In day two of public awareness of the FBI investigation into college basketball, more schools took a hit. After a quick internal review by AD Greg Byrne, Alabama basketball staff member, Kobie Baker resigned.
Alabama basketball took quick action on Wednesday with the resignation of Kobie Baker, men’s basketball administrator. It is not known if Baker is being investigated by the FBI. Alabama Athletic director, Greg Byrne released this statement.
"“Following yesterday’s reports from New York regarding a Federal investigation of intercollegiate athletics, The University of Alabama Department of Athletics immediately initiated an internal review of our men’s basketball operations. As a result, we have accepted the resignation effective today of Kobie Baker, a men’s basketball administrator. Our review has not identified any NCAA or SEC rules violations nor the involvement of any other coach or staff member. We have notified both of the governing bodies of the actions we have taken. As always, we will continue to be proactive in our compliance efforts.”"
Note: This post was published Wednesday evening around 9:00 PM CST. It was updated at 10:50 PM CST. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the updated information.
It is not known whether Alabama basketball suffered a minor wound or a crippling blow. Two more schools were hit harder on Wednesday. Louisville lost its head coach, Rick Pitino and AD, Tom Jurich. The University of Miami also learned its basketball program is under investigation by the FBI.
Current list of FBI investigated schools
As of Wednesday evening, the list of schools with FBI problems is Arizona, Auburn, Oklahoma State, USC, Louisville and Miami. The list is all but guaranteed to grow, perhaps exponentially.
For anyone needing more background, here is what we wrote yesterday that summarizes the investigation and goes into detail about Auburn.
It may be days or even weeks before the list of programs under investigation is complete. Alabama basketball fans will agonize through that interval, wondering and hoping that any Crimson Tide transgressions are minor. While we do so, we should also give pause as to the potential lasting impact on college basketball.
It is easy to conclude that to a greater or lesser degree the NCAA has failed in compliance. The money-tainted world of college basketball has been a cesspool for decades. The NCAA mostly looked the other way.
How dirty is college basketball?
Handlers, unlicensed agents, greedy AAU coaches and unscrupulous sports apparel executives made a shambles of the premise of amateurism. A few were uncovered but not near enough. Coaches, like Anthony Grant, who rejected the harmful influence of AAU coaches paid a price in lack of recruiting success. Those that wallowed in it, like Rick Pitino, won championships.
The exit of Kobie Baker from Alabama basketball initially says more about NCAA ineptitude than it does about the University of Alabama. What led to Baker’s exit from Tuscaloosa is unknown but we know Baker’s impressive resume was filled with NCAA positions.
What about the NCAA?
Before coming to Alabama, Baker was the Assistant Director of Enforcement for Basketball Development at the NCAA and before that NCAA Associate Director of Amateurism Certification. Kobie Baker was a NCAA insider with experience to strongly indicate he would aid the University of Alabama compliance program.
Despite those credentials, Kobie Baker in some manner failed to fulfill his duties at the University of Alabama. How much pain that failure will cause, beyond his own, is unknown. Our guess is Alabama basketball fans will not have to wait long.
Next: Tide Football Success is more than Blue-Chippers
This is a rapidly evolving story. We will continue to follow it carefully and post regular updates. Check in with Bama Hammer frequently.
UPDATED
Cecil Hurts of the Tuscaloosa News has learned the University of Alabama suspected Kobie Baker
"was involved in a meeting with Atlanta-based advisor Rashan Michel who was arrested on Tuesday as part of an FBI sting operation."
Baker may have taken money to influence a player from the Atlanta area to sign with the Atlanta financial adviser after declaring for the NBA draft. At this point, the FBI has not charged Baker with a crime. The above link provides additional clarification as to why the University of Alabama suspected Baker’s involvement.
This is bad news for Alabama basketball. How bad remains a mystery.