There’s no place like home. Home is where the heart is.
Those are two sentences you almost always hear when someone raves about their hometown area.
The same could be said about incoming guard Jackson Shelstad, who chose to play at Oregon and prioritizes NIL deals that have ties to his home area.
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The NIL Deal caught up with Shelstad to discuss why he chose the program, his partnership with Settlemier’s and what goes into picking out the best NIL deals.
The NIL Deal: Talk about your goals as a basketball player. What do you hope to achieve at Oregon?
Shelstad: “At Oregon, you know, just kind of been a couple of down years recently. And I just kind of want to turn the culture and the program around a little bit, especially being an in-state kid. Hopefully we can get to the tournament next year.”
The NIL Deal: What made you pick Oregon?
Shelstad: “What it came down to for me was there was a relationship with the head coach, and me and Coach Altman, from the beginning, had a really good (relationship). He was always honest, he was always genuine. He loves dudes who love to work hard. And I think I fit that pretty well. Just love being in the gym, trying to get better. Then obviously just being here in Oregon, getting to play in front of all my family and friends is a really cool thing as well. We got a good recruiting class coming in. I’m excited.”
Settlemier’s is the best in the business. pic.twitter.com/jLoNdJ6LzW
— Darin (@dshels15) April 8, 2023
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The NIL Deal: How do you see your game complimenting everybody at Oregon?
Shelstad: “I know I can just be a true point guard who can facilitate for my teammates — put pressure on defense and getting into the paint. And then also, Oregon’s been lacking some shooting recently. So I think I can bring three-point shooting,”
The NIL Deal: Who has helped mentor you?
Shelstad: “I’m always in the gym with Payton Pritchard in the summer and he just kind of tells me to, you know, just always play my game no matter who I’m playing with or against, and just compete against whoever you’re going against. Steve Blake really instilled confidence in me just because we were working out like two times a day during COVID when everything was shut down. And he kind of brought my game to a different level and just him being in the NBA for as long as he was and coaching in the NBA, he knew everything I wanted to learn. So I could just pick his brain and he taught me a lot of stuff.”
The NIL Deal: How did your NIL relationship with Settlemier’s begin?
Shelstad: “They saw what I was doing being a local kid. And they kind of heard what I was about a little bit, like being a hard worker, just being true to Oregon. Being an Oregon kid going to University of Oregon, they kind of wanted to do something cool. And I was all for it just because I’ve seen some of the stuff they did. And I love fashion and that kind of thing. So it really fit my brand and the stuff I like to promote. So I just thought it was a perfect fit.”
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The NIL Deal: What are you looking for in your relationship with Settlemier’s and other NIL opportunities?
Alex Hartman, Jackson Shelstad’s brand manager: “When they came to us, they really wanted to tell his unique story. He actually had some very unique and great ideas that I think set that jacket apart by wanting to infuse a logo that he started to love and wanted to do things different than the normal typical jacket. We wanted to think a little differently. Like he’s not going to be sitting there in front of a Coca-Cola ad because he doesn’t drink Coca-Cola. He’s more fitness and more health savvy.”
The NIL Deal: Describe your relationship with Bronny James. How do both of you as competitors bring the best out of each other?
Shelstad: “We both love to compete and just try to make each other better whenever we go against each other, which I think every good basketball player does. We used to match up against each other in middle school a couple of times. So we always knew each other. But I mean, I really started getting to know him more at the Hoop Summit. He’s a really good dude. I like him a lot. I love his game.”
