Alyson Habetz’s homecoming press conference as UL softball’s new head coach was filled with smiles, hugs and many friends and family wiping their eyes during the host of heart-warming stories eloquently told.
But beyond the multitude of feel-good story lines from Friday’s gathering at Russo Park’s Stadium Club, the most significant topic discussed was actually cold, hard and downright depressing to many.
“First and foremost, you’ve got to have the right head coach in place, no doubt about it,” UL athletic director Dr. Bryan Maggard said. “But we have to attack both. We have to provide her with an annual consistent amount of NIL to be competitive moving forward.”
To no one’s surprise, one of the biggest cheers stemmed from the old-school statement about recruiting athletes who want to play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the back.
It’s a principle nearly everyone in the room grew up believing in strongly and still do, but how relevant is it in today’s world?
As soon as Habetz said it, she knew how complex that belief system is now.
“With that said, the reality is that it is changing and there’s going to be more and more of that,” Habetz said as soon as the cheers quieted. “It’s just the way it is, so it’s sink or swim. We can’t avoid it, we can’t change it. We have to figure out a way where we can at least be in a place where we can compete.
“We’re not going to beat the power fives on every level, but on some levels we can. That’s doable.”
Maggard and Habetz both gave nuggets of details of their five-hour interview conducted last Saturday at a coffee shop in Scott.
There’s no doubt the NIL issue that drove Gerry Glasco to Texas Tech was a major item on the agenda.
“I promise you the kind of kids we’ve gotten here in the past, it’s going to be really hard to get them here moving forward without some level of NIL collective support — bar none,” Maggard said. “We’ll either advance and adapt or we will die. I’m telling you that right now, no question.”
The first speaker introduced Friday was Bryan Hanks — the UL Foundation Board of Trustees chairman and former chairman of the RFAC board.
His talk wasn’t as popular as those who followed him with funny, colorful, entertaining stories about the people and circumstances that led to Habetz becoming the program’s fifth head coach in 43 years.
But it was the most important one.
“I’ll be the first one to tell you, the NIL deal, I’ve fought tooth and nail in my mind,” Hanks admitted.
Essentially, the idealistic days of feel-good stories in college athletics may not be over, but they’re certainly fading rapidly if Oklahoma City is still the ultimate goal.
“It’s just reality, so I’m here to tell you I’m converted,” Hanks said. “I’ll be giving some money and anybody in here wants to give money … our biggest challenge here is to get over traditions and the way we grew up and accepting the ways of society now and of college athletics.
“I’m here to implore you to do that. I want you to know the foundation RCAF supports it 1,000% — not only in its words but in its actions. I hope that many of you can jump on board.”
This particular discussion is about the softball program, but the alarm system actually includes all sports, especially football, basketball and baseball.
Over the last two years, UL’s men’s basketball, baseball and softball teams have combined for six Sun Belt regular season or tournament championships.
That’s a testament to the coaching staff and players, but it’s just not sustainable under the current systems in place.
Habetz said she requires a village of priests, family and friends to make and execute the big decisions in her life.
Maggard insists UL’s way of combating the NIL issue for softball requires a similar process.
“She (Habetz) and I talked extensively about that,” he said. “We need tens of thousands of people to help out just a little bit. That’s how we’ll do it. There will be a handful of people who can do some bigger things in that space.
“But I need communities to get behind $10 a month, $20 a month. That adds up and I think that’s how we’re going to get it done.”
How realistic is it? Time will tell.
This softball program has survived repeated threats over the decades that many predicted would damage it, including the rise of the SEC.
This latest one is the most dangerous yet.
While resolving her spiritual dilemma with her mother was the first reason Habetz initially said no to replacing Glasco. The second one was the NIL issue.
“In the beginning stages when people were texting me, I would say, ‘No, my mom,’ but then I’d follow up with the landscape of college athletics is changing,” Habetz said. “I was feeding into the negative, because that’s where my head was. I was so disappointed in how it’s all going and what’s going to happen to the mid-majors? I was asking all of these questions — the Power Fives are pro now.”
Once she was at peace with one obstacle, it transferred to the second as well.
“I was considering that initially, but once I got with Jesus, there was no more focusing on that,” she told. “It was out the window. It was about, ‘OK, it’s dark, but can we be a light in that? What can we do for these young athletes in the midst of this changing landscape?”
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, programs used bake sales and aggressive team moms to progress.
Once an afterthought to most of the country when Yvette Girouard was building a powerhouse, college softball is now big business as well. The players it takes to remain elite don’t just want to be fed with the best food in the world anymore.
“Competitively, we’re still going to be able to compete without a doubt,” Habetz maintained.