Welcome Justin Kier

[Patriot8]

N.C. State is in the triangle with UNC and Duke. Minnesota is in Minneapolis, which is a really cool city. But Minnesota and Georgia aren't basketball schools, and N.C. State is the little brother to the other two. So, it's one thing for him to go to a Butler or a Michigan, it's another to just go to a P5 school because it's P5.

Was strictly talking about the student/campus life component. Georgia is really really nice. Nicest campus/town I’ve seen in the SEC East. Big time football atmosphere.

 

[PoorManProfit]

Thats a pretty surprising final 3 to me. Whats the draw to each place?

It’s not Fairfax?

 

[FreeGunston12]

It’s not Fairfax?

Okay, smart guy. But there are plenty of other places he could've gone that are "not Fairfax". Ann Arbor is "not Fairfax". Auburn is "not Fairfax". Even DC is "not Fairfax".

 

[GMUgemini]

Okay, smart guy. But there are plenty of other places he could've gone that are "not Fairfax". Ann Arbor is "not Fairfax". Auburn is "not Fairfax". Even DC is "not Fairfax".

It's also kind of funny to watch people say "why can't Paulsen recruit to George Mason?" and then make statements like "well, it's not Fairfax." I mean, if you think Fairfax is a horrible place to go to college, you've just answered your own question.

 

[Masonfan3]

N.C. State is in the triangle with UNC and Duke. Minnesota is in Minneapolis, which is a really cool city. But Minnesota and Georgia aren't basketball schools, and N.C. State is the little brother to the other two. So, it's one thing for him to go to a Butler or a Michigan, it's another to just go to a P5 school because it's P5.

I get what you are saying but NC State has won more National Championships than Michigan and Butler combined and also play in the best conference in the country. While they may be the little brother to Duke and UNC, their basketball program is a step up (if not a couple) from Mason and they are very well coached. I have no clue why he is even looking at Minnesota but he will be well coached if he ends up at NC State or Georgia.[/QUOTE]

 

[Pablo]

I have no clue why he is even looking at Minnesota but he will be well coached if he ends up at NC State or Georgia.

I'm guessing that Justin's choice of schools for consideration is not based strictly on basketball. He's majoring in sport management at Mason:

https://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/best-masters-in-sports-management-degrees/:

"Best Master’s in Sports Management Degree Programs for 2020:

(6) UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

(8) UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

(10) UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

(20) UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

NC State has a graduate program in sport and entertainment venue management.

 

[Five Two]

I'm guessing that Justin's choice of schools for consideration is not based strictly on basketball. He's majoring in sport management at Mason:

https://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/best-masters-in-sports-management-degrees/:

"Best Master’s in Sports Management Degree Programs for 2020:

(6) UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

(8) UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

(10) UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

(20) UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

NC State has a graduate program in sport and entertainment venue management.

I, like Justin and others, wanted to get into the business side of sports. However, Mason didnt have a Sports Mgmt program during my time there so my major was Business Management. Turns out, I was better off for not having a Sports Mgmt degree.

I interned at a large sports marketing/management company the summer after graduation and then worked in minor league baseball and then a sports and entertainment company. Having a business degree carried more weight than having a sports degree in getting the internship and the jobs. But what no sports degree program tells these students is that there is no money to be made in sports. The NY Yankees are one of the most profitable franchises in the world; they dont pay commission to their sales teams. Why? Because leadership believes selling tickets or sponsorships for the team is "easy" because they are the Yankees and if you can't sell for them without a commission, they know there are hundreds of people who will. Most teams do pay commissions, but the salaries of marketing and sales folks are lower than a similar marketing job outside of sports. Why? Again, because every team knows there are hundreds of candidates out there willing to take the job. Supply and demand. Demand is so high and supply is low, they don't need to pay to fill jobs.

While at the sports and entertainment firm, I hired a woman with an undergrad and grad degree from Ohio U. Ohio was one of the first schools to offer a sports degree program. By this point, sports degree programs were popping up all over the place. And, like Mason, most are not part of the school of business, they are part of the recreation dept. I asked her why she went with a sports degree and not a business degree- "I love sports; passionate about it. I'm going to work in sports my entire life!" In two years she was out of the industry because she needed a job that she could live comfortably on.

