The Morning Dish – Thursday, November 4th
Missouri accepts NCAA sanctions – by Ken Sweet and John Sahly – Special to Hoopville from The Maneater
The NCAA announced its findings and sanctions regarding the MU men’s basketball program. Only two out of the 11 original violations were found to actually have been committed. In a telephone conference this afternoon, Thomas Yeager, chairman of the Division I Committee on Infractions and commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Association, revealed the program would not face a ban on postseason play, but would instead face other punishments.
MU is on probation until 2007, will lose two scholarships in addition to the one lost thanks to self-imposed sanctions, was publicly reprimanded and lost three official paid visits for recruits for each of the next two years.
But the harshest penalty comes in the area of recruitment. The coaching staff is prohibited from going off-campus to recruit potential players for an entire year.
“We have reviewed the report in detail and we have accepted its contents,” Chancellor Brady Deaton said. “There will be no appeal.”
Coach Quin Snyder accepted full responsibility for the suspicious recruiting actions committed from the time period of 1999-203.
“I would like to apologize to the university, alumni and community,” Snyder said. Snyder stated that a lack of administrative oversight was the primary cause of the problems and promised a series of “comprehensive checks and balances for all records.” He also said an outsider auditor would be part of multifaceted, long-term solutions to the plagued program.
Athletic Director Mike Alden said although these infractions were unacceptable, they were not done with any ill will.
“I think some of it was a lack of oversight and a lack of attention to detail,” Alden said. “I don’t think anything was done with malicious intent. People weren’t intending to break rules.”
One of the major themes in a news conference following the announcement was former player Ricky Clemons. Clemons’ history with the program has been well-publicized, and UM system President Elson Floyd briefly touched on the all-terrain vehicle accidental his home this summer, which put Clemons in the hospital.
“It was a minor violation, and it was self-reported,” Floyd said. As for the players on this year’s basketball team,
Snyder said they remained positive throughout the ordeal.
“They’ve felt good no matter what’s going on,” Snyder said. “They haven’t been talking about it, but it’s in their thoughts. It’s up to them to [make the postseason] now.” Snyder added that despite his staff’s new restrictions, they should be able to take advantage of the benefits of Paige Sports Arena as a draw for potential players.
“I still think we’re going to be able to be successful in recruiting,” Snyder said. “For players that want to be a part of championships we’ve got the best place. We just need to get people to Columbia to see it.”
Huskies Lose Four: Four Washington Huskies have been suspended for bad judgment this summer. Head coach Lorenzo Romar announced yesterday that senior guard Will Conroy, junior forward Bobby Jones (both starters) and senior guard Tre Simmons and junior forward Jamaal Williams were each suspended by the NCAA for participating in a non-sanctioned summer league game. A fifth player, former Washington forward Anthony Washington, who announced his transfer to Portland State in September, will also be penalized two games for playing at the same venue. He’ll serve that suspension for the first two games of 2005-06, as he’s sitting out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. All four Huskies will miss the November 19th opener against Seattle-Pacific, but will be back for the Great Alaska Shootout game against Utah.
Aggie Down Two: New Mexico State interim head coach Tony Stubblefield announced that the Aggies’ second-leading scorer last season, junior guard Duane John, has been ruled academically ineligible for this semester. John, who averaged 13 points per contest last season, will miss two exhibition games, four regular season contests, and will not travel with the team to Alaska for the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, where the Aggies will play three games. Assuming his grades improve, John will return to the court December 15th against UTEP. Meanwhile, senior guard Allen Haynes will not play in the Aggies’ two exhibition games due to violations of team rules. Stubblefield is leading the Aggies while head coach Lou Henson receives treatment from a cancer-related viral infection.
UCLA G + LAPD: UCLA reserve guard Ike Williams was brought in for questioning regarding a skirmish at a Westwood apartment Sunday night, which apparently centered around the assault of a Bruin men’s volleyball player. While no arrests have been made, LAPD and UCLA police responded to two calls from the apartment, just minutes apart. The first call was for disturbing the peace, and the second call claimed an assault with a deadly weapon had occurred. Also questioned were forward Josiah Johnson and guard Brian Morrison, though Williams was the only one detained. Williams played one minute last season against Cal, after walking-on as a freshman in 2002.
Alert Tony Kornheiser: Binghamton head coach Al Walker announced that starting forward Sebastian Hermenier suffered a sprained ankle Monday in practice and will miss 3-4 weeks. Hermenier, a 6-6 junior from Rockville, Maryland, averaged 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per contest last season, starting 26 of 29 games. Without Hermenier, the Bearcats lost last night to D-II St. Rose 82-76 in an exhibition. (ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser (the orange one) graduated from Harpur College – now Binghamton University.)
Wildcat Peete Still Out: Kansas State head coach Jim Wooldridge announced that sophomore JuCo transfer Fred Peete will miss a week with a back injury. Peete, a transfer from Oklahoma A&M, was injured in practice late last week, and is taking some time off to recover fully. Peete has a reputation as a gifted shooter, and was expected to contribute right away. Sophomore Lance Harris will fill Peete’s spot in the lineup for the Wildcat’s first exhibition game (last night against EA Sports), but Peete should return in time for the final exhibition against Pittsburg State, November 12th.
