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No. 2 UCLA Heads to Center of Effort Challenge

LOS ANGELES — No. 2 UCLA (24-4) heads to San Luis Obispo, Calif., this week to participate in the Center of Effort Challenge (April 11-12). The Bruins will open with No. 4 LMU (26-4) on Friday, April 11 at 1:45 p.m. PT. UCLA will conclude day one with No. 12 Arizona State (17-9) at 5:30 p.m. PT. The Bruins will open […]

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No. 2 UCLA Heads to Center of Effort Challenge

LOS ANGELES — No. 2 UCLA (24-4) heads to San Luis Obispo, Calif., this week to participate in the Center of Effort Challenge (April 11-12). The Bruins will open with No. 4 LMU (26-4) on Friday, April 11 at 1:45 p.m. PT. UCLA will conclude day one with No. 12 Arizona State (17-9) at 5:30 p.m. PT. The Bruins will open day two with No. 1 TCU (19-3) on Saturday, April 12 at 12:45 p.m. PT and conclude the tournament with a playoff match (either first, third, fifth, or seventh). No live stream will be provided, but each dual will have live scores (links provided below).

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
Opponent: No. 4 LMU (26-4) | LIVE SCORES
Location: Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex | San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
Time: 1:45 p.m. PT
Series History: UCLA leads 20-6 | Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: L 3-2 (April 6, 2025 – Best of the West – Laguna Beach – Laguna Beach, Calif.)

Opponent: No. 12 Arizona State (17-9) | LIVE SCORES
Location: Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex | San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m. PT
Series History: UCLA leads 11-1 | Streak: Won 11
Last Meeting: W 4-1 (Feb. 20, 2025 – Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic – Queen’s Beach – Honolulu, Hawaii)

Opponent: No. 1 TCU (19-3) | LIVE SCORES
Location: Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex | San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Time: 12:45 p.m. PT
Series History: UCLA leads 6-3 | Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: L 3-0 (March 29, 2025 – Death Volley Invitational – LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium – Baton Rouge, La.)

Opponent: Playoffs (TBD) | LIVE SCORES
Location: Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex | San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. (7th)/3:15 p.m. (5th)/4:30 p.m. (3rd)/5:45 p.m. (1st)

BRENNAN, MYSZKOWSKI NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
UCLA graduate student Peri Brennan (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and senior Natalie Myszkowski (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) have been named the MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week as announced by the league office on March 18. The Bruin duo helped UCLA go 6-0 last week with four wins over ranked teams. The Bruins defeated (RV) Concordia and Morehead State, 5-0 (Mar. 11) before heading to Manhattan Beach to host the East Meets West Invitational (Mar. 14-15). There, the Bruins took down No. 12 Texas and No. 11 LSU 4-1 on day one, and beat No. 8 Florida State and No. 19 FIU 5-0 on day two. Myszkowski and Brennan went 6-0 on the week without dropping a set. They went 5-0 on court two and 1-0 on court one, and only allowed their opponents to reach 17 in three of the 12 sets they played. This is the second MPSF award for Brennan and Myszkowski.

BOYD, PEREZ NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
UCLA junior Maggie Boyd (Flower Mound, Texas) and freshman Sally Perez (Apex, N.C.) have been named the MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week as announced by the league office on March 11. The UCLA duo played a pivotal role in the Bruins’ 4-0 team record at the inaugural MPSF Midseason Rumble at Stanford (March 7-8), where the court one pair was also unbeaten. Boyd and Perez secured the team-clinching dual victories over No. 5 Stanford and No. 9 California, which included a 5-1 run at the end of set three for the win over Cal. The duo also finished off the 5-0 team sweeps with their top court wins over Oregon and No. 16 Grand Canyon. This is the first MPSF award for Boyd and Perez.

BOYD, PEREZ NAMED AVCA/CBVB NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
Junior Maggie Boyd (Flower Mound, Texas / Marcus HS) and freshman Sally Perez (Apex, N.C. / Middle Creek HS) have been named the AVCA/CBVB Collegiate Beach Pair of the Week as announced by the AVCA on March 10. This is the second AVCA/CBVB weekly national honor for Boyd and the first for Perez. Boyd and Perez played a pivotal role in UCLA’s impressive performance at the inaugural MPSF Midseason Rumble where the Bruins went 4-0, as did this tandem. Boyd and Perez showcased their resilience and skill by securing crucial victories at No. 1. They clinched the dual against No. 5 Stanford and No. 9 California and completed the 5-0 sweeps over Oregon and No. 16 Grand Canyon.

