THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603060620
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY AND HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
A former Maury High School basketball star said Tuesday that gamblers routinely approached players last season about fixing games.
Shaun Jackson, a former All-Tidewater forward, said players at the Norfolk high school were regularly offered incentives by gamblers to lose games intentionally.
``A lot of people off the street said, `We'd take care of you if you lose the game,' '' Jackson, now a freshman at Labette Junior College in Parsons, Kan., told The Virginian-Pilot Tuesday night. ``It happened a lot of times last year.''
Jackson's assertions came as police on Tuesday expanded their investigation of the possible fixing of high school basketball games to include a second Norfolk high school.
On Monday, police said they were looking into the possibility that last week's Eastern Region basketball playoff game between Maury and Green Run high schools might have been fixed.
On Tuesday, spokesman Larry Hill said police learned that one or more Booker T. Washington games may have been fixed during the 1994-95 season. ``We're looking into it,'' Hill said. ``We're looking into everything.''
Booker T. principal Joel R. Wagner said he was unaware of the allegation involving his school. ``I don't know anything about that,'' he said. ``(The police) haven't called me or talked to me.''
Elizabeth City State University coach Barry Hamler, who coached Booker T. last season, said he never heard any rumors about his team's games being fixed.
``I have no knowledge of any activities like these and would hope it didn't happen at Maury,'' he said. ``It's not good for the integrity of the game.''
Maury coach Jack Baker could not be reached Tuesday night for comment on Jackson's allegation.
Jackson said it was not uncommon for players to be approached by gamblers. ``You might not know them personally,'' Jackson said of the gamblers, ``but they knew somebody who knew you.
``They would present you with options. They could bet on the point spread, or say, `Don't hit over so many amount of points,' or it could be on the outcome of the game.''
No Maury player accepted a bribe, he said.
Jackson said the players were aware of smaller side wagers in the stands taking place during the games.
``You'd be standing at the foul line and see people betting on whether you made the free throw or not,'' he said.
Police learned of the Booker T. allegation while investigating the claim that Green Run's 69-57 double-overtime victory on Feb. 27 at previously undefeated Maury might have been fixed.
During a newscast on WTKR-TV Tuesday evening, Maury senior point guard Ike Richardson, 19, came forward to say he was the focus of rumors that a player had taken money to affect the outcome of a game.
``I didn't do anything like that,'' Richardson said in a telephone interview with The Virginian-Pilot Tuesday night.
``The rumors aren't true.''
Maury Principal Michael C. Spencer said he was interviewed by the police Tuesday. ``As far as I know, that was their first contact with anyone in their investigation,'' he said.
Baker also met with police, then met with his team.
Hill said the police have no experience at this sort of investigation. ``We've only interviewed a couple of people,'' he said. ``And we're starting from scratch.''
Spencer spent much of Tuesday dealing with TV reporters who swarmed his campus. He said the staff and student body, though stunned by the allegations, continue to support the players.
``Our team played hard and did a good job all season long,'' he said. ``They were 23-0 and had the misfortune to play Green Run on a night when Green Run was the better team.
``Those kids played hard in that game. They don't want to walk away with that kind of a cloud. I think that's coach Baker's position. To work that hard and get to the end of the season and then have this kind of allegation leveled at them is just hard to deal with.''
Local police and high school officials say they're alarmed at the prospect of big-stakes gambling at high school basketball games, possibly involving drug money.
Lake Taylor High School basketball coach John Kelley said he received a letter from Norfolk police before the season alerting him to the possibility of gamblers or their associates seeking to befriend team members to gain information.
``I know people bet on high school sports in this town,'' Kelley said. ``You hear it from students and from adults. But the thing that brought it home to me was the police contacting us and asking us to be on the lookout.''
Bayside High School boys basketball coach Ron Jenkins said he has observed small-scale betting in the stands by fans.
``You hear things,'' Jenkins said. ``You go to scout a game on a night when your team isn't playing, and you may see a few things going on in the stands in various places.
``I tell my kids to be aware of anyone trying to offer you anything. You are a semipublic figure. Watch out where you go and who you associate with.''
The problem of gamblers associating with athletes is much larger than the public knows, says one longtime observer of sports in Hampton Roads.
``Some kids told me last year that they went to a party with a drug dealer and he thanked them for winning that night. `You guys won back what I lost on you last week,' he said, then he opened a satchel'' filled with with money.
``It's unbelievable. People don't understand the culture of drug dealers who hang around high school basketball,'' said the source, who asked not to be identified. ``They don't understand how much money they have. People tell me they bet $100 on a foul shot at the drop of a hat.''
The involvement of drug dealers is especially frightening to one official.
``That scares the hell out of me,'' said Bert Harrell, a former football coach at Lake Taylor and Norfolk's athletic director for Virginia High School League activities. ``We're in a battle with the dealers for our athletes. We win some and lose some.''
Norfolk school officials said they were unaware of the problem until rumors that a game between Maury and Green Run was fixed prompted Norfolk schools superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. to ask the police to investigate.
``It came out of the blue,'' Nichols said. ``There's nothing to my knowledge that would let us suspect that anyone gambled on a high school basketball game. It seems far-fetched to me.''
Conrad Parker, the girls basketball and softball coach at Bayside, said Tuesday's report on the Maury-Green Run game started a discussion at his school about the connection between gambling and high school sports.
``I've heard some stories today that made my hair stand up,'' Parker said. ``I've had people tell me of walking into a restroom at games and seeing big money exchanged. There has been a certain element at these games for a long time.'' MEMO: Staff writer Ed Miller contributed to this report.
KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAMBLING by CNB