Oklahoma admits two major violations in men’s hoops
Oklahoma has admitted two more major rules violations by former assistant coach Oronde Taliaferro.
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Oklahoma admits 2 major hoops violations (AP)
Oklahoma admitted Thursday that it committed two major rules violations in its men’s basketball program as it asked the NCAA for leniency despite its second serious infractions case in the last five years. Under NCAA bylaws, a “repeat violator” can face a minimum of having the sport dropped for one or two seasons with no scholarships provided for two seasons.
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Vols to NCAA: Some violations secondary (AP)
Though Tennessee agrees with most of the allegations made against it by the NCAA, the university argued in its response to the association that some of the violations should be considered secondary instead of major. The university also said it tried to do a better job monitoring the recruiting phone calls that got it into trouble.
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Wake Forest suspends two hoops players indefinitely for rules violations
In a quick, three-sentence statement released on Monday, Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik announced that sophomore Melvin Tabb and senior Ty Walker …
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Georgia dealing with possible violations (AP)
Georgia’s athletic department has contacted the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference regarding the eligibility of football player Jarvis Jones and incoming basketball player Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. In a report Sunday by the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, Jones and Caldwell-Pope were linked to a Columbus parks and recreation director under police investigation for misusing public funds.
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NCAA contacts Central Florida amid reports of recruiting violations
A Central Florida athletics department spokesman says its compliance department has been contacted by the NCAA amid reports of possible improper …
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Additional violations led to Pearl’s dismissal at Tennessee
Bruce Pearl was fired as men’s basketball coach at Tennessee on Monday after a season in which the coach admitted lying to NCAA investigators …
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Would BYU Punish Jimmer Fredette for Honor Code Violations?
If Jimmer Fredette had sex with his girlfriend on campus, I doubt he would have been dismissed from the BYU basketball team in the same fashion as big man Brandon Davies was this week.
Not with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on the line and a possible trip to the Final Four at stake.
Not when Fredette is the school’s most recognized and marketable athlete.
Not at the expense of ruining what has been a fairy tale story.
Before anyone accuses me of throwing around the race card, I’m not; this is not about race. This is about value.
Fredette, for all intents and purposes, is the most valuable commodity in Provo right now. Sure, Davies has been an important performer for the Cougars during their run toward the apex of the college basketball poll.
But Davies does not carry the same cachet and is not BYU’s best player like Fredette is.
The attention his stellar play has brought to the sleepy mid-major basketball program is invaluable. It is free PR, a dream for any university.
Jimmer is the Cam Newton of BYU basketball, the golden child.
Newton spent much of the second half of the 2010 football season embroiled in a controversy regarding allegations that his father, Cecil Newton, had sought substantial sums of money (in violation of NCAA rules) for his son to play for a major college program.
In early December, the NCAA announced that Cam had been declared ineligible by Auburn after having found evidence that Cecil did in fact solicit Mississippi State for money in exchange for his son’s services.
Auburn immediately filed to have him reinstated.
The NCAA quickly reinstated Newton, declaring him eligible prior to the end of the regular season, stating there was not sufficient evidence that the quarterback or anyone from Auburn had any knowledge of Cecil’s actions.
Newton won the Heisman Trophy, and Auburn went on to win the BCS national championship.
Did anyone really think Cam Newton was going to be ruled ineligible by the NCAA with the powers that be—ESPN, CBS and the SEC—involved?
We all thought five Ohio State football players, including starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor, would be suspended for the Sugar Bowl for accepting improper benefits.
Wrong again. They were suspended—for the first five games of next season, when the Buckeyes complete a first-half non-conference schedule filled with also-rans.
Not the Sugar Bowl.
Kinda hard for ESPN to sell the Big Ten-SEC matchup to the public with one of the marquee players ruled out for selling gold pants.
We can all commend BYU for enforcing university rules, but what if its biggest draw both locally and nationally was found to have broken the sacred code?
Would the decision have been made so quickly and seemingly so easily without much second thought?
