The college basketball world has been rocked this week by an FBI investigation that is looking into shoe companies' financial involvement in the recruitment of players.

So far, four college basketball assistant coaches have been arrested and the scandal has been linked to both Nike and Adidas.

While the magnitude of the investigation itself has shocked those in the sport, the actual findings are little more than an open secret in the world of college athletics.

Demonstrating that point, current ESPN college basketball analyst and former Duke star Jay Williams gave a first-hand account of the sport's corruption on national television.

This week, Williams, who worked as a recruiter for Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment from 2007 to 2009, explained that he once provided Kevin Love's AAU coach, Pat Barrett, with $250,000 in attempt to secure Love's loyalty.

Here's what Williams had to say:

"There were a lot of dealings that were being made that people didn't know about. There was a lot of money being exchanged. I know for a fact -- there was a reported story from Yahoo! Sports back in 2009 -- I know that we gave an AAU coach for a guy named Kevin Love who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. We gave him over $250,000. Now, you know, at the time, we were also giving other players money, because you were allowed to give players money through their AAU programs."

Jay Williams on working with a sports agency prior to getting into broadcasting. The firm funneled $250K to Kevin Love. pic.twitter.com/YGAyzXKHUT — Reggie Williams (@regwilliams_set) September 27, 2017

A long excerpt of the original Yahoo article appeared in OregonLive in March 2009:

"Using the access {Pat} Barrett offered, Grantham sent in his star recruiter, {Jayson} Williams, to court Love and other Pac-10 players. Williams was working for ESPN as a color commentator and had been hired as a salaried employee by Ceruzzi Sports. He envisioned it as an entry-level job with a future as a full-time sports agent. He was out of the NBA but at 26 still carried cache with young players.

"That's what I was used for, the wow stick," Williams said.

Kevin Love wasn't all that wowed. He's a polite guy but also, by basketball standards, a down to earth one. "I'm an apple pie-and-ice cream kind of guy," he said. NBA stars, Mr. Chow and flashy nights meant little. He claims he wanted no part of dealing with agents, and said he was shocked to find Williams at the restaurant.

"My face turned completely red," he said. "I respect [Williams] as a player. But he came after me and once he started talking about all that agent stuff, I said, 'You know what, talk to my family.' "

Love also explained that Williams' famous, and career-altering, motorcycle crash was part of the reason for his later choice not to sign with Williams' agency.

"If I was going with an agent," said Kevin Love, "why would I ever go with a guy who, no offense, but he crashed a motorcycle into a tree. I'm not going to go with a guy that's reckless."

While the incident itself is hardly breaking news, Williams' confirmation of the payment was surprising.

According to scallstars.com, Barrett is currently the founder/CEO/coach of Southern California All-Stars, "a non-profit organization dedicated to sponsoring high quality age-group basketball teams, thereby identifying potential leaders in the inner city."

The group boasts six national championships since 1989 and four runner-up finishes.

Barrett's past pupils include Love, Tyson Chandler, Tayshaun Prince, Taj Griffin and Josh Childress, according to the website.

First-hand experiences and revelations from the past are sure to surface given the size, scope and attention of the FBI's investigation into college basketball.

Apparently, Williams was happy to share his on national television.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec