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  He said 'the west end (of Louisville)'. So the more he talked the more I caught on to his voice. I looked in the phone to see the number. I’m like 'whereabouts in the west end do you live? 'When he told me, it’s like, 'oh, shit'. I told him I’d call him back. So I texted him it was going to be $100 for an hour, He said all I got is $85. I’m like, nothing less than $100.

  So he said OK, just come on. I asked him what was the exact address. When he told me I could have passed out because it was my boyfriend and my address!

  It was my stepson.

  Chapter Five

  I THINK OTHER PEOPLE KNEW, BECAUSE WE DID THIS FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS. WHITE GUYS WALKED THE HALLS; IT HAD TO GET TO (OTHER COACHES).

  -Katina Powell

  The early months of 2012 began with the prospects of a good year for Katina Powell and company as U of L's unofficial recruiting team.

  Katina's sometimes-strained relationship with McGee relaxed a bit. She began to regard him as a friend, not just as a customer.

  On February 13, 2012, Katina scribbled in her diary:

  Andre McGee from U of L called and asked me if I was interested in making some big money. He had a coach who invited some out of town guys to the U of L-Syracuse game.

  Of course you know I’m interested, it’s money. There were two of them, Dejuan and T.K. aka Travis, Hyatt Regency.

  $300 and all tips. Of course there was sexual intercourse with the guys and two dancers. Total of five girls in the room.

  McGee was to meet Katina in the Hyatt parking lot to pay her. He arrived early and went to a bar for a drink. When Katina showed up, she took a picture of his car and license plate and the girls laughed as she proclaimed, "He can't say we weren't here."

  She wrote later:

  The guys were well pleased, except for one lil’ situation when they said one of the dancers had an odor. That threw me for a loop. I didn’t smell anything at all, but they seem to wanna say that they smelled her off the muscle. I have to thank McGee for the hookup.

  They said they were gonna invite us down to Memphis to do a show in April for some frat brothers. I’m in. I need money in hand before I do anything. They even asked us was we going to the All-Star Game. It would be nice, but I doubt it.

  Again in March, a similar entry:

  Did a private show for U of L. Some new recruits, as usual.

  I took Lindsay, Rod-Ni, TooTall and M.J. Chane Behanan, who is a beast in basketball, came in the room for a second.... This time I allowed McGee to pay me $200 and tips. A couple of days later he turned me on to two dudes from Tennessee and Florida who went to the Louisville game. It was at the Hyatt Regency. They paid.

  McGee's car in the parking lot of the Hyatt

  License plate of McGee's car

  Katina admired McGee's commitment to improving U of L's talent. She wrote later:

  Andre and I had an amazing relationship for the most part of our journey. He was an amazing person. He stopped at no cost to make sure that U of L had the best recruits from all over. The dancers took him a different way than I did. They thought occasionally he was funny, but very cocky and arrogant.

  He always had jokes for the dancers. Some laughed and some didn’t crack a smile.

  Andre and I always had the agreement that he could never have the girls’ numbers personally or contact the girls without me. A few times he tried to go behind my back, and I blooped out. He told me to calm down and he would never do it again, and he never did.

  McGee, she said, often came across as cocky and confident, but she sensed that “deep down he was under a lot of pressure from the coaches. He always said his job depended on this kid signing." Katina believed that McGee was, if nothing else, loyal to his coach, saying, "you could look into his eyes and see the loyalty he had for Pitino. To him he was just doing his job."

  Some things were peculiar to her, however. While McGee always liked to say that the ATM was his best friend, many times his cash was wrapped in bank bands—stacks of money with white bands around it and nothing you could get from an ATM.

  I never questioned exactly where the money came from, I just knew he had help because his account couldn’t handle expenses alone.

  Andre would stand on the couch and throw money. He'd give it to the guys to throw. It was loud. He’d say, ‘Shit’s getting sloppy. Don’t come in those clothes!’

  Over time, the earlier secrecy had completely evaporated.

  For their appearances at the dorm, the women came to the front door and McGee let them in.

  I think other people knew, because we did this for almost four years. White guys walked the halls; it had to get to (other coaches). Alumni players would come back and make Andre feel like crap. Andre sat at the end of the bench and looked miserable.

  They would ridicule him because he hadn't achieved as much as they had.

  On April 30, 2012, Pitino promoted McGee to director of basketball operations.

  “We’re excited to have Andre continue with us in his new role,” Pitino said in the announcement. “He’s been learning for the last two years and has been extremely loyal to our program. He knows everything we do inside and out. I’m excited he is getting a break to move toward the coaching ranks.”

  According to the athletic department, the director of basketball operations reported to the head coach.

  In mid-May, there was another show at the dormitory that was just for McGee himself, where McGee paid Katina $250. When she and the dancers arrived a girl was already there sitting on the couch with McGee.

  Did a show for McGee and a biracial chick.

  This was a different kind of show. He was the only guy. I took TooTall, Margarette a new chick named Coco, Rod-Ni and myself. This mixed chick was drunk and so was McGee.

