Book claims UMKC assistant coach paid escort service to help recruit players while at Louisville

Andre McGee, a University of Missouri-Kansas City men’s basketball assistant coach last season, is said to have paid an escort service to help recruit players to Louisville while he worked for the basketball staff there, according to a new book.tmpplchld The book, titled “Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen,” is being published by Indianapolis-based IBJ Book Publishing LLC. Yahoo Sports first reported the allegations contained in the book.tmpplchld According to the publisher, the book tells the story of Katina Powell, a Louisville stripper and escort who claims “she was hired repeatedly by former University of Louisville basketball staffer Andre McGee to provide strippers and prostitutes during the campus visits of highly sought high school basketball players _ and in some cases their fathers _ as well as then-current Louisville players.”tmpplchld The University of Louisville released a statement Friday that said it had hired Chuck Smrt, a private investigator from The Compliance Group in Lenexa, Kan., to review the book. Louisville learned of the book and its allegations in late August, according to the release, and hired Smrt and notified NCAA enforcement staff.tmpplchld “The University of Louisville will continue its review in full cooperation and coordination with the NCAA and, if warranted, take any appropriate action,” the release read. “The allegations have been taken very seriously. In no way would anyone at this institution condone the alleged activities. To preserve the integrity of the review process, the university will withhold comment on any details until the review is concluded.”tmpplchld McGee played for Louisville from 2005-09 before becoming a graduate assistant for two years and then director of basketball operations. He followed assistant coach Kareem Richardson to UMKC in 2014 after Richardson became the head coach of the Kangaroos following the Cardinals’ 2013 NCAA championship.tmpplchld Richardson declined to comment on Friday. A profile of McGee is still posted on the UMKC men’s basketball website. A request for comment from UMKC went unreturned.tmpplchld Louisville coach Rick Pitino told reporters Friday he didn’t believe the allegations.tmpplchld “I spoke to Andre one time,” Pitino said. “I just asked him a few questions. I don’t want to speak for him. I’ll let Andre speak for himself. At no time did he own up to any of what’s being printed right now.tmpplchld Asked if McGee denied the allegations, Pitino said, “Yes.”tmpplchld Pitino said he learned of the allegation a month ago. He said he spoke to as many as 15 members of the program, players, coaches and staff members and none said they knew about this.tmpplchld “To say I’m shocked, I just can’t fathom, can’t believe it,” Pitino said. “My heart’s been taken out of my body and is broken.”tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)tmpplchld Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld