Rebels hope for NCAA’s understanding

Steve Addy

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000 | 10:07 a.m.

Here is a list of NCAA Division I basketball programs on probation:

Arkansas-Little Rock, 2 years, ends Sept. 24, 2001

Cal State-Fullerton, 4 years, Nov. 14, 2002

Dayton, 3 years, April 18, 2003

Gonzaga, 4 years, June 5, 2002

Louisville, 5 years, Aug. 9, 2001

LSU, 3 years, Sept. 26, 2001

Purdue, 2 years, April 9, 2001

SE Missouri State, 3 years, Jan. 31, 2001

Texas-El Paso, 5 years, May 1, 2002

Texas Tech, 4 years, April 24, 2002

UCLA, 4 years, April 30, 2001

Confidence and contrition will be the hallmarks of UNLV's game plan Friday when it appears before the NCAA in Dallas to answer major allegations against the men's basketball program.

While steadfast in their belief that improper benefits to former recruit Lamar Odom should not yield major sanctions, the Rebels also know they won't help their case by antagonizing the Committee on Infractions, which has a long, contentious history with UNLV.

Because the university has admitted to several violations customarily viewed as secondary, the program is certain to be sanctioned when the committee rules in November. Probation is likely, along with possible limits on scholarships and contact with recruits.

UNLV's quest in Dallas will be to ease those penalties with an earnest presentation that will stress corrective measures taken since the NCAA investigation began in March 1999.

The university hopes to show the NCAA that even though booster Dr. David Chapman gave cash and improper benefits to Odom in 1997, UNLV should not be held fully responsible.

UNLV and Chapman claim the support didn't begin until after July 24, 1997, when UNLV released Odom from his letter of intent, and that it stemmed from a friendship between Odom and Chapman. But Odom told the NCAA that he got cash from Chapman while enrolled in a UNLV summer class.

That will be the pivotal issue when UNLV addresses the Committee on Infractions, an eight-member body comprised of six representatives from Division I institutions and two lawyers.

"All we're looking for is an honest review of the record," UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro said. "We have clearly tried to do things the right way, and when we have found errors, we have taken measures to correct them.

"In this case, we have imposed sanctions on ourselves. We're confident that the Committee on Infractions will take that into account, and we believe we'll be treated fairly."

Among the good-faith measures UNLV will cite:

However, those measures might not be sufficient to sway the Committee on Infractions, because UNLV is subject to the NCAA's repeat violator rule (bylaw 19.6.2.3.1) after its probation of 1993-96.

Though the full wrath of the rule would normally result in the so-called death penalty for the program, it isn't a concern in this case. Not only did the NCAA fail to allege the requisite "lack of institutional control," but the NCAA's two most recent repeat violator cases indicate a trend toward mercy.

Texas A&M, a school with a longer NCAA rap sheet than UNLV, was a repeat violator in a 1994 case that revealed extra benefits for football players and financial aid fraud. Instead of closing down the program, the NCAA put the school on five years' probation with a one-year ban on postseason play and TV appearances.

In 1996, Texas Pan American's men's basketball program avoided the maximum penalty despite its third NCAA infractions case since 1990. It accepted a four-year probation extension as well as minor cutbacks on scholarships and contact with recruits.

Though being placed on probation for the second time in seven years would be an undeniable blot on UNLV's program, it is not insurmountable, especially if it doesn't include serious restrictions on postseason and TV appearances. By and large, recruits don't seem bothered by the stigma of probation nowadays, as long as they can play in the NCAA Tournament and on TV.

Also, several high-profile programs are thriving despite probation. Of the 11 Division I basketball teams on probation, six were in the NCAA Tournament last spring: Dayton, Gonzaga, Louisville, LSU, Purdue and UCLA. And that doesn't include Cincinnati, whose probation ended last month.