In 2015, SMU's men's basketball team came close to hiring USC associate head coach Tony Bland, a source said. Bland was charged for allegedly receiving bribes Monday night as part of an FBI sting operation into college basketball.
SMU was deep into negotiations to hire Bland as an assistant under then-head coach Larry Brown during the summer of 2015. SMU's compliance office had begun to do a background check on Bland in preparation for the hire, the source said, but Bland opted to stay at USC, where he has been an assistant since the 2013-14 season.
The FBI has accused Bland of accepting a $13,000 bribe during a July 29 meeting in Las Vegas in exchange for helping an agent sign two prospects, one committed to USC and another a rising sophomore.