College Bball Thread

[OliviaPope40]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/17839841/rick-pitino-louisville-cardinals-coach-charged-failure-monitor-basketball-program

Nothing more than a slap on the wrist nothing to see here.

[Brass Cannon]

Fake Classes and/or Hookers <<<<<<Bumper Stickers

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

From WDRB, Fox network affiliate in L'ville.      The next post is from ESPN that Pitino as been charged with "failure to monitor".

CRAWFORD | NCAA alleges major violations against McGee, Pitino

Posted: Oct 20, 2016 9:27 AM Updated: Oct 20, 2016 9:31 AM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A year-long investigation into the University of Louisville men’s basketball program after a former Louisville escort alleged that she provided strippers and prostitutes for recruits and players has resulted in four alleged Level I violations -- the most serious the NCAA can levy -- including two against former administrative staffer Andre McGee and one against head coach Rick Pitino for failure to demonstrate that he monitored McGee, though the notice does not allege that Pitino had any knowledge of the violations.

The program escaped, however, the most severe allegations -- charges of a lack of institutional control and failure to monitor the program. The university says in a statement that it will dispute the charge against Pitino, which could include an NCAA suspension and/or a show-cause penalty if upheld. 

The NCAA alleges that McGee, a former graduate assistant coach and director of basketball operations, provided impermissible benefits "in the form of adult entertainment, sex acts and/or cash at Billy Minardi Hall . . . or hotels to at least 17 then men's basketball prospective and/or current student-athletes, two then nonscholastic men's basketball coaches and one then men's basketball prospective student-athletes's friend. The value of the impermissible inducements, offers and/or extra benefits was at least $5,400."

In all, the document details 14 strip shows, 11 sex acts and two declined sex acts.

The NCAA, along with U of L representatives, conducted more than 90 interviews with current and former players and recruits, parents, coaches and others involved in the case. The Notice of Allegations was delivered to the school on Monday. U of L released the document Thursday morning, and is expected to hold a news conference later today.

In a statement, acting president Neville Pinto and athletic director Tom Jurich said: "As parent and university leaders who care about every student who comes to the University of Louisville, we are heartbroken that inappropriate behavior took place here. It saddens us tremendously. We promised that if something was done wrong, we would be open about it, acknowledge it and correct it. . . . From the start, the NCAA Enforcement Staff had our full cooperation. Its staff and our investigators spoke to numerous Louisville employees and third parties, and the university produced every document requested by the NCAA. We are disappointed that former Director of Basketball Operations Andre McGee did not cooperate. These allegations underscore why it was appropriate for the university to self-impose strict penalties on our basketball program earlier this year."

The statement also notes that the notice aligns with the results of the university's inquiry. It further points out that, "The NOA does not contain an allegation that Coach Pitino had knowledge of what took place in the dormitory. The NCAA does not allege a 'lack of institutional control' at Louisville, a very severe allegation. The NCAA does not allege that there was a 'failure to monitor' against the institution, also a severe allegation. The NCAA does not allege that Coach Pitino 'failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance,' a serious allegation. The NOA does contain a narrower allegation -- which we will dispute -- that Coach Pitino failed to demonstrate that he monitored McGee. We believe that McGee acted furtively and note that the NOA does not indicate that any other university employee besides Mr. McGee had knowledge of these activities. We are confident in Coach Pitino and we know he is and always has been committed to NCAA compliance. The entire episode is a deep disappointment to all of us who love this university."

A Notice of Allegations is roughly akin to a complaint in a civil court proceeding. The allegations in the U of L’s notice are the result of interviews, several meetings with Powell and her attorneys, examination of her journals and records, and the examination of many records provided by U of L. They largely represent a collaborative effort between the NCAA, the school and its consultant, former NCAA enforcement staffer Chuck Smrt, president of The Compliance Group, a Kansas City-based firm that assists universities with NCAA issues.

The school released a redacted version of the notice this morning, and expects to hold a news conference today., with athletic director Tom Jurich, acting president Pinto and university consultant Chuck Smrt expected to be in attendance.

The allegations stemmed from claims by former Louisville escort Katina Powell that she provided strippers and prostitutes to men’s basketball players and recruits from 2010 to 2014.

Any penalties U of L receives would be in addition to those already self-imposed by the school, which include the postseason ban enacted last Feb. 5 and scholarship reductions and recruiting restrictions put into place on April 6, including the loss of two scholarships, 30 recruiting days and two official visits over the next two seasons.

