Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Former Arizona assistant men's basketball coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson admitted to undercover federal agents that he sent $40,000 to a "high school coach" of ex-Arizona guard Rawle Alkins to alter his high-school transcript, therefore making him eligible to play for the Wildcats in the 2016-17 season. 

Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports broke the news about the Wildcats, who are the subject of an FBI probe and NCAA investigation amid allegations that players were paid to attend and play for Arizona.

Alkins played two seasons in Tuscon before entering the 2018 NBA draft. He was not selected but signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls.

Per Forde, Thamel and Wetzel, information on how Richardson procured the money is not clear in the 1,500-word conversation transcript. The ex-coach did, however, reference financially supporting recruits.

"So, again, is it something different each year?" Richardson said. "It is. Like I said, $40,000 to do that was totally extreme. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would not do it. I'd try to barter something. I'd give blood. I'd give semen, something."

Richardson is currently serving a three-month sentence at the federal correctional institute in Otisville, New York on a federal funds bribery charge unrelated to the events outlined the transcript, per Yahoo Sports.

Moving forward, the question now is whether Arizona will face punishment given the significant allegations against the men's hoops program. Yahoo Sports provided more insight:

"Academic fraud and payments to a player’s family are potential Level I infractions, the most serious on the NCAA’s scale of violations. Court testimony and evidence already implicated Arizona in numerous other potential violations, with the future of the program and the college coaching career of Sean Miller hanging in the balance as the NCAA follows up in the wake of the federal investigation. Miller has maintained he had no knowledge of or involvement in any potential violations within his program."

Arizona will open its season against Division II Chico State on Nov. 1.

Brandon Williams won't take the court in the 2019-20 for the Arizona Wildcats, as Stadium's Jeff Goodman reported Wednesday that the sophomore guard will miss the entire upcoming basketball season after undergoing knee surgery.

"Brandon Williams ... was set to take a big jump this year—even with Josh Green and Nico Mannion coming in," Goodman added. "This is a big blow to Arizona and its hopes to compete for a Pac-12 title this season." 

Williams averaged 11.4 points, 3.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds across 26 games (21 starts) for the Wildcats last season.

However, Williams struggled with right knee pain toward the end of January and missed six games in February because of it.

When discussing the situation in February, head coach Sean Miller said on his radio show (h/t Tucson.com) he wasn't sure if the injury was related to Williams' congenital issue in his right knee.

Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star wrote about Williams' knee woes dating back to high school:

"After starting to experience pain with the knee before his junior season in 2016-17, Williams had surgery in January 2017 to correct a congenital issue in which bone beneath the cartilage of a joint dies due to lack of blood flow. The issue, known as osteochondritis dissecans, sometimes results in bone and cartilage breaking free and causing pain or restricted motion.

"Williams rehabbed the knee for over 10 months, then finished his high school senior season without issue but has twice run into trouble with the knee this season: On Jan. 14 he bruised it in practice and was limited against Baylor the next day, Miller said, while he then experienced issues after the UA’s game at UCLA on Jan. 26."

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie reported Wednesday the "question is long-term as much as short-term" as this marks the second time in four years Williams will miss a full season.

The Wildcats have freshmen Green and Mannion coming in to help with depth at guard, as Goodman mentioned, but Williams was the team's second-leading scorer last season behind Brandon Randolph, who declared for the 2019 NBA draft. 

Terry Armstrong, one of the top basketball prospects in the class of 2019, will play next season for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League in Australia, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN and Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports.

Per Uluc, Phoenix general manager Tommy Greer expressed enthusiasm about the addition of Armstrong:

"We are very excited to have a player of Terry's quality join the Phoenix for our first year in the NBL. It was important for us to identify a Next Star who could come in and contribute straight away but would also fit our no-nonsense culture. Just as exciting he was in a position to choose where he wanted to play and he chose us, which is a big vote of confidence in the culture we are building within our organisation and team."

Armstrong will join fellow top prospects like RJ Hampton (the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2019, per 247Sports.com's composite rankings) and LaMelo Ball (No. 22) in the NBL next season.

"RJ and LaMelo are two of the most highly rated players in our class," Armstrong told Givony. "The NBL will give all of us the top exposure we seek to fulfill our ultimate dream, which is to play in the NBA."

Armstrong also noted the NBL and the Phoenix offered a developmental plan that appealed to him.

"Head coach Simon Mitchell and general manager Tommy Greer laid out a very detailed plan on how I will develop as a player and as a young man," he said. "There is a strong emphasis on strength and conditioning as is evident on the hiring of the strength and development coach from Melbourne United."

Armstrong, a 6'6" shooting guard from Scottsdale, Arizona, is a 4-star prospect and the No. 2 player from the state of Arizona, the No. 8 shooting guard nationally and the No. 61 player overall in 247Sports' composite rankings.

Jerry Meyer of 247Sports broke down his game: "Great size and strength for a shooting guard. Not a quick-twitch, explosive athlete but a powerful athlete. Handles ball well and can score in a variety of ways. Likes to shoot a fadeaway off one foot. Has size to guard up a position or two. Projects as a steady rebounder. Could develop into an NBA player."

