Duke Star Zion Williamson Accused of Asking for Cash from Recruiters
One of the top incoming freshmen in the country, Duke’s Zion Williamson, appears to be entangled in the ongoing NCAA college basketball corruption case.
A revealing phone conversation between an assistant coach from Kansas, Kurtis Townsend, discussing Williamson with Adidas consultant Merl Code, was introduced in federal court in New York on Tuesday as part of the corruption trial, Yahoo Sports‘ Dan Wetzel reported.
https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/1052442523887706112
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan denied a request by defense attorneys to enter the phone call into evidence, but some of the contents of the call came out during attorney arguments, Wetzel reported.
https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/1052323887621578752
Mark Moore, the attorney for Code, read a transcript of the call between Townsend and Code. Wetzel reported what Moore read in court.
Townsend: “Hey, but between me and you, you know, he asked about some stuff. You know? And I said, ‘Well, we’ll talk about that, you decide.'”
Code: “I know what he’s asking for. He’s asking for opportunities from an occupational perspective, he’s asking for cash in the pocket and he’s asking for housing for him and his family.”
Townsend: “I’ve got to just try to work and figure out a way because if that’s what it takes to get him here for 10 months, we’re going to have to do it some way.”
https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/1052324170292494336
Because the judge did not admit the call into evidence, the context of the call is not clear, Wetzel reported.
“Whether the ‘he’ that Code was discussing was Williamson or a family member was a bit unclear — presumably the player would not be seeking ‘opportunities from an occupational perspective,'” Wetzel wrote.
The defense wanted the call entered into evidence because it was an example of how college coaches sought recruiting help from the defendants from Adidas.
https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/1052324405542555649
But Judge Kaplan said the conversation regarding Williamson occurred after violations that Code was accused of and were not relevant, Wetzel reported.
This phone call between KU assistant Kurtis Townsend and Merl Code regarding the financial demands from Zion Williamson’s father could be problematic … for more than just KU. Zion now a freshman at Duke. My guess is that if the NCAA ever moves on it, Zion will already be in NBA.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) October 17, 2018
Williamson, an 18-year-old out of Spartanburg, South Carolina, is considered one of the top players in the 2018 recruiting class. Every major school was after him, including Kansas, but he ultimately signed with coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils.
Williamson is part of a ridiculous Duke recruiting class that features three of the top 10 incoming freshmen, including shooting guard R.J. Barrett out of Monteverde, Florida; small forward Cam Reddish out of Norristown, Pennsylvania; and Williamson, a 275-pound power forward known for his viral dunks.
Cam, R.J. and Zion are less than four days away from taking the floor in Cameron for the first time for @DukeMBB. Countdown to Craziness is set for Friday at 7 p.m. pic.twitter.com/IAqeIA53BI
— Duke Basketball (@dukebasketball) October 16, 2018
The defense and the prosecution rested Tuesday in the federal case. Closing arguments were set to begin Wednesday.
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