Basketball coach denies allegations

GAINESVILLE - The man at the helm of a semi-professional basketball team in Gainesville said he's shocked at the theft and forgery allegations against him.

Oakwood Police Cpl. Danny Sridej said he has a warrant for the arrest of Joshua Randolph of the Gainesville Heat. Sridej said Randolph took at least one player to a Gainesville bank and had him open an account, which Randolph then controlled.

Sridej said the warrants out of Oakwood involved just one player, whose check apparently was stolen by Randolph.

In a phone call Wednesday, Randolph said he never had access to a player's account.

"There was a mistake made by the bank. We've turned all of this documentation over to the police department late Friday afternoon, showing the mistake that the bank made," Randolph.

Randolph said he had opened a Gainesville Heat account the day before he took the player to open the player's own account. He said he was mistakenly given checks that belonged to the player's account, and not the Heat's.

"Me having access to his account or him opening up an account for me is totally untrue," Randolph said.

Sridej Wednesday morning said he went to Randolph's office, hoping to find him there.

"His office had already been closed down," said Sridej. "All of his furniture and business equipment, I guess had been repossessed and locked for for non-payments, according to the property manager."

Randolph contends his office is not closed, and that the team's website is up and running. Randolph said his attorneys are working on his behalf, and that he'll surrender himself to face the charges at some point.

"I 100 percent will cooperate with authorities. I'll turn myself in. I have nothing to hide, and at the end I'll be cleared," Randolph said.

Sridej also said Gainesville police have had similar complaints against Randolph, although they have yet to issue warrants for his arrest. The two departments were working together to find the coach, according to Sridej.