University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Kyle Green introduced as Panthers' new head men's basketball coach
4/3/2026 1:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Kyle Green on Thursday morning was introduced as the 26th head coach of the UNI men's basketball team. A transcript of his remarks, plus comments from UNI President Mark Nook, Director of Athletics Megan Franklin and Q&A with members of the media can be read below. Click HERE to watch the full press conference.
MARK NOOK - Thank you. This must be a big day. We played the fight song, and nobody was clapping in unisons with it. Everybody was just clapping for Kyle and Michelle.
It is a wonderful day for us, not just Panther Athletics and our midst basketball program, but the entire UNI community. I think the Cedar Valley community. Kyle and Michelle and their family have been such an integral part of UNI Athletics. The University of Northern Iowa, but also the Cedar Falls community, the Greater Cedar Valley community. So it's a real honor and a real pleasure to be able to welcome Kyle as our head coach and Michelle back to the Cedar Valley. ?
I want to, first of all, congratulate coach and Michelle becoming our head coach, and thank you for accepting the offer and coming back and joining the Panther family. Really looking forward to your leadership, your guidance of these young men, developing a team. 
It's kind of a rainy day out there today, and here in Iowa. We understand that rain is what produces the next crop and really makes things grow, and I think that might be fitting for today. Sunshine would be good and there'd be metaphors there too, but this one's going to work for today.
I also want to take a little bit of time and say thank you to Megan and her staff. You know, whenever there's a transition in coaching like this, it has to happen pretty quickly. And being able to do a search on the time frame that this had to happen, so that we could assure these young men that they would have a coach and who that coach would be, and they could make decisions about their futures, and what's going to happen here at the University of Northern Iowa. Being able to complete a search in this time frame is really an amazing accomplishment.
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So, Megan, thank you and congratulations on being able to find such a great coach and get him here to lead these young men, not only on the basketball court, but in their lives and help them develop as human beings as well.
So, without further ado, it is my pleasure and honor to introduce our athletic director, Dr. Megan Franklin.
MEGAN FRANKLIN -Thank you, President Nook. This is an exciting day for Panther men's basketball, to be sure. I want to thank everyone for being here today and for those who are joining us online.
Again, I want to thank President Nook for his support during the head coach search process. We simply couldn't have worked this quickly without his support and doing. I'd also like to thank our athletic senior staff who supported the search process in their respective roles. and in supporting, the search and the candidates through the process.
We also wouldn't be here today with a legacy of the program that we have without the donor support. Quite simply, we are able to do things for UNI men's basketball because of the donors, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that today at this time. We attracted an incredible pool, and part of that is because what we're able to do for the student athletic experience, thanks to our donor support.
I'd also like to thank our parents of our student athletes. They entrust their sons and maybe players that they've coached to us. And that is the core of, and I'll tell you about that, but the core of what I do in my decision-making centers on the men in the locker room. And I'll talk about that a little bit more, but thank you to the parents. who have said yes to the University of Northern Iowa because of the experience and what we're able to do and develop in our student athletes. So thank you to the parents.
With that said, it is great pleasure to introduce the 26th head men's basketball coach at the University of Northern Iowa. We conducted this search on the heels of the sixth Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship in program history, and the team's ninth overall perform appearance in the NCAA March Madness. It marked the 125th season of UNI men's basketball, and we were in a room, in a banquet, in this fall, with player and coaching alumni, telling the stories of cutting down nets, winning championships, and establishing and stewarding a locker room of men connected by something larger than themselves
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In that vein, I set out to identify the next great legacy leader of Panther men's basketball. In so doing, I identified attributes important to a head coach at UNI. First and foremost, and this doesn't waver from coaching search to coaching search, is that we are looking for coaches that lead with love. Love in every aspect of the program, who speaks directly to honoring the student, athlete, as their whole best complete self. who develops the student athlete across academics, athletics, career development, and citizenship. A coach who has recruited student athletes who thrive at this institution and the institutions of which they've been apart, because of fit, academically, athletically, character, and mental toughness.
A coach that values the academic mission of the university. UNI men's basketball team has led our men's sports in GPA. It matters to this program. A coach who has a winning portfolio based on sound philosophy, a signature, what they're known for, and their play and approach, a coach who loves to compete, to be their best, When you do that, you play the best. A coach that understands the legacy of UNI men's basketball, and how to cultivate a team that is retained in the atmosphere of pressures from other institutions, coaches, and dollar signs. For grass is greener. opportunity. A coach who supports and engages program alumni, men who are forever panther, men's basketball family.