BRENNAN, MYSZKOWSKI NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
UCLA graduate Peri Brennan (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and senior Natalie Myszkowski (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) were named the MPSF/Molten Beach Pair of the Week as announced by the league office (Feb. 25). The Bruin duo helped UCLA go 5-1 (all against Top-12 teams) to win the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic for the fourth consecutive year in Honolulu, Hawaii (Feb. 20-22). The No. 2 pair also went 5-1 in the tournament, including the clinching point of the Bruins’ win over No. 2 TCU in straight sets, 21-17, 29-27. They also posted straight-set wins over No. 12 Hawai’i (21-14, 21-8), No. 7 LMU (23-21, 21-16), and No. 1 USC (21-14, 23-21), and had a three-set victory over No. 11 Arizona State (21-9, 19-21, 15-13). This is the first-ever recognition of any kind presented in MPSF Beach Volleyball. For Brennan, this is her fourth weekly conference award (three-time Pac-12 Pair of the Week; March 21, 2023, March 19, 2024, April 16, 2024), and for Myszkowski, this is her third (two-time Pac-12 Pair of the Week; March 22, 2022, April 2, 2024).

RETURNING STARTERS
The Bruins return seven of 10 starters from last year’s second-place team at the NCAA Championship that saw UCLA end the year with an overall record of 35-7. The Bruins lost the services of Lexy Denaburg (33-7 overall, 133-36 career), Devon Newberry (32-7 overall, 103-27 career), and Jaden Whitmarsh (25-13 overall, 110-29 career). UCLA also lost the services of reserve Rileigh Powers (3-1 overall, 95-29 career). The seven starters returning include: from court one, All-American Maggie Boyd (33-7 overall and 60-13 career), from court two, Peri Brennan (32-7 overall, 69-12 career), from court three Kenzie Brower (26-15 overall, 26-15 career), and Jessie Smith (24-13 overall, 77-30 career), from court four Tessa Van Winkle (26-13 overall and 56-24 career) and from court five Ensley Alden (29-6 overall and 29-6 career) and Natalie Myszkowski (30-6 overall, 69-15 career).

RETURNING BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
The Bruins also return a starter from the 2022 season in Sophie Moore (2-1 overall, 43-12 career). There are two additional players coming back from last year’s team and ready to compete for a spot in the Bruins’ lineup. This group includes Madeline Bonanni (1-0 overall, 1-0 career), and Reagan Hope (2-0 overall, 21-12 career). Additionally, Jayla Shanks (0-0), Ky Vaickus (0-0), Taylor Ford (0-0), Hannah Fleming (0-0), Harper Cooper (0-0), and Kaley Mathews (0-0) all return looking to make an impact in 2025.

FRESH FACES
The Bruins also brought in a trio of young players that will all debut in 2025. The class includes Sally Perez (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek HS), Alexa Fernandez (Friendswood, Texas./Lutheran South Academy), and Adelina Okazaki (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma HS).

NO DUAL PARTICIPATION
For the fifth time in program history (and fifth consecutive year), the UCLA beach volleyball program does not have a single player from the Bruins’ indoor volleyball team currently playing on the roster. UCLA only has one player with collegiate indoor experience in senior transfer Reagan Hope (Oregon in 2021-22).

A BRUIN SHALL LEAD US
In her 12th year with the Bruins and second season as UCLA’s Head Coach in 2025, Jenny Johnson Jordan sports an overall record of 59-11 (.843).She served three seasons as the Associate Head Coach at UCLA prior to assuming the lead role. She guided the Bruins to second-place finishes at the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA Championship with an overall record of 35-7 in her first year as the mentor. An Olympian, a National Champion, and a UCLA Hall of Famer (2018), Johnson Jordan won NCAA titles as both a player (1991 – indoor) and a coach (2018 and 2019 – beach). Jordan was inducted into the CBVA Hall of Fame (Nov. 3, 2018) and was named the AVCA National Assistant Beach Coach of the Year on May 9, 2019.

