The Iowa Barnstormers, arguably the most prominent AAU team in the state, has announced that former coach Greg Stephen is no longer with the team amid an investigation regarding his alleged possession of videos containing disrobed, underage boys.
Effective immediately Greg Stephen is no longer a part of our Barnstormers Basketball organization. If you have questions or concerns please email [email protected] or [email protected].
— Iowa Barnstormers (@IA_Barnstormers) February 23, 2018
The Barnstormers later tweeted that any players currently with the team, or those who had previously played on the squad, should contact a number if they had any information or wished to comment on the situation.
We are all shocked and devastated by this news. All current and former players who experienced anything should contact the phone number within the DCI press release below to make a report.https://t.co/beMcm99sSw
— Iowa Barnstormers (@IA_Barnstormers) February 24, 2018
Matthew Bain of the Des Moines Register wrote that Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Richard Rahn said that the agency “was issued a warrant to secure a ‘device’ belonging to Stephen that ‘was found to contain video clips believed to depict young, non-adult, disrobed male individuals’ who appeared to not be aware they were being filmed.”
From the Register, DCI special agent Ryan Kedley and a forensic examiner discovered a video-recording device reportedly owned by Stephen. On that device was an “excess of 100” clips.
The Register also spoke with a former Barnstormer player anonymously who said that when he was 14, he woke up in a bed in a hotel during a basketball event with his coach next to him, masturbating. That same player told the Register that Stephen slept in the same bed with players “quite often.”
Stephen has not been charged with any crimes.
In another article, Ryan J. Foley of the Associated Press wrote Rahn noted that while the FBI hasn’t been involved, it’s “looking at that angle.”
In separate article, Foley spoke with Roger Stephen, the former-coach’s father. He described the situation as “fake news,” adding, “my son has got many, many scholarship players for all the schools around here. The team has been a great, great deal for the community. He’s a great guy, and there’s no reason for all this to happen.”
The Iowa basketball program has plenty of ties to the Barnstormers, including incoming recruit Joe Wieskamp and 2019 recruit Patrick McCaffery, who tweeted, “sick to my stomach” when news broke.
sick to my stomach
— Patrick McCaffery (@patrickmccaff22) February 24, 2018
Current members of the Hawkeye basketball team Connor McCaffery, Austin Ash, Riley Till, and Jordan Bohannon all played for the Barnstormers at some point during their AAU careers.
Recent former Hawkeyes wjp played for the Barnstormers include Jarrod Uthoff and Josh Oglesby.
Jamie Johnson, the founder and co-director of the Barnstormers, told Bain that he had no idea of Stephen’s actions.
“If this is all true, when and why?” he told the Register. “Was [Stephen] really into basketball to help kids, and it turned into something else? Or was this something sinister to get close to kids? I don’t even know. I just can’t wrap my mind around it.”
The Barnstormers announced Sunday via Twitter a bit of a shakeup in their directorial staff.
Moving forward Val Barnes (@VBarnes20) is our Youth Program Director, Jamie Pettigrew (@CoachJamieP) is our High School Program Director and Jamie Johnson (@Coach_JMJ) is the Executive Director.
— Iowa Barnstormers (@IA_Barnstormers) February 25, 2018