'09 Offseason News Thread

BasX · May 13, 2009

LOS ANGELES -- A former associate of NBA star O.J. Mayo says that Southern California basketball coach Tim Floyd paid a man who helped get Mayo to play for the Trojans, Yahoo! Sports reported on Tuesday.

Louis Johnson, the former associate of Mayo's, told the Web site that Rodney Guillory told him that Floyd had given Guillory "a grand." Johnson said he was able to view $100 bills inside an envelope Guillory had.

Floyd
Floyd

Last year on ESPN's "Outside the Lines," Johnson accused Guillory of providing Mayo with improper benefits while the guard played for USC.

Johnson said the payment occurred in 2007. Johnson was not present for the actual exhange, but Guillory reportedly told him that they were meeting Floyd to receive money that they could spend at All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. Johnson saw Guillory meet Floyd outside a cafe and drove around the block. When he picked up Guillory 15 minutes later he was shown the envelope containing money.

Yahoo! Sports reported Johnson has told NCAA investigators and federal authorities -- including the FBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney's Office -- that Floyd paid Guillory.

Mayo
Mayo

If Floyd did pay Guillory for delivering Mayo to USC, that would be a major NCAA violation.

Yahoo! Sports also reported that Southern California is the subject of an NCAA investigation into alleged improprieties in both the football and men's basketball programs.

The football probe stems from allegations of 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush receiving improper benefits for a sports marketing agent while at USC.

Guillory and Floyd declined to comment to Yahoo! about the latest accusations by Johnson.

USC general counsel Carol Mauch Amir also declined comment.

The NCAA does not comment about ongoing investigations.

Johnson had described Guillory as a "runner" who steered Mayo to the Bill Duffy Associates (BDA) sports agency. Johnson said Guillory received between $200,000 and $250,000 from BDA Sports for his efforts, which resulted in Mayo initially signing with BDA when he left USC after one season for the NBA in April 2008.

Mayo had switched to agent Leon Rose before he was drafted third overall by Memphis last year and was runner-up for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award to Chicago's Derrick Rose.

Johnson's attorneys, Anthony V. Salerno and David Murphy, confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that Johnson had told FBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney's Office investigators on May 28, 2008, about his account of the payment from Floyd to Guillory. Two weeks later, Johnson told the NCAA, according to the attorneys.

Salerno told Yahoo! Sports that Johnson's account to federal authorities carried the threat of potential prosecution if Johnson was found to be lying.

According to Johnson's attorneys, Johnson spoke with the NCAA last Friday morning at 10 a.m. PT. The conference call -- which lasted about an hour and a half -- included Johnson, his attorneys, two members of outside counsel representing USC and the two NCAA investigators who interviewed Johnson regarding Mayo last summer.

Salerno said the NCAA investigators prefaced their line of questioning by saying they "needed to tie up some loose ends."

"Our sense is that something is imminent," Salerno said. "I think the NCAA is very close to concluding their investigation. I would say it's looming large and soon."
Click to expand...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4162444

Shapecity · May 13, 2009

Re: Report: Floyd paid cash for Mayo

This is just stupid and a waste of time. This person didn't see the transaction take place and has no evidence of it. Tim Floyd can't be dumb enough to risk his coaching career by personally giving someone $1000.00 cash to sign Mayo.

DaRizzle · May 13, 2009

Re: Report: Floyd paid cash for Mayo

Just pay the college athletes already

Celtic Fan · May 13, 2009

Re: Report: Floyd paid cash for Mayo

weaksauce accusation IMO.. and seriously a thousand dollars?!?!?that's chump change at the level...

and don't pay the athletes.. right now basketball fans can go to a college game and not pay through the nose and it should stay that way so the game is accessible for those who can't afford NBA games.

La Bomba · May 14, 2009

Re: Report: Floyd paid cash for Mayo

Well Memphis was very interested in Floyd during the head coach search. After they saw Mike Anderson was not an option they went after Floyd and supposedly gave a very good offer. This could be one of the reasons he decided to reject Arizona and stay at USC.

J_Ray · May 14, 2009

Re: Report: Floyd paid cash for Mayo

Umm...it doesn't say Floyd paid Mayo, it said he paid a handler or someone with ties to help get him to USC. Still foul play and there's too much drama always coming from USC.

