Men's College Basketball

Tyrese Hunter, who won the Big 12 men's basketball Freshman of the Year award this past season, announced that he is transferring from Iowa State to Texas.

The 6'0" guard averaged 11.0 points, 4.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 35 starts for the Cyclones, who reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 11 seed after beating No. 6 LSU and No. 3 Wisconsin.

He was particularly sensational in the first round against LSU, posting 23 points and five steals in a 59-54 win. Hunter averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 steals per game during March Madness.

Hunter was the top remaining transfer available in ESPN's rankings, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello. He was No. 3 overall before Kendric Davis (SMU to Memphis) and Nijel Pack (Kansas State to Miami) made their decisions.

Borzello also painted a picture of what awaits Hunter at Texas.

At Texas, Hunter will step into Chris Beard's starting lineup immediately, playing alongside former Minnesota transfer Marcus Carr, who started 32 of 34 games for the Longhorns last season. Carr, a big-time scorer in the Big Ten, is capable of playing off the ball, which would allow Hunter to shoulder most of the ball-handling duties. Hunter is Texas' second transfer addition of the offseason, following New Mexico State guard Sir'Jabari Rice.

Under first-year Longhorns head coach Chris Beard, Texas finished 22-12 and reached the second round as a No. 6 seed before falling to No. 3 Purdue. Expectations would appear to be higher with Hunter in the mix.

Texas also has the No. 3 class of 2022 in the nation coming to Austin, per 247Sports. Of note, 5-star recruits Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris will be joining the team.

The Big 12 figures to be a tough conference to traverse as usual, but the Longhorns appear destined to be a Top 25 team all year at worst.

Kentucky basketball legend Reggie Warford died on Thursday at the age of 67. 

Per Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Warford had been diagnosed with numerous health problems in recent years and was surrounded by his family when he died. 

According to Tipton, Warford was the first Black player in Wildcats history to have a four-year basketball career and graduate from the university. 

Per Mike Fields of KHSAA.org, Warford had a heart transplant in 2014, a kidney transplant in 2017 and developed a pulmonary condition that restricted his breathing and required him to use oxygen at night. 

Joe B. Hall was named Kentucky head coach in April 1972 after Adolph Rupp retired. Hall was instrumental in fully integrating the Wildcats basketball program, with Warford being the first player who committed to the team under the first-year head coach. 

Derrick White, a professor in UK’s African American and Africana Studies program, told The Athletic's Kyle Tucker after Hall's death in January that Warford's commitment was a huge milestone for Kentucky basketball. 

"Joe B. signing Reggie Warford was so important because it signaled to Black Kentuckians and folks all over the nation that they were not going to do business the same way they had done it," White said. 

According to Tipton, Warford, Jack Givens, James Lee, Merion Haskins and Larry Johnson were the first all-Black starting five in Wildcats history during the 1974-75 season. 

Warford was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2019. He helped the Wildcats win the National Invitational Tournament as a senior during the 1975-76 season. 

In four years at Kentucky, Warford averaged 4.1 points per game over 50 appearances.     

The Arizona Wildcats landed a major recruit in the 2022 class Wednesday.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN reported Henri Veesaar, who is from Estonia and "considered arguably the most promising European prospect" in this class, has joined the Wildcats.

"I believe in [Coach] Tommy Lloyd's philosophy and how he coaches," Veesaar said. "I've had my eyes on playing college basketball for some time now, and I believe that Arizona is a great fit to make a jump between youth and professional sport."

Givony noted the 7'0" big man first made waves as a 15-year-old at the FIBA U16 European Championship, played for Real Madrid's junior program and represented the Estonian senior national team as a 17-year-old.

Veesaar averaged 16.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 2.6 assists per game during last summer's FIBA U18 European Challengers.

He can protect the rim and control the boards on the defensive side while able to work in pick-and-pops and pick-and-rolls as a versatile shooter who is athletic enough to finish lobs.

Arizona is likely losing Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko to the draft, so Veesaar could compete with Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis for playing time in the frontcourt.

He will also be one of eight international players on the Wildcats during the 2022-23 campaign, which seemed to play a factor in his decision.

"It helps to fit on the team not being the only foreigner and the play style is different because they are used to having different players from different continents," he said. "The basketball background varies a lot depending on where you grow up, so I think they have a nice mixture from different cultures."

He joins an Arizona program coming off a 33-4 season that included Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles. Yet it will be looking to take the next step in the NCAA tournament after losing in the Sweet 16 to Houston.

Veesaar has the skill set to help the Wildcats do just that.          

The Louisville Cardinals reportedly made a notable move in the race to land top recruit D.J. Wagner.

According to Jeff Borzello of ESPN, Louisville hired Milt Wagner, who played for the Cardinals and is the grandfather of D.J. Wagner. Wagner will be the program's director of player development and serve in an alumni relations role.

