Take the under, do poorly on purpose
The NCAA has banned three men’s college basketball players for participating in a gambling scheme that relied on one of them manipulating his play to win the bets. Fresno State guard Jalen Weaver, Fresno State forward Mykell Robinson, and San Jose State guard Steven Vasquez, who played at Fresno State with the other two and has since graduated, have all been deemed permanently ineligible.
It is a similar tale to what we saw with the NBA’s Jontay Porter, who intentionally removed himself from games so he wouldn’t hit prop bet targets, allowing co-conspirators to win big on their bets.
According to the NCAA, and reported by ESPN’s David Purdum, Robinson and Vasquez teamed up to bet on Robinson to hit the “unders” on prop bets in a January 7, 2025 game against Colorado State. The two were roommates at the time.
The $2,200 in bets led to a $15,950 profit – Vasquez and someone called a “sportsbook trader” placed one of the bets.
The NCAA said that Robinson “altered his performance” in the game to make sure he had minimal stats and come in under the target statistical marks. Robinson himself also placed 13 prop bets from December 11, 2024 to January 11, 2025.
Robinson and Weaver were found to have discussed betting lines and placed bets on both themselves and each other. Weaver won $260 on a $50 parlay involving his, Robinson’s, and another player’s stats.
Time to move on
When ESPN reported earlier this year that an investigation was underway, Weaver admitted to wagering $50 on himself on the fantasy app Sleeper. He won, scoring 13 points when he bet that he would go over 11.
Weaver was contrite about the situation, telling ESPN, “I respect the NCAA’s decision and I’ve taken accountability. My focus is now on my professional career, where I’m committed to proving myself off the court.”
According to CNN, it would be possible for the players to be reinstated “with the help of an NCAA school.” The two players who have yet to graduate, Robinson and Weaver, are solid basketball players, but the reality is that they are not nearly good enough for a school to take the risk and effort to try to get their ban lifted.
Even if they were elite-level talents, the fact that they, especially Robinson, were involved in a conspiracy to essentially throw games, would be a non-starter to virtually any institution. If they want to continue to play basketball, they will have to try to do so professionally, and likely overseas.