FBI is looking at Maryland basketball
From a reporter at the Baltimore Sun: "Maryland has received two subpoenas in regard to FBI investigation of college basketball."
https://twitter.com/sportsprof56/status/1015249250626752512
The college basketball investigation has been quiet lately, but it's clearly not over.
Weird. Been waitin fer this stuff to get cranked back up.
Their former 5* center, Diamond Stone was previously linked to $14K in payments from Christian Dawkins' agency.
Why am I not surprised in the least that a guy named Diamond Stone is linked to thousands in illegal payments.
Sounds like the name of a porn star.
Sounds like the name of a stone to me
Seems like a redundant name.
Liquid Water
Asphalt Tar
Crooked Bent
what's so redundant about liquid water?
I prefer solid water, especially when born with large dendrites.
It gets worse. His sister Gem Stone is also linked to this scandal.
Maybe because he was a Beilein target and we dont typically recruit cheaters.
If memory serves, Stone was a Michigan target at one point.
And there is a reason we didn't get him
He's not a fan of cold weather?
Exactly, which is odd seeing as how he loves cold, hard cash...
Yes, Stone visited here in the fall of his sophomore year. Beilein was in on him early, but stopped recruiting him early and never offered.
I don't think UM offered and I don't think he visited, at least by my memory. I think he was strictly an Under Armor guy---at least that were the rumors at the time. Wisconsin offered, OKSU, numerous others. But not UM. But I think it came down to the home school and MD.
Probably would not get along with former Notre Dame linebacker Michael Stonebreaker.
But seriously folks, give it up for Diamond, making her way to the mainstage now.
“was previously”
So you are saying he is linked. Thanks for the update.
"The college basketball investigation has been quiet lately, but it's clearly not over." - Because this is the FBI, everything they do is calculated. If something is in the media, its because they put it there for a reason. These investigations could go on for years before we start seeing some effects.
Well they're certainly not looking at them for aesthetic reasons.
Would not surprise me to see Maryland get hammered by the FBI and the NCAA, yet Izzo and MSU would somehow escape unscathed.
why is it people think izzo is dirty? jw
because it’s fun to pile on... can you name one reason that university as a whole (deans, presidents, BOT, ADs, trainers,... anyone!), the football and/or basketball programs, have given you to believe anything they do is ethical? I can’t think of anything off the top of my head that doesn’t have a sarcastic undertone.
Because he lands elite prospects like Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson despite a long history of stunting player development and playing 5th year seniors over top 5 draft picks
There have been rumors about Izzo and his main assistant Stephens in recent years. At the least, being involved in recruitments that looked shady.
Dawkins' emails also mention dinners with Izzo and attempting to broker a deal for Bowen with Stephens. If the latter one was true, that should have led to MSU reporting Dawkins and ending all contact with him. My opinion is that Bowens didn't go to Louisville because they had the only dirty coaches recruiting him. Rather, Adidas outbid what Dawkins and others were offering.
I always sort of assumed their big recruiting classes would lead to some trouble down the line. I wonder if MSU or IU might also be in the cross hairs.
Ha, living in Indiana and hearing a lot about IU basketball from family (wife's side), seems like it would be insult to injury they way they talk about the Crean years and recruiting. "We did what to get those guys." He had good classes ... just couldn't keep state's top talent from going elsewhere.
Side note, was listening to an IU radio show the other day while driving and question that came into the three hosting the show was "what B10 player currently not in the top #25 players in the league would you want IU to have" and they all three basically said Zavier Simpson, though the second two came up with three different players after the first guy said X. "Since you went with Simpson, I'll go with ____" It kind of irritated me as I thought "X isn't one of the 25 best players in the B10?" ... that didn't quite feel right. But at that same time, these guys all said "Well you look for really well coached players and with that, you think John Beilein." So in the heart of die hard college basketball fandom, they recognize the talent in JB. And they know Z/X can play.
Here is the story from the Baltimore Sun - LINK
As for their content:
One of the subpoenas requested all emails and communication regarding “any improper payments or benefits” to a former Maryland student-athlete, whose name the university redacted, citing privacy laws. The only Terps coach named in the subpoena is assistant coach Bino Ranson. Among the documents requested were his contract and any school files regarding allegations of possible or potential misconduct by the Baltimore native.
Interesting. They have to have a source to target that assistant. Stone or Dawkins are the obvious options. I can't help but wonder if UA is the main target.
UA was also rumored to have paid for Silvio De Sousa's services on Maryland's behalf before Jim Gatto swooped in and steered him to Kansas.
Really hoping KU gets caught up in this.
Oh no, not you too, Turgeon!