The younger Wagner is the No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Milt Wagner is one of the most accomplished players in Louisville history.

He played for the Cardinals from 1981-86 and won a national championship while reaching three Final Fours. He was also an All-Metro Conference selection three times and was a second-round draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks after his collegiate career.

His NBA career included stops on the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, and he won a championship with the Purple and Gold in 1988.

As for D.J. Wagner, Borzello noted he is "the subject of an intense recruiting battle between Louisville and Kentucky."

There is also some family history in place outside of his grandfather's connection to Louisville. Kentucky head coach John Calipari coached his father, Dajuan Wagner, at Memphis. Dajuan Wagner signed with the Tigers after Calipari hired Milt Wagner for the Memphis program at the time.

What's more, Louisville head coach Kenny Payne was teammates with Milt Wagner on Louisville's 1986 national championship team.

"Just the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, I feel like that's crazy. I'm still open to every college right now, I'm just enjoying the process," D.J. Wagner said. "But I think that rivalry, just Kentucky and Louisville in general, the history behind it, it's a great rivalry."

Winning this battle on the recruiting trail will set the table for either Louisville or Kentucky to win the rivalry showdown on the court as well.         

Auburn Tigers star Jabari Smith Jr. is ready for the big stage, and the potential first overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft believes he can one day be one of the best players in league history.

"I feel like I can be one of the greatest ever," Smith told Stadium's Shams Charania (4:40 mark below). "Honestly, like, putting in my work and just how I carry myself and how I view the game and, like, I've been around basketball so long and got people around me that just know the game. It's like, the sky's the limit."

Smith had an incredible freshman season with the Tigers, averaging 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 42.0 percent from deep in 34 games. 

The 6'10" sharpshooter was a consensus All-American, an All-SEC first-team selection and the SEC Rookie of the Year.

Smith is considered one of the more well-rounded players in this year's draft. He's one of the best three-point shooters, rebounders and disruptive defenders available. He has excellent speed and agility, and his ceiling as a two-way star is pretty high. 

That said, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren and Duke's Paolo Banchero also have the potential be the top pick in this year's draft after also having impressive freshman seasons at their respective schools.

Holmgren, a consensus All-American and WCC Newcomer of the Year, was once considered the best player available in this year's draft before Smith's emergence. He averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 60.7 percent from the floor and 39.0 percent from deep in 32 games. 

Banchero, who was also a consensus All-American and ACC Rookie of the Year, averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from deep in 39 games.

Smith has the best odds to be selected first overall at -125, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Holmgren has the next-best odds at +150, while Banchero has the third-best odds at +500.

Whoever is selected first overall will be headed to Orlando after the Magic won the 2022 NBA draft lottery on Tuesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder will pick second and the Houston Rockets will pick third. 

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Former North Carolina Tar Heels forward Ademola Okulaja has died, the school announced Tuesday. He was 46.

Okulaja played for the Tar Heels from 1995-96 to 1998-99, helping lead the team to two Final Four appearances in that span.

One of Okulaja's former teammates, Shammond Williams, told C.L. Brown of the News & Observer that he was an "outstanding person" and "a selfless individual who sacrificed his game for the greater good of the team."

In his four seasons at UNC, Okulaja averaged 9.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from deep. He eventually became a full-time starter for the Tar Heels, starting all 34 games during the 1998-99 season. He averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game during his senior season and was named to the All-ACC first team.

Okulaja was born in Nigeria and moved with his family to Germany when he was young. He ended up representing Deutschland at two FIBA World Cups and five EuroBasket tournaments.

One of his biggest accomplishments came when he helped lead Germany to a bronze medal at the 2002 FIBA World Cup alongside former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki.

In addition to playing at the national team level, Okulaja played professionally in the EuroLeague for Alba Berlin, FC Barcelona, Unicaja Malaga, and Brose Bamberg. He also had stints with Liga ACB's Casademont Girona and Etosa Alicante and EuroCup's Khimki and Pamesa Valencia.

He averaged 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals in his seven-year professional career overseas.

Okulaja was diagnosed with a spinal tumor in 2008 but returned to basketball after one season on the sidelines before announcing his retirement in 2010. 

Legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski didn't give Duke a hometown discount as his career began winding down.

Sportico's Daniel Libit reported Coach K collected $12.5 million across the 2020-21 season, describing it as "an amount that rivals the most ever paid by a university to a college head coach during a non-buyout year."

The total compensation for Krzyzewski would've made him the highest-paid coach in men's college basketball last season. Kansas' Bill Self would be second at $10.2 million.

That figure also exceeds the $9.8 million Nick Saban earned from Alabama last year and the $10 million Lincoln Riley will reportedly receive annually from USC.

Libit reported Krzyzewski was paid around $5.3 million in salary and incentives and that the majority of his paycheck ($7.2 million) came from deferred compensation.