Involvement in fundraising efforts on behalf of the men's basketball team, and representing the needs of the department. A leader and colleague, among a highly successful head coaching cohort at UNI, and their MVC men's basketball peers on important matters of the day. ?
And I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge our head coaches. We continue to be a sought-after job because of the head coach's room in this athletics department. It's special. It means something. And thank you to our head coaches for that.
I then met with members of the men's basketball team to hear from them attributes they thought were important in their next head coach. They were thoughtful in their feedback. I will share with you a few of their insights, because I think it's important to hear from them. It was important to them. They are very proud of retention to roster. It was a point of interest. They value the continuity of roster that is a point of pride. The players understand that, and they want to make sure that continues, to be a signature of the program. A coach who sincerely and authentically cares about each of them as individuals, not only their basketball prowess, but what makes each of them tick and thrive on and off the court. A coach who cultivates family through who they invite to be a member of the coaching staff, and who they recruit to the team, all who create the family, that you and I men's basketball is known for in the locker room, and in the alumni cohort. ?
They like to be coached hard, and they want to be held accountable in a healthy way. Not excessively, and they don't want someone screaming at them. A coach who values player leaders. A coach who values player leaders. They want to be involved in feedback, from the huddle to their ability to cultivate the team chemistry from the student
athlete leaders.
Taking in those attributes, I worked through priorities of profiles of coaches from around the country. Some with ties to UNI men's basketball and many who did not have ties. The reputation of UNI men's basketball meant that this is a desirable job for those who aspire to lead a program in this next era. As I told the men in the locker room, that excitement to lead this program is a testament to them.
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The men in that locker room are defending conference champions. Standing on the shoulders of the men in the 124 locker rooms before them. They wear UNI with pride, poise and purpose. in a way that coaches are vying to lead, to win the next championship in 2027. There is nothing like cutting down nets. On Sunday, a locker room that must win a championship in order to dance in March is special. Everyone is vying in the same direction. What they want to achieve in regular season and in the conference tournament, results in winning championships. Our team knows what it feels like to cut down nets. Don the hats, wear the rings. That matters for collegiate men. The country saw that team make history. It is a locker room united toward a goal with a tenacity and purpose that isn't replicated of men, because of the men of you and I men's basketball. Coaches want to coach that team.
With the heart of a locker room as my focus and the attributes in mind that I've talked about, there was one final candidate that was cleared to serve as the next head coach of UNI's men's basketball in Kyle Green.
Kyle has a coaching portfolio that spans 34 years in coaching, including head coach and assistant associate coach roles across the NCAA divisions and subdivisions. He is a winner. With over 424 wins, he's coached teams to nine NCAA tournament appearances, three Sweet Sixteen appearances, four Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships, three regular season championships, and one Big 12 Tournament title.
Kyle's motivated to coach with a servant heart, and desire to teach and develop young players, to be their best self, in pursuit of their goals and dreams, in basketball, in basketball, and as individuals in a team. Coach Green graduated with a teaching degree, and taught early in his career. His primary objective for the basketball program is to graduate the student athlete. Those who know Coach Green know that he loves to chew on a good defensive scheme. And those defenses rank in the top of the nation across categories.
He will play a game with defense leading to offense, an offense that is based on trust among teammates and selfless attitude. With his 16 years as assistant, as an associate head coach at UNI, he celebrates the legacy of men who have donned the purple and gold.
He has developed men to home their skills, resulting in all conference, performers, and players of the year. Coach Green identifies men in the recruiting process, who have been successful and been able to pursue their professional and dreams beyond college in their professions.
Like we did for the 25 men before him, please join me in welcoming to the UNI men's basketball sideline as our next head coach, Kyle Green. ?
KYLE GREEN -Thank you. That was much too kind. Much too kind. For those of you who know me, there is probably some kind of an over under on how long it's gonna take me to start crying. I'm probably gonna get it out of the way sooner rather than later, okay? Some people think that's an endearing quality. I hope that's the case. It'll certainly happen when I start to ... Who had a minute? Okay? And a minute. They say you can't come back to a place once, twice, three, four times. Didn't LeBron say that about going to Miami?
I'm so fortunate, honored. And it's not lightly that I take this opportunity. Having been here for 16 years, I understand the gravity of what we're about to embark on in the history and the tradition. And I want to thank Meghan Franklin for her leadership, and President Nook for the opportunity and his leadership throughout the years, and to help us steward this program going forward. And I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity. ?
