By TOM HAYS
Associated Press

NEW YORK — When Brian Bowen Jr., one of America’s brightest high school basketball stars, announced in June 2017 that he would attend the University of Louisville, a school that had not been on anyone’s radar as his possible destination, sportswriters called it a coup that “came out of nowhere.”

Louisville coach Rick Pitino agreed.

“In my 40 years of coaching,” he said, “this is the luckiest I’ve been.”

In a trial that begins Monday, federal prosecutors will argue that the signing wasn’t luck at all but the result of a payoff to Bowen’s father.

Former sports agent Christian Dawkins, former Amateur Athletic Union coach Merl Code and former Adidas executive James Gatto have all pleaded not guilty to charges they plotted to pay Bowen’s father $100,000 in exchange for his son’s promise to commit to Louisville.

It is the first trial related to an FBI investigation that exposed the sleazy side of big money in college basketball and led to charges against multiple people involved in making payments to student athletes. Other defendants, including former assistant coaches from Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State, face separate trials.

Neither Bowen, now 19, nor his father, Brian Bowen Sr., have been charged. Nor has Pitino, who was fired by Louisville along with athletic director Tom Jurich after the investigation became public.

The indictment says Adidas played a role in helping lure star players to its affiliated teams and keep them from going to teams sponsored by competitors like Nike. It also includes allegations that recruiters talked about using money from Adidas to pay two other families of prized high school basketball recruits, besides Bowen.

Lawyers for the defendants say any recruiting issues should have been the NCAA’s problem, not fodder for a federal prosecution.

In one episode central to the case, investigators recorded a meeting at a Las Vegas hotel in which Dawkins met with an assistant coach at Louisville and the director of an amateur team to talk about making backdoor cash payments to players, with the expectation that he could manage their business affairs once they turned professional.

The men didn’t know that another person in the room was an FBI informant.

At the meeting, Dawkins was overheard warning how an Adidas competitor was “coming with a higher number” for Bowen’s family, the criminal complaint said. It said he also claimed he’d been in touch with the Louisville head coach about how to come with more money.

Prosecutors say the defendants settled on a plan to pay the Bowen family four $25,000 installments, with the money coming from Adidas, but disguised by routing it through an amateur team run by Merl Code.

They contend that the secret payments defrauded colleges because Bowen and other young athletes would not have qualified for generous scholarships if they were known to have accepted outside payments. Also, the basketball programs might have to forfeit games or lose tournament eligibility if they were found to have used ineligible players.

Defense lawyers plan to challenge this argument.

The defendants, they wrote in a recent court filing, “were not trying to cause financial harm to these schools, but rather were trying to help them recruit a great basketball team that would bring in millions of dollars in revenue and bolster their national reputation.”

Prosecutors haven’t ruled out calling recruits or their family members as witnesses. And it’s likely that Pitino’s name will come up in testimony at a trial expected to last at least three weeks.
While the case has generated headlines, college basketball largely remained business as usual last season. No teams were declared ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.

Bowen, who has not been accused of having any personal knowledge of payments to his family, may have suffered more than anyone associated with the case so far.

Louisville suspended him before he ever played a game. He transferred to the University of South Carolina, but after it said he couldn’t play this season, he signed with a professional team in Australia, effectively ending his college career and dimming his hope of playing in the NBA.
Pitino has insisted there was nothing suspicious about how the teenager was recruited.

“Some people will believe it, some people won’t,” Pitino told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “That I don’t care.”
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AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Texas coach Tom Herman talked with one of his predecessors, Mack Brown, just as he does every week, and the old Longhorns coach warned him about playing Kansas State in Manhattan.

They’re a different team on the road, Brown said. They play with more energy, channeling the will of the crowd, and the team that was trounced by West Virginia last week wouldn’t show up Saturday.

“It was very much the way we told our players it would be,” Herman said.

The No. 18 Longhorns roared to a big lead, bogged down in the second half, then held on through a tense fourth quarter for a 19-14 victory that snapped a five-game road skid against the Wildcats.

