Kumbeno Memory, Prominent Portland AAU Coach, Jailed on Sex Charge

Fox 12 reports that Kumbeno Memory, coach of Portland's I-5 Elite AAU basketball team -- a team run by Sacramento King and former Portland Trail Blazer Ime Udoka -- has been arrested on multiple charges, including a sex charge and a burglary charge.

Here's a link to the article and here's the video.

Memory is a regular presence at local basketball events and runs Hoop Dreams Basketball. Memory has coached UCLA recruit Mike Moser, the current best high school player in the state of Oregon Terrence Jones (who is weighing offers from the University of Kentucky and others), and point guard prodigy Nigel Williams-Goss, among many others.

Taryn Luna of Oregonlive.com notes that Memory has previous convictions on his record.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

about 2 years ago Ben Golliver 26 comments 0 recs |

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yikes.

RIP CITY

by greatestfall on Nov 15, 2009 2:53 PM PST reply actions

This is sad

No matter how this story shakes out, I think this mess and the Howard Avery situation should be a frightening lesson for parents. Do your homework on who you are trusting with your kids. This whole cottage industry of AAU is just a cesspool. Parents are willing to do just about anything in pursuit of glory/scholarships for their children. If a kid has talent, somebody will find them. You don’t need a high priced travel team or guru for that. I hope this story isn’t true, because if it is a lot of lives have been/will be destroyed. Just a sad situation all the way around.

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Card carrying member of Team Bayless
I need to stop being so hard on Steve Blake. Even though I'd rather see him as a top 5 backup PG than an undersized starting SG, he's a Bazer, he works hard, he has earned respect.

by blazeraddict on Nov 15, 2009 3:05 PM PST reply actions

Bullllll shitt

I trained with kumbeno and this story has to be false he is one of the nicest and morally correct guys i know. It just goes to show that you cant always trust media

by henry e.k on Dec 10, 2009 6:16 PM PST up reply actions

he's a solid guy....

just goes to show, you never really know what someone is made of. Even if he is proven not guilty, the damage has been done to his career. Of course even being in that situation should raise questions about credibility.

by Alaa Abdelnaby on Nov 15, 2009 3:51 PM PST via mobile reply actions

he's a solid guy....

by Alaa Abdelnaby on Nov 15, 2009 3:53 PM PST via mobile reply actions

Small correction--

He’s held on a burglary charge, not a robbery charge.

by ilserpente on Nov 15, 2009 3:59 PM PST reply actions

my bad. fixed. thank you

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by Ben Golliver on Nov 15, 2009 4:23 PM PST up reply actions

Is he related to Thara Memory, the jazz trumpet player?

I only ask because it’s an unusual last name, and my path once crossed that of Thara Memory’s. I Googled him and was unable to find out anything about his family.

ignacio

by ignacio on Nov 15, 2009 4:04 PM PST reply actions

yes

by ifarr on Nov 15, 2009 4:15 PM PST up reply actions

I see. His full name is "Thara Kumbeno Memory." He must be Thara Memory's son.

ignacio

by ignacio on Nov 15, 2009 4:35 PM PST up reply actions

He is.

by Biddy77 on Nov 15, 2009 5:54 PM PST up reply actions

damn

beno is hella known amongst high school players and coaches. i hope that these allegations turn out to be false

by dip city on Nov 15, 2009 5:23 PM PST reply actions

I'm sorry I know this is irrelevant

But Oregonians should refrain from saying “hella.” I live in California and everyone says it down here. And you don’t wanna be associated with Lakers or Warriors fans.

by thetsaiguy on Nov 15, 2009 6:55 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Hella is an Oregonian term

I moved here long ago from Cali and they werent saying it in Cali when I left, but they were already sayin it when I got to Oregon!

The Dude: Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!

by cavejunctionblazer on Nov 15, 2009 9:16 PM PST up reply actions

My brother played on I-5 elite under Beno and Ime.

by trautmatizer on Nov 15, 2009 5:24 PM PST reply actions

I'm floored by this.

I’ve known Bino for about 18 years, and his siblings each for at least 8 years. I’ve been around him a lot in the past, and played a lot of ball with the guy.

I never saw something like this coming. I’m just completely baffled.

This is terrible, and my heart goes out to the Memory family, including Bino’s own.

—Bidwell

by Biddy77 on Nov 15, 2009 5:50 PM PST reply actions

this is huge im 15..

and happen to be point guard prodigy nigel williams-goss’ best friend. Me and Nige were always at riverside with beno he is the nicest guy and an amazing basketball coach. This is very big. me nigel and would see Mos (mike mosier) and Beno at every basketball game we went to. This is a very sad thing for Mike because it is a distraction he doesnt need at the start of his freshmen basketball season at UCLA. Nigel who’s season started this friday doesnt need this distraction either. (he had 11 points in the 35+ point victory) Hopefully more information is released and beno can get out of this ok.
You guys can follow nigel all year his team is 2-0 and hes doing great. I recently went down and visited there school and it is beautiful.

"Good, Better, Best, never let it rest until your good is your better and your better is your best." Tim Duncan

by flynn4blazers on Nov 15, 2009 7:36 PM PST reply actions

Even more ironic..

there is a sticky note above my house phone to have my parents call beno so my sister can schedule workouts with him…..dont think that is going to happen

"Good, Better, Best, never let it rest until your good is your better and your better is your best." Tim Duncan

by flynn4blazers on Nov 15, 2009 7:38 PM PST reply actions

Innocent until proven guilty

but this still hurts your rep and cred for sure, even if your are found innocent. You never want to find yourself in his position, innocent or guilty, either way – what a bummer. : (

The Dude: Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!

by cavejunctionblazer on Nov 15, 2009 9:22 PM PST reply actions

I wonder

Did the Blazers have some advance warning and that’s why they didn’t keep Udoka?

by Tisbee on Nov 15, 2009 9:38 PM PST reply actions

Nothing,except what could have been ugly PR

KP and crew have worked extremely hard to rid the Jail-Blazers tag and promote a positive team culture.
I just wonder if they were given a heads up that Udoka had a business partner that was looking like trouble. If so,even tho Udoka had/has nothing to do w/the allegations,the Blazers might have decided he wasn’t worth the possible bad PR.

by Tisbee on Nov 15, 2009 10:05 PM PST up reply actions

the timing is way too far off

The police wouldn’t have held onto information for that long.

by Alaa Abdelnaby on Nov 15, 2009 11:10 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

Right

If they were holding it, they wouldn’t be telling the Blazers. Maybe if they got word they were thinking of hiring him, some fan in the police department might have leaked something to them. But hiring Ime? Only if there is actually something on Ime himself would this be possible.

If we had reports of a conspiracy to embezzle funds or something, then you would wonder how far it went, and that might have hit Ime’s reputation. But this, if true, is simply one guy abusing a position of trust.

"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5

by jscot on Nov 15, 2009 11:15 PM PST up reply actions