I'm gonna touch on a variety of different things as I talk today. But first and foremost, I do need to thank my family. My wife, Michelle, she's unbelievable. She is the rock of the family. All of our kids' athletic genes come from her. That goes without saying when you look at me, right? But that is the truth. Her steadfast support of me has led us to this point. So I thank her for that. ?
And then AJ and Emerson are my two kids. So many of you in this room today had such an influence on who they are and what they are. And this room is given more to our family than we could give back. And the success they've had are because they have a degree from UNI, because they have a degree from Cedar Falls High. Because they're part of the Cedar Valley and who they are is much more of a reflection of the people here. So we need to thank you for that.
And thank you for this opportunity. You know, we tried to get away, we keep coming back. We try to get away, we keep coming back, and that's because of the people. It really is. ?Being a part of this community, it's more than just the basketball, it's really important to our family.
Then other people … This was gonna be tough to get through, too. But I'm gonna tell a few stories which will help me along the process, okay? The coaches, before me, have set, like, really, do I want to fill those shoes? Do you really wanna try to do that? An unbelievable bar for us to not only compete at, but compete over, and you guys have done that to this point.
And our expectation is to even take it further. But it starts with Jim Berry, who I had a chance to coach with on Coach Jacobson's staff, who took this program from a Division II program to a Division I program. The wisdom that I learned from him, he used to sit next to me on the bench the whole game, just yelling, arch, reach and freeze! Every time somebody missed a shot, arch, reach, freeze, arch, reach, freeze! Every time a guy missed a shot, it resonates in my head when I see somebody shoot a shot. That is flat.
Eldon Miller, we wouldn't be in this building we're in without Coach Miller, right? His ability to foster this program forward in the Division I era, take it to this first NCAA Tournament, set the bar, and show people what could happen in this community and what will happen going forward.
And then Coach McDermott. Coach McDermott is an unbelievable mentor of mine. He taught me so much about relationships and how important they are to success. He had such a great ability to develop relationships that he convinced me, a head coach at a Division II school in Colorado at the age of 29, who literally thought he knew everything,
He convinced me, though, to leave a head coaching job. Making a whopping $46,000 with a wife, a newlywed, a one-year-old, and she was pregnant, so we had one on the way, to come here to the Cedar Valley, and UNI for $10,000. Pretty good salesmanship! I had to learn those skills quickly to convince my wife, that's a good idea. But it was. It was the best decision we ever made. And I'm thankful for him allowing me that opportunity. to come here and be a part of the program at the ground level.
To then Coach Jake. I owe him everything. A funny story able to help me get through this. One of our first ... It might have been the first game. We're playing in the Dome, and we're sitting on the bench before the game. And I'm not lying when I tell the story. He said, you take that section, I take this section. Let's see how many people are actually here. And we counted. It was, like, 17 here and 27 there. He was a valedictorian of his high school, so he did the math to add him together. That's why his teams have had the GPA they've had. ?
We're gonna keep fighting for that. And we added them together, right? To the time when I'm sitting next to him on the bench in the Sweet Sixteen. Or the time, I'm sitting next to him on the bench when we won a conference championship. He believed at all times. He saw this before any of us did. Mac helped that process, obviously, but Jake set that foundation, and he gave me the ability to have unwavering confidence in any situation. Which allows me then to stand up here and say, I'm ready for this job. And I'm excited for this job. ?
One of the things that makes me even more prepared is the opportunity that I had to go work for T.J. Otzelberger. And no, I'm not wearing medium shirts on the sideline, if anybody was asking. I didn't want to wait till the end to have to answer that question. There's a variety of reasons as to why, but we're just gonna go with its cold in the McLeod Center sometimes, so we gotta make sure we have that quarter tip on.
So much about relationships, daily habits, discipline, conviction, to process, to, you know, inheriting a program that had won two games, to go into the Sweet Sixteen in the first year. To be a part of that and walk hand in hand with him was we did that, again, allows me to be prepared for this opportunity. And could not be more excited about that opportunity, and couldn't be more thankful to those people for allowing me to be in this position. Because without them, no chance.
Then the last people I got thinking of my parents, they showed me what love is all about. They show me what love and hard work and selflessness are all about. And that brings me to what this program was gonna stand for.
So what's led me to this point and where we're at and that selflessness of my family and the love that they taught me and the hard work and the discipline. That's the foundation of our program. We're going to be competitive and we're going to be selfless at all times. The two things you'll hear me say all the time are we're going to be competitive in everything we do, academically, socially and in the community. We're gonna strive to be the best at what we do, in practice, how we play. That's the standard. It's a competitive excellence in all that we do. And it's really that simple. It doesn't have to be a lot of different rules. It doesn't have to be a lot of confusing sayings and slogans and it's, are we competitive in everything we do? And then are we selfless? And Megan made that comment. Is there love in what we do? They'll be loving everything that we do, right? It may be firm at times, okay? I'm not going to yell at you.?That is not a problem. Don't worry about that. It's this firm direction. It selfless.
But, no, truthfully, that's what it is. It selfless in what you do, and how you approach things, and who you are.?If you're selfless as a team, you will have success. You'll have success in whatever you do. in your relationships, because my goal on here is to have you graduate as young men, and go on and be productive in society, be great husbands, okay? Be great coworkers, be great players, great coaches, all those things are much more important to me than the score.
And we process driven. Our daily habits define who we are and what we're all about. ?What we do on a daily basis defines that. And that'll be the reflection of our program. We are a daily habits program, who is competitive in everything we do, and completely selfless, It's a simple formula, and I've seen it work.
I've been fortunate to be a power program for the last four years. You know, that's hard to believe when I'm 44, but for 34 years, I've had an opportunity to do that. So you don't have to overcomplicate. People will come up here and tell you we're gonna do this and that and the other things. What we're going to do, and I promise you is this, is show up every day and do our best. We'll be competitive. We'll be selfless. We'll have unbelievable daily habits, and we'll trust and believe in one another.
One of the very first books I ever read, a guy named Perry Ford, the first coach I ever worked for, and he's looking down right now going, I can't believe you're standing. He's up in heaven, looking down, laughing right now. And his favorite saying he used to say all the time, is junior, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. And I wished for this for a long time. I wished for this for a long time, and the opportunity has come. I could not be more excited. I could not be more energized. And I know that if we do the things that we just talked about, that Megan talked about, and President Nook talked about, the score will take care of itself. The score will absolutely take care of itself.
So I can't be more excited about stepping off the stage and getting back to work ?Developing relationships with you guys. We talked about the defensive end of the floor. We're gonna compete. We're gonna be relentless. We're gonna be physical. We're gonna be tough. We're gonna play in space and pace and have fun on offense. We're gonna be relentless in how we attack. I want people to be able to sit in the crowd in the stands and think, I can see the mentality of that team. It reflects the Cedar Valley. It's tough, it's hard working. diving on the floor for loose balls. Caring about one another.
You know, it's not just caring about the result.?But knowing that if we stay with the process, if we stick to what we're doing, we're gonna win. We're gonna have success. continue to add championships to what we do. And I do not take that, this position lightly.
I'll wake up every morning with me thinking about that and motivated to live in the legacy of the coaches and the players that have stepped before me. And one of the ways we'll do that is by trying to incorporate the past. I want the staff that we hire to reflect the history and tradition of this program. To be able to communicate to the currents team what the past team and the tradition of those teams are like. Just like it did under Coach Jacobson, and just like it did under Coach McDermott, just like it did with Coach Berry and Coach Miller. That means a lot. It means a lot to these people.
It's lots of people in the community, and it means a lot to me and my family. So with that, I just say thank you. Thank you for that opportunity. We're going to let the score take care of itself because our actions are going to reflect on a daily basis what we're all about. Thank you!?
MODERATOR - All right, thank you very much, coach. At this time, we are going to open up the floor to the media for questions for members of our dais. We will have Josh and Scott to distribute wireless microphones to you. I will have to hand this one off shortly. When we give you the microphone, please identify yourself and your organization.
REPORTER #1 - Hey Kyle, Colin Davies, KCRG. You mentioned this opportunity to come back. I haven't delved into it, but I imagine you're going to be the only coach in the country that gets the coach under his son's retired jersey. What is that like for you?
KYLE GREEN - That is, I hadn't thought about that. That's pretty amazing, right? It's quite an honor. It means a lot, because not only just, because of the things that AJ accomplished. But because of the people that helped him accomplish those things. You know, so to be able to work with, interact with, communicate with those people, thank them. I remember sitting there, they were dropping the banner and being so grateful. So that's what I'll think about. It'll probably hit me the first game or the first time, you know, I get angry or frustrated at the officials, which may happen occasionally and look up and see it, maybe center me back to what's the important things, and why are we here, and be grateful for those opportunities
REPORTER #2 – Mitch Fick from KGAN. I'll stay on the AJ topic. What was the phone call like or when you told him that you were coming home?
