When St. John's and Fordham opened the college basketball season Monday night in Queens, there could have been two different scoreboards at each end of Carnesecca Arena. One was about the game, which ended up being a 92-60 win for the Red Storm. The other is to aggregate the school's success in the areas of name, image, and visibility.
St. John's has risen to the top third of the Big East in NIL fundraising with the help of coach Rick Pitino and biggest benefactor Mike Lepore. And now, Fordham is igniting the first major effort to play this all-important financial game.
Supporters of the Fordham men's basketball program announced the launch of the Rose Thrill Marketplace on Tuesday, according to a release. The marketplace aims to increase NIL opportunities by connecting players with “sponsorship deals, brand partnerships, and community engagement activities,” according to the release.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” Rams coach Keith Argo told the Post. “Currently, Fordham is well behind the 8-ball when it comes to NIL. The rest of the Atlantic 10 has multiple teams with high-major type NIL budgets in excess of $2 million, with some in the $1 million range. There are some teams that have more than that, but we're not that far off.
“We are definitely at the bottom. [and are] They are forced to struggle. I think there's a lot of energy and a lot of untapped potential at Fordham, so it's really exciting to know that people want to invest in the future of Fordham basketball. It has the ability to become a gigantic being. ”
The name Rose Thrill Marketplace is an ode to the Rams' Rose Hill Gym, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025.
“Our strategy is to leverage the Fordham brand name and the largest media market in the world,” said Jay Kirsch, 54, chairman of Rose Thrill. He is a 1992 graduate of Fordham University and a partner at investment banking firm Oaklins DeSilva & Phillips. “This is an alumni association that still has deep ties to New York. Although it has a more national feel than before, there are still many successful and influential alumni within 50 miles of campus.”
Urgo started something of a renaissance for the program two years ago when he led the Rams to a 25-8 record and a berth in the A-10 semifinals.
“Our [A-10] The quarterfinals at Barclays Center attracted the largest gathering of alumni and current students. [the university] I had it until now. So I saw what I could do if I built the energy and consistency,” said Argo, 44. “And the only way that's going to be possible is if we continue to do what the rest of the Atlantic 10 and the rest of the country is doing.”
Urgo explained that increased NIL funding and endorsement opportunities will help market Fordham to high school recruits and transfers alike. According to him, this is a question asked in the first two minutes of the first conversation with every prospective player.
From now on, Urgo thinks he will not only get the answer, but the right answer.
“We never had anything like this,” he said. “We've been making small donations here and there, but there's never been anything that would allow us to help our fans, donors, and supporters build something that's actually sustainable.”
