Houston basketball will compete in the first ever Player’s Era Festival in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving, taking on Alabama.
This tournament is aimed at creating opportunities for student-athletes to engage in NIL (name, image and likeness) activities. The other teams that are part of this festival include Creighton, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, Texas A&M, and San Diego St. Each team will engage in more than $1 million in NIL opportunities with sponsors of the tournament.
Houston takes on Alabama on the first day of the festival, the third meeting between these two in the last four years. In their previous encounter, Alabama gave UH only their second loss the past two years in the Fertitta Center. The series is currently tied 3-3.
The Cougars were invited last November and a couple of lifelong friends of coach Sampson approached him about this.
“We were one of the first schools that they approached and I immediately said yes,” said Sampson. “This is an opportunity for us to play against some of the best teams in the country early in the season. The Players Era Festival has great teams, great coaches and great players, and we appreciate the chance to compete in its first year. It will be a great way for our program to test itself.”
Houston basketball has been able to perform well in tournaments in the past such as the Charleston Classic in 2023 which they ended up being champions with victories over Stetson, Towson, Utah and Dayton.
All scholarship student athletes who participate in the events will be able to connect with other NIL opportunities in return for shares of an equity stake.
“You’re having to do things you don’t normally do, we’re having to be very creative within our own programs and try to figure out how we’re going to do it,” said Sampson.
Adapt and overcome is Sampson’s phrase related to the NIL frontier.
“I adapt, I overcome and I move forward. This is not something that you agree with or don’t agree with,” said Sampson. You better understand it, it’s here to stay. You better get in line and get with it or you’re going to be left behind.”
NIL has changed college sports in a huge way, it has impacted people’s jobs in sports and has made the athletic department consider new ways to grow their program.
“We’re all new to this. Every month something comes up and we have to ask questions to make sure we’re doing it the right way,” said Sampson. NIL by itself has changed the landscape of athletics more than anything has happened since I’ve been involved, and that’s almost 44 years.”
Houston basketball sixth year forward J’Wan Roberts has seen it all during his collegiate career and has seen NIL take off the last few years.
“Coaches are looking out for us and making sure we’re financially good, it just shows a lot of love and support they have for us,” said Roberts.
Even UH fifth year guard LJ Cryer had to think about NIL opportunities when considering coming back to UH or moving on. It is something that players have to factor in these days.
“It created a tsunami of far -ranging effects. You better dig in and figure out how to make it work ’cause it’s not going away,” said Sampson.
*Featured image credit to Players Era Festival