Preliminary notifications have been sent out to representatives of both Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller and LSU basketball coach Will Wade that they will be subpoenaed for the April 22 federal basketball corruption trial, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports. These notifications are essentially a courtesy to avoid a public spectacle for the coaches, like getting served in the middle of a game or a practice.

The impending subpoenas mark a potentially dynamic development in the college basketball corruption case. It creates the potential of two high-profile head coaches testifying in federal court about the granular detail of the recruiting underworld – something that never manifested in the initial federal trial last fall. It raises thorny questions for the public universities that employ them, as both the optics of potentially testifying in federal court about basketball recruiting and potential answers that could be given under oath will be a likely cause of consternation for Arizona and LSU administrators.

Both coaches have long been known to be on federal wiretaps talking to Christian Dawkins, the former low-level agent runner who was found guilty of multiple felony fraud charges in the first basketball corruption trail in October. The impending subpoenas also increase the likelihood that those tapes would be played at trial, as defense attorneys are likely to want to walk the jury through the realities of recruiting in college basketball’s underworld.

Miller, 50, is the most prominent college basketball coach on the West Coast and has been in the thick of controversy since the investigation first became public in September of 2017. One of his assistant coaches, Emanuel “Book” Richardson, has already pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges. Another assistant coach, Mark Phelps, is also no longer with the team because of his role in an unrelated academic scandal. In early February, the university initiated the process to fire Phelps. A third former Miller assistant, UC Santa Barbara coach Joe Pasternack, was portrayed by Dawkins in emails as a conduit for ASM Sports agency, which employed Dawkins, to Arizona players.

Wade, 36, is in his second season as the head coach at LSU and has the Tigers in first place in the SEC and projected to earn a No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Wade hasn’t been under the level of scrutiny as Miller in relation to the scandal, but he did enter the crosshairs during the first federal trial in October. Wade’s name emerged as part of a conversation with Dawkins about a recruit named Balsa Koprivica. One of Adidas executive Jim Gatto’s attorneys read aloud a wiretap transcript where Wade and Dawkins were speaking about Koprivica. The attorney, Casey E. Donnelly, said that Wade and Dawkins were communicating to get him what he needs – “meaning money,” she said – in order to play at LSU.

Donnelly read the conversation this way:

“Would you want Balsa?” Dawkins asked.

“Oh, the big kid?” Wade responded.

Dawkins confirmed.

“OK, but there is other [expletive] involved in it,” Wade said. “Wait, I’ve got to shut the door … I can get you what you need, but it’s got to work.”

Wade went on to tell reporters at SEC media day in October that he has “never, ever done business of any kind with Christian Dawkins.” But there’s an expectation that Wade will appear on wiretaps talking about recruits other than Koprivica. Wade has had recruiting success that’s historically anomalous, including luring top players from Connecticut (Tremont Waters) and New Jersey (Naz Reid) to Baton Rouge.

LSU coach Will Wade shouts instructions to his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) More

LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said Monday in a text that the school declined to comment. When Wade was asked about it during his weekly news conference, he said, “I’ve been focusing on the team and our guys. I haven’t been following it.”

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