MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Former Memphis State basketball coach Dana Kirk gave Keith Lee $1,200, payments of up to $600 a month, a television, a stereo and a car for playing at MSU, Lee testified Thursday at Kirk's tax evasion trial.
Lee, now a forward with the NBA's New Jersey Nets, played at Memphis State from 1981-1985 and led the Tigers three times to the NCAA Tournament and once to the Final Four. He holds the school's career scoring record.
Under questioning from U.S. Attorney Hickman Ewing Jr., Lee recounted numerous NCAA violations in his four years at MSU.
He said he signed with the school after Kirk showed him a shoebox 'full to the top' with money.
Lee said Arkansas State University offered him $30,000, a new car, $100 a month, a stereo, a moped for his younger brother and tuition for his sister if he would attend the school.
He said he did not sign after NCAA officials warned him he would lose his eligibility.
Marvin Adams, who was the coach at Arkansas State at the time but who is now in the insurance business in Jackson, Mo., was unavailable for comment immediately.
Kirk then paid him $1,200, gave him a used 13-inch color television and a new stereo, said Lee, who attended MSU on an athletic scholarship.
Kirk also paid Lee $400 a month in cash in Lee's freshman and sophomore years, the former West Memphis, Ark., high school star said.
'I met Coach Kirk every month and he would give it to me in his office,' Lee said. The deal also included $100 bonuses each time the Tigers won five games in a row, he said.
The initial $1,200 was for his mother, Lee said. He said he never asked Kirk where the cash came from and the coach never brought it up.
In Lee's junior year, 'I told him that either I would turn pro ... or I needed a raise to $500 a month,' he said.
Kirk came through with the money and Lee said he repeated his threat in his senior year.
Kirk began paying Lee $600 a month, though he sometimes shorted him by $100 or $200 a month, Lee said.
Lee said he stopped receiving the bonuses, at his mother's urging, after his sophomore year.
'My mom told me I didn't need to do that -- to play ball and take money for winning games,' he said.
He did not get a car until his senior year and then was disappointed with the 1976 Duster Kirk provided, Lee said.
Kirk said he could not provide a better car because 'the NCAA would look into it,' Lee testified.
Kirk, 53, is charged with not reporting about $162,000 in outside income and obstruction of justice for allegedly intimidating grand jury witnesses.
His lawyers admit Kirk made mistakes, but say Kirk was a sloppy bookkeeper and ignorant of tax laws.
Prosecutors allege Kirk 'always had his hand out' for money and they say he was driven by financial gain.
Kirk also provided $5,000 for an addition to Lee's mother's house, Lee said.
Lee also testified he:
-- Had a friend sell his season complimentary season tickets for $1,800.
-- Received $400 a month from a Cadillac dealership, though he was told they had no work for him. They told him to say he worked in the parts and public relations departments.
Witnesses have testified Kirk and Lee both annually signed NCAA forms stating they had broken no rules.
Kirk's attorneys have not yet questioned Lee.
