| | By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
The NCAA agreed with Minnesota's request to prevent a further postseason ban. But Wednesday's sanctions limiting the Gophers' scholarships might ultimately prove more damaging.
LSU's John Brady knows. He's still trying to get over the Tigers' similar sanctions.
"Scholarship limitations hurt you in rebuilding the program," said Brady, whose Tigers had to deal with a scholarship limitation over a booster paying $6,000 to former player Lester Earl. Earl transferred to Kansas. Former coaches Dale Brown and Johnnie Jones are no longer in the program.
"The public has no idea how much it hurts you from rebuilding in a normal fashion," Brady said. "How do you keep up? Sooner or later your depth is gone. You have top-heavy classes and you don't have the freedom to take a project or a transfer. That's why I'm playing with eight guys, and played with nine last year and this is my fourth year as coach."
The NCAA said Minnesota had one of the worst academic scandals in college basketball history, but Brady contends the Tigers were hit harder for their violations.
Minnesota has to give up five scholarships over three seasons. The Tigers had two taken away for three successive seasons for a total of six. But the key part of the ruling was the Tigers couldn't sign more than four players in a two-year period, regardless of who left the team. LSU also couldn't have more than 11 players on scholarship at one time.
"The kicker was they wouldn't let us have relief for Stromile Swift going pro last spring," Brady said. "The NCAA said the only way we could get relief is if someone has a career-ending injury or dies."
LSU signed three players the previous season and the only player they signed -- for its fourth in two seasons under the rule -- was JueMichael Young. He's presently ineligible, meaning the Tigers can't replace Swift.
"But we still won the SEC West and finished ninth and had 28 wins last year despite all of this," Brady said proudly.
"I feel bad for Dan Monson," Brady added. "He had nothing to do with this. Neither did his players. Nobody thinks about who carries out the penalties. It's not the university. It's the staff and his players.
"I've been there. Fine the school a million but don't do this. The only fair thing to do is to adjust Dan's contract and to get him through the probationary period. Judge him when he's equal to his competitors."
Brady got a similar deal, earning a five-year deal last spring, four years into the probation.
But Monson isn't complaining.
"I'm willing to take the brunt of this as long as they left the innocent players alone and allow them to have something to play for this year," Monson said of being eligible for postseason in March after the school imposed a one-season ban, honored by the NCAA, on last season's team.
"Our program isn't decimated, but is severely hindered," Monson added. "I've used the LSU case and shown to our guys how they ended up surviving and getting to the Sweet 16 (last season). But this will be a disadvantage because we won't have a margin for error if we lose a player to an injury or redshirt or even foul trouble."
Minnesota policed itself on this case, but that's what should happen according to NCAA spokesperson Wally Renfro.
But accepting a school's postseason ban isn't always the case. LSU was banned, although an appeals committee allowed the Tigers to play in the SEC tournament. Cal was put on a postseason ban in 1997.
But one of the odd penalties handed down on Minnesota was the removal of the banners at Williams Arena -- including the 1997 Final Four banner.
"They're down already," Monson said. "I told our players that there is enough room to put one up there now. It's sad because at Minnesota the big thing was the great and proud tradition. Now we can't claim that. And the majority of players did sacrifice to get them and weren't involved in this.
"But the big thing is this is over. We've spent a year sitting in our bedroom waiting for dad to come home and spank us."
Coaches get a voice
Coaches are eagerly awaiting results from Monday's first-ever Basketball Issues Committee meeting. Five coaches -- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Oregon's Ernie Kent, San Francisco's Phil Mathews, Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Saint Louis' Lorenzo Romar -- are on the committee.
No active head coaches were on the last issues committee.
The key items that will be discussed are: summer recruiting, the "5/8" signing rule and exempted tournaments.
Jim Haney, executive director for the NABC, said a number of schools such as Arizona, Duke and North Carolina have expressed their dismay over the new rule that states schools can sign only five players in a given season, no more than eight in two seasons. This is the first recruiting class that deals with this rule. The rule doesn't take into account transfers or players leaving for the NBA.
If four underclassmen leave Arizona for the NBA after this season, the Wildcats could be down to nine scholarship players next season. They would have four returning players and could sign five.
"It used to be that coaches were worried about getting to the 13th scholarship limit, but now they can't even get to 11 or 12," Haney said after conducting a conference call with head coaches on the subject last week. "There is a graduation rates reward rule, but schools can't even meet that under these conditions. There needs to be consideration for players leaving for the NBA. Coaches have to voice their concern on the issue."
The rule was put in place because the NCAA membership thought there were too many transfers two years ago. The rule would limit scholarship openings in a given season and thus discourage players from transferring. But it's having an adverse effect, as schools are having to turn players away because they've reached their limit of five this season.
The committee is also charged with finding a better recruiting model for 2002.
The 2001 recruiting calendar will be reduced from 24 days to 14 in July. There will be two seven-day evaluation periods and one 10-day dead period. Haney said some coaches have raised concerns that they can't hold camps during the dead period, but he said the majority feared it would become a race to see who could get the higher profile players on campus during that 10-day window if camps were allowed.
