A former college basketball coach in California has been moonlighting as a pimp across four states, police believe, and was found with indecent images of children as young as four after being arrested.
Kevin Mays played for California State University, Bakersfield before joining the coaching staff as a temporary assistant. In September 2025, the university confirmed he was no longer an employee.
A month earlier, according to ESPN, former men’s basketball coach Rod Barnes opened an email entitled ‘IMPORTANT MESSAGE 911 911.’ It detailed bombshell accusations against Mays, including that he had trafficked a woman for months.
‘HE IS TRAFFICKING A GIRL BY THE NAME OF [redacted],’ the email reportedly read, ‘HE HAS BEEN TRAFFICKING THIS GIRL SINCE MAY.’ Mays was accused of operating in Las Vegas, Oregon, Washington and California.
‘FIX IT OR THE WHOLE STAFF WILL FALL,’ the email read, per ESPN. It was reported to police, who launched an investigation and eventually slapped Mays with 11 criminal and misdemeanor charges.
They include a felony charge of pimping, possession of automatic firearms, possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to sell.
Police believe Kevin Mays, a former college basketball coach, has been moonlighting as a pimp
Mays played for California State University, Bakersfield before joining the coaching staff
He is also accused of possessing more than 600 images of youth or child pornography, as well as the distribution of obscene matter involving someone under 18.
When searching Mays’ car and apartment, ESPN report, police found ‘automatic rifles’ and ‘a large quantity of drugs’, while a search of his phone ‘revealed close to 600 images of child pornography, including some depicting children as young as four.’
Mays, who is being held without bail, denies the allegations but ESPN reports that police are continuing their investigations to see if more charges could follow. A school spokesperson called the accusations ‘deeply concerning.’
The 6ft 4ins New York native played as a forward for CSU Bakersfield between 2014 and 2016, having begun his college basketball career at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
As reported by ESPN, he joined the athletic department as a player-development coordinator before taking a job as a temporary assistant coach on the Roadrunners staff.
The whistleblower claimed they knew Mays through sex work and, in a second email cited by ESPN, the coach claimed he was a professional gambler and allegedly threatened to take away their child if they exposed him.
It has also been alleged that Mays used his school account to rent a car for a sex worker, while a police sting operation – which involved scheduling a date with the woman – took place in a hotel room that had allegedly been booked by Mays.
According to ESPN, the woman told police that Mays was her ‘boyfriend’ and that he regularly funded flights, hotels and cars for her sex work. But police reportedly found evidence – through text messages – that Mays had ‘involvement and control’ over her sex work.
After he was arrested, the basketball coach denied any involvement in prostitution. He remains in jail, with a preliminary hearing into his case slated for next week.
CSU Bakersfield has now released a statement detailing the steps the program made in response to a 2025 anonymous report.
‘When CSU Bakersfield received an anonymous report in August of 2025 that a member of our coaching staff was engaged in human trafficking, we took immediate action in notifying university police and the Bakersfield Police Department,’ the statement began. ‘Both agencies launched investigations that resulted in an arrest within days. Shortly after, the university terminated the coach.
‘Our immediate focus was on the safety of our student-athletes and ensuring the matter was handled appropriately by the proper authorities. We determined that the allegations of criminal activity did not involve a CSU Bakersfield student or any member of our campus community.
‘But the nature of the allegations devastated our campus community. We seized the opportunity to strengthen education and prevention efforts around human trafficking. To that end, we consulted with a local human trafficking expert and offered training and education focused on awareness and prevention for our campus community.
‘In addition, we have established the President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, which is engaged in work to strengthen how we support our student-athletes and oversee our athletics program. At the same time, we have strengthened Title IX operations by clarifying roles, expanding staffing, and implementing operational improvements to promote consistency and responsiveness moving forward.
‘The safety and well-being of our students and all CSU Bakersfield community members remain our highest priority. This work is sustained every day by the dedication of our faculty, staff and students. Their commitment to one another and to our shared values strengthens the culture of care and accountability we strive to build at CSUB.’