It's unclear how much the 75-year-old received in 2021-22, his final season on the sideline. Per Libit, Duke will disclose his salary as part of its 2022 fiscal year tax returns, which won't be public until next summer.

Krzyzewski announced last June he was retiring after the 2021-22 season, setting up a farewell tour throughout the campaign. The Blue Devils nearly wrote him a storybook ending as they reached the Final Four, but they lost to their biggest rivals, North Carolina.

As part of Coach K's retirement announcement, Duke confirmed Jon Scheyer, a former Blue Devils player who joined the coaching staff after his playing career ended, would succeed him as head coach.

It stands to reason Scheyer won't be matching his predecessor's salary.

A federal judge in New York denied Christian Dawkins' request for a new trial, according to ESPN's Paula Lavigne.

Dawkins, who was convicted as part of the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball, requested a new trial in February. His lawyers attempted to argue the FBI's case was compromised because a former FBI agent, Scott Carpenter, had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of conversion of government money.

Carpenter used $13,500 of government money while gambling at a casino in Las Vegas "at the time of a key sting operation in the investigation," per Lavigne.

The government countered Dawkins' initial request by saying Carpenter's indiscretion wasn't connected to the FBI investigation. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos concurred Monday and said "the misconduct did not concern the defendants, did not occur in Dawkins's presence, and did not occur while the agents engaged in investigative activities," per Lavigne.

Dawkins was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October 2018 and was also convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery in May 2019.

The Justice Department first announced in September 2017 that 10 people, including Dawkins, had been arrested as a result of the FBI's investigation. The agency had looked into money that changed hands in order to get recruits to sign with specific schools. In certain cases, money was funneled to assistant coaches or members of the recruit's family.

Rather than condemning Dawkins and those who were arrested, many thought the investigation was an indictment of the amateur model for the NCAA. There's also a level of hypocrisy in Dawkins serving time for something that's not too far removed from what's now allowed during the NIL era.

According to Lavigne, Dawkins won't be released until June 2023.

Notre Dame men's basketball head coach Mike Brey had some choice words at the ACC's annual spring meetings for coaches who have been complaining about name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

"[Coaches] have got to stop complaining," Brey said Tuesday.

"This is the world we're in, and last time I checked, we make pretty good money. So everybody should shut up and adjust."

The NCAA adopted an interim NIL policy that went into effect on July 1, allowing college athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness.

Brey's comments come amid a heap of news surrounding NIL of late.

Of note, Johnny McGonigal and Craig Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison, who has entered the transfer portal, is set to receive a multi-million dollar NIL deal if he suits up for USC.

On Monday, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors "issued guidance to schools regarding the intersection between recruiting activities and the name, image and likeness environment."

Some coaches have also offered pointed criticism of the NIL rules, specifically in regard to how a player can enter the transfer portal to go to a school that entices them with an NIL deal.

"Different creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates doubt. I don't see a lot of positives right now with the [transfer] portal and NIL stuff," Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self told Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day also shared his thoughts:

Certainly, the idea of NIL was not to recruit guys from other teams, induce them to come to their schools and pay them money or pay recruits on the front end, that's not what this is about. But that's what this has become. I'm all for players making money off their name, image and likeness. But right now, it's created a lot of unrest because we all feel like there's no rules—or the rules that are there are not being enforced. It creates a lot of jealousy. If you do nothing, you're going to fall behind. If you go extreme, you may put yourself out there to be vulnerable to sanctions down the road.

Ultimately, NIL is the new normal in the NCAA, and if coaches can leave in the middle of the night for new schools and better contracts, then it's only fair for players to have that same privilege. Perhaps some more regulation needs to occur, but NIL was a positive and much-needed step in the right direction for college athletics.

Lawrence Dority pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm in the shooting death of Adreian Payne, per Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press.

Dority, 29, is accused of killing Payne early Monday morning after the former Michigan State forward and his girlfriend attempted to assist a woman they knew who was allegedly in an abusive relationship with Dority, per Solari.

According to the police report, Dority told police he felt threatened by Payne, who he said was "making movements with his right hand in the right side of his waistband" and making verbal threats at Dority.

The report also said Dority, who is 5'8" and 150 pounds, felt threatened by the 6'10" Payne because of his size. Dority said he went into his home after the verbal altercation with Payne and retrieved his gun before coming outside and firing one shot at Payne as a means of protection.

"This man tried coming to my house, he cut around my block, and he tried shooting me. … He act like he got a gun, and I shot him," Dority said.

Florida is a "stand-your-ground" state, meaning a person does have the right to use lethal force if they perceive a threat to their safety.

However, a witness contradicted Dority's account of the events, saying Payne never threatened him. Police also found that Payne was unarmed and wrote in the affidavit that they believe Payne "did not pose an immediate threat to Dority." 

Payne starred at Michigan State from 2010 to 2014 before being drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft. He would play for the Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic during his NBA career before finding success playing professional basketball overseas.