The Basketball Issues Committee also will look at the Student Basketball Council's report from their meeting last month. Wake Forest's Broderick Hicks will be the SBC's representative.
The SBC recommended the following:
Eliminating summer evaluation would be wrong.
Any NCAA/USA Basketball sponsored camps would be too exclusive.
Modify the July split to 12 days of evaluation, seven off, 12 days of more evaluation.
No phone calls to prospects during the 12-day evaluation period. No bumping of prospects, or parents, at camps or tournaments. And no contact between college coaches and summer coaches at the sites of tournaments.
An increase certification for tournaments and separate seating for college coaches from players and summer coaches.
Allow one call to a junior in high school in the spring and two phone calls at the end of summer evaluation period to Nov. 1.
A recruiting guide for prospects with specific questions to ask college coaches.
The final issue expected to be addressed is the NABC-endorsed One Nation, One Flag, One People proposal. Haney said the board of directors has already endorsed a new way to celebrate the national anthem prior to tipoff.
He said men's basketball is the only sport where the teams and coaches aren't on the floor during the anthem. As a result, Haney said teams would be asked, but not required, to stand in international game style -- across from each other at midcourt -- at the 13-minute mark before tipoff. A public service announcement about equality will be read before the anthem. Teams will be dismissed to their locker rooms for the final 10 minutes before tipoff.
Kansas will debut the new look at its exhibition home game against the California All Stars next Wednesday.
Weekly chatter
The NCAA's decision Wednesday to put off legislation essentially eliminating exempted tournaments means exhibition teams like the California All Stars can survive.
Brothers David and Dana Pump have a number of teams playing exhibition games across the country, but the proposed rule would have eliminated exhibition games under its current format. Teams would have been allowed to play only one controlled scrimmage against a Division I program.
The problem with that proposal is a number of schools rely heavily on the two home gates from exhibition games as part of their season ticket package. Taking away two gates could mean lessening a school's budget by close to $500,000 for schools such as Cincinnati and New Mexico, which make close to $250,000 on a home game.
Michigan State continues to pull off recruiting coups. The Spartans got a commitment from Flint's (Mich.) Kelvin Torbert, who might be the most talented player in this year's class. Torbert will compete with centers Eddy Curry (Thornwood HS/Ill.) and Tyson Chandler (Dominguez HS/Calif.) for player of the year honors, but Torbert is the only one who will likely go to school.
The Spartans needed to get wings and have done that with commitments from Torbert, Chris Hill (Lawrence North, Ind.) and Alan Anderson (De La Salle HS/Minneapolis).
The Spartans are already focused on 2002 with the commitment of a big man -- 6-foot-9 Paul Davis (Rochester HS/Mich.) to replace senior Andre Hutson, or possibly freshman Zach Randolph if he leaves early for the NBA. They're already focusing on Flint forward Matt Tranen and point guard Anthony Roberson (Saginaw HS/Mich.).
Meanwhile, the Spartans can't get through without an injury. Last season, it was Mateen Cleaves. This season, it's 6-9 sophomore Adam Ballinger. The reserve forward broke his thumb and is out for six weeks.
"He was playing extremely well after gaining some weight," Michigan State assistant Stan Heath said. "He gave us a versatile forward who could shoot it like A.J. Granger last year. Fortunately it happened early in the year."
Adam Wolfe, a 6-9 redshirt freshman, will take Ballinger's spot in the rotation.
Arizona pulled off a major coup by getting Rick Rickert from Duluth away from hometown Minnesota. The 6-9 shooting forward will fit in well as a replacement to Richard Jefferson next season.
An interesting move occurred during the late hours of the recruitment. A source close to the recruiting process said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo called Rickert and said he needed to stay in the Big Ten and go to Minnesota despite the Minnesota investigation. Izzo knew he would play against Rickert, but he wanted the Gophers to get some help. It wasn't enough, and Rickert landed in the Pac-10.
Credit Saint Louis with saving Temple's schedule. The Billikens didn't have
to switch dates with DePaul to allow the Blue Demons a chance to play host
to Temple once Cincinnati dumped the Owls from its schedule. But they did.
Saint Louis will now travel to DePaul Dec. 19 and host the Blue Demons on Jan. 31, the day DePaul was supposed to play host to Saint Louis. DePaul will host Temple on Jan. 20, the day it was supposed to be at Saint Louis.
DePaul needed to get rid of one of its two non-Division I games and will dump Savannah State on Nov. 28. Dumping the game gives the Blue Demons a full week in between the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 25) and a game at Florida (Dec. 2).
In the process, the Owls lose a home date and pick up a harder road game, but you
probably won't hear Temple coach John Chaney complain.
In case you missed it, former Seton Hall and Holy Cross coach George Blaney is on Jerry DeGregorio's staff at Rhode Island.
