NEW YORK (AP) A former assistant basketball coach for the University of Southern California dropped his head in relief Wednesday when a judge announced he won't go to prison for accepting a bribe to steer young athletes to a particular manager.

Tony Bland was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and two years' probation by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who said the debate over whether college basketball players should be paid "plays no role in the way I thought about this case."

Students, players and universities were victimized by the bribery scandal revealed when 10 individuals, including the coaches, were arrested in September 2017, the judge said.