KHNT finishes in the top four at the Fordham National Basketball Negotiation Competition
Posted By Amanda Saunders, Mar 20, 2018
Thirty-two teams from across the country traveled to New York, NY, on March 2 to compete in the Fordham National Basketball Negotiation Competition (NBNC). The King Hall Negotiations Team (KHNT) was represented by the team of William Smith ’19 and Andrew Laucella ’19, who finished in the final four out of all teams. William Fogarty of UC Davis School of Law competed in the NBNC as an individual and also finished as a semifinalist.
The NBNC is an interscholastic negotiation competition hosted by the Fordham Sports Law Forum at Fordham University School of Law. The competition consists of head-to-head negotiations between teams of two competitors. Negotiation problems are based on real-world scenarios relating to the NBA. The preliminary rounds of the competition involved negotiating an endorsement deal between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Fage Yogurt and a trade negotiation between the Indiana Pacers and the Charlotte Hornets.
“Competing in the Fordham negotiations competition was a very exciting experience,” said Andrew. “Will and I enjoyed how each round presented a realistic, true-to-life fact pattern that added a real-life authenticity to the negotiations.”
Will and Andrew’s weeks of preparation paid off, as they were one of eight teams to move on from the preliminary rounds to the quarterfinals. With only one night of preparation, Will and Andrew successfully negotiated in the quarterfinal round to advance to the semifinals. After a close semifinal negotiation, Will and Andrew finished in the final four out of the thirty-two teams from across the nation.
KHNT extends its most sincere appreciation to the Dean’s Office for their generous financial support that enabled Will and Andrew to successfully compete in the NBNC. A special acknowledgment also goes to student coaches Moji Majekodunmi ’18 and Bianca Rodriguez ’18 for their role in helping Will and Andrew prepare for the competition.