“We won ugly, but the key is we won,” Herman said. “They all look pretty on Sunday morning.”

Sam Ehlinger threw for 207 yards and a touchdown, and D’Shawn Jamison returned a punt 90 yards for another score, as the Longhorns opened a 19-0 lead by halftime. Then, Keaontay Ingram churned for a first down with three minutes to go to help the Longhorns (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) seal the win.

“It shows our maturity, being able to overcome a lull in what’s going on,” Ehlinger said. “A lot of offenses would have curled up but we chose to finish.”

Skylar Thompson threw for 96 yards in relief of ineffective quarterback Alex Delton, and he led the Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) to a pair of touchdowns in the second half. But after they got the ball back with 7:12 to go, Thompson threw a pair of incompletions as Kansas State went three-and-out, and coach Bill Snyder’s offense never got another opportunity with the ball.

“All losses are painful. There is a variety of different reasons why didn’t win the ballgame,” Snyder said. “I think we became a little better football team, not necessarily because of this game but because of the way we practiced last week.”

The Longhorns leaned on their defense in the opening half, getting a pair of sacks by Charles Omenihu — one for a safety — while shutting down Kansas State’s powerful run game.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ dismal half was summarized by the way it ended, when they had first-and-goal at the Texas 5. Alex Barnes was stuffed, and two runs by Delton went nowhere, before his pass on the final play hit fullback Adam Harter in the hands and dropped incomplete.

The result? Texas carried its 19-0 lead into the break.

The Longhorns were so stingy on defense — and Kansas State so inept on offense — that running back Tre Watson had more yards passing after a 21-yard halfback pass than the entire Wildcats roster in the first half. Delton was 3 of 7 for 14 yards.

In fact, Texas had more yardage in penalties (80) than Kansas State had on offense (64).

The Wildcats switched quarterbacks at halftime and Thompson promptly led them 82 yards on their opening possession, capping the drive by keeping it on third-and-goal for a 7-yard touchdown run.

Suddenly, that herky-jerky offense had found its rhythm.

Texas kicker missed an opportunity to extend the lead when he pushed a 47-yard field goal right, and Kansas State marched downfield again. Thompson hit Dalton Schoen to convert one fourth down, and Barnes plowed in on fourth-and-goal from the Texas 1 to make it 19-14 with 9:55 to go.

“We rallied together as a team and came out with a different mentality than we did in the first half,” Kansas State linebacker Justin Hughes said.

But after forcing Texas to punt, the Wildcats went three-and-out and the Longhorns got the ball back. They managed to convert on third-and-11 before getting another first down to ice the win.

“When you look at our record,” Herman said, “you’re not going to see half a ‘W’ for this. They all count the same, and we told our guys, ‘Championships are won on the road.'”

BECK’S STATUS

Herman said that offensive coordinator Tim Beck was recovering after being hospitalized for a bacterial infection in his elbow and should rejoin the team soon. “He had to be on IV antibiotics and had surgery Thursday to clean all that infection out,” Herman said. “That’s a lesson for all of us, you have one of those nagging deals, you should get it looked at.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Ehlinger now has nine touchdown passes and just two interceptions this season. … Texas had not won in Manhattan since 2002. … Barnes finished with 80 yards rushing for Kansas State. … The Wildcats’ Isaiah Zuber had five catches for just 33 yards. He was coming off back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. … Texas was flagged for 104 yards in penalties.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The march up the rankings will likely continue for the Longhorns, who have followed their season-opening loss to Maryland with their longest win streak since the 2013 season.

UP NEXT

Texas: Face the Sooners next Saturday in Dallas.

Kansas State: Heads to Baylor next Saturday.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — After last week’s 24-point loss to Texas Tech that knocked them out of the top 25, Oklahoma State came to Kansas on Saturday needing a big win. Almost right away, you could tell that wouldn’t be a difficult goal.

Taylor Cornelius passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns, Justice Hill ran for 189 yards and the Cowboys (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) cruised to a 48-28 win over the Jayhawks (2-3, 0-2 Big 12).

