Bloomington, Indiana
Indiana basketball fans, rejoice.
For years, college athletes have faced restrictions due to NCAA rules and regulations. That all changed this off-season thanks to new Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) rules that now allow athletes to engage with fans and sponsors in new and unprecedented ways.
Hoosier fans will get a taste of that starting next week as 5-star freshman Tamar “Scoop” Bates is taking his talents from Assembly Hall’s Branch McCracken Court to The Assembly Call airwaves for a one-of-a-kind, 20-episode podcast series during the team’s much-anticipated 2021-2022 basketball season. (Click here to subscribe to The Assembly Call.)
The show, which will give listeners an inside look at what it’s like to be a freshman basketball player lacing up for a first-year head coach at a hoops-crazy school, is called “The Inside Scoop with Tamar Bates,” an ode to Tamar’s nickname, Scoop.
This is the first time an active Indiana University basketball player will be giving fans a detailed account of his experience on and off the court during the season.
“The new NIL rules provide a fan podcast like ours with opportunities we’ve never had before,” said Assembly Call host and co-founder Jerod Morris. “To be able to arrange a regular interview series that will be entertaining and insightful for our audience, while also being able to compensate the athlete for his time and energy, is really a no-brainer that we were excited to pursue.”
“We’ve had other recurring guests in the past, who we paid an appearance fee to,” Morris continued. “So it’s only fair that an athlete like Tamar, who will have to juggle this commitment with all of his other commitments, gets paid too.”
Bates agrees.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to let IU fans get to know me and my family, and also provide insight on our season,” Bates said. “At the same time, I feel fortunate to be arriving on campus at this time, with opportunities like these now available to college athletes. It’s been a long time coming.”
The first episode tips off Wednesday, September 29th, just in time for Hoosier Hysteria, and Speakeasy Sales Copy has signed on as the presenting sponsor.
“I’m an IU grad, I’ve listened to The Assembly Call for a long time, and I have high hopes for Tamar as a player and representative of Indiana University. So I jumped at the opportunity to be the presenting sponsor for this first-of-its-kind series,” Speakeasy Sales Copy founder, Clay Manley, explained.
“This is the kind of insider access I’ve always wished for as a Hoosier fan. I’m thrilled to support the program and athletes like Tamar in this way, while giving fellow fans even more to cheer about this season.”
Catch the first episode of the 20-episode series on Wednesday September 29th to experience firsthand the trials and tribulations of a budding star chasing a national championship while playing for a former NBA standout at one of the nation’s premier basketball schools.
The episode will be posted to The Assembly Call podcast feed and YouTube channel on September 29th, ahead of Indiana’s Hoosier Hysteria on October 2nd.
About Tamar Bates
Tamar “Scoop” Bates is a freshman basketball player at Indiana University. He is originally from Kansas City, Kansas where he led Piper High School to a state championship as a sophomore, and then as a junior was named Kansas All-Classes Player of the Year. He played his senior year at IMG Academy. Bates was named to the Jordan Brand Classic roster and earned a 5-star recruiting ranking.
For partnership inquiries, email scoopbates53@gmail.com.
Follow Tamar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tbates_11
About The Assembly Call
The Assembly Call is the longest-running podcast dedicated to Indiana basketball. Launched at the beginning of the 2011-12 season by Jerod Morris, Ryan Phillips, and Andy Bottoms, the show is entering its 11th season covering IU basketball. The regular programming schedule features postgame shows that go live online immediately following every game, along with a weekly show on Thursday nights. The Assembly Call also hosts a weekly email newsletter and private discussion community for thousands of IU fans.
Watch new episodes on YouTube: http://youtube.com/assemblycall
Subscribe to The Assembly Call podcast: http://assemblycall.com/subscribe
About Speakeasy Sales Copy
Speakeasy Sales Copy was created in 2020 by award-winning copywriter and copy coach, Clay Manley, who has worked with brands like Petco, Marvel, Slim Jim, and more. After years of watching entrepreneurs and small business owners suffer from mediocre copy, Clay now helps them turn their words into leads, sales, and loyalty by leveraging the billion-dollar secrets he uncovered writing for the world’s biggest brands.
Learn more about how Clay’s Speakeasy Sales Copy can help grow your business: https://www.speakeasysalescopy.com/
Follow Clay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clay.manley/
