the response has always been value based. We have the money, but don't think that guy is worth what he's asking. Don't know if that is painting a rosy face on being outbid or if it is reality.
The problem is, I agree with those that have said doing that has now painted us in a corner. We've lost guy after guy to the point now we may haver to "overpay" for someone like Watkins to make sure we get someone to lead this team in scoring. And if that does occur, then why didn't we overpay for the earlier guys we wanted? Or do we stick to our guns and say, we have a price, if you go over this price, good luck, we'll see you later. At some point we're going to have to throw money around or it is going to be hard to beat the teams that do.
Maybe I am wrong and I am sure I will be corrected if I am, but I don't think BU makes these decisions.
Men's basketball isn't the only game at UI. The ICON group is going to have limits because if they pay a lot for a men's basketball player, then they have less for all the other athletes. If you pay Egor $2Mil, you might not be able to pay even a small stipend to other athletes in minor sports. They have a budget. Yes, maybe a big time donor can be asked to step up, but you have to convince someone to do that, and if they give $2Mil to someone, then they might not give as much for others.
As NIL is not from the University, BU is not really the final decision maker on how much we will pay someone. While no doubt he has been given a budget guideline, and while he can advocate for the player with ICON, and other boosters, but he has to live with what those others decide to pay.
A great coach will be someone that can recruit value and fit, because there will always be some programs (probably different ones from year to year) that has boosters trying to be successful by buying the most sought after players no matter the cost. There are a few schools that will probably be able to outspend us consistently year after year, but not that many. I would prefer competing at a higher level year after year rather than trying to buy a one off team with every dollar you can leverage from donors over the short term.