BasX · May 15, 2009

'09 Offseason News

Wayman Tisdale, a 12-year NBA veteran and Oklahoma University's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, has died after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 44.

Tisdale was selected No. 2 overall in the 1985 NBA draft, behind only Patrick Ewing. He played four seasons in Indiana, five in Sacramento and four in Phoenix.

Tisdale first learned he had a cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his home in Los Angeles in 2007. His leg was amputated last August, but he had made several public appearances since.

During and after his playing career, Tisdale was a talented jazz bass guitarist. He released his first album in 1995 when he was a member of the Suns.

Tisdale is survived by his wife, Regina, and their four children
Click to expand...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9578270/Former-Sooner-star,-NBA-player-Tisdale-dead-at-44

Extremely sad News, RIP.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0509/622771_video.html

La Bomba · May 15, 2009

Re: Former Sooner star, NBA player Tisdale dead at 44

RIP.

Tragic story.

huevonkiller · May 15, 2009

Re: Former Sooner star, NBA player Tisdale dead at 44

Seemed like a great guy and was handling it well I thought, R.I.P. dude.

BasX · May 19, 2009

Wall picks Kentucky

Top point guard recruit John Wall has told Kentucky coach John Calipari that he will sign with the Wildcats, according to multiple sources, ending a highly publicized courtship with the game-changing player.

Wall, ranked the No. 1 point guard, No. 5 overall, on the ESPNU 100, informed Miami coach Frank Haith Tuesday morning that he had committed to Kentucky. The reasoning, according to a source, was because he just wanted to play for Calipari.

If Calipari had stayed as coach at Memphis, there would have been no drama in Wall's commitment. Privately, Calipari was convinced Wall would have chosen the Tigers, but the coach's departure to Kentucky created a soap opera in the renewed recruiting chase.
Click to expand...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4178271

Youtube him, he's amazing

La Bomba · May 19, 2009

Re: Wall picks Kentucky

[video=youtube;Lkh_wfhepvE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkh_wfhepvE[/video]

thekid · May 24, 2009

Re: Wall picks Kentucky

Not surprising. Calipari sure knows how to fucking recruit.

BasX · May 29, 2009

Lol Coach Cal

[video=youtube;ZFhZV_D3XXo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFhZV_D3XXo[/video]

BlueBaron · Jul 19, 2009

Re: Wall picks Kentucky

Things are looking good for the Cats next season. I can hardly wait!

Shapecity · Aug 12, 2009

Rick Pitino Has Affair, Pays for Abortion

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—The woman accused of trying to extort Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino approached him in a Louisville restaurant six years ago, and the two had sex later that night, the coach told police. Two weeks after they met, she told him she was pregnant, and he gave her $3,000 for an abortion.

The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported on its Web site Tuesday that Pitino told police he had been drinking in a Louisville restaurant and had consensual sex with Karen Sypher in August 2003. The police report said the 56-year-old coach denied Sypher’s allegations that he raped her after the restaurant closed and at another time somewhere else.

The two met when Sypher approached him at the restaurant and asked him call her sons with words of encouragement, and the coach obliged, she said. Later that night, the restaurant cleared out, and the owner left the coach his keys. That’s when they had sex.

She claimed Pitino forced himself on her, while the coach said she came onto him.

The two apparently weren’t alone, though: The police report says a Pitino assistant was there during the encounter and heard what sounded like consensual sex.

Sypher reported the rape allegations to police last month, but a Kentucky prosecutor said the complaint wouldn’t be prosecuted because it lacked supporting evidence. Sypher, 49, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of lying to the FBI and trying to extort $10 million from Pitino, who is married.

Sypher’s attorney, James Earhart, said Wednesday morning that he hadn’t yet talked to Sypher about the release of the police documents, but planned to later in the day. He said he didn’t know how it would affect the case against her since all those involved were already aware of the documents.

Pitino told police that about two weeks after meeting Sypher at the restaurant, she called to tell him she was pregnant and he had to be the father. Pitino told her when they met again that he had five children and she had four, and that he didn’t know what he wanted to do, according to the report by Sgt. Andy Abbott, commander of the sex-offense unit.

According to the report, Pitino said he wanted to meet her discreetly and suggested the condo of the team’s equipment manager, Tim Sypher. Karen Sypher went to the condo, where she alleges the second assault took place, according to the report. Karen Sypher, who later married Tim Sypher, met him for the first time that day.

