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So, according to DPitts, UCSD (BW 5th place) is spending $2 mil a year to pay players, we (9th place) are spending $380k. UCSB (7th place)is reportedly about $1.2 million. I don't know what other schools are paying, but I understand the UCI is competitive with the top of the league. Bottom line, I am not sure I buy Acker's pitch that he is doing great given his budget, but having run a business against bigger, better funded competition, I do understand that reality, as an underfunded player, in a business like pro/college basketball depends on 2 key factors. 1) Ability to identify talented players who are under the radar, and 2) Ability to get the most out of the players you do have.

On 1, landing Sykes seems that a case can be made for finding talent. For #2, personally, I think the Coach seems to come up short too often. But, we certainly are not buying him out, so I will support him while he is in charge (3 more years) and hope we can find donors who can at least get us competitive. But, if we cannot spend in the same neighborhood as the competition, it is reasonable to think results won't be comparable.