Updates on basketball investigations - general not RU

[srru86]

It is sad the NCAA had to wait on the FBI/DOJ to do anything. But if University of No Classes showed anything it is that the NCAA has abdicated any responsibility to actually police the sport.

Basically the gist of the story is nothing happened. And that still might be the case. But I am l interested, if not hopeful, to see what actual trials produce. I'd guess some of the tough talkers quoted here will sing a different tune if they, or their money suppliers, are actually looking at a jail sentence.

Washington post
Inside the basketball black market that put Adidas in the FBI’s crosshairs

New York Post
One year later, effects hardly felt for NCAA programs in FBI probe

Even if the feds do send some folks to jail I'm not Pollyanna enough to think that will make everything all better. But like the like gangster prosecutions in the 80s and 90s that didn't kill organized crime - they did cause serious repercussions that lead to a long term decline in influence.

 

[srru86]

Washington Post
Adidas executive’s lawyer says he was trying to outbid Oregon and Nike

 

[Russ Wood]

​

 

[satnom]

Bowen Sr pimped his own kid from grade school up until now. Very sad.

GO RU

 

[RU MAN]

Russ, thanks for your post and the article, which I read. I always believed this kind of stuff was going on in big time college sports like BB and football. What was fascinating about the article is a school like Creighton. At a school like Rutgers where we've suffered for decades, I always wondered how a program like Creighton could be so good year in and year out. Now I know. They have had the history of being a good BB school for decades, but now we know how they have done it--they freakin' cheat.

What is also interesting is that even the big name coaches in the business had to pay six figures to get one of the top 5-10 kids to go to their schools. It's a sad commentary how the NCAA had to know this was going on for years and looked the other way, because their "March Madness" tournament is such a massive cash cow.

I do have a few questions for you--do you think a Coach K or even now Jay Wright may have been doing this as well? Do you think we will learn this is an epidemic and has been going on for decades?

 

[Mr_Twister]

Creighton is 6th in NCAA for attendance at men’s basketball games. And they have been filling their arena for decades. I believe they average over 17K per game.
Also the money being discussed in these charges is minuscule in the overall picture of college basketball and companies that sell goods. At Rutgers where we are lucky to draw 3K to a game and where we never play prime time games, all this stuff is from another planet. There is a reason why our rosters have been without star players for so long. And we all knew why. Star players and their families and hangerons expect “star” treatment.
Has Dick Vitale chimed in on this stuff?

 

[RUich]

Talk about preying on the needy. Many, if not all, of the top players probably come from low income backgrounds. The fact that the child becomes the breadwinner in the family is not new (just look at how child actors are used by their families) but how can this not be a top priority of the supposed guardian of the college sports world?
It seems that when the sh*t hits the fan, the ncaa always has some excuse that this is not under their jurisdiction. Other than making a ton of money, just what is their jurisdiction?

 

[Russ Wood]

Back in June someone in Omaha explained to me that Creighton got involved with Bowen because of a long time relationship between Bowen Sr and assistant coach Preston Murphy.

At that point I had never heard Creighton's name or Preston Murphy's name mentioned in connection with the investigation. So it kinda went in one ear and out the other.

Murphy follows me on Twitter. I should DM him.

Keep in mind that Bowen Sr is saying that this is what Dawkins told him that these schools were offering. Who knows if any one at these schools actually said this stuff.

I can't wait to see if there's any evidence and how Bowen Sr does under cross-examination.

 

[satnom]

Talk about preying on the needy. Many, if not all, of the top players probably come from low income backgrounds. The fact that the child becomes the breadwinner in the family is not new (just look at how child actors are used by their families) but how can this not be a top priority of the supposed guardian of the college sports world?
It seems that when the sh*t hits the fan, the ncaa always has some excuse that this is not under their jurisdiction. Other than making a ton of money, just what is their jurisdiction?

What's even sadder in the Bowen case is that the Dad is a police officer peddling his kid to the highest bidder. That is straight up greed and capitalization of your own kid.