ASSISTING TRIPLE J
Jose Loiola: Beach volleyball Hall of Famer (CBVA in 2014 and International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017) and USA Beach Volleyball National Team head coach Jose Loiola returns for his second season an assistant coach. Loiola was a volunteer assistant coach for the Bruins in 2021, helping guide UCLA to a Pac-12 Championship and NCAA runner-up finish. After Loiola’s previous season with the Bruins, he went on to coach 2020 Olympian Tri Bourne and also served as head coach of the USA Volleyball squad that won gold at the 2021 U19 World Championships. In 2022, he coached Miles Partain and Andy Benesh to gold at the FIVB Challenger Dubai.

Kelly Reeves: UCLA standout, Kelly Reeve, the Bruins’ first-ever All-American in beach volleyball (2013) returns for her second season as an assistant coach. In addition to her playing career, Reeves has developed a coaching career in all levels of the sport, including juniors, collegiate, USAV development, and amateurs. In 2022, Reeves helped the LMU Lions finish 4th at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, the best finish in the program’s history. That same year, Reeves was a recipient of the Thirty Under 30 Beach coaches award from the AVCA. Reeves is also a National Champion, helping the Bruins win the indoor title in 2011. She has played on the AVP since 2016 and has also competed on the NORCECA Tour and FIVB World Tour.

MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL, THE FIRST SEASON
The Bruins have moved into the MPSF for beach volleyball starting with the 2025 season. UCLA will be joined by California, Grand Canyon, Oregon, Stanford, USC, and Washington. In 2024-25, the MPSF will sponsor competition in 15 Intercollegiate Olympic sports, while serving 86 teams from 46 universities across 14 states. MPSF teams compete primarily at the NCAA Division-I level in men’s and women’s water polo, indoor track and field, gymnastics, swimming and diving, fencing, beach volleyball, and men’s volleyball. MPSF teams are eligible to compete in the NCAA Championships with men’s and women’s water polo, men’s volleyball, and beach volleyball conference champions earning automatic qualification. The MPSF’s newest sports–beach volleyball, men’s rowing, and men’s and women’s wrestling–make their debut seasons in the conference in 2024-25.

MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL EXPANDING IN 2026
The MPSF has announced the addition of Florida State, LSU, South Carolina, and Texas to its beach volleyball programs, giving the conference 11 teams beginning with the 2026 season. The Seminoles, Tigers, Gamecocks, and Longhorns, who are competing in their final season in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) this year, will each be making their first-ever appearance in any sport in the MPSF. The MPSF’s inaugural beach volleyball season in 2025 features California, Grand Canyon, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Washington. The first edition of the MPSF Beach Volleyball Championship will be held at Spiker Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., April 23-25, 2025.

A TRIO OF BRUINS CHASING 100 CAREER WINS
Three Bruins are seeking to reach 100 career wins in 2025 and two of them are all currently tied for 12th place on UCLA careers wins list with 93 victories. Those two include graduate Peri Brennan and senior Natalie Myszkowski. Senior Jessie Smith is currently in a tie for 14th place with 87 victories. Four-time All-American, Lexy Denaburg, became the UCLA all-time leader in career victories last year with a win over Stanford in the semifinals of the contender’s bracket of the 2024 Pac-12 Championship.
1. Lexy Denaburg (133, 2020-24)
2. Abby Van Winkle (128, 2019-23)
3. Izzy Carey (123, 2016-19)
4. Savvy Simo (119, 2017-21)
5. Lea Monkhouse (117, 2019-22)
6. Megan McNamara (111, 2016-19)
7. Jaden Whitmarsh (110, 2019-24)
8. Nicole McNamara (109, 2016-19)
9. Devon Newberry (103, 2019-24)
10. Elise Zappia (102, 2015-18)
11. Rileigh Powers (95, 2020-24)
12. Peri Brennan (93, 2021-25)
12. Natalie Myszkowski (93, 2022-25)
14. Lily Justine (87, 2017-20)
14. Jessie Smith (87, 2022-25)

UCLA AS NO. 1 AND VS. NO. 1
As the No. 1 team in the country, UCLA has gone 132-17 (.886) all-time, and is 8-8 (.500) against USC when the Bruins are No. 1. The first time UCLA was ranked No. 1 came in April of 2018 and since then, UCLA has been ranked No. 1 for multiple weeks every season, including going 16-1 in 2018, 31-3 in 2019, 7-2 in 2020, 13-3 in 2021, 12-2 in 2022, 19-3 in 2023, 17-2 in 2024, and 13-1 in 2025 as the nation’s top-ranked team.

