Father of top recruit testifies OSU among programs that offered payment

Oklahoma State was among the programs that the father of a top college basketball prospect has testified offered him thousands of dollars to get his son to play for them.

At a federal trial over allegations about dirty money in college basketball, Brian Bowen Sr. testified Thursday in New York that aspiring agent Christian Dawkins told him he could pocket $150,000 to go to Oklahoma State. He also mentioned Texas, Arizona, Creighton and Oregon.

Bowen told a Manhattan jury it was his understanding the offers were being made by assistant coaches at the schools, though he never spoke to them directly about money. He said the OSU offer, which included an additional $8,000 for a car and money for a house, came from then-assistant coach Lamont Evans, a defendant in the investigation who’s pleaded not guilty.

Evans, one of four college basketball assistants the FBI charged last year, was fired in September 2017. He spent one season on Brad Underwood’s staff and was set to be Mike Boynton’s associate head coach in 2017-18 before his termination. Evans will go on trial in April 2019.

“Since there is an ongoing inquiry into the allegations related to former assistant basketball coach Lamont Evans, we will have no comment until the inquiry is completed,” the university said in a statement.

Bowen also testified that Dawkins reported offers of $50,000 to play at the University of Arizona, $100,000 to go to Creighton and help with housing to join Texas. He said there was interest from Oregon, but he didn’t recall a cash offer.

Dawkins, former amateur coach Merle Code and former Adidas executive James Gatto, have pleaded not guilty to charges they committed fraud by secretly funneling money from Adidas to families of prospects to get them to attend colleges sponsored by the athletic wear company. The son, Brian Bowen Jr., eventually landed at Louisville, an Adidas school, after the defendants engineered a promise of $100,000 for his family.

The criminal case announced last year charging the three men with fraud resulted in the school pulling the son’s scholarship before he could ever play and firing its legendary coach, Rick Pitino.

Brian Bowen Jr., a 2017 five-star forward, plays professionally in Australia.

[AP PHOTO] Brian Bowen Sr. arrives at federal court in New York on Thursday where he testified that Oklahoma State was one of the schools that offered him money for his son to play college basketball.