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LSU Tigers head basketball coach Will Wade reportedly discussed an undisclosed “offer” for a recruit during a 2017 phone conversation with business manager Christian Dawkins, who received a six-month prison sentence Tuesday for his role in college basketball’s pay-to-play scandal.
On Thursday, Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports reported Wade was caught on a wiretap talking with Dawkins about a “strong-ass offer” made for a player believed to be Tigers freshman guard Javonte Smart, then a 4-star prospect.
“I was thinking last night on this Smart thing,” Wade said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m [expletive] tired of dealing with the thing. Like I’m just [expletive] sick of dealing with the [expletive]. Like, this should not be that [expletive] complicated.”
In February, Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported Dawkins’ phone records showed three conversations with a number belonging to Wade between June 19 and June 30, 2017.
Smart announced his commitment to the Tigers in a Twitter post on June 30, 2017:
Javonte Smart @JavonteSmart
Blessed to say I am committed to LSU
.. bootUp https://t.co/vWvy8XTIti
Wade denied any wrongdoing since taking over the Tigers program in March 2017 during an appearance on the SEC Network, per Schlabach.
“What I will say is that I’m very proud of everything I’ve done as the LSU basketball coach,” he said. “I have never, ever done any business of any kind with Christian Dawkins.”
The reported conversations between Dawkins and Wade, who allegedly stated the offer was “tilted” toward the family so the player could take care of his mom, didn’t include any specifics or discussion about whether the recruit and/or his family accepted it in exchange for the commitment, per Yahoo Sports.
“The problem was, I know why he didn’t take it now, it was [expletive] tilted toward the family a little bit,” Wade said about a potential third-party involved. “It was tilted toward taking care of the mom, taking care of the kid. Like it was tilted towards that. Now I know for a fact he didn’t explain everything to the mom. I know now, he didn’t get enough of the piece of the pie in the deal.”
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The Yahoo Sports report noted Dawkins declined comment via attorney Steve Haney. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva also declined to discuss the wiretap revelations, while neither Wade nor Smart’s mother, Melinda Smart, replied to request for comment from Yahoo Sports.
Wade has compiled a 43-20 record at LSU, including a 25-5 mark so far this season with the Tigers currently ranked 10th in the country. He previously served as head coach of the VCU Rams and Chattanooga Mocs.
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