Friday, March 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Game day started for Jerry Tarkanian just like several hundred before. His team trotted onto the hardwood Thursday for a morning shootaround, getting loose for the upcoming contest.
And by the time the warmup was over, the Fresno State basketball coach knew his season would end in controversy, just like several before had.
Hours before his Western Athletic Conference quarterfinal matchup with Texas Christian at the Thomas & Mack Center, Tarkanian read a fax.
It was the story published by the Fresno Bee, alleging senior point guard Dominick Young shaved points during the regular season and a possibly has a relationship with reputed sports bettor Krikor Vartanian.
"This makes me sick to my stomach," the former UNLV coach said. "If any of our guys were ever involved in shaving points, I'd never coach again. But I don't believe that ever happened, and I don't believe the people who wrote the article believe it happened."
TCU crushed Fresno State, 106-81.
Tarkanian, asserting the Fresno Bee acted sloppily and maliciously in publishing the story on a high-profile game day, said he would consider suing the paper for libel.
The story, written by Stevan Rosenlind, Andy Boogaard and Tom Kertscher, accused Young of deliberately missing shots late in Fresno State's victory over Wyoming Feb. 20. In that game, Fresno State led by 19 points with 3:36 to play.
In the final minute, Young -- a 77 percent foul shooter -- missed 3 of 4 free throws, including an air ball, and the Bulldogs won by eight, 76-68.
Local betting lines opened with the Bulldogs an 81 /2-point favorite and closed 21 /2 points higher, according to Michael "Roxy" Roxborough of Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Roxborough is quick to point out the dollars wagered on that game defy a fix.
"Against Wyoming, there was a lot of money on Fresno," said Roxborough, arguably the world's top oddsmaker. "There was an incredible amount of money on Fresno, and everybody lost.
"The money does not support the Fresno paper's theory. It was just the opposite of the what the paper said. You cannot have a fix if there's no money."
But what of illegal bookie operations? Just because the action wasn't seen in Las Vegas doesn't mean money wasn't won, does it?
"All money ends up having to come to Las Vegas," Roxborough said. "You just can't bet a few illegal books without it coming here."
The Fresno Bee claims the Bulldogs failed to cover the spread in 20 of their first 24 games this season and they "blew a big lead -- usually in the final four minutes -- or played poorly against a team with an inferior record." Roxborough, however, says many Fresno State numbers never were posted due to inadequate competition.
"There was absolutely no money this season bet against Fresno State," Roxborough said. "To me, it's a non-story. No trend backs it. I don't think there's anything to it."
After hearing Roxborough's information, and being told by a Las Vegas SUN reporter that it only took one 30-second phone call to obtain it, Tarkanian grew irate and confronted Fresno Bee columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.
"If there's a fix, there's a lot of money bet against that team," he said. "Why not do what this guy did and take an extra 30 seconds, after all your investigating, and get some facts instead of destroying so many innocent people?"
After Thursday's loss -- a game in which Fresno State was favored by 3 points -- Tarkanian also challenged Boogaard.
"Did you, or did you not tell me two days ago that if Dominick doesn't shoot an air ball that there would be no story?" Tarkanian asked. "You told me that in person.
"Andy, didn't you tell me that same day you wouldn't publish anything based on rumors?"
Boogaard replied: "That's correct. The associations are not rumors, Jerry."
Vartanian is linked to Young through eyewitness reports. According to Las Vegas court reports, the MGM Grand is suing Vartanian for $31,000 in gambling debts plus $14,000 in interest.
Young denies knowing Vartanian, even though Vartanian admits to having spoken with Young at the Eclipse dance club the night of the Wyoming game.
The Fresno Bee also alleges Young was improperly given the use of a limousine.
"Everything in there is innuendo and rumor without any basis in fact," Tarkanian said.
For now, both WAC commissioner Karl Benson and Fresno State athletic director Al Bohl agree.
"It's the institution's obligation to determine whether or not an NCAA violation has occurred -- not the NCAA, not the conference, not the media," Benson said. "And based on the information that was at hand, we felt that the Fresno Bee did not have information that led them to a conclusion that an NCAA violation had occurred."
Said Bohl: "We saw no reason to build an investigation on anything that was not true. We weren't holding an investigation. There was nothing other than rumor to believe in."
Fresno Bee reporters were forbidden by their editors to speak to other members of the media about their paper's story.
Young was unavailable for comment Thursday.
"I'm no Tark fan, but for the last few years he's taken the worst of it," Roxborough said. "He seems to be taking a beating everywhere he turns whether it's justified or not. There certainly isn't any evidence to support the Fresno paper's claims here."
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