NCAA sniffing Syracuse Academics?

[huskymedic]

John Infante (@John_Infante)
1/17/13, 11:36 PM
So, here’s a report that the NCAA is investigating some academic fraud at Syracuse:

http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2013/01/syracuse_forward_james_souther.html

"The current suspension of Syracuse University basketball player James Southerland is the result of an NCAA investigation into the SU basketball program’s academic records, according to three sources with knowledge of the situation."

 

[businesslawyer]

Oh. So that is why the ACC wanted them. Because they fit into the moral and ethical structure.

 

[Fishy]

It must be absolutely wonderful to exist in a media market with one and a half beat writers.

One of their SID peeps is in trouble for putting video cameras in the football and rugby locker rooms at waist level and taking video of the male teams.

That would banner ESPN.com for days if it had happened here.

 

[RoderickSpode]

Their academic scandals and sexual peccadillos are becoming the stuff of legend.

 

[Ricky1Moore]

It must be absolutely wonderful to exist in a media market with one and a half beat writers.

One of their SID peeps is in trouble for putting video cameras in the football and rugby locker rooms at waist level and taking video of the male teams.

That would banner ESPN.com for days if it had happened here.

It's true, if it were us it would be espn homepage news. But it's nowhere to be seen right now because it happened to cuse.

Now, yeah they have protective media grad blanket. But really it's because they're syracuse and we're Connecticut.

No one cares about mediocrity, we're more important news.

 

[Ts5034]

Its just stupid because of all the heat UConn gets now because of this APR garbage everyone thinks all our athletes fail out and dont go to class. Thats obviously not true. To be honest i cant remember too many players over the last 10 years or so that have lost playing time due to suspension from academics. I know Marcus Williams was suspended for the spring semester during the championship season in 2004. I dont remember the specifics of Stanleys situation the year he joined the team for the second semester. But here is Syracuse who had 2 players suspended because of academics within 10 months. I know they were walking a tight rope with their APR scores and i will be shocked if they somehow avoid a post season ban.

 

[rex33]

Anyone notice their back to back 1000 APR scores in 2009-10 and 2010-11?

 

[OkaForPrez]

Can any of our cuse lurkers knowledgeable of their APR situation comment on the risk of where there scores are and the impact of Fab and now potentially Southerlamd? I'd ask on your side of the fence but don't want to rouse the haters and drown the conversation.

 

[upstater]

Can the NCAA really investigate Syracuse academics? Given its stance on UNC?

 

[upstater]

Anyone notice their back to back 1000 APR scores in 2009-10 and 2010-11?

I mentioned this a few weeks ago. Last year's score with Melo isn't in yet. They are in grave danger.

 

[upstater]

Can any of our cuse lurkers knowledgeable of their APR situation comment on the risk of where there scores are and the impact of Fab and now potentially Southerlamd? I'd ask on your side of the fence but don't want to rouse the haters and drown the conversation.

It's impossible to say since there are never any raw numbers given. The school reports what it wants to report. No raw #s released publicly. So you don't know what anyone's status is. All we know is that Cuse has been under the 930 threshold for two straight years. When you add last year's debacle with Melo and this year's with Southerland, they may be in trouble.

 

[Deepelm]

Anyone else get the ironic banner ad at the top for Empire State College that says " Get Your Degree "?

 

[Deepelm]

It must be absolutely wonderful to exist in a media market with one and a half beat writers.

One of their SID peeps is in trouble for putting video cameras in the football and rugby locker rooms at waist level and taking video of the male teams.

That would banner ESPN.com for days if it had happened here.

Really?

 

[CL82]

Few things would please me more than 'cuse having to vacatetwo seasons worth of wins. I suspect Beoheim would retire shortly thereafter.

 

[caw]

With the rumors that Southerland's issues go back to last year, it's entirely possible (even if just a small percentage) that wins may be vacated.

 

[Greathusky]

Oh. So that is why the ACC wanted them. Because they fit into the moral and ethical structure.

I hear that a CUSE baskeball player transferring to UNC would receive full credit for the course "Pottery - What does it mean to you?".

 

[dsturdy5]

Look at how many Cuse alums are in the media and then ask yourself if it really is a question as to why there are no reportings about any of this.

 

[jibsey]

Its just stupid because of all the heat UConn gets now because of this APR garbage everyone thinks all our athletes fail out and dont go to class. Thats obviously not true. To be honest i cant remember too many players over the last 10 years or so that have lost playing time due to suspension from academics. I know Marcus Williams was suspended for the spring semester during the championship season in 2004. I dont remember the specifics of Stanleys situation the year he joined the team for the second semester. But here is Syracuse who had 2 players suspended because of academics within 10 months. I know they were walking a tight rope with their APR scores and i will be shocked if they somehow avoid a post season ban.