The UCLA Bruins are 11-20 (.355) all-time against the top-ranked teams in the country. UCLA began 0-5 against the nation’s top-ranked programs (2013-16) before breaking through with its first-ever win over a No. 1 team in the 3-2 home win over then top-ranked Pepperdine on March 30, 2016. Here’s a breakdown of the Bruins against the No. 1 teams: Pepperdine 2-3; TCU 1-0; USC 8-17.

The Bruins have been involved in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups 29 times in program history with a 11-18 record (.379) in those meetings. Interestingly, UCLA is just 3-11 (.214) as the top-ranked team in those matchups but 8-7 (.533) as the underdog.

MORE ON RANKINGS
Since 2018, no team has been ranked No. 1 for more weeks than the UCLA Bruins (34). USC has spent 22 weeks at No. 1 in the last seven-plus years while TCU (8), Pepperdine (4), LSU (4), and Florida State (1) round out the list. Overall, the Trojans have been ranked No. 1 a total of 45 times in the AVCA Poll, followed by UCLA (34), Pepperdine (17), TCU (8), LSU (4), Hawai’i (1), and Florida State (1).

POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA held steady at No. 2 in the 2025 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll (April 8).

AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH VOLLEYBALL POLL (April 8, 2025)

Rank

School (First-Place Votes Adjusted)

Total Points Adjusted

Record

Previous Week

1

TCU [28]

560

19-3

1

2

UCLA

507

24-4

2

3

Cal Poly

492

21-3

6

4

Loyola Marymount

487

26-4

3

5

Stanford

450

20-7

4

6

USC

423

20-6

7

7

Florida State

384

23-6

5

8

Texas

375

21-8

8

9

Long Beach State

320

18-10

11

10

California

307

18-6

9

11

LSU

300

19-10

10

12

Arizona State

252

17-9

12

13

Grand Canyon

211

17-6

13

14

Stetson

210

19-9

14

15

Florida Atlantic

149

13-11

15

16

Hawai’i

133

12-15

17

17

North Florida

117

17-6

16

18

Georgia State

76

12-13

18

19

FIU

46

11-15

20

20

Washington

43

11-13

19

Others receiving votes: Tulane (16), FGCU (9), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (8), Concordia (3), and Arizona (2).

Next Poll: April 15
 

College Sports

Quinn Ewers Bet on NFL Over NIL—and Left Millions on the Table

Quinn Ewers Bet on NFL Over NIL—and Left Millions on the Table Privacy Manager Link 8

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Arizona Western College has 14 soccer players sign letters of intent

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Western College had a big signing day as 14 players from the men’s soccer team signed letters of intent to continue playing at the collegiate level. Half of those are playing at the Division I level, while the rest are either playing Division II or the NAIA. Below is […]

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Arizona Western College has 14 soccer players sign letters of intent

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Western College had a big signing day as 14 players from the men’s soccer team signed letters of intent to continue playing at the collegiate level.

Half of those are playing at the Division I level, while the rest are either playing Division II or the NAIA.

Below is a list of the players:

  • Hiromasa Iwai – Radford University
  • Nael Redjam – Radford University
  • Diogo Silvestre – Mid-America Christian University
  • Fernando Carvalho – Emmanuel University
  • Jacob Quintana – St. Mary of the Woods College
  • Tupo Kyumba – Grand Canyon University
  • Haruto Horii – Withrop University
  • Luis Munoz Valencia – Arizona Christian University
  • Saneyuki Yamagat – Eastern Illinois University
  • Yves Sisse – Daemen University
  • Ebenezer Laryea – Oral Roberts University

One of those players is Yuma local and Cibola graduate Jacob Quintana, who is moving on to the NAIA level at St. Mary of the Woods College.

He shares what it meant to be apart of this squad for the previous two years.

“You know it meant a lot to me being the only guy from Yuma to play here as well and one of the only two players to play here as well,” Quintana said.

AWC head coach Kenny Dale explains how his goal is more than just winning championships.

“It doesn’t really matter in terms of a life experience moving on to a university and getting a bachelor’s degree and maybe an advanced degree is really more important than that,” said Dale.

Others players expressed their gratitude to the local college.

