Mark Schlabach’s recent report of Arizona head coach Sean Miller illegally paying basketball recruits was a bombshell, to say the least. But was the ESPN story entirely true?
Well…
Schlabach reported that FBI wiretaps revealed Miller discussed paying $100,000 to ensure commitment from now-freshman Deandre Ayton, who is projected to be a top-five pick in the NBA Draft. And while the report certainly damned Miller more than anyone, it also painted Ayton in a bad light, and led many to assume his days with the Wildcats were over.
But Arizona Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen claims ESPN botched many aspects of the story, including the naming of Ayton.
“I don’t even think it was Deandre Ayton who was mentioned in that report,” Hansen said during a recent appearance on “Bickley & Marotta,” a popular show on 98.7 Arizona’s Sports Station. “I think it was (former Louisville commit) Brian Bowen. I think they got that wrong. I think there are so many (things) that ESPN screwed it up.
“I talked to someone yesterday — his name might rhyme with ‘look’ — and he said that it wasn’t Ayton at all. It was Brian Bowen.”
For those unaware, Hansen was referring to former Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson, who was arrested in September for federal bribery, fraud and other corruption charges related to his work within NCAA basketball.
Hansen, though, later clarified that he did not speak directly to Richardson about the ESPN story.
“I don’t know if it’s true or not … That’s second-hand info,” he said on 98.7’s “Burns & Gambo.”
To be clear, Book Richardson did not speak to me about anything. He is under instructions not to speak to any media. I did not attempt to speak to him, either.
As for Bowen, the 19-year-old former Louisville commit now plays for South Carolina, and was identified in Yahoo Sports’ recent expose on the latest and greatest NCAA corruption scandal.
Ayton played for the Wildcats against Oregon on Saturday, hours after ESPN published its story — a move that suggests Arizona believes he is innocent. Miller, meanwhile, didn’t coach in the game, and many wonder if he’s coached his final game in college basketball.