Fresno State basketball player Zaon Collins, a former Bishop Gorman standout, remains on the Bulldogs’ roster amid a sports betting investigation, though a second player has been kicked off the team, The Fresno Bee reported.
According to an ESPN report, while the other players participated in daily fantasy sports contests involving their player props, Collins is under investigation for betting on professional sports.
Guard Jalen Weaver is no longer with the team, according to the report. He and Collins were held out of last Saturday’s game against Air Force because of “an eligibility matter,” the university said.
The benching was tied to an internal investigation into alleged betting activity that now includes the NCAA, according to multiple reports.
Weaver told ESPN on Thursday that he played in a daily fantasy sports contest that included his point total in a Dec. 31 game against New Mexico. Weaver said he bet on himself to go over 11 points, and he scored 13 in a 103-89 loss.
“I just made a bad decision, and I shouldn’t even have gotten involved with that. Now, I’m obviously paying for it,” he told ESPN. “I bet on a game I played in, but I never tried to sabotage the season. I never bet on us to lose, never bet my unders.”
The most damning allegations have been made against Fresno State guard Mykell Robinson, who was removed from the roster earlier this season. He and other associates are alleged to have played daily fantasy contests that involved Robinson going under on his points and rebounds, ESPN said.
ESPN said Collins is under investigation for allegedly betting on professional sports, not anything related to Fresno State or his personal player props.
His status is unclear. Fresno State hosts Boise State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Collins, a 6-foot-1-inch sophomore guard, is averaging a team-best 4.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game, along with 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds. Weaver, a 6-4 senior, is averaging 12.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Collins is in his first season at Fresno State after spending a season at Salt Lake Community College in Utah.
Collins pleaded guilty in June 2023 to a felony charge of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm and spent 56 days in jail.
Las Vegan Eric Echevarria, 52, was killed in the 2020 crash.
Collins helped guide Gorman to three straight state championships. He signed a national letter of intent to play at UNLV, but he and the school agreed to part ways after he was charged in the death.
Fresno State (5-23, 1-16 Mountain West) has lost 10 straight and has broken the school’s single-season record for losses in coach Vance Walberg’s first season.
