arizona gets slapped

The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions has penalized the University of Arizona for major violations involving the men’s basketball program. The violations occurred on multiple occasions over a period of two years and involve impermissible recruiting inducements and activities, a failure by the former head coach to promote an atmosphere of compliance and a failure to monitor by the university.

The penalties in the case include two years probation, recruiting restrictions, scholarship reductions, vacation of wins and disassociation of an event promoter.

The violations in this case center around three Arizona Cactus Classic basketball tournaments and a GOAZCATS.com Showdown, which the promoter was allowed to conduct on the university’s campus. The committee found that the former head coach set the violations in motion when he allowed the promoter to have access to boosters to solicit financial support. The former head coach arranged for the promoter to speak directly to Rebounders, the men’s basketball booster club for the university, at regularly scheduled meetings. On one occasion, the former head coach personally exhorted these boosters to assist the promoter, and also sent a letter to boosters reminding them that the events were important for recruiting.

As a result, Rebounders members provided more than $197,000 in contributions to the promoter. This money was used to fund the events, which the former head coach acknowledged were beneficial to recruiting.

Documentation in the institution's response to the notice of allegations and the enforcement staff's case summary established that two men's basketball student-athletes at the institution competed while ineligible during the 2007-08 academic year, based on their receipt of impermissible benefits in conjunction with the 2006 Cactus Classic. As noted elsewhere in this report, those violations directly involved the former head coach. He arranged for the promoter to come to Rebounder's board meetings and speak to the board, and he urged board members to support the promoter's events. Further, as this case also involves a finding of failure to monitor, two of seven aggravating factors considered for vacation of records are present. Therefore, pursuant to NCAA Bylaws 19.5.2.2-(e)-(2) and 31.2.2.3-(b), the institution will vacate all wins in which the ineligible student-athletes competed while ineligible. The vacations shall apply to contests in the regular season, conference tournaments and all other postseason play, including NCAA championships. The individual records of the ineligible student-athletes shall be vacated as well. Further, the institution's records regarding men's basketball, as well as the record of the former head coach will reflect the vacated records and will be recorded in all publications in which men's basketball records are reported, including, but not limited to, institution media guides, recruiting material, electronic and digital media plus institution and NCAA archives. Any public reference to these vacated contests, including any championships, shall be removed from athletics department stationery, banners displayed in public areas and any other forum in which they may appear.