Indictment in the Rick Pitino extortion case, and U. Maine needs a coach

Just a couple stories to get you caught up on:

- An indictment has been handed down in the Rick Pitino extortion case. From the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Karen Sypher was the lone defendant indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of trying to extort money from University of Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino. She will be arraigned tomorrow.

With this nuisance and Pitino's son leaving for Billy Donovan's staff at Florida, its no wonder that Pitino's name was being tossed around in Sacramento's search for a coach.

- Mike Burden resigned as the associate head coach of the University of Maine's basketball team on Monday as a result of an incident from Saturday night/Sunday morning. From the Bangor Daily News:

The 21-year-old female victim reported to police that she left the 103 Ultra Lounge just before the nightclub closed at 2 a.m. and was walking down Park Street when she noticed that she did not have her cell phone. Thinking she had dropped it while taking a shortcut behind an apartment building, she started looking for the phone in that area when a man she identified as Burden approached her.

“He offered to help her and began making advances, which led to the charges of unlawful sexual contact,” Ewing said. While the assault was happening, “one of her friends walked by and she yelled to the friend” who came over to assist the crying woman.

“While standing with the two girls, he starts pawing at [the second woman] and she pushes him away,” Ewing said.

The two women, who both recognized Burden, left together and reported the assault at 3:19 a.m. after the two got to one of their apartments.

Police also had dealt with Burden earlier on Sunday, when the driver of a car he was in was arrested for drunken driving, Ewing said.

Shanna Corson of Lewiston was arrested on Park Street for driving under the influence at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and taken to Penobscot County Jail in Bangor. Burden was her passenger. After Corson was arrested, police wanted to tow the vehicle and had to wake up Burden “who was passed out in the front seat” and who slept through the incident, Ewing said.

Dirtbag.