“The community, the people, you will always be in my heart, becuase it was always the start to a beautiful journey and my next college you got the good one the real one, I’m coming,” said Yves Sisse, who will be studying Criminal Justice at Daemen University.

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Federal judge tosses NIL lawsuit against NCAA brought by ex-college basketball players

A federal judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Monday that had been brought against the NCAA by several former college basketball players, including Kansas standout Mario Chalmers, after ruling its claims fell outside the four-year statute of limitations. The lawsuit, which included 16 total players who played before June 16, 2016, claimed that the NCAA had […]

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A federal judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Monday that had been brought against the NCAA by several former college basketball players, including Kansas standout Mario Chalmers, after ruling its claims fell outside the four-year statute of limitations.

The lawsuit, which included 16 total players who played before June 16, 2016, claimed that the NCAA had enriched itself by utilizing their names, images and likenesses to promote its men’s basketball tournament. That date in 2016 is the earliest date for players to be included in the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer pointed toward a four-year statute of limitations for federal antitrust violations, despite the lawsuit contending that the law continues to be breached by the NCAA’s use of the players’ NIL in March Madness promotions.

Chalmers famously hit a tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left for Kansas in the 2008 title game against Memphis, a highlight that remains a staple of NCAA Tournament packages. The Jayhawks went on to win the championship in overtime.

“The NCAA’s use today of a NIL acquired decades ago as the fruit of an antitrust violation does not constitute a new overt act restarting the limitations clock,” Engelmayer wrote in the 34-page decision. “Instead, as the NCAA argues, the contemporary use of a NIL reflects performance of an aged agreement: a contract between the student-athlete and the NCAA under which it acquired footage and images of the plaintiff.”

[Related: NCAA passes rules to prepare schools to pay players directly]

Engelmayer also noted that the plaintiffs were part of the class in O’Bannon v. NCAA, the 2015 case that helped to usher in the age of NIL payments so the lawsuit was not demonstrably different from other settled cases involving the athletes.

There are a number of other active suits filed against the NCAA on similar antitrust and NIL grounds. Former Villanova Wildcat Kris Jenkins, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer won the 2016 men’s national championship against North Carolina, filed one earlier in April on his own rather than joining one of the existing suits. As he told ESPN, “I feel like it’s different from those [lawsuits], and the NCAA has shown that it is different from a lot of other things that have happened in the past just because of the magnitude of the situation, the shot, the financial gains for the NCAA and the unlawful rules that they had in place that prohibited all of us from being able to benefit.”

The key to Jenkins’ case – that buzzer-beater that Villanova and the NCAA profited from – occurred two months before the June 16, 2016 cutoff that had the suit of Chalmers et al dismissed. However, Jenkins also played during the 2016-2017 season for Villanova as a senior: whether another judge will echo Engelmayer and say this was all part of an “aged agreement,” or that it’s indeed a different case, remains to be seen.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Patriot soccer player Evans signs college scholarship

Henry County High School soccer standout Gavin Evans has signed scholarship papers with Kentucky Christian University. A goaltender, Evans has been on the Patriot soccer team for four years, making the All-District team as a junior and the All-District Tournament team as a sophomore. He ranked in the top 50 in saves in the state. […]

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Patriot soccer player Evans signs college scholarship

Henry County High School soccer standout Gavin Evans has signed scholarship papers with Kentucky Christian University. A goaltender, Evans has been on the Patriot soccer team for four years, making the All-District team as a junior and the All-District Tournament team as a sophomore. He ranked in the top 50 in saves in the state. “Soccer has not only improved my skills but also strengthened my character, showing me the power of teamwork, loyalty and perseverance,” Evans said. He plans to major in business at KCU, which is located in Grayson, Ky., northeast of Lexington. Pictured are (from left) KCU assistant coach Caleb DuBois (standing), his grandmother Pat Lewis, his mother Amber Harris, Evans, his father Brian Harris and KCU head coach Jeremy Miller.

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NIL Crowdfunding Platform Fanstake Delivers College Athletes Cash

Fanstake recently raised $6.25 million in seed funding to continue building a platform that lets college sports fans crowdfund potential NIL payouts as a way to entice athletes to attend their school. College sports’ future financial structure remains uncertain as legal proceedings and legislative discussion continue amid the teardown of existing NCAA oversight. But regardless […]

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Fanstake recently raised $6.25 million in seed funding to continue building a platform that lets college sports fans crowdfund potential NIL payouts as a way to entice athletes to attend their school.