Armstrong was previously committed to the Arizona Wildcats but reversed course in June, instead choosing to turn pro.

Players in the NBL's Next Stars program are developed for at least one year with the goal of getting drafted into the NBA. NBL owner and executive chairman Larry Kestelman explained the initiative:

"The NBL provides strong visibility back to the US. Our league is closest to the NBA in terms of style of play and game day presentation. We will work to build a program to provide the right access to NBA teams and scouts alike.

"While they are in the NBL we will work with the players to help them develop an acute understanding of the life of a professional basketballer on and off the court and ensure they are equipped to make the transition to their professional careers."

For Armstrong, the hope will be improving his draft stock and making some money in the process. As more players eschew college basketball for paid opportunities overseas, his decision to sign with the NBL doesn't come as a major surprise.

On Wednesday, Arizona commit Terry Armstrong became the latest prep star to turn down college, as he'll reportedly head overseas or play in the G League as a professional next season.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported the news, while Corey Evans of Rivals noted there may have been questions about his academic eligibility that led to this decision.

Armstrong joins R.J. Hampton, Kenyon Martin Jr. and LaMelo Ball as members of the 2019 class to choose pro basketball over playing in college. Ball, like Armstrong, had eligibility issues, while Hampton and Martin did not have questions about their standing with the NCAA.

The news runs contrary to Armstrong's previous comments. After speculation that he was decommitting from Arizona, Armstrong posted a tweet that said "I never left" to reaffirm his commitment to the Wildcats.

That tweet has since been deleted.

Armstrong is the nation's No. 60 overall recruit and the seventh-ranked shooting guard in the 2019 class, per 247Sports. Listed at 6'6" and 185 pounds, Armstrong went to Bella Vista Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Arizona coach Sean Miller praised Armstrong's toughness in November:

"Terry brings a kind of toughness to our program that all of us would love to have as coaches. He also has great size for a wing and guard. It's not that he has one thing that he does well, it's the versatility I think that jumps off the page when you watch him. He's in a program right now (Bella Vista Prep in Scottsdale) that's playing against the best competition in America at the high school level. I'm anxious for him to have a great senior year. I think he'll be able to come in and affect our program right away."

Armstrong's decommitment is the latest blow for an Arizona program that remains embroiled in controversy. Miller was named in the pay-for-play FBI investigation, which saw former Arizona assistant Book Richardson sentenced to three months in prison.

As for Armstrong, he was not considered a one-and-done prospect type, so he'll have to impress on the pro level to get the attention of NBA scouts. His best bet may be the G League, which will keep him stateside and allow him to be in front of NBA front offices. 

Former 5-star recruit Jordan Brown is leaving Nevada and will continue his college basketball career at Arizona.

Brown announced his decision via Twitter on Friday:

Brown was one of the top recruits in the class of 2018. According to 247Sports, he was the top-ranked prospect in the state of California and the 19th-ranked overall recruit in his class.

The 6'11", 210-pound forward averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game as a freshman for the Wolf Pack in 2018-19.

When former Nevada head coach Eric Musselman left for Arkansas in April, Brown opted to enter the transfer portal. His dad, Dion, told Nevada Sports Network that Jordan was looking for "trust" at his next school.

Arizona had been in the mix prior to Brown initially committing to Nevada coming out of high school. However, as he told 247Sports' Evan Daniels in May 2018, he felt "really comfortable" with the Wolf Pack. Ultimately, though, he has decided a change was in his best interest.

Brown told Daniels on Friday that Wildcats coach Sean Miller heavily influenced his decision to move on to Tucson:

"We really just talked about, we have both faced adversity and having expectations of things we should accomplish. Just knowing that we both have things that we want to accomplish I feel like really complements each other, having a player and a coach that have expectations they want to reach.

"The freedom that he gives the bigs, I feel like I can help that out, by being able to spread the floor more and handle it away from the post and also doing damage in the post and just be a big presence for them."

The Wildcats beat out a number of schools for Brown's services, per the New York Times' Adam Zagoria:

While Brown will have to sit out the 2019-20 season, he will still have three years of eligibility remaining.

Former Arizona Wildcats assistant Book Richardson was sentenced to three months in prison and two years of probation after pleading guilty on a federal funds bribery charge, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports and Adam Zagoria of the New York Times. 

"I do believe this is a serious crime," U.S. District Court judge Edgardo Ramos said during his ruling, per Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star. "It went beyond violating NCAA rules... It wasn't a one-off. It wasn't a one-and-only thing. It took place over several months. At one point it was Mr. Richardson who initiated (payment of) a bribe."

Judge Ramos also spoke about Arizona in his ruling.

"I do believe that the University of Arizona was victimized by the crime," Ramos said. "It caused several athletes to decommit from the University [leading to] an additional [NCAA] investigation that may have some implications for the University."

Richardson had four other charges dropped as a part of his plea agreement. According to Pascoe, "Prosecutors wrote that Richardson abused his role by taking $20,000 over two separate payments and appeared to be already acting to steer UA players toward a new agency run by [Christian] Dawkins and [Munish] Sood."

