HBO film details college basketball scandal, Sean Miller phone calls
Mar 17, 2020, 11:56 AM
The upcoming release of an HBO documentary is expected to reveal never-before-heard conversations regarding a college basketball scandal that rocked the sport last year.
The Scheme, which will air on March 31, is centered around former business manager Christian Dawkins. It will, according to Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, describe Dawkins’ path to eventually being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and reveal the connections he had with college basketball coaches along the way.
For example, according to Wetzel, Dawkins explicitly says in the film that Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller was lying when he said in a press conference that he has never paid money to recruit a prospect.
“Sean should have his own movie agent or manager,” Dawkins said in the film when asked about that news conference. “He should be an actor.”
The documentary also outlines, per Wetzel, two different conversations Dawkins had with Miller regarding recruits. In one instance, Miller told Dawkins that Arizona wasn’t recruiting Naz Reid, as Arizona assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson alleged that LSU head coach Will Wade made a cash offer for the recruit.
Christian Dawkins: “In essence, let me ask you this: Do you think you’ll get Naz Reid?”
Sean Miller: “No. He’s going to LSU.”
Dawkins: “OK, he’s going to LSU, so that helps.”
Miller: “We’re not even bringing him on a visit. He’s not even visiting. That’s all [expletive]. Like, I’m looking at our recruiting board, he’s not even on it.”
The other conversation between Dawkins and Miller that Wetzel outlined involved Miller asking about prospect Nassir Little and wondering whom within Little’s circle of influence Miller should “focus on” in recruiting.
Phones linked to Dawkins and UA head coach Sean Miller made contact at least 13 times over a course of several months in 2017, ESPN reported last year.
Dawkins’ conviction came alongside that of former Adidas executive James Gatto and amateur league director Merl Code. Richardson was fired and eventually sentenced to prison.