The Pac-10's announcement that it will hold a conference tournament means the league will have at least two Pac-10 games in December to accommodate an 18-game league schedule in 2001-02. But only eight teams will be invited to the tournament at L.A.'s Staples Center.
Lost amid the wires last week was the dismissal of Iowa Western forward Kei Madison for a violation of team rules. The 6-9 Madison committed to Indiana and then hedged once Bob Knight was fired and Mike Davis was only named as an interim coach.
Iowa Western assistant coach Trent Lovewell said the "law wasn't involved" in Madison's suspension. Madison is expected to finish the fall semester at Iowa Western and then move to a junior college near his home in the South, possibly Southern Union (Ala.) for the second semester.
Madison played in some exhibition games and that might prohibit him from having three years of eligibility instead of two remaining at a Division I school. Madison has to earn his degree at a junior college before he can enroll in a four-year school.
Davis might still land Madison at Indiana, or somewhere else if he's not retained by the Hoosiers. But Lovewell said a host of schools, including Cincinnati, Florida State, Illinois, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, Connecticut, USC, Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Oregon, are all still pursuing him.
More than 300 players could be affected by the NCAA's amnesty rule if the NCAA pursues the cases aggressively to seek out if any players received extra benefits for academic tuition to a prep school or Catholic school.
Mid-American schools are getting aggressive in trying to hold on to their marquee coaches. Long-term contracts were extended to Kent's Gary Waters and Bowling Green's Dan Dakich in the past five months.
SMU took another injury hit. After entering the season with seven upperclassmen, three are now gone, as senior guard Renaldo Bratton (herniated disc) and juniors Mike Niemi (back) and Jon Forinash are out with injuries.
Forinash is the latest one to go down with a nerve injury in his foot. He has to have surgery and have the nerve cut. Forinash will have surgery Monday and is out a minimum of six weeks.
The Mustangs are down to four upperclassmen -- senior guards Jeryl Sasser and Willie Davis and junior guard Damon Hancock and junior forward DeWayne Floyd. The Mustangs are down to eight scholarship players practicing because freshman guard Voc Atkins is out for another two weeks with a knee injury.
Niemi can come back potentially in two weeks. Bratton is likely out for the season. The Mustangs were picked to win the WAC.
"One of our strengths was our depth and experience and we've lost a little bit of that," SMU coach Mike Dement said. "Now, size-wise, Nigel Smith is the biggest thing we have at 6-9, and he's been out for a year with an injury (sinus surgery). It's hard to practice and no more room for another injury or illness."
Baylor lost New Mexico transfer Greg Davis for six weeks with a separated shoulder.
Tubby Smith promoted Reggie Hanson to a full-time recruiter to take George Felton's place after he left Kentucky's staff to be a scout with the Indiana Pacers. Hanson is one of Kentucky's favorite sons after playing through the NCAA sanctions. Former coach Rick Pitino named an award after him, the Reggie Hanson Sacrifice Award, for sticking it out during two years of no postseason play.
Hanson, who finished his career in 1991, played the past seven years in the Japanese basketball league. Hanson began working over the summer to be the administrative assistant. Hanson's arrival on the road means the Wildcats will send out two fresh faces after Mike Sutton replaced Shawn Finney, who left to be the head coach at Tulane.
Smith didn't want to mess with someone else's staff after Felton left a week before practice. Hanson has the interim tag, but it will likely stick as long as Smith is the head coach.
Meanwhile, the word out of Kentucky's practices is that 6-3 freshman shooting guard Gerald Fitch might be the steal of the class. Jules Camara's seasonlong suspension means guard Keith Bogans will have to play more small forward as Tayshaun Prince slides down to replace some of Camara's minutes inside. Fitch's ability to come in and help right away is imperative for the Wildcats to have options off the bench.
Coaches vs. Cancer, amid the prospect that the exempted tournaments are in trouble, has three slots filled for 2001. Arizona, Florida and Maryland are locked up for the tournament with organizers looking for a local team to fill the fourth.
But Connecticut might not be available and neither is Seton Hall nor Syracuse. That means Georgetown could slide into the fourth slot.
Meanwhile, the same organizers are finalizing a 16-team tournament in conjunction with the NABC. The unique tournament would be held at four sites with four mini-tournaments at each site. The winners of the four-team tourneys would then go to Kansas City, Mo., to the NABC headquarters for semifinals and finals.
Memphis, Missouri and Iowa have agreed to host, and the organizers are looking for a fourth site. The teams will be seeded and commitments already have come from Old Dominion, Air Force, Lamar, Samford and Iona and are trying to fill the other eight slots.
South Carolina freshman Rolando Howell's first game will be against UNC-Asheville on Dec. 19 after missing the first nine games for a suspension dealing with his admission in a forgery scam. He was suspended based on his pre-trial agreement.
The two key games the 6-9 McDonald's all-American will miss are at Charlotte
(Dec. 2) and against Clemson (Dec. 9). Howell will be back for a key game
against Wyoming Dec. 21.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball is updated Thursdays/Fridays throughout the year. | |
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