Camby’s Trouble Worries Wooden

Five figurines adorn the base of the 1996 John R. Wooden Award that now belongs to Marcus Camby. The figurines are meant to represent the fundamentals of college basketball--rebounding, passing, defense, ballhandling and shooting.

That’s the ideal, but what about reality?

When did blackmail, bribery, solicitation, debauchery and depravity elbow their way into the starting lineup?

Thursday, a Hartford, Conn., lawyer named Wesley Spears was charged with first-degree attempted larceny by extortion and promoting prostitution after a six-month investigation into Spears’ relationship with Camby, recipient of the 20th Wooden Award, presented annually to college basketball’s outstanding player.

Spears, who sought to become Camby’s agent after the player’s departure from the University of Massachusetts, is alleged to have enticed Camby with money, women, cars and jewelry before resorting to blackmail when Camby decided to sign with ProServ.

According to an arrest affidavit, Spears threatened to go to the media with photographic evidence of sexual trysts he arranged for Camby, threatened to squeal about illegal payments and gifts made to Camby unless the UMass star agreed to pay Spears 4% of his salary with the NBA Toronto Raptors and 25% of his endorsement revenue.

“I really can’t get into the details because it’s in litigation, but in due time I’ll speak my mind,” Camby said Thursday in Toronto. “I just have to deal with it and get it over with.”

Camby has admitted accepting $1,000 from Spears last May and having sex with a woman in Spears’ West Hartford home. Camby claims Spears took photographs of him with the naked woman. The woman claims she was a tenant of Spears at the time and received a $250 rent reduction in exchange for her evening’s work.

After signing with James Bryant of ProServ instead of Spears, Camby says Spears told him, “I was doing all this stuff for you . . . and you better sign with me. I want 4% of your contract and 25% of your endorsements now, or I am going to ‘Hard Copy’ and the [National] Enquirer. If I can’t have you, no one can.”

Spears pressed the issue by serving Camby’s mother, Janice Camby, with legal papers Bryant describes as a phony $8-million lawsuit. An excerpt: “Camby required Spears to allow him to use Spears’ house to hold sex parties and orgies to satisfy his unusual sexual appetite.”

Bryant went to the police shortly thereafter, prompting the investigation. The NCAA quickly followed with an investigation to determine if Camby did indeed accept money from an agent before his junior season. Potential sanctions include UMass forfeiting every game in which Camby played during last season’s 35-2 run to the Final Four.

This is not the stuff of which Wooden Award winners are traditionally made.

“It’s very disappointing to me when something like this happens to any particular youngster,” Wooden said Thursday, “but especially when it’s someone who receives an award that’s presented under my name.

“I’ve always been disappointed that the award did not go to a graduating senior. I wanted that originally. I wanted an extra statue [on the trophy] of a young man in a cap and gown. I was overruled.

“I believe if they had decided to stick with only graduating seniors, this type of thing would be less likely to happen. . . . I might be wrong. A young man never can be held to a perfect standard. But I believe a graduating senior is more likely to have his feet on the ground.”

Wooden does not participate in Wooden Award voting; sportswriters and sportscasters do. He said he knew “very little” about Camby as a person--”I thought he was an outstanding player”--and finds more fault with a system that thrusts millions of dollars in the faces of teenagers than with Camby.

“I know agents have been a problem,” Wooden said. “They get to youngsters at a very young age, when they’re very impressionable. At that point in their lives, college athletes don’t have a lot of money and can be lured, enticed, whatever you want to call it, into things like this. . . .

“The more money these players are getting, the more agents want to get ahold of them. That’s understandable too. The players need the money, even graduating seniors, and I think they do need agents.

“I guess agents are just like the rest of us, whether we are coaches or writers, doctors or lawyers. Not all of them are good.”

Bigger contracts. Younger professionals. Earlier contact with the winking, glad-handing, ever eager-to-please, friendly Mr. Agent.

Is the system, at this late date, salvageable, or has it already spun hopelessly out of control?

“The suggestion I would make would not be legal,” Wooden said. “For instance, I think it was better when the pros couldn’t draft a youngster for four years [while in college]. But that wouldn’t stand up in court. They put in the hardship clause--underclassmen could turn pro by claiming hardship.

“Hardship? These players can’t be hardshiped. Their families can be, but not the individual players. Not when they’re receiving full college scholarships and provided with jobs during the summer. No way, not in any way. . . . That’s a farce.”

If Wooden could, he would begin the overhaul with the award that bears his name.

“I still feel it should go to a graduating senior, even though that might not be the best ballplayer,” he said. “I never wanted it to go ‘the best player’ or ‘the most outstanding player.’ I wanted it to go to an outstanding player.”

Preferably one whose idea of a court date involves a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.