MT Noodles offers NIL deal to Minnesota high schooler Jalen Langsy

Justin Bui remembers exactly where he was on Feb. 14, 2012. That was the night then-New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin scored 27 points against the Toronto Raptors, including the pull-up, game-winning 3-pointer in the final second. It was Lin’s sixth 20-point game in a row, each of which came in a winning effort. He was just four days removed from a 38-point outing against the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was the crescendo of “Linsanity.”

Today, Bui is an owner of MT Noodles, an authentic Vietnamese restaurant that his family owns in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Then, Bui was in his junior year at the University of Wisconsin, where he watched Lin’s heroics alongside three roommates.

“I remember where I was when Linsanity happened,” said Bui. “That’s big to me. You know, I’ll never forget where I was. In my college dorm, watching it and I’m like, ‘Holy crap.’ Those are the kind of imprints that you have and you can start to see representation and especially if you see it at a younger age, too, it’s astronomical.”

Those two months of All-Star-level play from Lin, which are now a decade in the rear-view mirror, combined with Bui’s own experience as a basketball player, coach and restaurant owner, helped inform Bui amid the changing NIL landscape in Minnesota.

One month after the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) announced a board policy that allows high school athletes to enter into NIL deals, MT Noodles announced a future NIL deal with Jalen Langsy, a rising junior and a point guard for Shakopee High School and the Minnesota Heat AAU program.

‘When it comes to Minnesota high school hoops … he’s the best Asian American I’ve seen’

Similar to Edina High School’s Bayliss Flynn, a goalkeeper and University of Montana commit who signed with Minnesota Aurora FC of the USL W League and whose NIL deal with TruStone Financial was the first among high school athletes in the state, Langsy is an NIL trailblazer in Minnesota, especially when it comes to representation.

“I think, as a 16-year-old, not that he has to bear all that power [of Jeremy Lin] by any means, but to know that, ‘Hey, you could be really influential around here,'” Bui said of the opportunity for Langsy.

The restaurant’s Instagram post that announced the NIL partnership said Langsy is believed to be the first Asian American and the first basketball player in Minnesota to receive an NIL opportunity while in high school. It’s an opportunity of which Langsy said in an email, “I feel is really huge for not only me but the Asian community as well.”

Bui used to coach for the Minnesota Heat, where Langsy plays for the AAU program’s top team. Bui still keeps tabs on the program, including following its social media accounts. He followed Langsy’s game from afar and saw some of the high schooler’s highlights.

Eventually, Bui asked a friend, Josh Presbitero, who coaches the team, “Is this kid for real?”

“I’ve said this to everyone that I’ve met,” Bui said, “…but when it comes to Minnesota high school hoops, I’ve watched it for over 10, 12, 13 years, and he’s the best Asian American I’ve seen.”

Bui said Langsy is ranked in the top 30 players in his class in the state, according to Prep Hoops.

“We thought it was a really cool way to build that representation, especially with Asian American youth here in Minnesota,” Bui said.

‘We might lose money on this [NIL deal]’

Minnesota was home to some of the top high school basketball players in the country over a two-year span. Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren enrolled at Gonzaga in consecutive years before the two players were selected in the top five of the last two NBA drafts, respectively. Paige Bueckers attends UConn, where she was named AP Women’s Player of the Year as a freshman in 2021.

Bui said he knows those athletes from the state and other athletes of their caliber warrant large NIL deals. The goal for the partnership between MT Noodles and Langsy is to be large in terms of Langsy’s platform and community support, rather than compensation.

“Because again, we’re not offering Lamborghinis and half a million dollars, right?” Bui said, laughing.

While MT Noodles announced the future partnership, Bui said the parties involved are still finalizing the contract. He said Langsy will have contractual accountability, such as maintaining a good image and complying with MSHSL rules.

Bui’s lawyers are involved in the production of the contract and he said he’s also coordinating with contacts at the athletic director and state levels to ensure Langsy maintains his eligibility.

“I’m reading this thing like every single day, to be honest,” Bui said, laughing, “just to make sure what he can be compensated for, how he can use representation.”

The MSHSL’s board policy on NIL allows high school athletes to earn NIL compensation as long as it’s commensurate with market value, not contingent on athletic achievement, not used as an inducement, not provided by a school or an agent of a school, and doesn’t interfere with the student’s academic or athletics obligations.

One idea for Langsy’s contractual obligations is for him to hold a basketball camp for Asian American youth in the area, or at least for young Minnesotans in general, Bui said. Like the majority of NIL deals at the college level, Langsy could also provide promotion on social media, although the marketing component is not the primary focus of the agreement.

“At the same time, it’s, ‘How are you going to contribute back to this community, too?'” Bui said.

“The skills I hope to get out of this partnership are leadership skills and being able to represent myself well on social media and to the public,” Langsy wrote. “I am currently taking business courses at my high school and I hope I can gain some knowledge in that field from Justin. My desire is to provide an example to the upcoming youth of any ethnic background that anything is possible if you work hard and put your mind to something.”

‘Our intention is not to get a return, to be honest’

The family-owned restaurant is transparent that it could very well lose money on the deal, or at least not get the typical return on investment that is usually targeted for earmarked marketing dollars.

And that’s OK with Bui and his family. That’s not their goal.

“As a family business, I don’t know what return we’re going to get on this,” Bui said. “Our intention is not to get a return, to be honest. For us, our side is all about, like, ‘This is really cool representation that we just want to provide you the resources and support, and know you have that to go be empowered, to go be yourself and go play at the next level.’ We’re all about supporting community here.

“Most corporate businesses, for the most part, they get, like, ‘Hey, we know I’m going to get sales,’ but for us, it’s, ‘Hey man, no matter what, we might lose money on this but we just want you to know that you have the backing of a community as an Asian American around here.'”

They have monthly calls where Bui checks in with Langsy, including one last Thursday night, to talk about topics bigger than basketball, such as academics and his professional future.

At the start of the NCAA’s second fiscal year in which athletes can monetize their NIL rights, a common refrain from athletes who have agreed to numerous NIL deals, as well as from some advisers, has been for athletes to search for opportunities in which they’ll receive more than just cash or free products.

Can you negotiate for equity in a company? Can you get face time with a CEO? Can you be a part of the creative meetings for the marketing campaign? Can you receive financial or tax-related services as part of your compensation package?

The partnership between MT Noodles and Langsy will be an extension of that concept, only at the high school level, thanks to a high school athletic association’s rule change, the goodwill of a local, family restaurant and its owners’ commitment to promoting representation in the community.

“This partnership will help me become more aware of the decisions I make from a day-to-day basis because I have more responsibility now,” Langsy wrote. “At the moment I am employed part-time while still having workouts and practices. Sometimes my schedule can be overwhelming and I can assume that other student-athletes go through a similar situation. The partnership with MT Noodles and Justin allows me to focus on my priorities a little more.”