Men's College Basketball

Kentucky commit Robert Dillingham, one of the top players in the 2023 college basketball recruiting class, is leaving Donda Academy and signing with the Overtime Elite league.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic first reported the news and said Dillingham will maintain his college eligibility.

Donda Academy principal Jason Angell announced last week it was planning to shut down for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year following antisemitic remarks by rapper Kanye West, who founded the school earlier this year. That decision was reversed hours later.

Dillingham is a 5-star prospect and the No. 9 overall recruit in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He received interest from several high-profile college programs before he committed to UK in June.

The 6'2", 165-pound point guard is a high-volume player who's showcased a tremendous flair with the ball in his hands, and he's started to develop a reliable outside shot that solidified him as a top-tier college prospect.

His stock took off after he helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the 2021 FIBA U-16 Americas Championship. He was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.5 rebounds in six games.

Now he'll head to Overtime Elite, a professional league aimed at players aged 16-20 that's emerging as a collegiate alternative for prospects awaiting NBA draft eligibility.

Dillingham, 17, will keep his "priority focused" on playing for Kentucky next season despite the switch from traditional high school ball to OTE, per 247Sports' Travis Branham.

"I couldn't be more excited to join OTE," Dillingham said. "The team and resources they offer are amazing, and this is an incredible opportunity to continue to develop my game and take it to the next level, while competing against elite talent."

Tim Fuller, OTE's vice president of recruiting and player personnel, celebrated the dynamic guard's arrival.

"We are excited to recruit Rob Dillingham to our league," Fuller said. "He brings an elite knack for scoring and an infectious passion for the game. His shiftiness and incredible speed with the ball make him slithery agile with the ball in his hands."

OTE made headlines earlier this week when it announced a three-year streaming agreement with Amazon Prime Video.

That'll make it easier for Kentucky fans to keep tabs on Dillingham while awaiting his arrival on the Wildcats roster for the 2023-24 campaign.

Former Louisville head basketball coaches Rick Pitino and Chris Mack won't be disciplined by the NCAA following an investigation into allegations of violating recruiting rules and ethics standards.

Per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, both men avoided any type of punishment and Louisville only received a $5,000 fine with two years of probation, no postseason ban and a "small" reduction in recruiting days.

The FBI announced in September 2017 the arrest of 10 people related to an investigation into bribes and corruption in college basketball. Four assistant coaches and Adidas executive James Gatto were among those arrested.

Louisville was among seven schools implicated in the first wave of the scandal, specifically its recruitment of Brian Bowen II.

Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, an unidentified Louisville assistant coach had a phone call with three others, including then-Adidas employee Merl Code, financial advisor Munish Sood and an undercover agent for the FBI.

"The men discussed how they were going to mask an initial $25,000 payment from Adidas to the father of a high school player who had recently committed to Louisville, which has a shoe and apparel deal with Adidas," Schlabach wrote.

Schlabach noted the FBI complaint also said Gatto and Christian Dawkins, a former agent at ASM Sports, along with the other men previously "agreed to funnel $100,000" to Bowen's father in four payments.

"Dawkins told the others he was paying the player's father at the request of a Louisville coach," according to Schlabach.

Pitino was placed on unpaid administrative leave and athletic director Tom Jurich was placed on paid administrative leave by Louisville.

Jurich was originally fired for cause by the university in October 2017, but the two sides agreed to a settlement seven months later that paid him $4.5 million, his employment ended without cause since he resigned and described his settlement as a "retirement."

The University of Louisville athletics board unanimously voted to terminate Pitino's contract for cause in October 2017.

Pitino filed a $38.7 million lawsuit against the University of Louisville Athletic Association. Both parties reached a settlement in September 2019 in which Pitino received no money, but his personnel file changed his termination to a resignation.

Mack was named Louisville head coach in March 2018 after spending the previous nine years as Xavier's head coach. He was added to the NCAA investigation in October 2021 for three alleged violations that came to light following former assistant coach Dino Gaudio's dismissal earlier in the year.

Per The Athletic's Dana O'Neil, Gaudio threatened to go to the NCAA if he wasn't paid his full salary in a conversation recorded by Mack. The conversation initiated an extortion claim, leading to Gaudio pleading guilty and receiving one year of probation.

Mack was suspended for the first six games of the 2021-22 season for not following school guidelines after Gaudio's attempted extortion.

Louisville fired Mack in January after the team got off to a 6-8 start. He finished 63-36 in four seasons with the Cardinals.

Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford met with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark to discuss potentially joining the conference, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

"Sources indicate that Gonzaga has been exploring its conference options, as it has emerged as one of the premier basketball programs in the entire country," per Thamel. "Both the Pac-12 and Big East have been engaged with Gonzaga, according to sources, but the extent of those conversations are uncertain."

Dana O'Neil of The Athletic provided additional context:

Football has been the primary driver behind realignment over the years because it's the sport with the highest revenues. Targeting Gonzaga is about landing a premier basketball school since the Bulldogs don't sponsor football.