College sports’ future financial structure remains uncertain as legal proceedings and legislative discussion continue amid the teardown of existing NCAA oversight. But regardless of upcoming changes, Fanstake CEO Greg Glass foresees schools needing to find new revenue sources to pay their players and fund their athletic programs, one way or another.

“The biggest thing for us was, how do you expand that donor base? Because today it’s just the high net worth, affluent alumni that are contributing,” Glass said. “Can you tap into the fanatical fan base beyond that?”

Courtside Ventures led the latest funding round, with participation from Will Ventures, Susa Ventures, Scrum Ventures, Myriad Ventures, Alumni Ventures and others. Fanstake previously raised a $3 million pre-seed round.

Fanstake has created pages for hundreds of athletes already, including all Division I football and men’s and women’s basketball players, where fans can pool financial offers contingent on a given player choosing to attend—or stay at—a certain school. For example, Louisville backers offered a combined $88,000 to Fanstake ambassador Nate Ament as the basketball recruit chose his destination. Ament ultimately signed with Tennessee; Volunteer Fanstakers had contributed $13,405, which Ament will receive in exchange for promoting Fanstake online.

Fanstake returns unsuccessfully staked money as account credits for future opportunities. Glass says about 18,000 users to date have combined to offer nearly $500,000 combined.

In the next phase of development, Fanstake is adding gamification elements, such as rewards that accrue as users offer players more money. 

“We are focused on athletes getting fair market value as much as they possibly can get,” Glass said. “Getting the fans the ability to participate in a way where it’s engaging and fun for them ends up helping the schools.”

For Courtside Ventures, the investment is its first directly NIL-related play.

“We’ve been spending a good part of four years now looking at the NIL space and no exaggeration have probably looked at just about 100 different opportunities,” Courtside Ventures principal Cort Post said. “It was not until this one where we just, we kind of jumped on the opportunity of finally something that we felt could be venture scale.” 

Post added that Courtside took comfort in Fanstake executives’ experience. Glass, along with Fanstake co-founders Alex Boisvert and Donnie Flood, previously led adtech company Bizo, which was acquired by LinkedIn in 2014 for $175 million.

“I don’t have a perfect answer for exactly what Fanstake will look like in the future compared to kind of their beachhead today, but we get comfortable with that,” Post said. “If you pair the right founder with the right market and enough disruption, they’re gonna figure something out that works.”



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The Next NIL Powerhouse – Shaq Is Becoming The GM Of Sacramento State Basketball, Will ‘Assist’ Mike Bibby With Recruiting And NIL Deals

Look at Sacramento State, man. They are trying their absolute hardest to get into a major conference, they are throwing money into athletics and making hires like Mike Bibby for basketball:  They then go and get Shaq to be the GM. That’s just smart business. There’s not a man on this planet who will do […]

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Look at Sacramento State, man. They are trying their absolute hardest to get into a major conference, they are throwing money into athletics and making hires like Mike Bibby for basketball: 

They then go and get Shaq to be the GM. That’s just smart business. There’s not a man on this planet who will do an ad deal faster than Shaq. Doesn’t matter what, he’s on every commercial just raking in money. Now you get him assisting with brand deals, NIL deals, recruiting, that’s how you become a powerhouse in the mid-major world. I say that loosely, because, well, Sacramento State simply doesn’t win. 

What they should do is simple though. Load up on former NBA players kids. You already got Shaq’s son there. They should reach out to every single player they played with, see if they want some sort of role and make Sacramento State NBA university. Why not? You’re Sacramento State. It’s not like you’re competing for titles, go outside the box with it. Hell, just run back the 90s Kings and see what their kids are up to. That team fucking ruled.

Rocky Widner. Getty Images.

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Yeah, I know Peja’s kid just committed to Illinois. Hard to beat that out when Illinois is becoming a Balkan empire and you got Brad Underwood doing this: 

It does feel weird seeing a Lakers star help a former Kings star. I know it was back in the day, but those teams shouldn’t be helping each other. I don’t care that Shaq and Bibby played for a combined 12 teams, I think of them as a King and Laker. All I know is they got me thinking about Sacramento State, so it’s already a win for them. Just send Shaq out on recruiting trips like it’s Blue Chips all over again. The man was made to be in this role for college basketball and just remember: 



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