In 2017 they were being investigated by the FBI. Now they’re in the Sweet 16, getting job promotions—and in one case getting sent home early.
On Sunday, Will Wade officially became the head coach of North Carolina State after leading McNeese State to its second NCAA tournament in as many years, which included a first-round upset over Clemson on Thursday, Wade’s alma mater.
A day earlier, Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad was upset by Arkansas despite being a heavy Final Four and national title pick after the 72-year-old coach revived the Red Storm into a Big East power once again, while Bruce Pearl and top-seeded Auburn also punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 with a win over Creighton.
And on Sunday, roughly 90 minutes after firing coach Rodney Terry, Texas reportedly hired Xavier coach Sean Miller to replace him.
Just eight years ago there was a question over whether Miller, Pitino or Wade would coach again. All three were headliners in the 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball, which exposed coaches for illegal recruiting practices through wiretaps, and led to the arrest of four assistant coaches.
Three head coaches were all eventually fired from their respective jobs after it was discovered they illegally paid for recruits in the pre-NIL era: Wade at LSU, Miller at Arizona; and Pitino at Louisville (Pitino had multiple NCAA investigations over his 16-year tenure there). Pearl survived at Auburn and led the school to the 2019 Final Four.
Wade was caught on a wiretap saying to a handler he made a “strong ass offer” for Javonte Smart, who eventually signed with LSU. The FBI’s investigation found that Miller discussed a $100,000 payment in exchange for a commitment from DeAndre Ayton, who was the top recruit in the 2017 class and went No. 1 overall to the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA Draft. And Pitino was linked to a $100,000 payment for a recruit that was widely believed to be Brian Bowen, who signed with the Cardinals in June 2017 despite not seriously considering them beforehand. All three coaches denied the accusations. Pitino claimed Bowen “fell into my lap,” while Miller said his record was clean even though wire taps suggested otherwise.
“I have never paid a recruit or prospect or their family or representative to come to Arizona,” Miller said in a March 2018 press conference. “I never have and I never will.”
The FBI investigation never led to jail time for any of the head coaches, but Emmanuel “Book” Richardson, Miller’s assistant at Arizona, spent 90 days in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery. Auburn assistant Chuck Person, who starred at the school in the 1980s alongside Charles Barkley, was also fired and charged with the same crime as Richardson, but only had to do 200 hours of community service as punishment.
All three took similar routes to rehab their image. Pitino, who was fired from Louisville in September 2017, briefly coached in Greece before being hired by low-major Iona in 2020. He took the Gaels to two NCAA tournaments in three seasons before St. John’s hired him in 2023. Pitino led the program to its first Big East tournament title for the first time in 25 years before a disappointing second-round exit to Arkansas on Saturday.
Miller was hired by Xavier in 2022 after previously coaching the program from 2004–2009. The second time around, Miller led the Musketeers to two NCAA tournaments in three seasons, including the 2023 Sweet 16 before Texas came calling.
