A startling report said the athletic department violated rules for a decade, and a severe punishment would include suspending the men’s basketball coach, Jim Boeheim, for nine games.
It’s almost become a given - look at any successful national college sports program and just wait a few years - they will be investigated by the NCAA and punished.
My bet… Boeheim will retire sooner rather than later. I don’t think he can hang around long enough to rebuild the program after this. And whoever succeeds him will have to start from scratch.
Interestingly, NC State is being investigated for violations worse than the ones Syracuse has been found guilty of; it will be interesting to see what their punishment is.
Similarities with the charges at UNC. From the article:
Is it both UNC and NC State?
I really haven’t paid much attention to college basketball this year.
OK… I was getting my North Carolinas mixed up. It is UNC.
I guess I was thinking NC State because I remember that’s who their final game is with this season, since they are banned from post-season play.
The UNC charges related to the football team.
I am imagining today that every Syracuse fan out there is about to become an expert on NCAA infraction history.
Holy Moly! This got to sting…
My H is a huge Syracuse fan. I think all this was pretty much a given months ago, iirc. I know I heard about the post season ban for basketball this year a while ago.
Schools survive this type of “severe” stings with gusto! Look at the “severity” of the punishment of the Paterno Temple at PSU or how USC survived Pete the Cheat’s years.
Except for the legal wrangling, the punishments after multiple revisions, amounted to a slap on the wrist. A severe punishment is none other than a death penalty for multiple years.
Ask SMU in Dallas what a severe punishment look like. Until the NCAA punishes the school where it REALLY hurts, the schools will continue to play fast and loose, as the punishment phase leaves the results of the cheating a plus for the school. To the great satisfaction of the supporters.
Yes, it’s severe, but really… it could have been much worse.
Look at it this way - they’ll get to celebrate Boeheim’s 900th win all over again (if he doesn’t retire).
But he’s 70 years old - how long is he going to stick around? (I’d love to be proven wrong).
BTW… I hope I’m half as active as he is at age 70 when I’m 70.
I admit to knowing almost nothing about NCAA B’ball, but my nephew went to Syracuse, so I lightly follow. Does the restriction on scholarships hurt any current HS seniors who might already have committed, and been counting on an athletic scholarship? That would be really really sad.
The loss of scholarships is scheduled to begin in the 2015-16 season, but Syracuse is able to push back the the start date until 2016-17. (See p. 64 of the report.)
Even if it doesn’t start in this coming year’s season, and this year’s recruits are safe, you have to wonder how long they’ll give the program… might some of them transfer with the fear that future recruiting classes are going to be less than ideal? FWIW… the incoming freshman class is considered the #1 recruiting class in the NCAA, so maybe there’s hope, and that will be enough to continue to attract elite players. Their top recruit has not changed his mind, yet, according to reports.
And perhaps there are some high school players out there who want to play with the #1 recruit class, whose parents can afford some tuition. Despite losing three scholarships per year, they still have ten to work with. It won’t be a deep team for several years, though.
Good.
For better or worse, Calipari at U Kentucky has shown that you don’t need a full compliment of 10 scholarship players to win big. You need a handful of outstanding players; only a handful, not a bucket-full.
I was just beginning to like and respect Boeheim in recent years because he is a basketball traditionalist (his preference was that his university remain in the Big East Conference) and frankly, he can coach. It was the lack of character in his players over the years that bothered me. Seemed like he no qualms about recruiting selfish ruffians like Derick Coleman, or sketchy street kids like Tony Red Bruin. Seems like Boeheim wasn’t interested in players that were like his old Syracuse teammate Dave Bing (businessman and former Mayor); clean cut, ambitious, team-oriented, high work ethic…and talented!
honest question: do any of the UK “one and done” players even have to go to class at all? I did a quick google and this is what I found:
^ aka, GPA is irrelevant to eligibility if you are going pro after 1 year
so, looks like they might have to “earn” 6 credits first semester and then can skip school second semester
fantastic.
When checking out scores of colleges over the past few years for my two kids, we found Syracuse to be the most unpleasant - looking college in the most un-interesting city with a horrible climate. We wondered how they could lure even one great athlete there.
Yes, the City of Syracuse and upstate NY generally has seen better days. But the area does have its assets. But of course I don’t expect that many of Boeheim’s players appreciated the region. Greenlake in Syracuse is a nice large park (a natural glacier lake).