KYLE GREEN - He literally said, let's go! It was great. He and Emerson are so excited. They both are gonna come back to Cedar Valley, where they want to make it their home. My daughter was excited. My wife was ecstatic. It's just hard to put into words what it means. And that's why I'm so thankful that President Nook and Megan for this opportunity and the players, people in the past.
I haven't honestly reflected on it a lot because it happened so quickly. Which is maybe why I reacted the way I did a little bit, because I hadn't thought about it that much. We'll hopefully have more time to reflect and think about those things and how fortunate and blessed we've been. I don't know if that answers your question, but that's the best I got. ?
REPORTER #3 - Kyle, Mark Simpson with 1650 The Fan. Ben Jacobson was asked prior to leaving what he would say to his successor. And he said more. My question to you is how close is this program from taking the next step, going farther than maybe some of the things they've accomplished in the past?
KYLE GREEN - Well, as I said earlier, I'm going to wake up every morning with that being the mission? Our daily habits are gonna allow us to do that, and our work ethic in the kind of men that we surround ourselves with, that we get into our program, and the staff that we surround them with.
I alluded to it when I was talking about Jake's vision and his belief. It was relentless. He truly believes that. So as a result of being on his side for all those years, I truly believe that. There's more that can happen. There's more that will happen, and we'll wake up every day and make that happen. We're not gonna wish, or we're not gonna feel bad for what we don't have, or who we don't have, or who isn't a part of the program. We're gonna be really excited about who is, and know that that's enough. We're enough. We're gonna, like I said, rely on our daily habits and our trust to one another, our selflessness, and our unbelievable enthusiasm for being the best that we can be. Those are benchmarks of our program, that you'll see on a daily basis, and that'll allow us to, as I said, the score will take care of itself.
REPORTER #4 - Hey, Kyle, Mark Woodley, KWWL. Welcome back, first of all. you. I was wondering if you made any decisions on your staff yet, and what are you looking for in a coaching staff?
KYLE GREEN - Yeah, great question. We're working on that in the process. I've been hammering through a few things. It'll represent the past, and planning to have some guys that have been a part of this program. I had success in this program and know what it takes.
It'll be young, younger. It hit me the other day when somebody said, you know, this year is my 34th year in coaching, I guess I'm now the older guy on staff! So I want to surround them with some younger guys that have. You'll hear me say the word enthusiasm a lot, and I'm a big believer in that. I think nothing great is accomplished without it. It's one of the quotes that I live by, and I believe it. So it'll be that. Enthusiastic, it'll be young. It'll be kind of, I think, a wide variety of talent.
It's important to one of the great things I've learned in the last few years as I got older is I don't have to have all the answers. I need to surround myself with people who do and rely on them and trust them to do that, so that'll be the staff. I won't be the only voice in the room. Everybody will have a voice. The guys will have that ability to communicate. It will be open and honest. ?
I'm a big fan of honest, direct communication. That's part of the competitiveness and the selflessness. We're not always gonna like what we have to hear, and that goes for the staff, too. I want to be challenged and pushed. I wanna push and challenge the guys. So, I couldn't be more excited about the group of guys we're gonna put together. There's a lot of enthusiasm for people that want to be a part of what's happened here because of the success in the past. And looking forward to jumping them on board and us getting to work soon.
REPORTER #5 – Cole Bair, 1650 The Fan. Welcome back, Kyle. You talked about daily habits. That's something that we've heard from anybody who pays attention to TJ at Iowa State talk about. What's one or two things that you learned with TJ when it comes to leading a program?
KYLE GREEN – He does a great job of direct and honest communication at all times with everybody involved in the program, so everybody knows where they stand. He lives and breathes it every day, and really his actions, and his words, they line up. And then this profession does not always happen, and they do with him, and he lives it every day, which makes it easy to work for him, makes it easy for him to lead men. He does an unbelievable job of that. This is why they've had the success they've had. And then the freedom, like I talked about, he gave me the ownership and the opportunity to coach. Every coach does that, but he truly did. I'm thankful for that. And it's made me a better coach and more prepared for the opportunity I have today. ?
REPORTER #6 - Travis Hines with the Des Moines Register. When you left five years ago for Iowa State, did you envision a path back here for a day like today? ?