In the case of the Big 12, getting the Bulldogs would mean becoming arguably the deepest conference in men's basketball.

This would be a symbolic victory over the Pac-12 as well, since Spokane, Washington, is firmly within the Pac-12's geographic footprint.

The Big 12 is going to lose its two biggest schools, Oklahoma and Texas, when they join the SEC by 2025 at the latest. The conference pivoted by adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.

Yormark hinted in July that more expansion might be on the horizon following a report of the Big 12 possibly raiding some of the Pac-12's best remaining members.

"We are exploring all options and we are open for business," he told reporters. "I think it's fair to say I've received a lot of phone calls, a lot of interest. Nothing is imminent."

While the Big 12 finalized further expansion plans, it answered another big question when it secured its media rights.

Sports Business Journal's Michael Smith and John Ourand reported Sunday the Big 12 completed deals with ESPN and Fox Sports worth $2.2 billion over six years. According to The Athletic's Max Olson and Matt Fortuna, the contracts would include a pro rata clause were the conference to grow further.

Thamel noted it's unclear how much television money Gonzaga would receive since it doesn't have a football team. The annual earnings would surely be far more than the Zags are currently getting from the West Coast Conference, though.

The University of Kansas reportedly self-imposed a four-game suspension for men's basketball head coach Bill Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Stadium's Jeff Goodman reported Wednesday the punishment, which relates to an ongoing NCAA investigation into alleged violations within the program that began in 2017, also includes future recruiting restrictions.

Norm Roberts will serve as the Jayhawks' acting head coach until Self returns, per Goodman.

In August, the NCAA announced it would dissolve the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) once it completed all the ongoing investigations, including the one into KU. All the changes are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1.

Despite the upcoming alterations to the governing body's review process, no timetable for the NCAA's final ruling in the Kansas case has been announced.

In May 2020, the NCAA enforcement staff announced its investigation into the five Level I violations showed "egregious" and "severe" rules violations by Self and Townsend, who allegedly "embraced, welcomed and encouraged" Adidas representatives to persuade highly rated recruits to sign with the Jayhawks, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

More than two years after that statement, the case remains unsettled.

Self has led the Kansas program since 2003, which ties him for the 10th-longest-tenured head coach in men's college basketball.

The 59-year-old Oklahoma native has compiled a 556-124 record (.818 winning percentage) across 19 seasons with the Jayhawks. He led the team to national championships in 2008 and 2022.

His nearly four-decade coaching career also includes stops as the head coach at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois before arriving to Kansas.

Townsend, 64, joined KU's coaching staff in 2004.

The fifth-ranked Jayhawks are scheduled to open their title defense Monday night at home against Omaha. Self and Townsend will also miss games against North Dakota State, seventh-ranked Duke and Southern Utah.

They'll be eligible to return for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Kansas' first game in the event is a Nov. 23 clash with NC State.

Basketball Hall of Famer, UCLA legend and ESPN color commentator Bill Walton hopes his alma mater's impending move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten in 2024 will be "rescinded."

Longtime Oregon sports columnist and commentator John Canzano reached out to Walton on the matter, and he responded four months later with a written statement expressing his strong feelings.

Of note, Walton said that the move will have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of UCLA student-athletes, citing the "exponential increase" in travel to face Big Ten teams.

USC will join UCLA in the Big Ten, making Nebraska their closest conference rival otherwise at roughly 1,500 miles away.

The Big Ten conference stretches as far west as Nebraska and as far east as Rutgers in New Jersey.

Walton also noted the negative impact on travel for family, friends, fans and alumni.

In addition, the 69-year-old said that the move would run counter to UCLA and the UC system's "professed environmental sustainability goals" and that it would also have a negative impact on a fellow UC school and Pac-12 team in Berkeley.

He also said that "increased costs of joining the Big Ten" would "negate the projected increased revenue assumptions of this proposed move."

Walton also cited the rest of the teams and student-athletes (outside football), wondering how many of them were "represented and willing participants in this proposed deal."

"This proposed move to the Big Ten, is all about football, and money," Walton wrote.

"What about all the other 24 sports and 600-plus student-athletes at UCLA, who are responsible for 99-plus percent of UCLA's national championships?"

The California native starred at UCLA from 1971-74, winning three straight National Player of the Year awards and two national titles under legendary head coach John Wooden. The 1971-72 and 1972-73 teams both went 30-0.

Former Kansas and New Mexico State basketball player Gethro Muscadin died Monday as the result of injuries he suffered in a December 2021 car crash.

He was 22.

"Gethro left us late last night," Kansas coach Bill Self said Tuesday. "He was involved in a major car accident 10 months ago and has basically been in a non-responsive state since then. Although only here one year, Gethro was loved and liked by all and will always be remembered as a Jayhawk. We wish his family and loved ones the best going through this most difficult time."

Muscadin was the passenger in a one-car crash on Dec. 30, 2021, in which the vehicle "went off the road, rolled multiple times, and came to rest on the fence line," according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. The car was driven by his girlfriend, with whom he had attended a Kansas vs. Nevada basketball game the previous day.

