30 biggest college basketball scandals of all time

15. Marcus Camby gets paid at UMass

When small schools make deep NCAA Tournament runs, it is often on the back of a star who goes on to have a long and distinguished professional career. That was certainly the case for Davidson in 2008, which got to the Elite Eight on the back of Stephen Curry, and it held true for Massachusetts in 1996.

UMass, a relatively unheralded school in Amherst, made national headlines thanks to the presence of center Marcus Camby. He was one of John Calipari’s best recruits for the Minutemen, blocking 105 shots as a freshman and helping UMass get to the Elite Eight as a sophomore.

UMass took another huge step the following season, advancing all the way to the Final Four for the first time in school history. Camby was the unquestioned star of that team, sweeping the Player of the Year Awards and blocking 43 shots in the NCAA Tournament, parlaying his success into the second overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Everything came crashing down a year after that dream run when investigators discovered Camby had received money from two agents while he was in school. The agents had hoped Camby would sign with them once he turned pro, giving him jewelry, rental cars, and prostitutes while he was in college.

The NCAA came down hard on UMass, stripping the school of its Final Four appearance and forcing them to return over $150,000 in tournament-related revenue. Camby ended up paying the school back for their lost revenue and was inducted into UMass’ Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.