UMKC assistant basketball coach placed on leave while Louisville investigates allegations against him

UMKC assistant basketball coach Andre McGee is under investigation for allegations made against him while he was on staff for the University of Louisville’s basketball team. (Photo: UMKC Athletics)

by: AP Wire, FOX 4 Newsroom

Posted: Oct 2, 2015 / 05:53 PM CDT

Updated: Oct 3, 2015 / 05:03 PM CDT

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville says it has launched an investigation into allegations that former Cardinals staffer Andre McGee paid an escort service to provide sex for recruits. McGee is currently an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The allegations by Katina Powell are in an upcoming book from a publishing arm of the Indianapolis Business Journal. Some details of the book were published Friday on the Journal’s web site and said that McGee hired Powell to provide strippers and prostitutes for recruits and some of their fathers during a four-year period.

On Saturday, UMKC Head Men’s Basketball Coach Kareem Richardson released this on McGee:

“The allegations reported yesterday are a matter of serious concern. Like many, I am eager to learn the results of the investigations underway by UMKC, Louisville and the NCAA but we all need to allow the process to run its course without interference. In the meantime, our coaches and student-athletes are focused on academics and basketball as the season gets underway. We have promoted Director of Basketball Operations Conner Hampton to Assistant Coach on a temporary basis while Andre is on administrative leave. To keep our focus on school and basketball, we will not have further comment at this time.”

Louisville issued this statement Friday saying it learned of the allegations in August and immediately notified the NCAA.

McGee left Louisville in 2014 to become an assistant at UMKC. The school issued this statement on Friday afternoon:

“The University of Missouri-Kansas City is aware of today’s reports alleging wrongdoing by a current UMKC employee while he worked at another institution. UMKC is taking the allegations seriously and we have already initiated our own review of the matter. While we are conducting that review, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Andre McGee will be on administrative leave with pay, effective immediately.”

According to McGee’s biography, he was the director of basketball operations for two years and a program assistant for two years on Louisville coach Rick Pitino’s staff before coming to UMKC in April of 2014. He and UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson were both on staff at Louisville during the 2012-2013 season.

McGee played at Louisville between 2005-2009, starting 57 games as a point guard. He’s originally from Moreno Valley, California.