GO RU

 

[HallX2]

Back in June someone in Omaha explained to me that Creighton got involved with Bowen because of a long time relationship between Bowen Sr and assistant coach Preston Murphy.

At that point I had never heard Creighton's name or Preston Murphy's name mentioned in connection with the investigation. So it kinda went in one ear and out the other.

Murphy follows me on Twitter. I should DM him.

Keep in mind that Bowen Sr is saying that this is what Dawkins told him that these schools were offering. Who knows if any one at these schools actually said this stuff.

I can't wait to see if there's any evidence and how Bowen Sr does under cross-examination.

Sorry but Senior is going to do poorly under cross. He is a bad guy saying what he believes will aid him. Judging anyone based on his testimony is an abomination to fairness.

 

[HallX2]

Russ, thanks for your post and the article, which I read. I always believed this kind of stuff was going on in big time college sports like BB and football. What was fascinating about the article is a school like Creighton. At a school like Rutgers where we've suffered for decades, I always wondered how a program like Creighton could be so good year in and year out. Now I know. They have had the history of being a good BB school for decades, but now we know how they have done it--they freakin' cheat.

What is also interesting is that even the big name coaches in the business had to pay six figures to get one of the top 5-10 kids to go to their schools. It's a sad commentary how the NCAA had to know this was going on for years and looked the other way, because their "March Madness" tournament is such a massive cash cow.

I do have a few questions for you--do you think a Coach K or even now Jay Wright may have been doing this as well? Do you think we will learn this is an epidemic and has been going on for decades?

Please. You wonder how Creighton does so well? Did you forget their consensus National POY? He just happened to be a 4 year player who was the coach’s son. Not sure they cheat as much as they are a good program with a very good coach.i think both of our programs would have benefited from that combination the past 10 years.

 

[Russ Wood]

Sorry but Senior is going to do poorly under cross. He is a bad guy saying what he believes will aid him. Judging anyone based on his testimony is an abomination to fairness.

He might be a bad guy, I don't know him, he might be a good guy. I don't really care.

You think that he is saying what he believes will aid him. Aid him how and for what?

His son will never play college basketball so he's not trying to help his son gain his eligibility. He's playing in some pro league in Australia. At least I think he is.

Btw, I'm not judging anyone based on his testimony. I literally posted: I can't wait to see if there's any evidence and how Bowen Sr does under cross-examination.

 

[RU MAN]

Please. You wonder how Creighton does so well? Did you forget their consensus National POY? He just happened to be a 4 year player who was the coach’s son. Not sure they cheat as much as they are a good program with a very good coach.i think both of our programs would have benefited from that combination the past 10 years.

I'm aware of the father/son team. But you've missed the point entirely. Creighton has been getting top guys into their program for decades, not just for four years. It now makes me wonder how programs like this have been able to pursue and get quality starters to play for them in the middle of the country. Comprende?

 

[RU MAN]

Creighton is 6th in NCAA for attendance at men’s basketball games. And they have been filling their arena for decades. I believe they average over 17K per game.
Also the money being discussed in these charges is minuscule in the overall picture of college basketball and companies that sell goods. At Rutgers where we are lucky to draw 3K to a game and where we never play prime time games, all this stuff is from another planet. There is a reason why our rosters have been without star players for so long. And we all knew why. Star players and their families and hangerons expect “star” treatment.
Has Dick Vitale chimed in on this stuff?

Well, you do have a point regarding attendance. After all, Creighton in Nebraska is not exactly the mecca of America. Not much to do there and no pro sports teams to compete against like we have in NJ. This still doesn't answer why they resorted to paying out six figures to land highly recruited players.

As for us, we know why our moribund program has been in the gutter for so long--an administration for decades that never gave a $hit. Hopefully now that will change sooner than later with Pikiell and staff.

 

[RU MAN]

Back in June someone in Omaha explained to me that Creighton got involved with Bowen because of a long time relationship between Bowen Sr and assistant coach Preston Murphy.

At that point I had never heard Creighton's name or Preston Murphy's name mentioned in connection with the investigation. So it kinda went in one ear and out the other.

