Under the microscope

Fresno State, a repeat NCAA rules offender, gets probation extended until 2010 after 457 impermissible phone calls

By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian

The NCAA Division I Committee on infractions has decided to extend the Fresno State basketball team’s probation until 2010, stemming from recruiting violations and lack of institutional control while the team was under the watch of former coach Ray Lopes.

The NCAA also accepted the additional sanctions Fresno State imposed upon itself, which include official recruiting visits being reduced from 12 to six during the 2005-06 academic year. Fresno State’s basketball program also self-imposed a 33 percent reduction of its recruiting-day limitation (130 to 86 days) through the 2006-07 academic year.

Gene Marsh, Chair of the Committee on Infractions chair, said the possibility of adding a postseason ban was discussed, but the committee instead decided to accept Fresno State’s self-imposed sanctions, which included non-participation in any postseason games.

The committee accepted Fresno State’s one year of probation in addition to adding an extra three years of probation, a term that will end in April 2010.

Betsy Mosher, Fresno State’s Senior Associate Athletics Director in charge of compliance and program integrity, said being under probation means Fresno State will have to check-in once a year with the NCAA and display evidence that it is complying with NCAA rules.

The Fresno State basketball team will continue with its standard allotment of 13 scholarships, and will be eligible for the Western Athletic Conference tournament and any tournament that should present itself after that.

Fresno State was praised for the way it took proactive actions against itself by Marsh and the committee, for using previous cases as precedence to punish the program. Fresno State President John Welty received some of the praise for the way he and other University representatives presented their case to the committee.

Second year head coach Steve Cleveland said the decision means a new beginning for the basketball program.

“Well, this a good day,” Cleveland said. “I think today is a new chapter, not only for our basketball program, but for the entire athletic department.”

The focus point of the investigation dealt with impermissible phone calls by former coach Lopes and his staff. Lopes’ staff made 457 impermissible phone calls with prospective student-athletes, while Lopes himself made 234 calls — more than half of the total amount.

The calls were made to a total of 25 players, including a student-athlete who was at another Division I school. Of the 25 players, 12 moved on to join the Bulldogs, while one other signed a letter of intent.

Marsh called the issue dealing with excessive phone calls as a “serious student-athlete welfare issue.”

Lopes was given a three-year “show cause” penalty, meaning before he could become a coach at another NCAA university, he and the school must appear before the Committee on Infractions to determine whether or not his duties should be limited.

Comment on this story in the News forum >>