Let’s take former Cougar quarterback Jim McMahon as an example.
He was the classic rebel with an attitude who just so happened be a stud college football player, and tales of McMahon disdaining Mormonism have been well documented.
He was at odds with all the rules and regulations at the school that’s owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a Brad Rock Deseret News article chronicling the punky QB’s days in Provo during the 1980s, Rock wrote:
“It was also McMahon who flaunted the honor code, gestured at opposing crowds and bickered with the assistant coaches. Some even credit him with being the first player to taunt opposing fans by pointing at the scoreboard.
“‘Yeah, I had a great time on Saturdays,’ said McMahon of his days in Provo. ‘Rest of the week was a little rough, but Saturdays were always fun.’
“Said former coach LaVell Edwards: ‘He spent more time in my office than I did.’”
If that is the case, how did McMahon survive five years without being kicked out of not only BYU, but the state of Utah?
Setting 32 NCAA passing records, being named a two-time All-American and leading the program to multiple Holiday Bowl wins might have something to do with it, considering there are stories of McMahon binge drinking and partying off-campus.
The examples provided go to show that an essential athlete will have his transgressions overlooked for the greater good of bowl appearances and championships.
It has historically been the case throughout the history of major collegiate athletics. Star athletes have been known to get a pass or two—or 100—due to the value they bring to the team and school.
Too bad Davies is not averaging 27.5 points per game, is not the lead story on SportsCenter and is not in the discussion for Naismith honors, because he still might be on the squad.
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Honor Code Violations Derail Division III Basketball Star After Big Win
In a stunning turn of events, Western Connecticut State has suspended junior guard DaQuan Brooks for the remainder of the season after it was revealed he never engaged in premarital sex while on campus.
Brooks, who scored 27 points in an 89-67 win versus Salve Regina in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball tournament Thursday, was described as “broken” after he was informed of his punishment Friday.
This comes on the heels of the BYU basketball suspending big man Brandon Davies this week for having sex on campus with his girlfriend, a direct violation of the school’s honor code.
Head coach Bob Campbell said it was a tough decision for him and school administrators to reprimand his best player.
“It is a sad day around here,” Campbell said. “DaQuan is a great kid and a great basketball player, but he, like all students, has to adhere to school rules. There is no way around it. Kids know about our honor code from the first day they step foot on campus.”
The honor code requires students not only to engage in premarital sex, but also to attend rave parties, binge drink on the weekends and streak at least once during their tenure at the school.
“I was a student-athlete here myself,” the coach continued. “I was able to follow the honor code letter for letter. That is the standard we have around here. We expect everyone to follow it.”
The Colonial, 22-5, advanced to play at second-ranked Middlebury on Saturday.
Western Connecticut State, the Little East Conference regular-season co-champion, is ranked 23rd in the country.
Said senior guard John Phillips about Brooks’ reaction, “He is broken right now. We as his teammates hate to see him down like this, but I guess the school had no choice.”
Teammates who chose not to disclose their identities said Brooks never attended a party or went to a bar and was rarely seen with a girl.
Some speculated the Little East Conference Player of the Year was saving himself for marriage and might have been attending the local Baptist church near campus during his free time.
So how tough is it for a student-athlete at Western Connecticut State to not break the honor code living in a society that promotes abstinence, refraining from drinking and making responsible decisions?
“It’s not that tough at all, believe it or not,” Phillips said. “I mean, the staff and students around here make sure we all are made fully aware of the honor code. Three girls showed up at dorm about two weeks ago wearing bikinis and holding baby oil asking me if I wanted to get it on with them. It shows the level of dedication folks have to the cause.”
In addition, the school provides an array of alcoholic beverages in dorms, the student union and dining hall. WCU also broadcasts adult entertainment on the campus TV station and streams it live for free on the school website.
There is even a one-night-stand day on campus the first Friday of each semester, according to school officials.