  One of my girls was giving the chick a lap dance. Another dancer was standing with her privates in the chick's face.

  The other two dancers were entertaining McGee. I’ve never seen a chick squirt and drip like her. Then to top it off McGee did something that totally shocked us. He played with this chick sexually in front of all of us. I don’t think that we will ever forget this show.

  But McGee was worked up about other things as well. On June 1, as Katina was preparing for a $300 show that night for a recruit, she noted that McGee seemed to be under an inordinate amount of pressure:

  McGee said he needs all the dancers to be on their A game, meaning he needs the girls to be down for after the show.

  He says that his job depends on it. His job is on the line.

  He says we really need this recruit.

  She added,

  We usually get them to commit. The dancers I have going: TooTall, Ne-Ne, Coco, T-Mama, M.J. and Rod-Ni.

  Her report followed:

  Did the show for U of L. Two new recruits, Jordan — from Dallas and Montrezl from North Carolina.... Both recruits were taken care of by two dancers. My job was to get them to sign to Louisville by any means. $160, $80 apiece. Everybody was drunk. McGee took care of everything. Yes, the new recruits (a 17-year-old) were drinking Grey Goose.

  Montrezl Harrell was a 6-8 power forward who committed to Louisville three days after the party.

  That wasn’t all.

  McGee needs a favor. The father of Jordan, from Dallas, Texas, wanted a private show. McGee met me in the parking lot of the SpringHill Suites in his new black shiny car he just bought two weeks ago. He paid the $200 for both dancers. Then he pulled off. The father of the player is a private investor. He flips houses. He has a son in the NBA and another son in the NFL. He said he loves Louisville, he loves our Yum Center, and Pitino is cool also. (Most of the Cardinals' home games were played at the KFC Yum Center in downtown Louisville.) That Coach Mike set it up for him. I keep hearing about Coach Mike, he has set this up several times. He’s behind the scenes. But he’s definitely active in these parties. Thanks, Coach Mike.

  At the time, Louisville did not have a coach with that name. Katina had never met the man and had made no fur
ther attempt to identify him.

  But I really have a strange bond with McGee. That’s my nigga 4 Real. He has spent well over $5,000, $6,000, if not more, with me.

  Chane Behanan wants to know about how much for a threesome. He wanted Rod-Ni and me

  together, but we knew that would never happen. He says he has $1,500.

  On and on it went. In mid-2012, Katina noted:

  T-Will came to town and wanted two girls for his pleasure ($1,000).

  I took Rod-Ni, Tiara and Strawberry. He wanted Rod-Ni off the muscle. We met at McGee’s new condo, under the viaduct by U of L. T-Will’s girl was at a hotel. Once it was done, he was out. McGee took Tiara to the dorm. No money was exchanged by McGee.

  Two days later:

  Tiara in Billy Minardi Hall

  Hotel SpringHill Suites. Money ($120) paid by McGee for a father of a student. Father’s name is Jazzy from Dallas. (Katina slept with him.)

  Katina ran into Chane Behanan.

  He told me that he (and his friend Kenny) needs some females for a video. We can do that. Of course I don’t wanna be in it. I just want that paper and exposure.

  But later that June, Katina received a telephone call from McGee that would mark a turning point of sorts. He told her that the other coaches said they needed white girls, "clean white girls, that are down to fuck."

  Rhythm-less, white-as-snow white girls, as she once described contemptuously a duo that worked for her. The demands for this season put strain on the McGee relationship:

  I clocked out. Nigga, your demands ain’t shit to me, but since we’re speaking of demands it’s time for me to raise my prices from $300 to $400 or $500. I don’t even know who these people are with their demands. You know it’s hard as hell to get white girls, let alone white girls that’s down to fuck, that’s a helluva ticket that those muthafuckas can’t pay for AT ALL!!

  Katina prided herself in providing a variety of good talent, and tried to bring in new faces when she could during the three years she'd worked with him.

  Now all of a sudden these pussy-ass redneck bastards got demands. I don’t know where I’m gonna get white girls from. But I can do it. It’s not impossible.

  The allusion to other coaches and the reference to white women angered Katina. She wrote:

  I promise I’m waiting on the right time to take these bastards down. I have made thousands off these niggas and plan on making more. I had a lot of offers to do more strip parties with McGee, taking trips to other cities to service guys he knew. It was getting cloudy, though. I just have to be smart and patient as well. At the right time, when I decide to tell my story, I will tell my story.

  By that, Powell said she was not trying to set up the team for a fall. "It wasn't to get anything out of anybody," she'd say, later. Rather, if someone tried coming back at her she would have evidence to show that services were requested from within U of L.

  Katina had hurt feelings because of all she and her girls had done for McGee and the team. Now black women weren't sufficient for some of these clients, and some parents of recruits wanted private shows at their hotel rooms. McGee told her that the reason the team was getting so many recruits was "the love that they show them."

  He said these guys could care less about the city or the school, they care about seeing ass and tits at 17 and 18 years old. So basically I’m the one bringing them and keeping them here.

  Katina felt pressured to come up with white women to dance at the show, scheduled for September 7. She unloaded her frustration on her sister, Debbie.

  I was telling her that I had an idea as far as what I’ve been doing for U of L. I know I am only a small person when it comes to big people and millions of dollars. But wrong is wrong. I don’t think that what I’m doing and what they are doing is wrong in my eyesight. It’s just business in the industry. But to the legal people we’re all in trouble.

  People look at this as embezzlement, extortion and greed, but people with no money looks at this as a straight come up. If it was me that was being wrong, they would be after my ass. All over the news, the newspaper, and most of all Crime Time. Don’t want that shit.

  I’m not in the least bit scared. I’m cautious. I’m just gonna chill and wait for the right time to explode. Why are people so afraid of reality, and people with authority they can fall just as hard as we can. I just wonder what would happen if I was to open my mouth...

  A lot of people don’t want any part of any sort of sacrifice. She said that they have the power to have something done to my children. God, only God can have that done. I don’t fear too easily. I’m gonna give it a little more thought and a lot more evidence.

  As she did occasionally. Katina prayed for divine help.

  God, please give me the energy and the strength to get there. To get back on track mind, body and spirit. Lord, please allow me to recruit the right team of girls for this, at least all through September. I have a million ideas but only a few dollars to get started.

  The next time McGee telephoned, in early September, her attitude had hardened. She wrote:

  I’ve been dealing with McGee for three nearly years now. He can pretty much tell in my voice that I’m getting impatient with his bullshit. These niggas wanna demand some bullshit…he asked me why has my attitude changed? I’m like, nigga, when I was dealing with just you, it was cool. Now you got these broke ass bootleg muthafuckas calling shots.

  Hell, yeah, I got an attitude. First of all me and McGee don’t fuck around or side-deal at all, for that matter.

  Katina was disgusted. McGee, she said, put a man on the phone who initially asked for a white girl. Then he changed his mind—asking for a "thick light-skinned female."

  "Confused bastard," she scribbled in her diary.

  He said that his buddies from the Hyatt Regency show we did a while back told him that my dancer M.J. smelled. OK, he’s not lying about that. So for his demands I asked for $600. He said she’d better do mad tricks for the $600. It’s to the point where I am about to say to hell with McGee, the players, the coaches, just U of L period. I can’t wait to get there and snap pics of everything. When it’s not at U of L, I can’t take pics. All I can do is document everything in my book and pray that if shit hits the fan that my book will save me and prove that illegal shit is truly on them.

  Later, McGee, she added, offered $400 for one woman to be sent to the SpringHill Suites to have sex with an unidentified parent of one of the players. Katina considered sending Rod-Ni, but it didn't happen.

  The next show at the dormitory was on September 8.

  Besides regulars TooTall, Rod-Ni, Shay and T-Mama, she had two white dancers, Hannah and Loren.

  …who have entirely NO rhythm, white as snow. Oh my goodness, what am I going to do?

  Two recruits, two dark-skinned freshmen. (One) with glasses who looks like he’s from Africa. There was (another) with braids,a light-skinned guy whose job is holding down the dorm. The ones who side-dealed (arranged by McGee and I) were TooTall and T-Mama, $80 apiece. I sent the white girls away. I don’t want them to get scared or go and run their mouths. I did something I don’t normally do, and that is let McGee pay me later.

  The next day, she wrote, McGee texted her and said he would pay her the following day. It was two days later, however, when Katina wrote, McGee paid her $300 for the dancers.

  McGee wanted some pussy, but he knows he can’t get it from me. I met him at his apartment (the Reynolds Lofts condo on campus). He told me the guy with the braids stole a cell phone and some Jordans (3 pair).

  In mid-September, McGee was on the phone again.

  Got a call from McGee asking me do I have two females that’s down to fuck. Of course you know I’m gonna use T-Mama and TooTall. We’re supposed to meet at the Boys Dorm. I’m curious to know what recruit this one is.

  Anyway, McGee for some reason seems to wanna keep paying me later. I keep saying that I’m gonna quit fooling with this fool. McGee wanted to have a slumber party with me and the dancers ju
st to kick it with him. $200 for dancers, $150 for me =$350. That never happened.

  A men's basketball dorm room

  With three of her dancers, Katina met McGee at the dormitory and they went to the Hyatt Regency to meet a friend of McGee’s who had a twelfth-floor room. Katina didn’t meet the man.

  The girls said he was fat, lame and wack.

  As I always say, you gotta take the good with the bad when it comes to money. I feel sorry for McGee because he wanted to be taken care of, by all the girls, but everybody knows that McGee takes 4Eva and a day to cum. Even T-Mama don’t want to fuck with him.

  Change was in the wind. Later, Katina wrote:

  It’s game time, folks!! Yeah, buddy U of L is back to their bullshit. I heard that McGee ain’t gonna give us tickets this season. That’s cool. No tickets, no pussy from dancers.

  Can U deal with that, muthafucka?

  Chapter Six

  MOMMY, I DON'T THINK OF US AS PROSTITUTES. I JUST THINK WE DID IT FOR THE FUN.