Raise the Riv is the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective for the University of California, Riverside (UCR). The collective supports student-athletes of the UCR men’s basketball team, and the UCR athletics program as a whole.
Mark Nguyen, one of the executive board members of Raise the Riv, is one of many hard-working individuals behind the scenes that helps build the collective’s platform. Raise the Riv has helped UCR recruit and retain top-level talent to play for head coach Mike Magpayo and the men’s basketball team.
Nguyen shared, “NIL has really leveled the playing field for mid-major programs like UCR…If you talk to any coach, retaining players is really key to success because there’s continuity and growth [that facilitates winning].”
The Big West is a very strong mid-major Division I conference, and UCR has had success against high-major programs in the past. Magpayo has victories against current Big 10 members Washington and Nebraska, along with Big 12 member Arizona State.
UCR’s program has also remained at the top in regards to retention. In the past four years, UCR men’s basketball had only one undergraduate transfer out of the team, whereas in Division I, 25% of athletes enter the portal every year. The process involves several factors: the strength of the athletic director, the development players are receiving from coaches, the value in the UCR degree and the investment of the community into the Raise the Riv collective.
The money that Raise the Riv generates is distributed amongst the student-athletes on the men’s basketball team and helps UCR remain competitive in the Big West. In fact, UCR has had the third-best record in the Big West during Magpayo’s four-year tenure as head coach.
Elaborating on community and fan involvement in sport, Nguyen explains, “Back in the day, if a fan wanted to [donate] money, it would go to the athletic department and get [divided and invested in the program], enabling the purchase of new weights or a new treadmill or maintenance [for] facilities. But now fans [have] more say in how the team competes by donating money [directly to specific programs].”
Magpayo was also very focused on fundraising during the offseason, helping support his student-athletes on the men’s basketball team. One event that stood out amongst the men’s basketball team was the annual tip-off dinner. Remarking on the event, Nguyen explained, “At the end of the event a lot of the alums came up and said, ‘hey, this is one of the best events [I’ve] been to,’ in relation to UCR Athletics.” Other events Raise the Riv has hosted include Tacos and Tequila and the Men’s Basketball Golf Tournament.
UCR Athletics helps build the image and brand of the university, and men’s basketball is the main attraction of the program. A men’s basketball team that is competitive, entertaining and winning will help facilitate growth of the university.
Sharing an example of an influential basketball team, Nguyen commented on Gonzaga University, explaining, “[It’s] a small school out in Spokane, Washington, but because of their men’s basketball program everybody knows about Gonzaga.”
Wesley Mallette, touting Silver Waves Media’s designation as one of 2024’s “100 Most Impactful People in Men’s College Basketball,” has been assisting in growing UCR’s image in the Big West and collegiate athletics. This asset, in conjunction with UCR’s position as a fast-growing institution supplemented by its athletics department, builds a platform for future success under the directorship of Mallette.
For more information about Raise the Riv, visit raisetheriv.org