“No one has an excuse for not following our rules,” said WSU president James W. Schmotter. “We recommend those who are unable to live by our guidelines to either drop out or look elsewhere for an education.”
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College Basketball: Would BYU Punish Jimmer Fredette for Honor Code Violations?
If Jimmer Fredette had sex with his girlfriend on campus, I doubt he would have been dismissed from the BYU basketball team in the same fashion as big man Brandon Davies was this week.
Not with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on the line and a possible trip to the Final Four at stake.
Not when Fredette is the school’s most recognized and marketable athlete.
Not at the expense of ruining what has been a fairy tale story.
Before anyone accuses me of throwing around the race card, I’m not; this is not about race. This is about value.
Fredette, for all intents and purposes, is the most valuable commodity in Provo right now. Sure, Davies has been an important performer for the Cougars during their run toward the apex of the college basketball poll.
But Davies does not carry the same cache and is not BYU’s best player like Fredette is.
The attention his stellar play has brought to the sleepy mid-major basketball program is invaluable. It is free PR, a dream for any university.
Jimmer is the Cam Newton of BYU basketball, the golden child.
Newton spent much of the second half of the 2010 football season embroiled in a controversy regarding allegations that his father, Cecil Newton, had sought substantial sums of money (in violation of NCAA rules) for his son to play for a major college program.
In early December, the NCAA announced that Cam had been declared ineligible by Auburn after having found evidence that Cecil did in fact solicit Mississippi State for money in exchange for his son’s services.
Auburn immediately filed to have him reinstated.
The NCAA quickly reinstated Newton, declaring him eligible prior to the end of the regular season, stating there was not sufficient evidence that the quarterback or anyone from Auburn had any knowledge of Cecil’s actions.
Newton won the Heisman Trophy, and Auburn went on to win the BCS National Championship.
Did anyone really think Cam Newton was going to be ruled ineligible by the NCAA with the powers that be—ESPN, CBS and the SEC—involved?
We all thought five Ohio State football players, including starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor, would be suspended for the Sugar Bowl for accepting improper benefits.
Wrong again. They were suspended—for the first five games of next season, when the Buckeyes complete a first-half non-conference schedule filled with also-rans.
Not the Sugar Bowl.
Kinda hard for ESPN to sell the Big Ten/SEC matchup to the public with one of the marquee players ruled out for selling gold pants.
We can all commend BYU for enforcing university rules, but what if their biggest draw both locally and nationally was found to have broken the sacred code?
Would the decision have been made so quickly and seemingly so easily without much second thought?
Let’s take former Cougar quarterback Jim McMahon for example.
He was the classic rebel with an attitude who just so happened be a stud college football player, and tales of McMahon disdaining Mormonism have been well-documented.
He was at odds with all the rules and regulations at the school that’s owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a Brad Rock Desert News article chronicling the punky QB’s days in Provo during the 1980′s, Rock wrote:
“It was also McMahon who flaunted the honor code, gestured at opposing crowds and bickered with the assistant coaches. Some even credit him with being the first player to taunt opposing fans by pointing at the scoreboard.
“‘Yeah, I had a great time on Saturdays,’ said McMahon of his days in Provo. ‘Rest of the week was a little rough, but Saturdays were always fun.’
“Said former coach LaVell Edwards: ‘He spent more time in my office than I did.’”
If that is the case, how did McMahon survive five years without being kicked out of not only BYU, but Utah?
Setting 32 NCAA passing records, being named a two-time All-American and leading the program to multiple Holiday Bowl wins might have something to do with it, considering there are stories of McMahon binge drinking and partying off-campus.
The examples provided go to show that an essential athlete will have his transgressions overlooked for the greater good of bowl appearances and championships.
It has historically been the case throughout the history of major collegiate athletics. Star athletes have been known to get a pass or two—or 100—due to the value they bring to the team and school.
Too bad Davies is not averaging 27.5 points per game, not the lead story on SportsCenter and not in discussion for Naismith honors, because he still might be on the squad.
Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