Muscadin grew up in Haiti and came to the United States at 16 to pursue a basketball career. He spent the 2020-21 season at Kansas before transferring to New Mexico, where he averaged 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 12 games played.

Muscadin had been in a coma for the last 10 months following the crash.

LeBron James' decision to publicly state his desire to play in the NBA alongside his son, Bronny James, has reportedly "complicated" the 18-year-old guard's college recruitment.

Sources on college coaching staffs told Dana O'Neil of The Athletic that the James family has been "as low-maintenance as a megastar can be," but the potential desire to fast-track Bronny's path to the NBA to play with his four-time MVP father is an issue.

"That just complicated everything," an unnamed college coach told O'Neil about LeBron's comments.

Bronny has garnered plenty of hype—247Sports' composite rankings list him as 4-star prospect and the No. 45 overall player in the 2023 class—but coaches don't necessarily see him as a lock to emerge as a one-and-done college player.

Instead, those recruiting James' eldest son—15-year-old Bryce is also starting to garner attention as he arrives to high school—see a player who "might not be NBA-ready after two or even three years," per O'Neil.

The question is whether the James family is willing to wait for a more natural, long-term college career or if they'll push for heavy involvement during his freshman season with a focus on Bronny entering the 2024 NBA draft when first eligible.

LeBron's latest contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers includes a player option for the 2024-25 season, meaning he could opt out and hit free agency with an eye toward signing with whichever team drafts his son in 2024.

Along with the timeline, the other issue raised by college coaches is the amount of attention Bronny will bring to the program, for better or worse.

"And this is LeBron's kid," one coach told O'Neil. "If you play him 30 minutes and then you don't win, what are you doing? But if you play him eight minutes and you do win, are people going to think you're an assh--e for not playing LeBron's kid?"

Another added: "Whether he scores four points or 40, it's going to be talked about the next morning on First Take. Not if your team won, but how Bronny played."

Put it all together and a picture emerges about potentially why no favorites have emerged in the race to land the top-50 prospect. It's a complex situation to handle despite the 6'3" combo guard's ability to provide a major boost, both on and off the court.

Bronny has long-term NBA upside, but his game would need to evolve significantly over the next 24 months for him to prove himself ready for the professional ranks in 2024-25.

Fresh off the most successful first season for a men's basketball coach in North Carolina history, Hubert Davis is getting a raise.

The university released details of the head coach's new deal Wednesday, a little more than two months after it was signed. Davis is now under contract through the 2027-28 season, and he'll make about $16.7 in guarantees over the course of the deal. He can also earn an additional $1.1 million per season in performance bonuses.

"I love this job," Davis told reporters this month. "I've always wanted to be a part of this program. And to say that I've been able to be a part of it as a player, as an assistant coach and now as a head coach is a really cool deal."

An assistant for a decade under Roy Williams, Davis took over last season and became the first coach in program history to lead the Tar Heels (29-10) to the national championship game in his first year.

North Carolina will enter the 2022-23 season with a veteran-laden roster seemingly primed for another deep run in March. Four of the team's five starters from last season return, highlighted by leading scorers Armando Bacot and Caleb Love. Both the Associated Press and Coaches polls ranked the Heels as the nation's top team by a significant margin in preseason voting.

After coming into last season as the No. 19 team in the country with minimal expectations, it'll be interesting to see how Davis handles the weight of national championship pressure. The Heels' NCAA tournament run in March was largely a happy surprise; they were a No. 8 seed, matching the all-time record for the lowest seed to compete for a national title.

While few will quibble with Davis getting a contract extension now, don't be surprised if things turn if North Carolina struggles out of the gate. Heels fans don't have to look far into history to remember Bill Guthridge, who had a Final Four run in his first season (1997-98) replacing Dean Smith before the program started to falter.

Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe said he "absolutely" plans to be ready for the team's first game against Howard on Nov. 7, according to Gary B. Graves of the Associated Press.

The reigning AP Player of the Year underwent a "minor" procedure on his knee this month, as head coach John Calipari explained on Twitter. Despite the issue, Tshiebwe doesn't expect to miss any regular-season action.

"To be honest, I don't think I will miss games other than exhibition games because it's not really necessary that I get this done," he said.

Tshiebwe is coming off a breakout season for the Wildcats after transferring from West Virginia.

The 6'9" forward averaged 17.4 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game in 2021-22, winning the Naismith Award as the top player in college basketball. He helped Kentucky earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, although the squad was shockingly upset in the first round by Saint Peter's.

Despite interest from the NBA, Tshiebwe returned to school and enters as a unanimous preseason All-American with higher expectations going into 2022-23.

"He's a better passer. He's a better dribbler. He has a better feel. He talks," Calipari said, per the AP's John Marshall. "Offensively he knows the plays better. And he's authentic."

There will be a lot of eyes on Tshiebwe this season with Kentucky entering No. 4 in the preseason AP poll.