Not long ago these four coaches were the subject of an FBI investigation. Moves made this weekend show the scandal is a footnote on their résumés.
In 2017, they were under investigation by the FBI. Fast forward to now, they’re in the Sweet 16, receiving promotions, and in one case, even getting sent home early.
On Sunday, Will Wade officially took over as head coach of North Carolina State after guiding McNeese State to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament, which featured a surprising first-round victory over Clemson, his alma mater.
The day prior, Rick Pitino’s St. John’s team faced an upset against Arkansas, despite being favored for a Final Four run and national championship, after the 72-year-old coach successfully revitalized the Red Storm into a competitive force in the Big East. Meanwhile, Bruce Pearl and top-seeded Auburn secured their place in the Sweet 16 with a win over Creighton.
On Sunday, approximately 90 minutes after dismissing coach Rodney Terry, Texas reportedly appointed Xavier’s Sean Miller as his successor.
Just eight years ago, there were doubts about whether Miller, Pitino, or Wade would coach again. All three were central figures in the 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball, which revealed illegal recruiting practices through wiretaps, resulting in the arrests of four assistant coaches.
These head coaches were ultimately dismissed from their positions after being found to have illegally paid recruits before the NIL era: Wade at LSU, Miller at Arizona, and Pitino at Louisville (who faced multiple NCAA investigations during his 16-year tenure). Pearl, however, remained at Auburn and led the team to the Final Four in 2019.
Wade was recorded on a wiretap discussing a “strong ass offer” made to a handler for recruit Javonte Smart, who later signed with LSU. The FBI investigation uncovered a conversation in which Miller mentioned a 100,000paymentforacommitmentfromDeAndreAyton,thetoprecruitofthe2017class,whowentfirstoveralltothePhoenixSunsinthe2018NBADraft.Pitinowasassociatedwitha 100,000 payment linked to a recruit believed to be Brian Bowen, who signed with Louisville in June 2017 after not seriously considering them beforehand. All three coaches denied the allegations, with Pitino claiming Bowen “fell into my lap,” while Miller asserted his innocence despite wiretap evidence to the contrary.
“I have never paid a recruit, prospect, or their family or representative to come to Arizona,” Miller stated at a March 2018 press conference. “I never have and I never will.”
While the FBI investigation didn’t result in jail sentences for the head coaches, Emmanuel “Book” Richardson, Miller’s assistant at Arizona, served 90 days in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery. Auburn assistant Chuck Person, a former star at the school alongside Charles Barkley, was also fired and charged with the same crime as Richardson but only received 200 hours of community service as punishment.
Each of the three took steps to rehabilitate their reputations. Pitino, fired from Louisville in September 2017, briefly coached in Greece before joining low-major Iona in 2020. He led the Gaels to two NCAA tournaments in three years before being hired by St. John’s in 2023. Pitino subsequently guided the program to its first Big East tournament title in 25 years, though they faced disappointment with a second-round exit against Arkansas on Saturday.
Miller was rehired by Xavier in 2022 after previously coaching the school from 2004 to 2009. In his second stint, he took the Musketeers to two NCAA tournaments in three years, including the 2023 Sweet 16, before receiving interest from Texas.
Leave a Reply