Standout Doug Edert reaping NIL rewards of Saint Peter鈥檚 Sweet 16 run
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (BVM) 鈥� As it seemingly happens every March, a Cinderella team in the NCAA Tournament has become the pride of the country鈥檚 basketball fans and as with team鈥檚 of years past, the star has become the heartthrob. This year, the distinction of Cinderella belongs to the Saint Peter鈥檚 Peacocks and the heartthrob belongs to junior guard Doug Edert and his distinct mustachioed face.
Edert has exploded onto the scene for a surprise Peacock team that became only the third 15-seed to make it to the tournament鈥檚 Sweet 16 and the first team to ever make it that far in the tournament from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Though only starting seven early games for Saint Peter鈥檚, Edert hasn鈥檛 let that stop him from making an impact on the team throughout the season as averaged just over 23 minutes per game scoring 9.7 points per game on 47.4% shooting and 42.5% from deep.
鈥淚 always do my best to try to get as many shots as I can so I don鈥檛 really have to think about anything when I鈥檓 in the game, I just let it happen,鈥� Edert following the team鈥檚 victory over Murray State on March 19.
During the tournament, the 6-foot-2 guard, who can be distinguished by his signature mustache, has averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.5 minutes of action over the team鈥檚 first two games. The coming out party for Edert came during the Peacocks shocking win over 2-seed Kentucky where he scored 20 points, shot 100% from the free throw line and 71.4% from the field including going 2-for-2 from 3-point land.聽
鈥淭his is not surprising to me because since our freshmen year, when the game is on the line, Doug would be making shots like that,鈥� Peacocks鈥� teammate Hassan Drame . 鈥淪o to be honest this is not something that is really surprising to me because I know he can make it.鈥�
His performances have helped the junior guard鈥檚 stock increase exponentially, especially on social media. As of January 1, Edert鈥檚 Instagram page had 1,501 followers according to sports marketing company MarketPryce, following the team鈥檚 March 18 upset over the Wildcats, that following number jumped to 5,611, following the team鈥檚 second round win over Murray State the number surpassed 15,000 and as of March 23 sits at over 24,300.
If there's one thing we love, it's seeing how big sports moments manifest themselves on social media…and last night is a great example.
Saint Peter's guard Doug Edert had an amazing game against Kentucky, and his Instagram stats prove it.
— MarketPryce (@marketpryce)
In a new era of college athletics where standout athletes can earn compensation for use of their name, image and likeness, Edert has capitalized on his sudden surge of popularity. On March 22, Edert posted a sponsored advertisement on his Instagram account , highlighting a new March Madness deal for the company. In addition to that, Edert announced a with sports media company Barstool Sports. The Buffalo Wild Wings post had 8,442 likes as of March 23, making it the second most popular post on the guard鈥檚 account, while the Barstool Sports post had 2,653, making it the fourth most popular post on the page.
OT + 馃崡 + 馃懆馃徎 = 馃殌
— Buffalo Wild Wings (@BWWings)
The growth in media awareness hasn鈥檛 only benefited Edert, though he is the most recognizable of the team members. After their upset win over UK, the Saint Peter鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball Twitter account made a plea to the social media company to give them a certified blue check mark, which the team received shortly thereafter.
Verify us 馃
— Saint Peter's Men's Basketball (@PeacocksMBB)
In addition, between about 7 p.m. on March 17 and 8 a.m. Monday, the Peacocks earned exposure worth close to $71 million according to Front Office Sports. With a trend of increased freshmen enrollment following a small school鈥檚 Cinderella NCAA Tournament run, Saint Peter鈥檚 University may see even more from their basketball team in the near future.
With the Sweet 16 in their sights, the Peacocks will look to continue their bracket-busting run through the NCAA Tournament. For both the school and their standout player Doug Edert, future wins in March could equal future dollar signs.
