26 Charged in Massive College Basketball Point-Shaving Scandal

Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania have charged 26 people, including current and former college basketball players from 17 NCAA Division I teams, with fixing more than 29 games over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. The point-shaving operation, run by a gambling ring with ties to a former NBA player, paid athletes to underperform in exchange for large cash bribes, leading to millions in illegal wagers.

Background

The scheme started in September 2022 with illegal betting on professional basketball games in China. A former LSU player, Antonio Blakeney, who starred for the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association, fixed games there. He then linked up with ringleaders like Rasheed Hennen and John Fairley to bring the operation to U.S. college basketball ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Prosecutors say the group picked players at smaller schools where name, image and likeness deals did not pay much. They offered bribes from $10,000 to $30,000 per game, amounts that stood out to the athletes. The fixers had inside connections to the sport, which helped them recruit players willing to shave points or miss shots on purpose.

This case marks one of the largest gambling scandals in college sports history. It hit mid-major programs hard, with no top-tier schools or star names involved. Still, the reach was wide, touching teams across conferences. The NCAA had already started its own probes, sanctioning some players for similar violations before these federal charges came out.

Key Details

Twenty of the 26 defendants played college basketball in the 2023-24 or 2024-25 seasons. Four current players face charges: Kennesaw State's Simeon Cottle, averaging 20.2 points as preseason Conference USA Player of the Year; Delaware State's Camian Shell at 8.0 points per game; Eastern Michigan's Carlos Hart with 13.1 points; and Texas Southern's Oumar Koureissi at 4.9 points. These players took part in games as recently as last week, though none of the fixed games happened this season.

Schools reacted fast. Eastern Michigan suspended Hart from all team activities until the case ends. Kennesaw State put Cottle on indefinite suspension. Other teams named include Western Michigan, Butler, St. John's, East Carolina, McNeese State, Duquesne, La Salle, Kent State, Ohio, and Georgetown.

Specific Game Fixes

The indictment lays out clear examples. On March 1, 2024, before Kennesaw State's game against Queens University, a fixer sent Cottle and former teammate Demond Robinson a photo of $100,000 in cash. The two, plus another person, got $40,000 to underperform. Bettors won big on those manipulated results.

At DePaul in 2024, players Da'Sean Nelson, Jalen Terry, Micawber Etienne, and one other agreed to tank three games against Georgetown, Butler, and St. John's. In the Georgetown first half on February 24, bettors put down at least $27,000 on the Hoyas to cover a spread. They led 41-28 at halftime. Terry scored zero points then but 16 later. The next day, fixer Jalen Smith paid the group $40,000 in cash in Chicago.

Against St. John's, Hennen, Fairley, and others bet over $52,000 that DePaul would not cover the first-half spread. Terry scored nothing in that half, Nelson just four. Smith texted Etienne during the game, upset about a non-involved player doing well. Etienne replied they would keep the ball away from him.

One fix that partly failed: Fordham against Duquesne on February 23, 2024. Bettors risked $195,000 on Fordham not covering. Elijah Gray and a teammate tried to underperform, but Fordham still won. Gray texted Smith afterward: "I tried." Smith replied, "You did your job for sure."

Bradley Ezewiro at Saint Louis texted Smith a screenshot of DePaul's Nelson's stats before a Duquesne game, saying he was "ready to tap in." Smith already had him lined up. Players even tried to recruit others, showing how the scheme spread.

Bets were huge: $458,000 on NC A&T to lose to Towson, $424,000 on Kent State first-half spread against Buffalo, $275,000 on Southern Miss, $256,000 on Robert Morris. The group defrauded sportsbooks and everyday bettors who thought the games were fair.

"This was a massive scheme that enveloped the world of college basketball. This was a significant and rampant corruption of college athletics."
— U.S. Attorney David Metcalf

Charges include bribery in sporting contests, up to five years in prison, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, up to 20 years. Some face extra fraud counts.

The NCAA had ruled on related cases earlier. Former New Orleans players Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, and Jamond Vincent manipulated seven games from December to January, losing by more than betting spreads to help outside bettors. Others like BJ Freeman from Arizona State and players from Mississippi Valley State faced bans. The NCAA probed about 40 athletes from 20 schools over the past year, with many cases matching the FBI's.

What This Means

College basketball now faces a trust problem with fans, bettors, and schools. Point-shaving hits the sport's core idea of fair play. The NCAA will likely ban more players for life, as it has done with 11 already. Enforcement staff must review all 39 implicated athletes and 17 teams.

Sportsbooks lost money on rigged games, but regular bettors got hurt too, betting on what they saw as honest matches. Legal sports betting's growth since 2018 made schemes like this easier, with more money flowing in.

Schools must tighten rules on player gambling and NIL deals. Mid-majors, where pay is low, feel extra pressure. Leagues may add monitoring for odd betting patterns or player stats. The FBI's work shows federal eyes are on sports integrity.

Players charged could face career ends, even if cleared. Suspensions sideline stars like Cottle mid-season. Teams scramble to adjust rosters and rebuild trust. Broader probes might uncover more fixes, given the ring's China start and NBA links.

This scandal echoes past ones like 1951 CCNY, but today's betting apps make it bigger. Prosecutors call it very successful, with some fixes failing but most paying off. The case tests how college sports handles gambling's rise.