The major questions still remaining, whether the school may have to vacate victories or even its 2013 NCAA championship, and whether Pitino could be subject to suspension, remain unresolved by the receipt of this notice.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

From Dana O'Neil at ESPN

NCAA charges Rick Pitino but not Louisville over dorm scandal

 

Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has been charged with failing to monitor a staff member in his basketball program, but Louisville otherwise escaped potentially serious penalties stemming from an NCAA investigation into allegations made by a former escort.

The NCAA's notice of allegations, released Thursday, includes four Level I charges, with one to Pitino, two directed at former director of basketball operations Andre McGee and the fourth aimed at former assistant Brandon Williams. The university was not charged with any violations, including a lack of institutional control or failure to monitor, the two most egregious NCAA infractions.

Pitino, however, could face a steep penalty. Although the NCAA did not say that Pitino was complicit nor is he charged with committing a violation himself, it alleges that the coach "did not monitor" McGee and failed to "spot-check" his program, including "actively looking for red flags."

Pitino has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the accusations made by former escort Katina Powell. In her October 2015 book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules," Powell alleged that McGee paid her and other escorts thousands of dollars and gave them tickets to games in exchange for sex with recruits and players in the players' dormitory, Minardi Hall. The NCAA agreed, alleging that McGee paid some $5,400 to the escorts.

The NCAA alleges that McGee's payments, made for at least 17 athletes and/or recruits, can be construed as impermissible benefits.

What Pitino did or did not know might not matter. Under the most recent NCAA enforcement legislation, enacted in 2014, a head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of any and all staff members and can be held accountable for their violations, even if the coach is unaware.

Not knowing what happened, in other words, is no longer a defense. The NCAA's stance is that the head coach should have known. However, Pitino can appeal the charges.

Using case precedent, coaches charged similarly have faced multigame suspensions. Last season, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and then-SMU coach Larry Brown each were forced to sit for nine games over violations.

In a joint statement, acting university president Dr. Neville Pinto and athletic director Tom Jurich said they intend to dispute the charges lobbed at Pitino.

"We believe that Mr. McGee acted furtively and note that the NOA does not indicate that any other university employee besides Mr. McGee had knowledge of these activities," the statement reads. "We are confident in Coach Pitino and we know he is and always has been committed to NCAA compliance."

McGee, who had moved on to and later resigned from Missouri-Kansas City weeks after Powell's book was released, refused to talk to NCAA investigators. Williams, who was on the Louisville staff for one year as a program assistant, refused to turn over phone records. Refusing to cooperate with NCAA investigators, considered major breaches of ethical conduct, are typically dealt the harshest penalties.

Acknowledging that violations likely did occur and in the hopes of mitigating further penalties, Louisville last season self-imposed a postseason ban, cut scholarships and reduced its recruiting access. The NCAA noted those efforts in its document, recognizing the "imposition of meaningful corrective measures and/or penalties."

"These allegations underscore why it was appropriate for the University to impose strict penalties on our basketball program earlier this year," the university statement read. "... The penalties we imposed were among the most severe penalties ever self-imposed by an NCAA member."

Earlier this month, Pitino said the school's self-imposed sanctions should be enough to satisfy the NCAA.

The school has 90 days to respond to the NCAA's notice and dispute any of its findings. The NCAA will then have 60 days to review that response. That timetable, coupled with the Committee on Infractions meeting schedule, means that neither Pitino nor the university will learn of penalties until at least the spring of 2017.

The university will hold a news conference at noon ET Thursday, when Pitino, Jurich and Pinto will discuss the NCAA notice of allegations.

In conjunction with the university, the NCAA hired two consultants -- Chuck Smrt and Steve Thompson -- to lead the investigation and conduct more than 90 interviews.

 

[Stuhoo]

MSU center Gavin Schilling has knee surgery and is out indefinitely.

Without him and Carter they are a much lesser team.

[Brass Cannon]

27 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

MSU center Gavin Schilling has knee surgery and is out indefinitely.

Without him and Carter they are a much lesser team.

Yep took their sweet time announcing it. No way they win big ten that small

[OliviaPope40]

29 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

MSU center Gavin Schilling has knee surgery and is out indefinitely.

Without him and Carter they are a much lesser team.

Should be interesting to see how they do this season.

Edited October 20, 2016 by OliviaPope40

[OliviaPope40]

 

Bilas is already at it.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

One time target Theo Pinson out indefinitely with another foot injury.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/17851062/north-carolina-theo-pinson-indefinitely-fractured-right-foot

[HoosierAloha]

One time target Theo Pinson out indefinitely with another foot injury.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/17851062/north-carolina-theo-pinson-indefinitely-fractured-right-foot

Get better soon Theo. I remember his recruitment and was hoping we would land him. He had great athleticism and thought he would benefit from the development at IU.

