College basketball's 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

College basketball’s 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 23: Rick Pitino, Head Coach of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens react during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play Off game 3 between Panathinaikos Opap Athens v Real Madrid at Olympic Sports Center Athens on April 23, 2019 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images) /

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SACRAMENTO, CA – 1997: Jon Hot Rod Williams #18 of the Phoenix Suns shoots a foul shot against the Sacramento Kings circa 1997 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1997 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

22. John “Hot Rod” Williams shaves points at Tulane

The run of point shavers continues on this list with John “Hot Rod” Williams, who got caught up in a gambling scheme during his time at school. Williams played at Tulane from 1981-1985, but the incident didn’t occur until his senior year.

While he was at Tulane, Williams was a notably poor student, maintaining a low GPA and nearly getting himself kicked off the basketball team in his sophomore year for being unreliable. Williams was a good player though, and all of those factors caught the attention of gambler Gary Kranz.

Kranz reportedly paid Williams $8,550 for helping to manipulate the point spreads in Tulane’s games against Southern Mississippi, Memphis State, and Virginia Tech that year. Williams was arrested for his role in the scheme and charged with two counts of sports bribery and three counts of conspiracy.

Unlike the other point shavers we’ve encountered so far, Williams didn’t end up getting any jail time for his actions. Williams’ case resulted in a mistrial on the first prosecution attempt while a judge dismissed all charges against him in the second.

Tulane itself faced no repercussions for Williams’ actions since it appeared that he acted alone. Williams himself went on to have a lengthy NBA career, spending 14 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks.