In Reply to: Drake has always been a dream that makes too much sense posted by CoastalBruin on October 26, 2026 at 18:06:38
If UCLA wants to make basketball the flagship, just put the Chesney's on the first plane to Austin and call it a wrap. Basketball is and will remain small potatoes in the college sports world. Conference affiliations, tv rights, money, and prestige all center around football. We're not in the Big 10 to play basketball.
Instead of wringing hands over attendance (which will eventually improve with some sustained winning) UCLA will need to focus on NIL. If things stay on track to 10 wins, Chesney will have shown UCLA that his proof of concept works, and will feel entitled to greater investment. Chesney is not a water-the-bamboo type; he's going to want to make a run at the whole enchilada forthwith. Like, next year.
In about two months Chesney is going to be getting paid twice as much as Mick Cronin. UCLA can play in the NIT for the next 10 years and it won't make much of a difference, but if we fall behind in football we're going to end up as one of the have-nots in college sports.