How Global Recruiting Has Transformed College Basketball with Jonathan Givony

On the debut episode of The Program, Woj visits with Jonathan Givony, founder of DraftExpress. They discuss the accelerated pattern of college’s recruiting international basketball talent — strategy that’s transforming roster construction in the age of paying players and the transfer portal.
Some of the topics covered:

    •    The Global GM Mindset: Givony reveals the one crucial evaluation method schools must adopt to succeed in international recruiting, arguing that only offering the most money is an often a losing strategy.
    •    Woj's Reporter Edge: Hear Woj explain how he leaned on his past life as a reporter to land top European talent like Achille Lonati.
    •    How the NCAA's reluctance to fight lawsuits is flooding the college market with older, professional players and what that means for high school recruitment.
    •    Playing Time vs. The Paycheck: Is a big NIL/Rev share deal at a Power Five school worth sitting on the bench? Woj and Givony detail how agents are increasingly steering clients on a different path that maximizes long-term earnings.
    •    The Future of College Staffs: Givony gives his bold prediction on the next major structural change in the sport.

3:56 How schools are succeeding with international recruiting
7:06 The importance of relationship building during the recruiting process
12:32 Finding value in international recruiting
13:36 The supply and demand problem created by college eligibility
18:33 The strategy behind building a college basketball career
25:02 What's the future of international recruiting for college teams?

We’ll see you next week for episode two with USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb

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