It was exactly one year ago when Joon H. Kim, the then-acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that four college basketball assistants, and six other people with various connections to the sport, had been arrested and charged with federal crimes.

"The picture painted by the charges brought today is not a pretty one," Kim said to a national audience watching via television. "Coaches at some of the nation's top programs soliciting and accepting cash bribes; managers and financial advisers circling blue-chip prospects like coyotes; and employees of one of the world's largest sportswear companies secretly funneling cash to the families of high school recruits."

It all sounded really bad. And, in some cases, it was really bad. But here we are now, exactly 365 days later, and the fallout so many predicted hasn't really been a fallout at all. In fact, the four programs that had assistants arrested are all in good places and still run by the same people who were running them before.

It breaks down like this:

  • Arizona had an assistant coach arrested and charged with federal crimes. His name is Book Richardson. But that development didn't cost Sean Miller his job. And the Wildcats, less than a year later, were back to securing five-star prospects. Nico Mannion, the top-ranked point guard in the Class of 2019, committed to Arizona earlier this month. So everything seems fine there.
  • Auburn had an assistant arrested and charged with federal crimes. His name is Chuck Person. But that development didn't cost Bruce Pearl his job; he actually got a contract extension. And the Tigers will enter this season ranked No. 10 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). So everything seems fine there.
  • Southern California had an assistant arrested and charged with federal crimes. His name is Tony Bland. But that development didn't cost Andy Enfield his job. And the Trojans, less than a year later, were back to securing five-star prospects. I mean, have you seen which school currently has the nation's top-ranked recruiting class? Yep, it's USC. So everything seems fine there.
  • Oklahoma State had an assistant arrested and charged with federal crimes. His name is Lamont Evans. But that development didn't cost any of the coaches for whom Evans worked their jobs. And the Cowboys currently have the No. 2 recruiting class in the Big 12. So everything also seems fine there.

Meantime, fellow Big 12 member Kansas was subsequently roped into the investigation; documents have been subpoenaed. And though that might impact the Jayhawks someday, it hasn't yet. They're ranked No. 2 in the Top 25 (and one) and could reasonably be No. 1. Truth is, no matter which way you turn, it's hard to find any program or head coach connected to this investigation that's worse off today than they were a year ago -- besides Rick Pitino, of course. He was fired after federal documents alleged his staff had agreed to a pay-for-play scheme for five-star recruit Brian Bowen. But Pitino's termination had more to do with the fact that he was dealing with a scandal so soon after dealing with another scandal. Otherwise, I promise, the Hall of Fame coach would still be employed. Either way, Louisville as a program has recovered nicely. The school hired Chris Mack from Xavier last March and currently has the No. 3 recruiting class in the country. So if the Cards are down, they won't be for long.

Obviously, this investigation could still finish a variety of ways.

It's ongoing.

And it remains unclear exactly who will flip, and, when they do, what they'll say and whom they'll implicate. Beyond that, any case that goes to trial could bring things to the public light that will impact more schools and coaches. So additional arrests and terminations might still be on the way. Anybody insisting such isn't a possibility, or even a likelihood, is, quite simply, wrong. 

But a year later, that dramatic press conference during which Kim described "the dark underbelly of college basketball" and suggested the sport would be changed forever seems a little silly with the benefit of hindsight. In reality, very little has changed. And the programs that endured the initial hits when they had assistants arrested are all mostly flourishing, same as they ever were.