Murphy follows me on Twitter. I should DM him.

Keep in mind that Bowen Sr is saying that this is what Dawkins told him that these schools were offering. Who knows if any one at these schools actually said this stuff.

I can't wait to see if there's any evidence and how Bowen Sr does under cross-examination.

I look forward to learning about the new information if there is any.

 

[TDIrish27]

I'm aware of the father/son team. But you've missed the point entirely. Creighton has been getting top guys into their program for decades, not just for four years. It now makes me wonder how programs like this have been able to pursue and get quality starters to play for them in the middle of the country. Comprende?

Basketball is important at Creighton----check their facility out

Rabid fan base----draw very well and Omaha is far from a dump-----nice little city

 

[RU MAN]

Basketball is important at Creighton----check their facility out

Rabid fan base----draw very well and Omaha is far from a dump-----nice little city

i'm aware of Creighton being a BB school. But no one here so far is answering to me as to why they have been getting top recruits and what we learned from the investigation and from Russ Wood, is that a school like Creighton is no innocent babe in the woods here. They are willing it appears to pay the piper to the tune of six figures.

Oh, and you inferred not me that I thought Omaha was a dump. Never said such a thing. Actually Omaha is a very nice little city. But it's no NYC or Philadelphia and what one can do in the tri-state area as compared to Nebraska.

 

[Russ Wood]

i'm aware of Creighton being a BB school. But no one here so far is answering to me as to why they have been getting top recruits and what we learned from the investigation and from Russ Wood, is that a school like Creighton is no innocent babe in the woods here. They are willing it appears to pay the piper to the tune of six figures.

Oh, and you inferred not me that I thought Omaha was a dump. Never said such a thing. Actually Omaha is a very nice little city. But it's no NYC or Philadelphia and what one can do in the tri-state area as compared to Nebraska.

To be clear what I said was that back in June someone in Omaha explained to me that Creighton got involved with Bowen because of a long time relationship between Bowen Sr and assistant coach Preston Murphy.

This person never suggested to me that there was anything inappropriate or dirty or shady or however you want to characterize it, in Creighton's recruitment of Bowen. In fact, I'm not even sure why he brought it up because we were talking about Aundre Hyatt at the time.

I also said that we need to keep in mind that Bowen Sr is saying that this is what Dawkins told him that these schools were offering. Who knows if any one at these schools actually said this stuff.

Bowen Sr could be a giant liar risking perjury, for reasons that I can't immediately imagine, or you could be telling the truth. I really don't know.

This trial is fascinating, I wish I could be in the courtroom or that we still had Court TV.

 

[RU MAN]

To be clear what I said was that back in June someone in Omaha explained to me that Creighton got involved with Bowen because of a long time relationship between Bowen Sr and assistant coach Preston Murphy.

This person never suggested to me that there was anything inappropriate or dirty or shady or however you want to characterize it, in Creighton's recruitment of Bowen. In fact, I'm not even sure why he brought it up because we were talking about Aundre Hyatt at the time.

I also said that we need to keep in mind that Bowen Sr is saying that this is what Dawkins told him that these schools were offering. Who knows if any one at these schools actually said this stuff.

Bowen Sr could be a giant liar risking perjury, for reasons that I can't immediately imagine, or you could be telling the truth. I really don't know.

This trial is fascinating, I wish I could be in the courtroom or that we still had Court TV.

Russ, thanks for the reply. Yes, this trial will be interesting as will the other investigations going on related to all of this.

 

[HallX2]

He might be a bad guy, I don't know him, he might be a good guy. I don't really care.

You think that he is saying what he believes will aid him. Aid him how and for what?

His son will never play college basketball so he's not trying to help his son gain his eligibility. He's playing in some pro league in Australia. At least I think he is.

Btw, I'm not judging anyone based on his testimony. I literally posted: I can't wait to see if there's any evidence and how Bowen Sr does under cross-examination.

Why would he potentially lie or embellish his story? Because he received a non prosecution agreement from the government. He testifies and they let him off the hook. He wouldn’t be the first person to testify to what the government wants to hear to save his own skin.