KYLE GREEN - I always thought it could happen, but no, I never planned that way. Like, I really didn't. Certainly, when I started coaching here in the early 2000s, my vision was always to be a Division I head coach someday. And we fell in love with this place. So to have it be here is really cool.
But I left here because I wanted growth and opportunity and challenge. I wanted to get better as a coach, with the hopes that then I could come back and be a better coach and more prepared for this opportunity and I think that's happened. I don't think I would have been ready as ready as I am right now, if I had never left. So yes, we never moved out of the community, because we love it so much. So, I'm thankful with the price of gas right now that this commute has been limited significantly. But yeah, it's funny how things work out that way, Travis, right??
Hopeful planning, to Coach Jake 20 years. I mean, he never thought, I mean, he's an icon, right? I don't know if I wanted to follow that, either. But when the opportunity came, I didn't think twice. It's great.
REPORTER #6 - What was the process like for taking this job? Did you actually, when Ben stepped aside, did you call UNI or did they call you? What was the process in taking this position?
KYLE GREEN - Yeah, you know, to be honest, I didn't know the right way to go about it, but I did reach out. I wanted them to know right away how enthusiastic I would be for this opportunity. I didn't know if I would have a chance or not. But I knew if I didn't try, I'd be kick myself, right? And that probably my wife would kick me, too, if I didn't try.
So, then this happened so quickly. Then you're just in it, right? And the turnaround, the communication back and forth, and all the things that happened. It kind of hit me yesterday when I went in the locker room after just two days of the process and talked to the guys for the first time. Wow, this actually happened. So yeah, it was, there was zero hesitation on my part that I wanted this opportunity. And I'm thankful that I got that opportunity.
REPORTER #7 - Hey, Coach, Jim Nelson, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. As a guy that was here, when you're hearing you talk about the UNI-Dome and was part of the 22,000 people that saw the game, do you have any, maybe want to recreate some memories there, go back and maybe play in the UNI-Dome? ?
KYLE GREEN - We haven't talked, to be honest, no, not necessarily. I don't know why it wouldn't just stick them all in the McLeod Center and have an unbelievable home court advantage there.
As awesome as that memory was, and I have some great stories about that win over Iowa with the 22,000 people, I love it right here man. I been in here when it's rocking man, and I look forward to that again. To seeing these bleachers filled, having been a part of what they call Hilton Magic at Iowa State, it's a real thing that the crowd brings. The enthusiasm they bring. It's worth ten to 12 points every game. And we're gonna be relying on the community to rally in these times to get us to that point. And I've seen it happen, and we're gonna have it happen again.
REPORTER #8 - Hey, Kyle. Kevin Lehman, MVC TV. Congratulations! You left before NIL became a big thing. I followed the model that TJ used at Iowa State on your players, recruitment and so forth, and Jake's been known as a developmental program. What's your vision going forward as far as talent acquisition and talent retention?
KYLE GREEN - I'm gonna answer that question, but I first thank you as a former assistant here for the legacy you helped build, too. I did not mention that. You know what it is. You know what it means. So I appreciate that, I appreciate you. Thank you.
It's a big one. It's the biggest change in the five years, right? We will still be foundationally a developmental program that recruits high school kids from the Midwest, with Iowa kids, Minnesota, Wisconsin, that's not changing. We're gonna get them here because it's a special place, and once we get them here, we believe that the value in the people, the value of the education, and the value of the things we're gonna, you know, do on a daily basis, we'll want to want them to stay. So it'll be that. But the reality is, the world we live in right now. ?
We'll rely on the community too. Be out in the community, be a part of the community, our best recruiting process for our players, for people coming to games. They are a reflection of our program. ?
As far as the NLI goes, I'm a complete 100% believer, and you earn that opportunity. Those that are on the team currently are the ones that are a priority. When it comes to NIL and anything we do with it. We'll build it on the inside out, try to develop and grow that group, and support it from the outside as we need to. And in portal, with high school kids, transfers, whatever it might be.
But our mission, number one, from day one is, as Megan said, is to graduate these guys. The idea that we're gonna graduate, whether they come as freshmen, juniors, seniors, you're graduating with a UNI degree. Or if you choose to leave, because you have other opportunities, you're gonna be eligible, prepared, and ready to go wherever you go. So, we're gonna take that approach, and I don't know any other way than to wake up and get to work every day and have great daily habits, and prepare ourselves to win.
