For an inside look at what will happen to the sport following these scandals, we caught up with Rick Carter, the former associate head coach of DePaul men's basketball from April 2015 until June 2017.

Hershkovich: What's the connection between shoe companies and the universities?

Carter: They generally sponsor universities. For example, Under Armour just paid UCLA last year the largest shoe contract in history, $280 million for 10 years. That's how you're connected to a brand per se. Where it goes from there is they also have grassroots programs, so Adidas has Adidas AAU teams, Nike has Nike AAU teams, and Under Armour has AAU teams.

Hershkovich: Were you surprised to hear about the investigation?

Carter: I was pretty shocked just because even though you heard these things going on, I think the one thing any coach could probably tell you is no one really thought what these coaches were doing was more than an NCAA violation. It wasn't like they were going out getting this money thinking they were breaking federal laws. It was very shocking to hear the federal government got involved.

Hershkovich: How did you react to Louisville's involvement specifically, especially with DePaul recruiting Brian Bowen?

Carter: I don't think there was any secret when we were recruiting Bowen that a lot of college coaches came to us and said, "What are you going to pay him to go to DePaul?" We weren't really getting involved in those types of conversations with paying for a player. Obviously we had a connection because (DePaul assistant coach) Shane Heirman knew Bowen's parents since he coached him (at La Lumiere High School). When I heard that, it didn't surprise me any because of how he, out of nowhere, picked Louisville. They weren't even on the list. I think everyone probably knew he got paid to go there at that point. But just being as close to the situation as I was, knowing his mom, dad and him, I felt really bad for them because obviously his eligibility was done. I felt bad for Rick Pitino and his staff because obviously none of them will probably ever coach again.

Hershkovich: Have you ever developed a relationship with Pitino?

Carter: We've been at games together and talked here and there. He's a genius basketball coach, and he's very sharp. Sitting down and talking to him as an up-and-coming coach, it was very intimidating because he's a legend, and more times than not, you feel like you're getting on their nerves. Anytime I had a chance to sit next to him or Coach K (Kryzewski), I was very fortunate.

Hershkovich: Does Louisville deserve the death penalty, especially since it was already on probation before this investigation?

Carter: I don't think they'll get it because of the swift action that the university took. Going to the AD (Tom Jurich) first, giving him the opportunity to get rid of Pitino, him saying no and getting rid of both of them so quickly, I think they probably eliminated that option. I don't think it would be good for college basketball, either. College basketball needs Louisville. They want them to be good, and the NCAA needs them to be good. Anytime a school has taken care of its situation, the NCAA has always shown leniency. If you self-report or if you punish yourself, they always come back with a lesser sentence.

Hershkovich: What sort of punishment will Louisville get?

Carter: This is so new and fresh, and I think they're (the NCAA) so shocked. They're finding all of this stuff at the same time the rest of the world found out about it. I don't think it's just going to be Louisville. When they really start digging in, I think you'll see a lot more schools being punished. Rule changes are the best way to solve this problem; making different rules that are better for recruiting in general. You're better off letting people do what they want while monitoring it closely.

Hershkovich: How will coaches continue to cheat amid various rule changes?

Carter: Everyone finds a way to get an advantage in whatever you do. That's the scheme of life. Whatever rules people put in place, people have a tendency to find a way to get around them and take advantage of them. Normally, the people who succeed are the ones who do it better than anyone else. I can't think of a direct way; I'm sure some coaches will. But I don't think any of them (head coaches) had an idea of what was going on. I've seen on a lot of TV shows recently, where people are saying, "The head coach is responsible for what his assistants are doing." They are, but the problem is this isn't happening in the office next door. It happens when you're out recruiting. Because of the NCAA rules that were put into place, the time that you go out and recruit with your head coach is so limited since you only have so many days (to do it).

Hershkovich: Missouri men's basketball dealt with violations during your tenure with the program. How did you feel throughout that process?

Carter: I didn't know anything about it; I was just brought into a room with the athletic director, saying, "The investigation already happened, and coach (Frank) Haith will be going in front of the board." The worst part about anything like this is it's never about the punishment you get at the end. It's the time that you serve in the middle going through it. As a recruiter, you're trying to get players to come to your school. If there's uncertainty about if the head coach is going to be there or if there are things out there that opposing coaches can use to make you look like a bad program, they take advantage of that. It was difficult to get recruits to still choose that school.

Hershkovich: Is paying athletes a way for universities to avoid this issue entirely?

Carter: No matter what, people are always going to want more money. If you're a university or program who has the ability to give them more, that's not going to work. But probably the best thing to do is you allow Nike or whichever shoe company to sponsor college athletes. Those people would be the ones paying students. Because if you're a coach, how are you going to justify how much you're paying athletes from various sports with a "salary cap." If you allow them to take on sponsorships, it won't factor in with where they're going to school. It'd also get rid of Title IX for schools because you won't have to deal with having to pay women's basketball players just because you're doing the same for men's basketball.