Corruption in College Basketball

[schoosier 3,462]

8 hours ago, woodenshoemanHoosierfan said:

https://sports.yahoo.com/judge-mulling-whether-allow-louisville-escort-scandal-college-hoops-corruption-trial-015311963.html
Judge mulling whether to allow Louisville escort scandal in college hoops corruption trial

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The defense points to the real world and just laughs. The entire sport is a hustle, the NCAA is just a bunch of mall cops. 

I love this quote and it’s accuracy. The mall cops need to only be in the business of educating these athletes and allow these top players to get paid if they’re worthy. All you need to see is the list of schools involved and see that they’re all still mentioned by most of the current top recruits. Nothing has changed except another Texas school will go down to make it look like the mall cops are doing their jobs. And UNC players will not be educated. Disgusting.

[Miller'sTheMan 1,652]

‘That’s the ultimate objective. You’re trying to push those kids to your affiliated schools. For instance, Indiana, Kansas, Arizona State, Miami are all Adidas schools. So if I could have those kids in my umbrela at the grassroots level and I can funnel those kids to my schools

 

12:30 PM - Oct 3, 2018

[Stromboli 6,076]

‘I handed (Brian Bowen Sr.) $19,400 in cash...to ensure that Brian Bowen would attend University of Louisville’ - financial planner Munish Sood

 

Pitino's comments immediately after the commitment:

"We got lucky on this one," Pitino told Terry Meiners of News Radio 840. "I had an AAU director call me and ask me if I'd be interested in a player (Bowen). I saw him against another great player from Indiana. I said 'Yeah, I'd be really interested.' They had to come in unofficially, pay for their hotel, pay for their meals. We spent zero dollars recruiting a five-star athlete who I loved when I say him play. In my 40 years of coaching this is the luckiest I've been."

 

https://www.thescore.com/ncaab/news/1314238

[Toothdr 66]

I loved it when he made that comment. Like the world didn’t know what was happening there. 5 star falling into our lap and we didn’t even recruit him. Good stuff Rick.


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[Hardwood83 4,762]

No shame. This has exposed the open secret that the top level recruits have a price. The schools consistently signing 5 stars are ipso facto cheating. Nobody is going to Duke or Kentucky for the lovely campus or academic programs. They are getting paid by someone. 

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,067]

Recruiting threads before this FBI scandal were so frustrating. I’m glad Pandora’s box has been lifted ajar and people see what has been going on for decades.

Crean’s tenure was interesting because he landed a few recruits that I’m convinced were not clean AND he recruited a gazillion of them that were dirty that either he steered away from or they opted against Crean and Indiana.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall to know some of our own skeletons in the closet.


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[Deserthoozier 957]

On 10/2/2018 at 1:04 PM, Stuhoo said:

 

• Apparently a major part of the defense during opening arguments is that the shoe company employees on trial could not have defrauded universities, because the universities were part of their effort to pay recruits. That theory will be buttressed by recitation of the shoe companies' discussions with coaching staffs which encouraged player payments. And THAT is where the juicy testimony will flow. The shoe company defendants are fully embracing that they broke NCAA regulations left and right.

 

• The government's case theory will counter; that these complicit coaches were rogue employees acting in direct contradiction of their respective university's compliance departments and documented policies.

 

Soooo .... the testimony that exonerates the defendants and potentially produces "not guilty" verdicts could be extraordinarily damaging to many big name coaches.

 

 

Your legal analysis is always astute and greatly appreciated! 

Befuddles me that the fed case is built on the argument that the universities were defrauded and victims. In addition to dumping on the coaches and arguing they all knew and encouraged $$$ and that universities were complicit w not caring about NCAA reg compliance, I would pull financials to show what big business this is, especially for schools who land the paid for recruits and pay to play. Think it would all be pretty compelling case in favor of Gatto/Code/Dawkins’ defense.

I understood feds to only prosecute, especially something with this level of public notoriety, if they have slam dunk. If their case is based on proving schools were defrauded, it doesn’t seem that strong. Interested in your thoughts/further projections on which way this will roll.

Edited October 4, 2018 by Deserthoozier

[mdn82 25,510]

Recruiting threads before this FBI scandal were so frustrating. I’m glad Pandora’s box has been lifted ajar and people see what has been going on for decades.

 

Crean’s tenure was interesting because he landed a few recruits that I’m convinced were not clean AND he recruited a gazillion of them that were dirty that either he steered away from or they opted against Crean and Indiana.

 

I’d love to be a fly on the wall to know some of our own skeletons in the closet.

 

 

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I feel recruiting threads since have been equally frustrating. There are some that dedicate every post to insinuate every player is being paid even if it’s not about that player but the school recruiting any player. Recruiting threads have turned into gossip girls. When it warrants it I get it. Like this thread, I get it. But recruiting threads like you said in your opening sentence I don’t get.

