Tag: Illini

CHAMPAIGN — Illini men’s basketball has officially added Neel Ganta to their staff as the Director of Player Personnel, the program announced on Sunday.

Ganta spent the last three-plus years working for the Denver Nuggets organization, following a stint with the Illini as a graduate manager during the 2020-21 season. Ganta was the director of player programs with the Nuggets’ G League affiliate from 2021-22 before moving to Denver to serve as a basketball strategy & analytics coordinator and pro scout for the NBA franchise.

According to Illini basketball’s release on Sunday, Ganta “worked on special projects and analytics for the Nuggets front office and live scouted games at all levels, including NCAA, international, G League and NBA. He also assisted with on-court player development and player relations.” 

“Neel is on the cutting edge of basketball analytics, strategy, and implementation, and he creates outstanding relationships with players, coaches, and staff,” Underwood said in the release. “He has tremendous experience at his age, helping us win a Big Ten championship and working in a world championship organization with the Denver Nuggets. Our coaching staff knows first-hand the value he adds to the offices and the locker room, and we’re excited to welcome him back to Champaign and have him rejoin our family.” 

Ganta is a native of Manhattan, Kan. and grew up with Illini assistant Tyler Underwood while Brad was an assistant coach on Frank Martin‘s Kansas State staff. Ganta graduated from Kansas State with a bachelor’s degree in finance in May of 2020. Brad Underwood hired him as a consultant during the 2019-20 season, and Ganta received credit for helping convince Underwood to change his defensive style based on analytical data.

In October of 2020, Ganta was named on The Athletic’s ’40 under 40′ in college basketball. Here’s an excerpt from that article.

“Since Underwood hired Ganta (in the summer of 2020), he has designed a web app that players and coaches can use to access the playbook, analytics tables, scouting reports and video, among other goodies. Underwood may be right when he says Ganta is too smart to be a basketball coach, but if he wants to stay in the business, he’ll have no problem finding work.”

In August of 2021, Ganta earned a master’s degree at the University of Illinois in technology management with a concentration in business data analytics. He is now back in Champaign with an important role in helping to navigate the evolving world of college basketball.

What it means: This is becoming the new norm in college basketball, where you’re seeing more and more teams add front office-type roles to their staff. With revenue sharing on the way, added responsibilities will come with that to manage resources, evaluate market value for players, and build the best possible roster in what will be a full fledged pay-for-play system. It is on a fast track to becoming a professional sport, and Ganta has experience at the highest level of professional basketball in the NBA. 

It remains to be seen what exact responsibilities Underwood will put on Ganta’s plate. And surely, Underwood will continue to make the ultimate call on roster-building moves. That said, it’s clear that Underwood has a great deal of respect for Ganta, who is only in his mid-20s but he’s built an impressive resume in a short time.