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News Nuggets, 02.09.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Coach gets to keep bribe after recruiting scandal conviction

MEMPHIS — A high school football coach who accepted $150,000 from an Alabama booster to steer his standout football player to the Crimson Tide was sentenced Tuesday to two years' supervised probation and 500 hours of community service.

Lynn Lang was also fined $2,500 after pleading guilty to conspiring to get defensive lineman Albert Means to sign with the Crimson Tide in 2000. He could have faced 30-37 months in federal prison and fines up to $60,000.

Lang, former head coach at Trezevant High in Memphis, said he took the money from wealthy businessman Logan Young to make sure Means went to Alabama.

Young, a longtime Alabama booster, was convicted last week on federal charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering. He is scheduled for sentencing in May.

Lang testified against Young as a condition of the guilty plea, which led to dismissal of extortion and bribery charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Godwin said in court that Lang's cooperation was key to convicting Young.

``Without Mr. Lang, this case could not have gone forward because there was no other witness to the bribe,'' he testified.

Lang told U.S. District Court Judge Bernice Donald he regretted the pain he caused Means, his family and those at his former school.

``I made a big mistake. ... I'm totally sorry for it,'' he said.

Means' recruitment became part of an NCAA investigation that led to sanctions against Alabama in 2002. Alabama lost scholarships and was banned from bowls for two years.

Means, who was not accused of wrongdoing, played one season at Alabama before transferring to Memphis, where he expects to graduate in the fall.

Former Tide assistants Ivy Williams and Ronnie Cottrell lost their jobs during the NCAA investigation and are suing the organization for defamation.

The crime to which Lang pleaded guilty, crossing state lines as part of racketeering conspiracy, does not demand forfeiture of the bribe money.

Lang was required to amend his income tax returns, however, and told the court he still owes the IRS more than $60,000 he is paying off in installments.

He testified at an earlier court appearance that he spent the money he received from Young.

Cards put streak on the line against Memphis

Louisville coach Rick Pitino prefers to look at Memphis' prodigious talent rather than the mediocre results it has produced.

``They still have a lot of talent,'' Pitino said as he prepared the ninth-ranked Cardinals for Wednesday's Conference USA matchup with the Tigers.

``You've got one of the best young point guards in college basketball in (Darius) Washington, one of the best wing players in Rodney Carney, some inside players who have really improved and gotten better and you've got (Jeremy) Hunt and (Anthony) Rice.

``They're a terrific basketball team.''

Pitino's squad isn't so bad either. The Cardinals (20-3, 8-1) will be looking for their 10th straight win when they host the inconsistent Tigers.

Memphis (13-10, 6-3), ranked 24th in the preseason, has gone through a very difficult campaign. The Tigers suffered through several off-the-court issues, including the loss of star forward Sean Banks due to academic ineligibility on Jan. 16. They only managed to split their 14 non-conference games.

Pitino is ignoring the record, and focusing on the fact that the Tigers are third in C-USA in opponents' field-goal percentage at 37.9 percent, as well as some of Memphis' other strengths.

``They're good on defense,'' he said. ``They create situations where if you help, they're going to pull the 3. They're great in transition. We respect them as we do any other opponent.''

Louisville has a one-game lead over DePaul for first place in the conference standings. The Cardinals, who will join the Big East next season, have won eight straight C-USA games for the first time.

Memphis had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 66-53 loss at Houston on Saturday. The Tigers matched a season high with 26 turnovers, including 10 by the starting backcourt of Washington and Rice.

Tigers coach John Calipari expects a similar style of play from Louisville.

``It will get rough some times and they're going to have their crowd going and you've got to block all that out and just play between the lines,'' Calipari said. ``Historically, we've been able to play through the roughhouse play.''

Pitino pointed out that his team has committed 19 fewer fouls than Memphis in the same number of games.

``The facts speak for themselves,'' he said. ``They foul more than we do.''

One area of concern for Louisville is leading scorer Francisco Garcia's recent propensity for fouls. Garcia, averaging 16.7 points, has committed 13 fouls over his last three games.

Garcia, who scored 19 points in Saturday's 77-73 win over UAB, heads a lineup in which every starter averages in double figures. Larry O'Bannon averages 14.6 points and backcourt mate Taquan Dean scores 14.2 per game.

The Tigers, who are led by Carney's 15.3 points per game, have split six games on the road.

``We've played fairly well on the road,'' Calipari said. ``But we went to Houston and were absolutely manhandled.''

Louisville and Memphis split two meetings last season. Calipari has won three of five matchups since Pitino took over the Cardinals in 2001.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:21 PM