Oklahoma State found the end zone on each of its first three possessions and scored on their first four, setting the tone early.

“I was proud of how our guys started the game,” coach Mike Gundy said. “Sometimes we’ve not played real good up here in the first half. I thought our defense and offense really took the field and motivated themselves and played well early in the game, which was very important.”

Kansas’ defense was simply no match.

“They had a really good gameplan, and they executed it,” coach David Beaty said. “That was the key.”

Cornelius got things going early, throwing to Tylan Wallace on a slant route for the 11-yard touchdown before hitting Landon Wolf for a 42-yard score on a deep ball the next drive.

Cornelius’ first incompletion didn’t come until the third drive, when he overthrew a wide-open Braydon Johnson streaking down the field. Kansas would not learn from that lucky break, though, as Tyron Johnson got open on almost an identical route on the next play on his way to a 64-yard score.

“It was just something we worked on all week, those shot plays,” Cornelius said. “Missed Braydon on the first one, then we were confident enough to come back with a different little scheme the next time. Tyron did a great job getting open. Just made the throw that time.”

Hill was a steady counterweight to the passing game, averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 31 rushes. He scored in the third quarter, running in from 10 yards out after a pair of big passes got the Cowboys in the red zone.

“Our plan going in was to let him carry the load, and it worked out well for us,” Gundy said. “He made the extra guy miss several times. We’re lucky to have a guy special enough to do that.”

Kansas turned to Carter Stanley for his first start under center all year, benching Peyton Bender who had previously started all four games. Stanley responded well, throwing for 247 yards on 24-of-32 passing and three touchdowns.

“I was definitely happy to be out there, no doubt,” Stanley said. “Felt good. But me personally, I know I can — on some simple stuff, some simple stuff that may not seem like a big deal — I know I can be a lot better in certain situations.”

True freshman Pooka Williams shined once again, picking up 97 yards rushing and 60 yards in the passing game. This included a 60-yard ground burst for a score in the Jayhawks’ first drive of the second half, his fourth touchdown on the year.

MISSING MILES

Kansas quarterback Miles Kendrick did not play after sustaining a shoulder injury last week against Baylor. Kendrick had been in a timeshare with the now-replaced Peyton Bender all season, but seemed to be earning a larger role after playing the entire second half in Week 3 before going down.

PENALTY PROBLEMS

Oklahoma State finished with 92 penalty yards to Kansas’ 43. There were multiple instances in which the Jayhawks got significant help from the Cowboys’ mistakes, most noticeably in the passing game.

“Eight penalties for 92 yards, that’s crazy,” Gundy said. “We gave up a plus-40 in the penalty (margin). So way too many penalties, off a couple offensive pass interferences. But we’ve got to improve in that area.”

WOLF’S WELCOMING

Wolf entered the game with just four catches on the year for 41 yards, all coming in Oklahoma State’s first two games against lesser competition. As a two-year walk-on put on scholarship before this season, his role in the offense seemed firmly limited.

But when Jalen McCleskey announced his plans to redshirt and transfer, opportunity arose for Wolf. He wouldn’t let that go to waste, finishing with 116 yards on six catches including the 42-yard score.

“That dude, he stepped up today,” Cornelius said. “He played good. He knows how to get open, he runs good routes. I’m so happy for him.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma State grabs a much-needed first Big 12 win after taking a drubbing last week at the hands of Texas Tech. Big victories like these will help the Cowboys make it back into the Top 25.

Kansas slides to 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big 12. After a promising start to the year, one has to think Beaty’s leash is growing shorter with every loss.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State returns home to face Iowa State on Saturday.

Kansas hits the road Saturday to take on No. 12 West Virginia.

Listen as the ‘Voice of the Chiefs’ Mitch Holthus recaps last week’s home win over San Francisco and previews Monday Night’s showdown in Denver against the Broncos.

The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday mornings on your home for Chiefs football, KFIX (96.9-FM), at 8 a.m. during the Chiefs season.