Pitino said Sypher told him she was going to have an abortion but didn’t have health insurance, so he gave her $3,000 for the procedure done in Cincinnati, according to the report.

Pitino’s lawyer, Steve Pence, said the story is about Sypher and not his client.

“Karen Sypher is indicted for extortion,” Pence told The Associated Press. “The commonwealth’s attorney has said she is void of any credibility on these 6-year-old allegations she has made.”

Pence said Wednesday that after the criminal case is finished, he would talk to Pitino about the possibility of civil action against Sypher.

Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said in a statement that “Coach Pitino has been truthful with us about this matter all along and we stand by him and his family during this process.”

School president James Ramsey said his thoughts were with Pitino and his family. Pitino and his wife Joanne have five children.

“Several months ago, Coach Pitino informed me about the alleged extortion attempt. I’ve now been informed that there may be other details which, if true, I find surprising,” Ramsey said in a statement.

The newspaper cited Louisville Metro Police reports that it obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act. Police said the records couldn’t immediately be released to the AP on Tuesday.

Abbott asked Sypher during one interview why she waited until after she was indicted to report the rape allegations.

She gave varying answers, according to transcripts, saying she wanted to forget about it, that Pitino threatened her and finally that “they kept throwing crumbs to keep me happy.”

Abbott asked Sypher why she was coming forward only after she was charged.

“Because … where we are, it seems like retaliation,” Abbott said.

“I know it does,” Sypher responded.

Abbott said in a report that Sypher didn’t say another person was at Porcini Restaurant during the first incident.

Abbott’s report said Vinny Tatum, a former executive assistant to Pitino, told the FBI that he didn’t see anything, but heard “only the sounds of two people that seemed to be enjoying themselves during a sexual encounter.”

Abbott said records indicate that Pitino was in California when Sypher claimed she was sexually assaulted the second time.

A message Wednesday for Tatum at his office in the university’s basketball practice facility was not immediately returned.

The case became public in April when Pitino announced that someone had tried to extort him. Pitino said he reported it to the FBI, and Sypher surrendered to authorities a few days later when she was named in a criminal complaint. At the time, several media outlets declined to air interviews with Sypher about allegations against Pitino, saying they were personal and unsubstantiated.

University sports information director Kenny Klein said the coach was in his office on Tuesday but directed all inquires to Pence. Pitino finished his eighth season with the Cardinals, leading them to a 31-6 record and the Big East regular-season and tournament titles. The Cardinals lost to Michigan State in the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.

Pitino is Catholic and brings along close friend and spiritual adviser, the Rev. Edward Bradley—a priest in Henderson, Ky.—on many team trips. Bradley often prays with the team before games and is a fixture near the Louisville bench.

There was no answer late Tuesday at the priest’s office where he also lives.

Tim Sypher was Pitino’s personal assistant with the Boston Celtics from 1997-2001, then followed the coach to Louisville in 2001. He and Karen Sypher are currently going through a divorce.

A message for Tim Sypher was left Wednesday at the office of his divorce attorney.

The criminal complaint said Tim Sypher brought Pitino a written list of demands from his wife, including college tuition for her children, two cars, money to pay off her house and $3,000 per month. The demands later escalated, the complaint said. Tim Sypher has not been charged.

Besides Louisville and the Celtics, Pitino coached the New York Knicks from 1987 to 1989. His ties to the Bluegrass State are strong. He was at Kentucky from 1989 to 1997, where he earned one national championship and two other trips to the Final Four.
Click to expand...

Source: Yahoo Sports

Hoops Manifesto · Aug 12, 2009

Pitino needs to go

After his "indiscretion", Rick Pitino and Louisville need to part ways.

http://hoopsmanifesto.blogspot.com/2009/08/not-so-slick-rick.html

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'09 Offseason News Thread

BasX I Win

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BasX I Win

La Bomba The Future

huevonkiller Change (Deftones)

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'09 Offseason News Thread

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BasX I Win

Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

DaRizzle BLAKER

Celtic Fan Well-Known Member

La Bomba The Future

J_Ray JBB JustBBall Member

BasX I Win

La Bomba The Future

huevonkiller Change (Deftones)

BasX I Win

La Bomba The Future

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BasX I Win

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Hoops Manifesto Member

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