One of the most anticipated moments of this week’s trial in New York of the government’s case into its investigation of corruption in college basketball did not fail to deliver some noteworthy testimony.
Brian Bowen, Sr., whose son has been at the center of the government’s investigation, testified about the offers he says multiple schools were said to have made to secure the services of his five-star son, Brian Jr.
Here’s what Bowen Sr. said that Christian Dawkins told him regarding multiple schools according to Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel:
- Arizona would pay $50,000 via assistant coach Joe Pasternak
- Oklahoma State would provide $150,000, $8,000 for a car and “some undisclosed amount to buy a house” via assistant LaMont Evans
- Texas would “help me with housing” via assistant Mike Morrell
- Creighton would provide “like $100,000 and a good job, like a lucrative job” via assistant Preston Murphy
- An offer of $60,000 to $80,000 to attend Louisville was upped to $100,000 because that’s what was provided to Billy Preston to attend Kansas
Bowen Sr. also had plenty to say about things he says he experienced first hand (these as well via Wetzel):
- He did not “recall” any discussion about an offer from Oregon
- He was paid $25,000, which he says came from Dawkins and adidas’ Chris Rivers, for Bowen Jr. to play grassroots ball one summer with the Michigan Mustangs
- He was paid $5,000 to $8,000 for Bowen Jr. to play with the Chicago-based and Nike-sponsored grassroots program Mean Streets
- He was paid $2,000 a month by then-La Lumiere coach and current DePaul assistant Shane Heirman for his son to attend the prep school
Got all that?
It’s certainly quite a bit to digest, both for a jury and for anyone trying to figure out what the potential NCAA fallout could be from these claims. Obviously, the testimony that would seem to carry the most weight would be what Bowen Sr. says he experienced directly, which does not implicate any collegiate programs of rule-breaking. What he says Dawkins conveyed to him is more problematic, but those messages are second-hand and would seem to be far from provable allegations without corroborating evidence or testimony. An agent’s runner, especially one with Dawkins’ track record, telling the father of a recruit what a school is going to pay is hardly slam-dunk evidence.
There’s also the fact that the only allegations of actual completed payments are from Louisville and Kansas, and the allegation against the Jayhawks would seem even more tenuous given the added layer of a separate player’s involvement, but that may not matter. According to NCAA rule 13.2.1, simply offering money, jobs or other inducements is an NCAA violation even if money doesn’t change hands. “An institution’s staff member or any representative of its athletics interests shall not be involved, directly or indirectly, in making arrangements for or giving or offering to give any financial aid or other benefits.”
Bowen Sr. is slated to take the stand again tomorrow, and it’s clear he has plenty to say regarding the underbelly of college hoops recruiting. There’s little doubt here that the situations Bowen Sr. describes is how things are often done at the highest levels of recruiting, but there will probably need to be more than just what he says he was told by a middle man for there to be any major – or even minor – ramifications for the schools he mentioned Thursday.
UPDATE:
Creighton released the following statement Thursday evening in response to Bowen Sr.’s testimony:
“In 2017, when information regarding allegations of improper recruiting practices nationwide were first announced, Creighton conducted a thorough review of its men’s basketball program. University officials take today’s claim very seriously and will continue to work with the appropriate agencies as needed. To date, the Creighton University Athletics compliance office has not been contacted by the FBI or the NCAA
“Integrity is one of the guiding principles of coach Greg McDermott’s men’s basketball program, and the university is committed to upholding those values.”
Oregon also released a statement:
“A claim was made in federal court this week that the University of Oregon offered money to a prospective student-athlete in men’s basketball. The UO takes this claim very seriously.
We have reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the case to ascertain whether any evidence exists to substantiate this claim. They have not yet responded to our inquiry. To date, the UO has never been contacted by federal authorities or any other parties involved in this or any other current criminal or civil case related to recruiting in men’s college basketball.
Last year, in response to allegations of fraudulent recruiting practices within college basketball, the UO conducted interviews with members of the men’s basketball staff and reviewed player recruiting practices. That review found no evidence that the UO had used monetary offerings to prospective student-athletes or their family members to entice them to attend the UO. After the claim was made in federal court this week, we again spoke with members of the men’s basketball coaching staff and, again, found no evidence that illicit conduct occurred.
Based on all of the information currently available, we feel confident that coach Dana Altman and members of his staff uphold the highest standards of integrity in recruiting. Coach Altman is one of the nation’s most respected men’s basketball coaches, and we are proud of his strong track record of success on and off the court.
“We will continue to closely monitor proceedings from the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.”