 

 

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[woodenshoemanHoosierfan 6,198]

I feel recruiting threads since have been equally frustrating. There are some that dedicate every post to insinuate every player is being paid even if it’s not about that player but the school recruiting any player. Recruiting threads have turned into gossip girls. When it warrants it I get it. Like this thread, I get it. But recruiting threads like you said in your opening sentence I don’t get.
 
 
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Great post

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[WayneFleekHoosier 48,067]

I feel recruiting threads since have been equally frustrating. There are some that dedicate every post to insinuate every player is being paid even if it’s not about that player but the school recruiting any player. Recruiting threads have turned into gossip girls. When it warrants it I get it. Like this thread, I get it. But recruiting threads like you said in your opening sentence I don’t get.
 
 
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Understandable but in the landscape of 5 stars and 4 stars it’s a given factor and generally when the standard perpetrators are the schools in the recruitment, discussing it is a necessary evil.

Recent ones that pop in my mind.

Lugentz Dort and Jalen Lecque.

I’m thrilled we can NOW land a “Romeo Langford” (and I don’t want to get into it because I’m not against it) but we have to be crazy to ignore the Adidas connection here.

There are so many layers to these things. Offering family members jobs, paying handlers/trainers, shoe money, agent money, gifts, perks, etc, etc.




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[Stromboli 6,076]

25 minutes ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

Understandable but in the landscape of 5 stars and 4 stars it’s a given factor and generally when the standard perpetrators are the schools in the recruitment, discussing it is a necessary evil.

Recent ones that pop in my mind.

Lugentz Dort and Jalen Lecque.

I’m thrilled we can NOW land a “Romeo Langford” (and I don’t want to get into it because I’m not against it) but we have to be crazy to ignore the Adidas connection here.

There are so many layers to these things. Offering family members jobs, paying handlers/trainers, shoe money, agent money, gifts, perks, etc, etc.




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Just a reminder that we landed Romeo in the aftermath of all this. Like the earth was still smoldering, and Romeo took steps to distance himself from Pitino and UL. IN THIS CASE, I think we can safely assume the recruitment to Indiana was clean, almost as result of the current case hitting so close to home.

 

Since Romeo, we've got Armaan Franklin, and a growing list of rejections. I would not take Romeo's commitment as some prima facie evidence that IU is now entering the game as you see it. 

 

Otherwise, I agree that this stuff is layered and not as easy as a coach paying a player.

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,067]

Just a reminder that we landed Romeo in the aftermath of all this. Like the earth was still smoldering, and Romeo took steps to distance himself from Pitino and UL. IN THIS CASE, I think we can safely assume the recruitment to Indiana was clean, almost as result of the current case hitting so close to home.
 
Since Romeo, we've got Armaan Franklin, and a growing list of rejections. I would not take Romeo's commitment as some prima facie evidence that IU is now entering the game as you see it. 
 
Otherwise, I agree that this stuff is layered and not as easy as a coach paying a player.

Great post.

Different layers for sure. I dont know what to make of it all. That’s why it’s interesting.

As far as Romeo and Indiana goes. My opinion only, it’s completely a hands off thing from Indiana. Adidas funding the AAU program may be all that is relatable here. I’m not sure I even care, but I’m glad the slimier programs like Kansas couldn’t get him.


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[Bailey7878 2,506]

Arizona just landed it's 2nd 5 star for 2019. Remember cheating pays and pays big.

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[Stuhoo 79,864]

14 minutes ago, Bailey7878 said:

Arizona just landed it's 2nd 5 star for 2019. Remember cheating pays and pays big.

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For now it does, and it may in the long run.

But whether it will in the long run is still far, far from clear.

 

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,067]

Brian Bowen Sr on the stand and WOW! Check out the allegations from this one.

Including pay to play AAU Ball. Some amazingly juicy stuff.


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[WayneFleekHoosier 48,067]

Read Dan Wetzel twitter account.


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[BGleas 7,880]

30 minutes ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

Read Dan Wetzel twitter account.


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To this point out of the blue bloods, looks like Bill Self is getting outed the most. I hope the Nike stuff hits soon, no way UNC, Duke and UK aren't doing this and maybe even more. 

[MoyeNeeded 3,073]

So, LaLu paid Bowen's family 2grand a month for Brian's services. And why is Keion going there?

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,144]

Adam Zagoria has also been doing a lot of tweeting about the trial in addition to Dan Wetzel.  One of Z's latest tweets implicates Spiece:  Bowen Sr. said he got "like $5-8,000 for him [Bowen Jr.] playing with MeanStreets."  Said Spiece "was offering like 18 grand."

 

After I typed this post, my eyes locked on Cody's quote below that I use for my signature.  The irony of it all.

 

[Alford Bailey 12,364]

Bowen Sr really spilled the beans. A very corrupt sport.