournament.

Since the introduction of name, image and likeness payments for players, a healthy budget has become key to building a good team. The Players Era Festival arrived in 2024 to fill that need, giving seven-figure payouts to each participant’s NIL collective.

Those big bucks have attracted some of the sport’s top programs this time around. Auburn, Houston, Tennessee, Alabama, St. John’s, Iowa State, Gonzaga and Kansas are set to participate in the 2025 event; six of those teams are currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll, so there’s a decent chance next year’s Players Era will feature the defending national champion.

According to UNLV junior forward Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, the money was enough to get the attention of the current players and the strong field is a bonus.

“Honestly it’s cool,” Cherry said. “The money and stuff is cool, but it’s also great being on a big stage like that.”

The pull is strong, even for programs that may already be flush with cash. Like UNLV, Baylor and Iowa State were announced as part of next year’s Maui Invitational before reconsidering and taking the check from the Players Era.

Though it stings to abandon Maui, Kruger said UNLV has to do what’s best for its basketball program.

“Obviously the Maui is the premier event for MTEs around Thanksgiving time for college basketball,” Kruger said. “We’re not the only team who has moved things around to be in an event where contributions are made toward NIL. It’s such a big part of the game now and a priority for athletic departments and programs.”

A million dollars can go a long way for UNLV. The Scarlet and Gray are spending about that much on the entire 2024-25 roster, according to a source, so adding another million on top of that going forward could give the coach a serious leg up in attracting talent from the transfer portal.

The NCAA forbids coaches from being directly involved in brokering NIL deals, so collectives operate separately to hook up players with earning opportunities. Sophomore star D.J. Thomas is UNLV’s highest paid player with a robust six-figure deal.

Kruger said a million-dollar NIL infusion can help UNLV add players and also encourage more donations.

“A large part of being a basketball coach has always been fundraising, but now it’s pivoted a little bit in terms of the direction of the fundraising,” Kruger said. “A number like that and a contribution like that, at our program and our level, is huge. It also gives you a little bit more clarity while you’re still out trying to help bring NIL awareness to the program.”

Kruger has been on the NIL bandwagon from the start and would have been willing to play in last year’s inaugural Players Era Festival if invited. Now UNLV gets in for Year 2 and will bank $1 million without even having to pack a suitcase or board a plane.

When asked how the money should be distributed, Cherry laughed, dollar signs almost visibly flashing in his eyes.

“I think everybody should get a little piece of it,” he said with a smile. “Everybody should be even, for sure.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.