Ex-rebels coach Menzies on list in corruption case
Former UNLV coach Marvin Menzies’ name surfaced at a federal trial Wednesday into alleged corruption in men’s college basketball.
According to reports from the New York trial, Menzies was one of several coaches listed on a screenshot of text messages under the heading of “these are my guys” by Christian Dawkins. One of two defendants on trial, Dawkins is a former prospective agent accused of being a middleman between coaches and top recruits.
Arizona coach Sean Miller was most prominently mentioned in court Wednesday. Miller and former Louisville coach Rick Pitino also were on the list that included Menzies, though Dawkins said in an Fbi-recorded video played in court that “Rick has no clue what’s going on at his school.”
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Louisiana State’s Will Wade were two other notable coaches listed.
What the list of coaches means is unclear, but the FBI announced almost two years ago its investigation into the sport that resulted in charges against 10 individuals tied to college basketball.
At the time, Menzies said he was “very, very confident that we have nothing to worry about here.” He did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday.
UNLV’S athletic department released a statement Wednesday that read: “We are aware of the report from earlier today. Following protocol, our compliance office will review.”
Menzies was fired March 15 after going 48-48 in three seasons at UNLV. He since has been hired as the associate head coach at Grand Canyon.
Dawkins and former Adidas consultant Merl Code, another defendant in the trial, were convicted in another trial in October along with Adidas executive Jim Gatto of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gatto was sentenced to nine months in prison and Dawkins and Code to six months each.
That trial focused on bribes to players’ families. This one targets alleged bribes to coaches.
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.