See if we can talk hoops and the fallout from their involvement in this thread.

Tracking what has happened so far. https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2017/9/28/163...

I wouldn't bet my bottom dollar that this is a problem that's going to be limited to the Power 6 schools.

Yikes, if anyone believes only Power basketball conferences do underhanded things; do yourself a favor and do not buy any cruises from telemarketers over the phone, watch late night infomercials, or seriously consider offers from anyone selling bridges--it will save you a great deal of heartache!

People who are willing to break the law are often open to multiple income sources and opportunities. It sounds like the FBI has uncovered a potential Hornet's nest here that ties into college basketball, which has the potential of becoming extremely ugly, and I don't think that it is just limited to power conferences and teams. There have always been rumors of a thriving underground economy in college basketball, because there is simply money to be made on all levels of the sport. At the same time, the pressure to win on all levels has certainly put pressure on those who make a livelihood from college basketball to gain what might be considered a "competitive advantage." It may sometimes simply include looking the other way when boosters, alumni, players, parents, sports agents, merchandising executives, and even assistant coaches get involved in something questionable. After all, Capitalism can be a beautiful thing, but there are those who believe that the end always justifies the means. It also seems as though the college basketball community has shifted their collective consciousness over the years when it comes to determining what is ethical and even legal. As Baseball great Yogi Berra is reportedly quoted as saying, "IF you ain't cheating, you ain't trying hard enough."

Good article. Thanks! Does a nice job of describing a specific predator who is feeding off of the dreams and ambitions of young players and their families. Of course, he is also a useful tool when it comes to the aspirations of coaches, merchandising executives, sports agents, and other self-serving individuals.

I also wonder about the impact of this whole one-and-done phenomena, and how it seems to be opening wider doors for questionable corruption, especially when you consider the perceived urgency that gets brought to the negotiating table related to the offering of scholarships to certain players.

The above article also seems to suggest that there is a possibility that some of the lawbreakers in question are just want-a-be Entrepreneurs and big men on campus types who are running street hustles and cons without knowing that what they have been doing is illegal. That seems sort of condescending at best, and a class and race related dig at worse. (After all, and contrary to what "the Ivory Tower" culture tries to sell everyone on, you don't need a Ph.D. to be savvy, sophisticated, and successful in this world.)

Though I suspect that the FBI stumbled into all of this by investigating suspicious individuals when it comes to the breaking of other laws (not just basket ball related), it does support the idea that where there is blood (a metaphor/analogy for money) there are sharks.

It seems as though the only way to remove the corruption from college sports is to remove the potential for profit motive. That seems tricky in a world where higher education is, indeed, a money making business in and of itself.

Keatts is incredibly naive or covering his backside.... oh yeah, now that I look...prior to UNC Wilmington he was on Pitino's staff and won 2 national preps championships at Hargrave. My vote is posturing to divert attention as he was in the cesspool way too long.

Borna, " way back when" during my time in the ACC, I got an early glimpse of where college basketball recruiting was heading as the shoe companies were just getting involved. Sonny V was first known for his early forays into all-star games and summer camps as he was beginning to align himself with the shoe "hoes". (Dapper Dan, Five Star, etc etc ) It didnt take me long to figure out that there were things going on in the ACC that I was not exposed to during my MAC background!
My guess is as more information comes to light, that there will be a "trickle-down" affect that will reach the mid-major level. Most likely the job market will be where we see this investigation impact our game first because there will be big time programs caught in the large net that the FBI is casting.
My biggest surprise is that it has taken so long for this deeply buried cancer to surface.

Not directly related,but I just saw a news story that the NCAA denied Louisville's appeal to not have their 2013 Championship vacated.

Pitino should have to get the championship tattoo removed from his shoulder blade.

I was listening to Golic and Wingo this morning and they were bashing how pointless vacating wins are to a program. The kids don't have to return their rings (unlike the Bush Heisman) and Louisville still gets to keep the profits from merchandise from winning the championship. You can't erase history. Post season bans and reduction of scholarships only hurts players not involved with the scandal.

What's a good solution? I think hitting these programs in the wallet is the only place that is an actual deterrent. I don't think 14-16M is enough. They made more than that off the championship.

Perhaps forcing the team to forfeit their apparel deal for multiple seasons and have the guilty team wear NCAA approved sand knit uniforms for a few seasons. Think the yellow license plate in Ohio. Unfortunately that would punish the players not directly involved.

Yahoo Sports: Sources: Spreadsheets, wiretaps and bank records detail payment scheme in hoops corruption case

“There are spreadsheets detailing who got paid, how much they got paid and how much more they were planning to pay,” said a source familiar with the investigation. “The feds got everything they wanted and much more. Don’t think it will only be players who ended up signing with ASM that got paid. Those spreadsheets cast a wide net throughout college basketball. If your school produced a first-round pick in the past three years, be worried.”

There's an article in today's paper quoting Pitino as saying the school should "take legal action" against the NCAA.
He feels they exceeded their authority.

According to the article,the banners have been removed.

The article also says that Louisville has been clear that Pitino wasn't fired over the sex scandal,but because of the bribery allegations.

Pitino is turning out to be a real "piece of work" as they used to say. It's not like the signs that he was a real slimeball haven't been there for all to see for a long time. But, he was winning, and the program was raking in money, so who cared. Really glad to see some measure of justice reigning down . . . more to come I'm sure. Let's clean up this sport that we all love. It's way past time!