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SoCalHoops College News

Cal State Fullerton Investigation
Proceeds--(Sept. 25, 1998)

The Los Angeles Times has reported today that Cal State Fullerton officials will appear today in front of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in Atlanta as a part of an on-going investigation into the men's basketball program. According to Rebecca Wempe, the NCAA's director of the infractions committee, she told the Times that it is "extremely rare" for a case to be heard by the infractions committee and for it not to result in some kind of penalty.

The penalty, if any, won't be known for quite a while, but most observers think that they'll get stung pretty hard. The NCAA has accused Fullerton of recruiting violations and providing "extra benefits" for athletes during the spring and summer of 1993 and the summer of '94 when Brad Holland was head coach. Holland later resigned in the fall of 1994 to become coach at San Diego. The Times reported in August 1996 that the investigation centered on allegations that four men's basketball recruits received living expenses, free housing, transportation and tuition payment for summer school and correspondence courses, which, if true, would violate NCAA rules forbidding "extra benefits" for student athletes.

The committee will hear testimony and then deliberate, and one of the members will be assigned the task of writing a report. Before the report is finally issued, the school will have one last chance to discuss it by way of a conference call.

The usual penalty is probation, typically from one to five years, depending on the severity of the violations. If Fullerton is given probation, the NCAA would continue to monitor the program and the school would be required to make periodic compliance reports. There can, obviously, be additional penalties, including a ban from postseason play, a reduction in the number of paid recruiting visits allowed, or a reduced number of scholarships.

The Times also contacted Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell, who said the conference would abide by whatever ruling is handed down by the NCAA, and would not independently judge the case. However, based on conference bylaws, a team is not eligible for the conference's postseason tournament if it cannot accept an NCAA automatic berth.

Fullerton officials previously conducted an investigation into the allegations and responded to the NCAA charges in a report filed this year, but so far Fullerton has declined comment on that report until after the NCAA rules on its case.