My advice to high school kids who see the glamour in sports and want to work on the business side of sports- get a business degree. It gives you more options after school. If you can learn how to market/sell a widget, the same principles apply when selling a ticket or a sponsorship. Many companies are getting smart and realizing that sports marketing or sports management degrees are not part of the college's business school. The value of that degree is diminished. If I'm working at the Nats and have a candidate from Mason with a sports marketing degree and another candidate from Mason with a business marketing degree, the business marketing degree carries more weight. Thats not to say the candidate with the sports degree is inferior and won't get a job, or can't be successful. But I want every advantage I can get and the business degree, IMO, gives me that over the sports degree.

The trick to working in sports isnt actually working for a team or league, its finding companies that sponsor the teams and leagues and work for them. Capital One spends millions on sponsoring college athletics, as does Home Depot, All State. These companies have departments solely dedicated to working with the NCAA, Wizards, etc, etc. They are looking for candidates with business degrees and they pay more than the NCAA, Wizards, etc. So, you get all the benefits of working in sports and get paid more. Win-win. Or as Michael Scott would say, win-win-win.

This really has nothing to do with Justin and where he is transferring to but I'm bored. And dammit Mason, move the sports program out of the school of recreation health and tourism and into the school of business. Thanks for letting this old man vent a bit.

 

[Masonfan3]

I, like Justin and others, wanted to get into the business side of sports. However, Mason didnt have a Sports Mgmt program during my time there so my major was Business Management. Turns out, I was better off for not having a Sports Mgmt degree.

I interned at a large sports marketing/management company the summer after graduation and then worked in minor league baseball and then a sports and entertainment company. Having a business degree carried more weight than having a sports degree in getting the internship and the jobs. But what no sports degree program tells these students is that there is no money to be made in sports. The NY Yankees are one of the most profitable franchises in the world; they dont pay commission to their sales teams. Why? Because leadership believes selling tickets or sponsorships for the team is "easy" because they are the Yankees and if can't sell for them without a commission, they know there are hundreds of people who will. Most teams do pay commissions, but the salaries of marketing and sales folks are lower than a similar marketing job outside of sports. Why? Again, because every team knows there are hundreds of candidates out there willing to take the job. Supply and demand. Demand is so high and supply is low, they don't need to pay to fill jobs.

While at the sports and entertainment firm, I hired a woman with an undergrad and grad degree from Ohio U. Ohio was one of the first schools to offer a sports degree program. By this point, sports degree programs were popping up all over the place. And, like Mason, most are not part of the school of business, they are part of the recreation dept. I asked her why she went with a sports degree and not a business degree- "I love sports; passionate about it. I'm going to work in sports my entire life!" In two years she was out of the industry because she needed a job that she could live comfortably on.

My advice to high school kids who see the glamour in sports and want to work on the business side of sports- get a business degree. It gives you more options after school. If you can learn how to market/sell a widget, the same principles apply when selling a ticket or a sponsorship. Many companies are getting smart and realizing that sports marketing or sports management degrees are not part of the college's business school. The value of that degree is diminished. If I'm working at the Nats and have a candidate from Mason with a sports marketing degree and another candidate from Mason with a business marketing degree, the business marketing degree carries more weight. Thats not to say the candidate with the sports degree is inferior and won't get a job, or can't be successful. But I want every advantage I can get and the business degree, IMO, gives me that over the sports degree.

The trick to working in sports isnt actually working for a team or league, its finding companies that sponsor the teams and leagues and work for them. Capital One spends millions on sponsoring college athletics, as does Home Depot, All State. These companies have departments solely dedicated to working with the NCAA, Wizards, etc, etc. They are looking for candidates with business degrees and they pay more than the NCAA, Wizards, etc. So, you get all the benefits of working in sports and get paid more. Win-win. Or as Michael Scott would say, win-win-win.

This really has nothing to do with Justin and where he is transferring to but I'm bored. And dammit Mason, move the sports program out of the school of recreation health and tourism and into the school of business. Thanks for letting this old man vent a bit.

Could not agree more with what you said. I majored in Sports Management at Mason and while I had some pretty good internships within the sports industry, finding a job was hell for me. I also minored in Business and we learned basically the same thing in both but my major was just geared towards sports. I tell a lot of young kids these days who want to get into the sports industry to major in Business because most companies see the word "sports" and are turned off.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

I love it when people try to decide where kids want to play as if they have any idea what draws them wherever.

