Back in January, we reported Southern Methodist University had received an official Notice of Allegations from the NCAA.
It is now September. SMU officially receives sanctions from the NCAA on Tuesday, and they are harsh.
In a report yesterday by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, Southern Methodist University learned that the men’s basketball team will be banned from postseason play in the upcoming 2015-16 season and will lose nine total scholarships over the next three years. To make matters worse, head coach Larry Brown will be suspended nine of the team’s games for a lack of head coach control.
Brown’s past trouble with the NCAA certainly has not helped his case in all of this. He had found trouble at Kansas after their championship year, which will be a small stain on a great Hall of Fame resume.
ESPN’s Andy Katz reported the NCAA found misconduct within SMU’s basketball team, and that they found “unethical conduct on former secretary” at the school. Katz also went on to report that it would be “highly unlikely” that the American Athletic Conference would allow the Mustangs in the conference tournament at this point in the process.
Add three years probation to the list as well.
Neither the school nor Larry Brown were happy with the violations the NCAA is imposing. The school made their statement via Rob Dauster of College Basketball Talk:
“While we accept responsibility for violations, the individuals responsible for the infractions have been held accountable both by the University and by the Committee on Infractions. To punish the student-athletes in the men’s basketball [program] by prohibiting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in the postseason is simply wrong. It is not what our system of governance should be about and we are considering our response.”
Kari Mattioli of Sporting News provided Larry Brown’s statement:
“Leading the SMU men’s basketball program is an honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously,” said Brown in the school’s statement. “That duty includes helping our young men develop into people of character and to ensuring that we pursue our goals with integrity.”
“I am saddened and disappointed that the Committee on Infractions believes that I did not fully fulfill my duties and I will consider my options to challenge that assertion in the coming days. I truly believe that our program has dedicated itself unwaveringly to the ideals of academic integrity and NCAA compliance. Still, there was a violation in our program and I take responsibility for that and offer my sincere apologies to the University community.”
It was obvious that Brown was especially disappointed with the Committee of Infractions’ decision with their violations. That said, it was his assistant coach, Ulric Maligi, that was the main problem, according to Goodman’s report.
The violations are a huge deal because of the expectations SMU basketball had this year. The Mustangs have strung together a few solid years, and were ranked in multiple preseason polls for the upcoming season. They were fully expected to be back in the NCAA Tournament this March. It especially hurts seniors like guard Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy, two guys that both transferred into Brown’s program and have made a significant impact in their winning ways. It can be a case of bad luck for those guys because it was clear SMU had to be punished in some way.
Whether this is the way to do it — an immediate ban on postseason play — will be a debate until a foolproof way is presented.
Southern Methodist University is reviewing the sanctions, and will decide whether or not they make an appeal at a later date.
