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McCants claims he took bogus classes at UNC

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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University of North Carolina’s academic fraud scandal has turned toward the basketball program with claims made by former star Rashad McCants telling ESPN that he took bogus courses, rarely went to classes and tutors wrote his term papers.

McCants said the extra help kept him eligible during the 2004-05 season when the Tar Heels won the NCAA championship.

McCants discussed the “paper-class” system at North Carolina, which allowed students to write a term paper instead of actually attending courses. Also, McCants was on the Dean’s List in the spring of 2005 even though he did not go to class.

McCants claimed that coach Roy Williams and the athletic department knew about the fraud, including the “paper-class” system.

“I remained eligible to finish out and win the championship, his first championship, and everything was peaches and cream,” McCants said.

The school’s academic fraud scandal has been in the news since 2011, though it mainly involved the football team until McCants’ accusations. The scandal has centered on its African-American Studies program. McCants took 18 AFAM classes, according to McCants’ academic transcript that was obtained by ESPN.

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham responded to McCants’ claims via a statement.

“It is disappointing any time a student is dissatisfied with his or her experience,” Cunningham said. “I welcome the opportunity to speak with Rashad McCants about returning to UNC to continue his academic career — just as we have welcomed many former student-athletes interested in completing their degrees.

“The university hired former federal prosecutor Kenneth Wainstein in January to conduct an independent investigation into past academic and athletic irregularities. While these are the first allegations we have heard from Mr. McCants, I encourage him to speak with Mr. Wainstein. …

“I have gotten to know some of Mr. McCants’ teammates, and I know that claims about their academic experience have affected them deeply. They are adamant that they had a different experience at UNC-Chapel Hill than has been portrayed by Mr. McCants and others.”

McCants left the Tar Heels after three seasons and was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He averaged 17.6 points per game during his collegiate career. After four seasons with the Timberwolves, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings. He has spent the last five years playing in the NBA D-League and overseas in France, Philippines, China and Brazil.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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