It could be he loves the Bulldog minkies. It could be he wants to try ice fishing in Minnesota. It could be he once played AAU with/against somebody on one of the rosters. Could be academic. Could be a relative nearby. Could boil down to just being comfortable with the coach.

Who f'in knows but I doubt it has much to do with the city/town the school is in...

Players/recruits must read this board sometimes and just laugh...

 

[Pablo]

I, like Justin and others, wanted to get into the business side of sports. However, Mason didnt have a Sports Mgmt program during my time there so my major was Business Management. Turns out, I was better off for not having a Sports Mgmt degree.

All good points, which I hope the academic coordinators are discussing with the student-athletes. Sport management appears to be a popular major for Mason men's basketball players.

 

[Patriot8]

I, like Justin and others, wanted to get into the business side of sports. However, Mason didnt have a Sports Mgmt program during my time there so my major was Business Management. Turns out, I was better off for not having a Sports Mgmt degree.

I interned at a large sports marketing/management company the summer after graduation and then worked in minor league baseball and then a sports and entertainment company. Having a business degree carried more weight than having a sports degree in getting the internship and the jobs. But what no sports degree program tells these students is that there is no money to be made in sports. The NY Yankees are one of the most profitable franchises in the world; they dont pay commission to their sales teams. Why? Because leadership believes selling tickets or sponsorships for the team is "easy" because they are the Yankees and if you can't sell for them without a commission, they know there are hundreds of people who will. Most teams do pay commissions, but the salaries of marketing and sales folks are lower than a similar marketing job outside of sports. Why? Again, because every team knows there are hundreds of candidates out there willing to take the job. Supply and demand. Demand is so high and supply is low, they don't need to pay to fill jobs.

While at the sports and entertainment firm, I hired a woman with an undergrad and grad degree from Ohio U. Ohio was one of the first schools to offer a sports degree program. By this point, sports degree programs were popping up all over the place. And, like Mason, most are not part of the school of business, they are part of the recreation dept. I asked her why she went with a sports degree and not a business degree- "I love sports; passionate about it. I'm going to work in sports my entire life!" In two years she was out of the industry because she needed a job that she could live comfortably on.

My advice to high school kids who see the glamour in sports and want to work on the business side of sports- get a business degree. It gives you more options after school. If you can learn how to market/sell a widget, the same principles apply when selling a ticket or a sponsorship. Many companies are getting smart and realizing that sports marketing or sports management degrees are not part of the college's business school. The value of that degree is diminished. If I'm working at the Nats and have a candidate from Mason with a sports marketing degree and another candidate from Mason with a business marketing degree, the business marketing degree carries more weight. Thats not to say the candidate with the sports degree is inferior and won't get a job, or can't be successful. But I want every advantage I can get and the business degree, IMO, gives me that over the sports degree.

The trick to working in sports isn't actually working for a team or league, its finding companies that sponsor the teams and leagues and work for them. Capital One spends millions on sponsoring college athletics, as does Home Depot, All State. These companies have departments solely dedicated to working with the NCAA, Wizards, etc, etc. They are looking for candidates with business degrees and they pay more than the NCAA, Wizards, etc. So, you get all the benefits of working in sports and get paid more. Win-win. Or as Michael Scott would say, win-win-win.

This really has nothing to do with Justin and where he is transferring to but I'm bored. And dammit Mason, move the sports program out of the school of recreation health and tourism and into the school of business. Thanks for letting this old man vent a bit.

Your connections and experience are infinitely more important than whatever your degree is in. I am a Sport Management grad, and every job I have gotten (and every job offer I've received) in my career have been because of connections I have made, and the work I have done. I've worked for 3 minor league baseball teams, and made the transition to working in college athletics, specifically with IMG/Learfield, 5 years ago. All of my experience is in sponsorship sales, activation, and hospitality. I've worked alongside Sport Management majors, Business majors, Comm majors, Graduate degree holders, etc. I can't say I've come across any situation thus far where I felt that I was at a disadvantage because of my degree.

 

[gmutom]

Your connections and experience are infinitely more important than whatever your degree is in.

Agreed, and I would also add versatility to that as well. I have an English Writing degree from Mason and worked in the newspaper business for five years before transitioning to entertainment magazines. I went out on my own 20 years ago and have done everything from writing to editing to advertising to PR to marketing to social media to overseeing trade magazines and consumer magazines for clients. The more diverse you are, the more valuable you are as a full-time employee or a contractor.

 

[Jack Strop]

All good points, which I hope the academic coordinators are discussing with the student-athletes. Sport management appears to be a popular major for Mason men's basketball players.

FWIW, Gonar changed his major to Marketing. I thought his decision to at least swing clear of Sports Mgmt. was sound.

Agreed, and I would also add versatility to that as well. I have an English Writing degree from Mason and worked in the newspaper business for five years before transitioning to entertainment magazines. I went out on my own 20 years ago and have done everything from writing to editing to advertising to PR to marketing to social media to overseeing trade magazines and consumer magazines for clients. The more diverse you are, the more valuable you are as a full-time employee or a contractor.

That's the general career model — begin as a generalist, develop into a specialist, end as a generalist.

 

[Pablo]

Jake
@jakeweingarten

George Mason graduate transfer Justin Kier will announce his college decision this evening at 6:00 PM, he told
@Stockrisers.

Georgia, Minnesota and NC State are the finalists. He has done virtual visits with all programs, he said.
9:51 AM · Apr 26, 2020

 

[Mason2005]

Georgia, close this thread lol.

 

[Falco]

Georgia. Interesting choice.

 

[tblack33]

FWIW, Georgia spends the least out of all the SEC schools on basketball, with 3.2 mil of its 6.2 mil a year budget going to Creans salary.

 

[Patriot8]

Looking forward to seeing him in Knoxville

 

[PoorManProfit]

UGA! Nice! SEC and hot f**king ladies. Congrats Justin!!

Tom Crean is a tool, but then again...

 

[Pablo]

https://georgiabas
ketballblog.com/george-mason-graduate-justin-kier-is-transferring-to-georgia/:

"Georgia needed a player who could shoot from the perimeter, Justin Kier, delivers.

Justin Kier will be immediately eligible to play for the Georgia Bulldogs next season and he will likely be a strong candidate to be a starter in the lineup whenever the season starts. Kier gives Georgia a perimeter shooting threat that they did not have last season and he will play an important role in ensuring that opponents respect Georgia’s spacing on the floor.
Kier’s impact at Georgia will go beyond shooting and spacing.

Kier’s a Strong Defensive Rebounder for his size and position.

Kier was pulling down a 20% defensive rebounding rate as a Junior at George Mason, 22.7% against Atlantic 10 competition. Before his injury this past season, he had an 18% defensive rebounding rate, which is also rather good.

Kier is a disruptive defender.

Georgia has not brought in any perimeter players who are expected to be disruptive thus far. Mikal Starks and K.D. Johnson have been subpar defenders against the closest competition that they would face to the college level. This changes with the infusion of Justin Kier. Kier immediately changes this team in practice and in the game, which is when the team can start practicing and playing games again.

In Kier’s Junior Year, he was able to get a 2.7% steals rate, which is impressive. Kier was able to do this without fouling either. He has a very low fouls committed per 40 minutes metric. Kier will not completely make up for the loss of Jordan Harris and Donnell Gresham Jr., but he fills some of the void and players like Christian Brown should make a larger contribution in the 2020-21 Season.

Kier is able to draw fouls and hit Free Throws

Kier instantly becomes the team’s best Free Throw shooter. Late in close games, who is going to put the game on ice at the Free Throw Line? The most proven candidate is Justin Kier. Kier will not have foul trouble and he will be able to play at the end of games to put games away. He was a 76.9% Free Throw shooter in his Junior Year and an 84.6% shooter prior to the stress fracture he suffered.

Kier can draw fouls and he should draw more with Tom Crean as a cutting and shooting option within the offense. Kier will have to make the right read on Sahvir Wheeler and K.D. Johnson’s dribble drives. As a baseline cutter, much in the role of Jordan Harris, he’ll be able to attack the basket and get his opportunities at the Free Throw Line. Kier should have opportunities to attack off the dribble drive and he may be discouraged from taking mid-range shots unless they are within 8 feet of the basket.

Three Point Shooting

The sample size from last season is low as Kier only attempted 24 three point Field Goal attempts from the new three point arc. He was a 45.8% three point shooter and that’s something to get excited about if he is able to maintain such a percentage. Shooting from the old three point arc, he was a 37.1% three point shooter."