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A former college basketball coach was on the sidelines during the day and was allegedly a pimp at night.
Kevin Mays was an assistant coach at Cal State Bakersfield when university police began investigating in August after the team’s then-head coach, Rod Barnes, received an email tip.
The email, which was a “first warning and a final warning,” identified a woman Mays had allegedly trafficked for months.
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners forward Kevin Mays during the game between Northern Arizona at Cal State Bakersfield at Icardo Center in Bakersfield, California. (David Dennis/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“FIX IT OR ALL STAFF WILL FALL,” the tipster wrote in the email. Its subject line read: “IMPORTANT MESSAGE 911 911.”
Barnes then reported him to human resources, who then referred him to university police.
The informant said Mays had been operating in Las Vegas, Oregon, Washington and California. ESPN reported that the informant knew both the alleged victim and Barnes through travel for sex work.
The alleged victim posted an ad in Sacramento, stating that she was willing to be anything from “arm candy” for a party to a “no strings attached girlfriend.” He charged $300 for a half hour and $500 for a full 60 minutes. Police conducted an undercover operation in September by scheduling a “date” with the alleged victim at a hotel room Mays was renting.
Kevin Mays of the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners dunks in the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 18, 2016, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
In an interview with police after the operation, she referred to Mays as her “boyfriend” who “routinely” paid for her travel accommodations.
None of Mays’ alleged victims are Cal State Bakersfield students or staff, ESPN noted. However, police reports cited by the outlet claim that Mays purchased a rental car that was used for alleged trafficking through a university account.
Mays has been charged with 11 counts, including pandering, possession of automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines, possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to sell, and child pornography charges. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 13 after a nearly five-month delay, and he has pleaded not guilty.
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners forward Kevin Mays during the game between Northern Arizona at Cal State Bakersfield at Icardo Center in Bakersfield, California. (David Dennis/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Mays played for the school from 2014 to 2016, and played in the 2016 March Madness tournament.
