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Home > Bison Media Zone > 'We really felt like it was now or never': NDSU basketball players partner with Shoot 360 for unique NIL deal
Podcast: Bison Media Zone
Episode:

'We really felt like it was now or never': NDSU basketball players partner with Shoot 360 for unique NIL deal
Category: Sports & Recreation
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2022-07-14 01:06:04
Description: FARGO "We really felt like it was now or never,” said Shoot 360's manager Blaine Cook.

Shoot 360 is one of the newest companies on the block in Fargo. It pairs precise technology to help basketball players perfect their game. While the business is in its first year open, it enters a chaotic time for a basketball facility to be joining a world that just introduced Name, Image and Likeness to college athletics.



WATCH: Nelson and Hamling explore NIL world while staying close to the game they love

"I think that’s just where the game is moving towards," said Cook. "When you have great personalities who can pair that with talent and skill, it's a really cool opportunity for us as a business to get them in here.”



When it came to who to partner with, they didn’t have to leave their backyard.



“It’s an opportunity to get young kids in the area an opportunity to see what it’s like at the Division 1 basketball level," said North Dakota State men's basketball forward, Grant Nelson.



"The facilities there and the technology is awesome," said NDSU women's basketball guard,Heaven Hamling. "So it’s a really good facility to use, and the opportunity to have that not far away from where we’re from is really awesome.”



This unique spin on NIL allows players like Heaven and Grant to improve their game all while profiting from hosting camps and training young athletes, giving back to the kids that are in the position they once were in.



“It just gets kids out there who want to be involved in sports who are from this area or a couple of hours out," Grant said. "They can come here, see what it’s like and get on the equipment.”



"When they see people like us coming in here and using these facilities, I think it really opens their eyes and they’re like, ‘Wow these people are doing this,' Heaven added.



Back in May, Nelson put on a camp at Shoot 360 drawing in kids from all across the state. Hamling is scheduled to have an all girls camp, along with other NDSU women's basketball players, at the end of the month.



“A higher number of athletes coming in and wanting to get better because Grant and Heaven play such different positions," said Cook



For these NDSU basektball players, it was too hard to pass up the opportunity to explore the NIL world, while spending time around the game they always loved.



“In high school, I definitely thought about why college athletes should get paid," said Nelson."I think it's great that it’s a thing now. I think it’ll help a lot of athletes out in college.”


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