 

[RutgersMO]

He might be a bad guy, I don't know him, he might be a good guy. I don't really care.

You think that he is saying what he believes will aid him. Aid him how and for what?

His son will never play college basketball so he's not trying to help his son gain his eligibility. He's playing in some pro league in Australia. At least I think he is.

Btw, I'm not judging anyone based on his testimony. I literally posted: I can't wait to see if there's any evidence and how Bowen Sr does under cross-examination.

How Kavanaughesque…

What are we (collectively) going to do about Creighton, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, UNC. Duke ...on and on.

And we all know if it were Rutgers we'd self crucify before the NCAA handed down the double death penalty (they'd kill Basketball and Football) for these "alleged" infringements.

MO

 

[Russ Wood]

How Kavanaughesque…

What are we (collectively) going to do about Creighton, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, UNC. Duke ...on and on.

And we all know if it were Rutgers we'd self crucify before the NCAA handed down the double death penalty (they'd kill Basketball and Football) for these "alleged" infringements.

MO

I have zero idea what you mean by Kavanaughesque, nor do I care, so whatever.

Plus I'm sure Rich, like most publishers, would prefer political conversations be held on the off topic/water cooler/politics board.

 

[MADHAT1]

Probably very little will change because of this or any investigation, unless the NCAA deems the Nikes, Adidas and other companies like them have to get out of the AAU and having current College Basketball coaches under contract with them.
That will be a start, but far more is needed to stop the payoffs and cheating.

 

[Russ Wood]

Probably very little will change because of this or any investigation, unless the NCAA deems the Nikes, Adidas and other companies like them have to get out of the AAU and having current College Basketball coaches under contract with them.
That will be a start, but far more is needed to stop the payoffs and cheating.

I would love to see the NCAA do something to try to minimize or even eliminate the influence of sneaker companies. But they don't seem to have the stones to do it.

Meanwhile Nike, Adidas and Under Armour events are not part of AAU, in the true sense. The AAU, Amateur Athletic Union, actually runs their own tournaments (District, State, Regional, Super Showcase and AAU Nationals) for boys and girls. I believe they have ages 9-18.

I know just about everybody calls the non scholastic events AAU, for years I did it myself, but this year I distinguished between AAU events and Travel Team/Grassroots events like the EYBL in the articles that I wrote.

It seems to me that the easiest way the NCAA could have reduce the influence of the shoe company tournaments what's the simply not certify them. College coaches cannot go to a non Scholastic event unless the event is certified by the NCAA. I never have had anyone give me an explanation as to why the NCAA didn't just stop certifying shoe company events. It seems like a simple fix.

 

[RutgersMO]

I have zero idea what you mean by Kavanaughesque, nor do I care, so whatever.

Plus I'm sure Rich, like most publishers, would prefer political conversations be held on the off topic/water cooler/politics board.

Russ

It wasn't personal. I meant that there are issues that should be / need to be addressed.

That's it.

MO

 

[Russ Wood]

Russ

It wasn't personal. I meant that there are issues that should be / need to be addressed.

That's it.

MO

Thanks for clarifying, I doubt I was the only one who didn't understand

 

[Russ Wood]

More Wetzel updates from inside the courtroom. It is a fascinating thread

​

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Greg Echenique went to Creighton

 

[Russ Wood]

I'm waiting for drugs to come up. So far there's been mentions of money, cars, jobs, homes and hookers. Drugs is pretty much the only thing left right?

 

[Russ Wood]

​

 

[MGSA99]

Roy Williams take on this? “That’s news to me!” Bullshirt.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

 

[Russ Wood]

Roy Williams take on this? “That’s news to me!” Bullshirt.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

Of course it's not news to him and he's not dumbfounded either. Hell, he walked away from John Wall's recruitment for a reason.

He's just good old Huckleberry

 

[hoquat63]

I'm waiting for drugs to come up. So far there's been mentions of money, cars, jobs, homes and hookers. Drugs is pretty much the only thing left right?

We have a local expert on hookers and blow