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University of Arizona basketball coach reportedly recorded offering $100K payment for recruit

Posted at 10:17 PM, Feb 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-25 16:44:23-05

TUCSON, Arizona — University of Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller has reportedly been recorded via wiretap offering a star recruit a cash payment to make sure he would sign with his team, ESPN reports.

Miller reportedly offered a third party $100,000 in exchange for DeAndre Ayton's commitment to the team. Ayton is currently a freshman on the No. 14-ranked Wildcats, where he averages 19 points and 10 rebounds a game.

That third party is Christian Dawkins, who the FBI says acted as an agent who steered players to certain schools in exchange for cash payments. In a Yahoo Sports report on Friday, Dawkins was listed as one of the key figures in an FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball.

ESPN says a source familiar with the government's evidence told them that Miller discussed paying $100,000 to make sure star freshman Ayton signed with the Wildcats.

Miller has been Arizona's head coach since 2009. Before that, he spent five years as the head coach of Xavier University.