Dawkins, an aspiring agent, was already convicted on charges of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery.

In a statement following his sentencing, Richardson apologized to the school and said he made a mistake and his conduct wasn't "natural and normal."

"And again any student-athlete that I hurt, any student-athlete I put in a bad way, I apologize sincerely," he added. "And I'm always going to be their coach, I'm always going to be their uncle and to some of them I'll be their dad. And unfortunately this happened and hopefully we can build something positive from it."

Richardson's ruling came a day after former USC assistant coach Tony Bland was sentenced to two years of probation on a bribery charge, avoiding prison time.

The Arizona Wildcats confirmed the NCAA is investigating the basketball program, according to the Arizona Daily Star's Bruce Pascoe.

Yahoo Sports first reported in February the NCAA was looking into the school after Christian Dawkins implicated the Wildcats in the FBI's case regarding corruption in college basketball.

A jury found Dawkins and two others guilty of conspiring to funnel money to the families of high school recruits in order for them to commit to Adidas-endorsed schools and sign with specified agents and financial planners. 

Emanuel "Book" Richardson, a former Arizona assistant coach, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors after they alleged he received at least $20,000 as part of the scheme.

According to ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach, FBI wiretaps captured Dawkins and business partner Munish Sood discussing the recruitment of Deandre Ayton and the steps required to get his signature once his college career was over.

During the trial, Sood testified the group was making payments to Richardson in order "to influence Wildcats players and recruits to sign with their firm."

Prosecutors also played the recording of a conversation between Dawkins and Richardson in which Richardson alleged Arizona head coach Sean Miller was paying Ayton $10,000 a month during his Wildcats tenure, per Schlabach and Jeff Borzello.

Schlabach had reported in February 2018 the FBI had wiretaps of Miller and Dawkins allegedly talking about a $100,000 payment for the purpose of securing Ayton's commitment. Miller subsequently denied the allegation.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors played for jurors a wiretap recording of former Arizona men's basketball assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson alleging to Christian Dawkins that the team's head coach, Sean Miller, was paying former Wildcats and current Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton $10,000 per month during his time at the school, per Mark Schlabach and Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com.

The conversation went as follows:

Richardson: "Sean's got to get the (expletive) out the way and let us work."

Dawkins: 'We'll see how Sean plays it out."

Richardson: "You know what he bought per month?"

Dawkins: "What he do?"

Richardson: "I told you—10."

Dawkins: "He's putting up some real money for them (expletive). He told me he's getting killed."

Richardson: "But that's his fault."

Former financial adviser Marty Blazer told the government that Miller told Richardson in June 2017, referencing payments to Ayton, "I'm taking care of everything myself. I wanna bring you in. I'll turn everything over to you."

Seven different wiretap recordings were played for the jury, per Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, with multiple references made on those tapes to Miller paying players, including Ayton and Rawle Alkins.

Dawkins, who was opening a sports management agency and has been charged with bribing college coaches, allegedly worked with Richardson to steer potential pro players to his agency. In exchange, Richardson received money from Dawkins, most notably to convince Ayton, Alkins and Allonzo Trier to work with Dawkins when they turned pro.

Per ESPN's report, "Munish Sood, a business partner of Dawkins, pleaded guilty to three felony counts related to the case and testified that Richardson accepted a $5,000 bribe during an initial meeting in New York on June 20, 2017" in exchange for steering that trio to Dawkins' agency.

Richardson also allegedly asked Dawkins and Sood for $15,000 in an effort to bring recruit Jahvon Quinerly to Arizona, with Richardson planning to pay his mother three $5,000 installments and $10,000 of his own money.

Quinerly ultimately chose Villanova over Arizona.

Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball coach Sean Miller allegedly "fronted" a deal that would steer Deandre Ayton to his program when the Phoenix Suns big man was a highly regarded recruit. 

On Monday, Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported jurors in the federal criminal trial regarding college basketball corruption heard a wiretap revealing as much.

Defendant Christian Dawkins—who was a former runner for former NBA agent Andy Miller—told business partner Munish Sood that Sean Miller "fronted" the deal involving Ayton on a telephone call that FBI wiretaps intercepted in June 2017.

Ayton was a 5-star recruit and the No. 4 overall player in the class of 2017, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He played one season at Arizona and averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while earning Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 tournament MVP and consensus All-American honors.

Phoenix selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

Schlabach explained Dawkins and Sood were talking about the cost of signing Ayton as a client with their sports management company following his collegiate career on the intercepted call.

"It's going to be more money than what they, what Book said, I mean because I talked to Sean," Dawkins said. "Sean's the one that fronted that deal. So it's going to be some money, but I mean we'll figure that out."

The "Book" he referenced was former Arizona associate head coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson, who Sood testified accepted payments to steer Wildcats players toward their sports management company if they helped recruit them as prospects.

This comes after Schlabach reported in February 2018 the FBI intercepted a call between Dawkins and Sean Miller that featured the head coach talking about a $100,000 payment during Ayton’s recruitment. Miller denied the report and paying for recruits.

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