The Most Marketable College Hoopsters

Authors: left, Evan Gottlieb, senior manager, athlete and celebrity partnerships, right, Conor Pernetti, manager, athlete and celebrity partnerships

With all eyes focused on the NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Basketball 'Sweet 16s' we thought it might be timely to take a look at the players who are drawing lots of commercial attention. Players were identified by our agency, Platinum Rye Entertainment, which specialises in talent acquisition, negotiation and procurement of celebrities, influencers and athletes (https://platinumrye.com).

MEN’s BASKETBALL (in alphabetical order):

In NCAA Men’s Basketball, we are starting to see the rise in brands spending money deals with men’s players as they look to make their transition to the NBA.

Walter Clayton Jr (Florida) – Walter was a highly rated player in the transfer portal coming from Iona and landed at Florida and was immediately on the scene leading Florida to an SEC Championship averaging 18 points per game and making clutch shots all season. Walter has partnered with State Farm and Celsius.

Cooper Flagg (Duke) - The top overall prospect in the NBA Draft, Cooper, a unanimous first-team All-American, is a gamebreaker in all aspects and has drawn himself to the forefront of the next era in basketball and has quickly gained media attention in his national spot with AT&T. He also has endorsements with New Balance, Gatorade, and Fanatics.

PJ Haggerty (Memphis) – Under Penny Hardaway, PJ has taken off to stardom leading the Memphis team to an American Conference Championship, all while averaging nearly 22 points per game. The 2nd Team All-American plays an aggressive slashing style of basketball paired with a smooth shooting stroke. PJ has seen the rise in NIL attention from brands pairing up with FedEx, Fortnite and Celsius.

Mark Sears (Alabama) – Mark Sears comes into March as the leader of the Crimson Tide in his graduate season averaging nearly 19 points per game. Mark is well known for his strong isolation style and play in the paint for a guard, making many see him as the next Jalen Brunson. Dominating for a second season in a row, Mark has drawn tons of deals from brands including DoorDash, C4 Energy, and Cava.

Braden Smith (Purdue) – A consensus All-American this season at Purdue, Braden picked up right where Purdue left off last season with his exciting playmaking ability and sharpshooting. Alongside his stardom, Braden has drawn lots of interest from brands including his latest deal with Stanley.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (in alphabetical order):

Since the 2023 season, viewership for NCAA Women’s Basketball is up 17%. Fans have been drawn to programs, but more specifically, individual talent. A few players have separated themselves based on their play on the floor, and brands have aligned with them to cater to fans as a result.

Paige Bueckers (UConn) – The top projected pick in the WNBA draft has had a storied four-year career. She has been featured on the cover of GQ magazine, and she has partnerships with Intuit, Gatorade, and Bose.

Flau'jae Johnson (LSU) – The exceptional scorer is expanding her horizons off the floor as she has added “music artist” to her personal brand. She is a brand ambassador for Powerade, Samsung, and Wendy’s.

Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) – The sophomore is top three in the nation in scoring, and she recently headlined Slam Magazine’s cover heading into the NCAA Women’s Tournament. Her endorsements include Red Bull, Ulta, and CVS.

Hailey Van Lith (TCU) – Heading into the tournament, Instagram did a feature story on HVL’s mindset and experience in her four years playing in March Madness. On the platform, she ranks 3rd in NCAA Women’s following. She is a brand ambassador for Gatorade and she has a commercial with Adidas.

JuJu Watkins (USC) - Before her season-ending injury, the Wooden Award favourite dominated the collegiate landscape like no other player. In her first two seasons, she quickly became one of the most marketable names in women’s sports. She has already set the bar with groundbreaking multi-year deals with Nike and Fanatics. And as fans follow her road to recovery, her appeal and popularity is only going to grow.

OVERTIME/BONUS NAME TO WATCH:

March Madness also brings attention to stories off the court and this March we saw the rise of McNeese State student manager, Amir Khan. After McNeese clinched a 12-seed with a Southland Conference Championship, Amir’s outgoing personality and energy landed him numerous NIL and marketing deals, some of which include Buffalo Wild Wings, TurboTax, and even his own Topps trading card.