[Walking Boot of Doom]

Get better soon Theo. I remember his recruitment and was hoping we would land him. He had great athleticism and thought he would benefit from the development at IU.

Seemed like the next TW with his athleticism


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

[ccgeneral]

Old target of ours. Arizona Wildcats star Allonzo Trier subbed out of Pac-12 media day amid eligibility questions.

http://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcats/basketball/pascoe/arizona-wildcats-star-allonzo-trier-subbed-out-of-pac-/article_6bb03b36-97a7-11e6-a559-4793055df3d5.html

[HoosierAloha]

Old target of ours. Arizona Wildcats star Allonzo Trier subbed out of Pac-12 media day amid eligibility questions.

http://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcats/basketball/pascoe/arizona-wildcats-star-allonzo-trier-subbed-out-of-pac-/article_6bb03b36-97a7-11e6-a559-4793055df3d5.html

That would be a big blow for them. (66 that's not a reference to Louisville)

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

1 hour ago, HoosierAloha said:

 (66 that's not a reference to Louisville)

I knew it wasn't.  Just my warped sense of humor.

[Scooter D]

On 10/20/2016 at 10:43 AM, Brass Cannon said:

Fake Classes and/or Hookers <<<<<<Bumper Stickers

or a few extra phone calls.  Either way...stickers and phone calls really hurt the student athletes compared to those other minor offenses.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Maybe there's still hope that UNC gets more than a little tap on the wrist.

From NBCSports

NCAA rejects UNC’s arguments in Notice of Allegations response

By Rob DausterOct 25, 2016, 3:36 PM EDT

The saga of the NCAA vs. North Carolina took another step forward on Tuesday.

In August, when North Carolina responded to the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations, the school did their best to try and get off of a technicality. We went in-depth on the matter here, but in short, UNC found documents that they believed showed that the NCAA had determined, in 2013, that no rules were broken and that, during the investigation, the association tried to hide this ruling from the school.

The NCAA responded to those allegations last month and UNC released those documents on Tuesday. From the News & Observer:

NCAA officials have told UNC-Chapel Hill that its largely due-process arguments to shut down an infractions case involving bogus classes that disproportionately benefited athletes are “without merit.”

[…]

“The new information provided, for the first time, a complete picture of the athletics department’s preferential access to anomalous AFRI/AFAM courses and, in some cases, how it used those courses to retain NCAA academic eligibility for student-athletes,” the NCAA’s enforcement staff said.

The NCAA also determined that the violations were not mandated by a four-year statute of limitations and that the extent of the misconduct was not truly known until 2014, the result of the Kenneth Wainstein investigation. The document that North Carolina referenced in their response to the Notice of Allegations was from 2013.

[ccgeneral]

On 10/3/2016 at 3:06 PM, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Duke freshman forward Harry Giles underwent a left knee arthroscopy (second time he's had surgery on his left knee) on Monday and is expected to be out six weeks, the team announced.

"We're very pleased with the outcome of today's procedure," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. "This is the right step for Harry at the moment as it will help him be 100 percent going forward. Harry has done a tremendous job in rehabilitation over the last year and I'm sure he'll continue to do the same after this procedure."

The 6-foot-11 Giles is part of Duke's heralded freshmen class that also includes fellow forwards Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden.

Giles is projected as the No 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com. He tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee in 2013 and missed his sophomore season at Wesleyan (N.C.) Christian. He also tore his right ACL and was forced to miss his senior season at Oak Hill Academy (VA.).

The projected No. 1 team in the nation, Duke will open the season on Nov. 11 against Marist.

Tough times @ Duke. Tatum went down with a foot injury that "didn't look good."

http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/duke-star-freshman-jayson-tatum-reportedly-suffers-foot-injury-at-pro-day/

[HoosierAloha]

Tough times @ Duke. Tatum went down with a foot injury that "didn't look good."

http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/duke-star-freshman-jayson-tatum-reportedly-suffers-foot-injury-at-pro-day/

That's rough. Get better soon!

[LIHoosier]

1 hour ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Maybe there's still hope that UNC gets more than a little tap on the wrist.

From NBCSports....

Good. At the pace this is going, when they get the hammer thrown at them in 8-10 years time, UNC brass and many other folks will bring the argument that the staff and these kids had nothing to do with the indiscretions of the past and the penalties levied will be washed aside due to 'good behavior'.

[OliviaPope40]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/17823836/duke-blue-devils-grayson-allen-ready-put-tripping-incidents-him