In letter to fans, Wichita State AD asks for additional $1M for men’s basketball NIL

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - In a letter to fans, Wichita State University Athletic Director Keven Saal addressed the men’s basketball program and what it will take from a fundraising standpoint to keep pace with schools that were national contenders this year. Boiled down, Saal said the program’s “current 2025/26 NIL/Revenue Share allocation needs an additional $1 million to elevate overall roster talent/depth and compete at the national level of excellence we’ve all come to expect.”

“Wichita desires, expects and deserves a nationally competitive (Top 25) Men’s Basketball program that improves the city’s economy, attracts visitors and contributes to a thriving community,” Saal wrote. “The current era of college athletics brings unprecedented challenges, and our growth is directly tied to raising additional funds to compete in this new, ‘NIL/Revenue Share’ environment.”

Saal said that since January 2023, privately funded NIL/Revenue Share resources to support the men’s basketball program have grown by more than 500%. Still, more is needed for the funding to reflect loftier expectations. Determining that the men’s basketball team needs another $1 million came from an analysis of NIL/Revenue Share data for the programs that competed in the 2025 NCAA Sweet 16, Saal explained.

“Based upon accessible trustworthy data, our current secured resources to support the 2025-26 season position Shocker Men’s Basketball in a highly competitive place within our league. However, the standard for Wichita State Men’s Basketball is much higher,” Saal wrote.

In the video above, you can see coverage from three years ago when Wichita State launched its NIL Marketplace for student-athletes to gain sponsorships.

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