The Eccker 10 – Morgan Maly

Morgan Maly has succeeded at every level of basketball. Her collegiate career, however, began before the passage of NIL. While Morgan has been able to take advantage of NIL, it’s a process that has taken some time for her to truly dive into and understand. As someone who prioritizes basketball and letting her “game talk”, Morgan has had to learn to balance the desire to succeed in NIL with her competitiveness and drive on the court. Eccker Sports spoke with Morgan about her experience thus far, what she has coming in the future, and more.

10 Questions

Tyler: What is your greatest memory as an athlete?

Morgan: My greatest memory as an athlete would have to be our entire NCAA tournament run my sophomore season in 2022, where we made it to the elite eight. Everything came together at the right time, and we pulled off some pretty big upsets.

Tyler: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an athlete and how were you able to work past it?

Morgan: I feel like I struggle mentally to find the balance between the expectations I hold for myself in my head and also giving myself grace throughout my athletic career. It is something that I still struggle with but it helps talking with people.

Tyler: Do you have any unique or hidden talents?

Morgan: I grew up playing the trombone and used to be able to do the splits…I haven’t tried in a while though.

Tyler: What was your first NIL deal?

Morgan: A few players on my team got a NIL deal with Raising Canes. We each have our own “location” where we shared some content on social media and got some free food and merch.

Tyler: How has NIL impacted your experience as an athlete?

Morgan: I really haven’t felt much of a difference between now and before NIL was passed. I didn’t know what NIL was or how to go about looking for opportunities, so until recently, I didn’t participate in NIL deals unless they just fell in my lap.

Tyler: How do you determine which brands to partner with?

Morgan: I want to partner with brands that I enjoy and that represent me and my values.

Tyler: How do you educate yourself on NIL?

Morgan: I’ve recently partnered with NIYOU to promote my brand within the Omaha community and beyond. They have been helpful in asking me what I want to accomplish during my time at Creighton and working to make those goals happen. They do the hard work in knowing what is legal and doing the networking/logistics of NIL- and they lead me through that. One of my assistant coaches is also very knowledgeable and I enjoy talking with her about NIL opportunities.

Tyler: How has education played a role in your NIL experience?

Morgan: Education is the major chunk of what NIL is. I think if we can inform student-athletes right away about how to go about NIL, then it would make the whole process way more comfortable for everyone involved. I think there are so many opportunities for collegiate athletes out there, it’s just about knowing how to go about it and getting everything started.

Tyler: If you could change one thing about NIL and how it’s worked so far, what would it be?

Morgan: I think it is cool that we are able to promote ourselves and make some money in college, but I wish it didn’t play such a major role in the recruiting process and the transfer portal. I think it changes the game and makes you wonder what the true intentions of some people’s choices are. There isn’t as much money to be thrown around in women’s basketball compared to men’s, but I think chasing money or deals shouldn’t be a top priority in the selection process.

Tyler: What piece of advice would you give to high school athletes as they start their NIL journeys?

Morgan: I would just say never stop working on your game and try to have people in your corner who you trust to help you throughout the process. Once you start it becomes a lot easier…and game talks.