PRESS BOX: Pitino reportedly caught red handed in corruption investigation

Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino, who has been placed on unpaid administrative leave amid a federal investigation into fraud and corruption, is the “Coach-2” who played a role in funneling money to a recruit, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

“Coach-2” is referenced nine times in a document released by the Justice Department — including once when Christian Dawkins, a former agent for ASM Sports, is quoted as saying he had “spoken with Coach-2 about getting additional money for Player-10’s family.”

Dawkins also was quoted as saying he had told Coach-2 he needs “to call Jim Gatto, who’s the head of everything” at Adidas.

Court records said Gatto “spoke directly with Coach-2 multiple times in the days before (freshman Brian Bowen, who has been identified as “Player-10″) publicly committed” to Louisville.

The criminal complaint states that Gatto conspired to funnel approximately $100,000 from Adidas to Bowen’s family in exchange for the five-star prospect’s commitment to Louisville, which has a $160 million shoe and apparel contract with Adidas.

–Oklahoma State dismissed associate head coach Lamont Evans, who was one of 10 people arrested this week as part of the FBI’s investigation into college basketball bribery and corruption.

Evans was the highest-paid assistant in the country at $600,000 for the 2017-18 season. He had signed a three-year contract before this season.

He was one of four assistant coaches throughout the country who were charged with allegedly taking bribes to help deliver players to advisers and agents.

MLB

–WASHINGTON — The last time fans at Nationals Park saw right fielder Bryce Harper in game action was on the night of Aug. 12, when a rain delay pushed back the start of a game between the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants.

The 2015 National League MVP returned to the lineup Tuesday in Philadelphia and also played Wednesday night against the Phillies.

But Harper was not in the starting lineup Thursday in front of the home fans as Washington opened a four-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates after manager Dusty Baker “felt it was best to give him the day off. Don’t be alarmed. That was a long game (Wednesday). Man, a Twilight Zone game.”

–The Oakland Athletics extended the contract of manager Bob Melvin one year through the 2019 season.

Melvin has a 535-532 record in 6 1/2 seasons with the Athletics. The team has a 73-85 record with four games remaining this season, which will be the club’s third consecutive losing campaign.

Earlier this season, Melvin became the 64th manager in major league history to reach 1,000 career victories. He is 1,028-1,040 in parts of 14 seasons with the Seattle Mariners (2003-04), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005-09) and the A’s (beginning June 9, 2011).

GOLF

The pairings of Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, and Patrick Reed and Jordon Spieth forged dominating victories as Team USA rolled to a 3 1/2-1 1/2 lead over the International Team in foursomes (alternate shot) on Day 1 of competition at the 12th edition of this biennial Presidents Cup, contested Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J.

In the opening match, Thomas and Fowler lost the second hole to Charl Schwartzel of South Africa and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan but birdied the next two and built a 4-up lead at the turn.

Spieth and Reed never trailed in their match against Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and Si Woo Kim of South Korea. Spieth and Reed won the second hole to go 1-up before losing the third. But the Americans won Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7 despite carding just one birdie in that stretch to move 4-up.

–Canadian Brooke Henderson and England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff each shot a 7-under-par 65 to share the lead at the McKayson New Zealand Women’s Open in Auckland, New Zealand.

Henderson and Ewart Shadoff hold a one-stroke advantage over Amy Boulden of Wales and Belen Mozo of Spain, with American Brittany Lincicome, Beatriz Recari of Spain and Korean Na Yeon Choi residing another stroke back at the Windross Farm course.

New Zealand native Lydia Ko, a former World No. 1, sits five strokes back of the leaders after collecting four birdies against two bogeys in the first round.

TENNIS

–Top-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria lost in straight sets in the round of 16 at the Chengdu Open in Chengdu, China.

Thiem failed to capitalize on a set point before losing in a first-set tiebreaker en route to a 7-6 (6), 6-4 loss to unseeded Guido Pella of Argentina.

Pella, ranked No. 72 in the world, failed to capitalize on a pair of match points in the ninth game of the second set and faced a break point in the next game, but battled back to dispatch the Austrian in 1 hour, 56 minutes.

Up next for Pella in the quarterfinals is American teenager Taylor Fritz, who outlasted Nikoloz Basilashvili with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory.

–Top-seeded Alexander Zverev overcame dropping the first set to outlast Belgium’s Steve Darcis, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), in a second-round match at the Shenzhen Open in Shenzhen, China.

Zverev was playing in his first match after receiving a bye in the opening round following an appearance at the inaugural Laver Cup last week. The 20-year-old German’s last match was a second-round loss at the U.S. Open.

Darcis seized the early advantage with a break in the third game and even served for the match at 6-5 in the second set. The 33-year-old also served for a 5-3 advantage in the deciding set, only for Zverev to convert a break point and turn the tide.

–Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia won a battle of 2017 Grand Slam champions to advance to the semifinals of the Wuhan Open in Wuhan, China.

Ostapenko, who won the French Open title, notched her eighth straight victory with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over top-seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain.

The 20-year-old recorded 29 winners to dismiss the reigning Wimbledon champion in 1 hour, 57 minutes.

Muguruza used a medical timeout prior to the third set to address her nagging left thigh injury, but was unable to generate any momentum.

–Second-seeded Timea Babos overcame rain and cold to dispatch Stefanie Voegele and reach the semifinals of the Tashkent Open in Uzbekistan.

Babos needed only 63 minutes to post the 6-3, 6-4 win over the Swiss.

The Hungarian will face Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the semifinals. Sabalenka recorded a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1 victory over Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova.