Report: Maryland Hit With Two Subpoenas Over FBI Investigation Into College Basketball

Maryland has responded to a pair of subpoenas issued by a New York grand jury in relation to the FBI’s ongoing investigation of college basketball recruiting. The Terrapins announced the information to the Associated Press and Yahoo Sports, among other media outlets, on Friday, offering the following statement:

“On March 15, 2018, and June 29, 2018, the University received grand jury subpoenas for documents related to the ongoing federal investigation of college basketball. The University complied with the subpoenas by providing responsive records. None of the responsive records shows evidence of any violations of applicable laws or NCAA bylaws by University coaches, staff or players. The University has cooperated and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing federal investigation.”

The initial subpoena sought records regarding assistant coach Orlando Ranson and an unnamed player, with a focus on any ties to Christian Dawkins. A former sports agent runner, Dawkins was reportedly one of the many folks tasked with playing middle man between schools and the shoe companies for cash payments made to recruits. The second subpoena called for Maryland officials to appear in court on July 3.

Maryland was first brought into the fold back in February, when former Terrapin center Diamond Stone was named in a dumb Yahoo report about the FBI investigation. Head coach Mark Turgeon denied having any sort of relationship with Andy Miller, a sports agent that the FBI leaned on for damning financial records.

By February, Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson was nearing the end of his six-month “professional development sabbatical.” The move was first announced on Oct. 16, 2017, just three weeks after the FBI announced its investigation. Come April 13, three days before his sabbatical was supposed to end, Anderson offered his resignation. While the school had convened a search committee to land Anderson’s replacement, the Terrapins didn’t have anyone lined up in April. To appease restless fans and boosters, they slapped an interim tag on former Georgia athletic director Damon Evans, which was removed in late June when the Terrapins hired Evans for good.

(Evans, if you recall, was fired in 2010 when he was pulled over for drunk driving while in a car with a woman who was not his wife. “I am not trying to bribe you,” Evans told officers, “but I am the athletic director of the University of Georgia.”)

As was the case with N.C. State, if Maryland was indeed shelling out cash to recruits, it hasn’t paid off on the court. Turgeon’s squad struggled this past season, missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years with a 19-13 record; last year, they were bumped in the first round.