NO METHOD TO MADNESS
NCAA probe, reaction to make for wildest March in memory
HE TERM March Madness will seem mundane compared to what the month ahead brings us.
Hysteria might be more apropos. Or delirium. Perhaps mayhem.
We’re about to experience a March unlike any other, and it only slightly has to do with this year’s NCAA Tournament, which promises to be as unpredictable as it will be exciting, with few favorites, so many potential Final Four teams, and sleepers lurking in every bracket.
The FBI investigation into corruption has flipped the sport upside down, and has already contributed to the dismissal of a Hall of Fame coach (Louisville’s Rick Pitino), and may lead to the ouster of one of the sport’s most powerful ones (Arizona’s Sean Miller).
On Sept. 26, four assistant coaches — Lamont Evans (Oklahoma State), Emmanuel “Book” Richardson (Arizona) Chuck Person (Auburn), and Tony Bland (USC) — were arrested, along with sports management executives and a top executive at Adidas on bribery and fraud charges. Sports agent Andy Miller’s ASM Sports agency office was raided. Things remained quiet until this past weekend, when explosive reports from Yahoo Sports and ESPN based on leaked evidence from the Feds’ investigation implicated almost two dozen schools and at least 25 current or former players for NCAA infractions, like alleged impermissible loans and payments.
According to wiretaps, Sean Miller was caught talking about a payment of $100,000 for prized freshman Deandre Ayton. He didn’t coach Arizona’s game Saturday night at Oregon, and his status remains uncertain.
Among Yahoo’s findings: Former ASM Sports employee Chr i s t i a n Dawki n s ’ expense reports named powerhouse programs such as Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina, and some of the game’s best freshmen, such as Ayton, Collin Sexton, Wendell Carter and Kevin Knox.
What has followed are denials and rumors, questions of what programs, players and coaches will be implicated next, theories about how the NCAA must proceed, and endless debate regarding the health — or lack thereof — of the sport. One highmajor college coach whose school has been implicated, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “I don’t care what program it is. Everyone is worried. It’s a dark cloud.”
Saturday afternoon, Seton Hall locked down a gutsy 81-74 overtime win over St. John’s at the Garden. The Pirates, without leading scorer Desi Rodriguez (ankle), assured themselves of a third straight NCAA Tournament bid with road wins at Providence and St. John’s this week. But they also found themselves in the crosshairs of the scandal, when it was reported by Yahoo that former Pirate star Isaiah Whitehead and fo r mer a s s i s t a nt coa c h Dwayne “Tiny” Morton were on Andy Miller’s payroll, according to Dawkins’ expense reports.
Whitehead, the most prized recruit of the Kevin Willard era, who led Seton Hall to the 2016 Big East Tournament title, reportedly received $26,136 during his freshman year and was also given $37,657 as part of “setting up a payment plan.” Morton, Whitehead’s high school coach, was also listed in the documents for receiving a $9,500 loan. He coached at Seton Hall for one year, Whitehead’s freshman season — he was part of a package deal for the Pirates to land the five-star recruit — before returning to coach Lincoln High School. Morton’s relationship with Miller predates coming to Seton Hall, as the agent represented Morton’s former player, Sebastian Telfair, whom Willard recruited when he was an assistant at Louisville.
Thus, Seton Hall’s postgame media session Saturday was more a cross-examination than a press conference discussing a big victory.
It felt like a preview of the month ahead, when the oncourt results will be secondary. The winners will feel like losers. Reporters will have one eye on the court and the other on Twitter and their phones, wondering when the next bombshell will drop.
This is just the beginning. More leaks are expected. More programs will face accusations. More players will be forced to d e ny receiving benefits from agents. And it doesn’t sound like the NCAA is planning to make any of these schools ineligible for postseason play, creating even more confusion. What happens if news drops during the actual tournament. Will players be held out of Sweet 16 games?
A March like we’ve never seen is almost upon us. Calling it Madness would be an understatement. Anarchy would be more like it.