I'm constantly hearing from people even in connecticut who tell me UCONN deserves this because "they didn't hit the books". Even when I explain there is no one on the current team that caused the problem. But the main part of the APR problem was players who left school or transferred with low academic averages? I'm still a bit unclear about who the culprits were and who was at fault and how could we be the only school in the country with this problem?

 

[CL82]

Well it was Fishy's proverbial perfect storm. We had some rough years with transfers and some surprises when three otherwise sound academic performers went pro and did not complete their classwork. That isn't an indicia of a problem with the program. It is an artifact due to the draft season falling within the Spring academic calender. In any event that year (2008) caused us to be two players down for 2011. Calhoun's response was to win the whole shebang scholarship limitations notwithstanding. The NCAA then changed to a 4 year test with loss post season eligiblity, and included 2008, a year for which we were already sanctioned, and disregarding more current data which would have left us eligible. They applied the new rules retroactively knowing that it would be mathematically impossible for us to meet the new test. Originally they were going to impose the sanctions for the 2012 seas0n (which may have been a blessing in hindsight) but instead moved it 2013 when 12 schools would have been excluded. It is world class horsedooty, but we're stuck with it.

 

[upstater]

Well it was Fishy's proverbial perfect storm. We had some rough years with transfers and some surprises when three otherwise sound academic performers went pro and did not complete their classwork. That isn't an indicia of a problem with the program. It is an artifact due the the draft season falling within the Spring academic calender. In any event that year (2008) caused us to be two players down for 2011. Calhoun's response was to win the whole shebang scholarship limitations notwithstanding. The NCAA's then changed to a 4 year test with loss post season eligiblity, and included 2008, a year for which we were already sanctioned, and disregarding more current data which would have left us eligible. Originally they were going to impose the sanctions for the 2012 seas0n (which may have been a blessing in hindsight) but instead moved it 2013 when 12 schools would have been excluded. It is world class horsedooty, but we're stuck with it.

This i precisely right. Syracuse did the same exact thing UConn did before, and it was docked (in a year without probation). So have a great many other schools.

UConn's problem is that it was targeted along with the willing compliance of the President of the U. of Hartford.

 

[Fishy]

I'm constantly hearing from people even in connecticut who tell me UCONN deserves this because "they didn't hit the books". Even when I explain there is no one on the current team that caused the problem. But the main part of the APR problem was players who left school or transferred with low academic averages? I'm still a bit unclear about who the culprits were and who was at fault and how could we be the only school in the country with this problem?

Syracuse and Louisville both lost scholarships to the APR - never gets a heck of a lot of mention.

Neither did the Yahoo deal about 11 SU players failing drug tests and remaining eligible, MCW's non-arrested arrest, their employee filming males players, etc.

They live in a favorable media bubble.

Oddly, the one thing that they took a hit on - the Bernie Fine thing - was probably the only thing they shouldn't have.

 

[HooperScooper]

Really?

Yes, really.

Syracuse staffer pleads not guilty

 

[upstater]

Oddly, the one thing that they took a hit on - the Bernie Fine thing - was probably the only thing they shouldn't have.

Agree with the rest, can't agree with this. They soft-pedaled this bigtime. Syracuse's own internal report was damning, not to mention the prosecutor's report.

You know who did a damn good job on Fine? The Syracuse local newspaper. They kept reporting. No one else did. Instead, the mass media called for apologies to Fine, while the local news made it evident that the guy should have been prosecuted years ago, but now he evaded it because his crime was beyond the statue of limitations. Even Boeheim's buddy, the DA, said Fine should have been prosecuted.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Agree with the rest, can't agree with this. They soft-pedaled this bigtime. Syracuse's own internal report was damning, not to mention the prosecutor's report.

You know who did a damn good job on Fine? The Syracuse local newspaper. They kept reporting. No one else did. Instead, the mass media called for apologies to Fine, while the local news made it evident that the guy should have been prosecuted years ago, but now he evaded it because his crime was beyond the statue of limitations. Even Boeheim's buddy, the DA, said Fine should have been prosecuted.

You're badly mistaken on this. I don't want to rehash everything, but the Post-Standard did not find enough believeable evidence to run the story when it first arose in 2003-04. That's why it never appeared, until ESPN thought they could make hay after missing out on the Penn State story. The University did an investigation, using a local law firm that is actually rather well respected nationally for their NCAA sports law practice. The police dept. gave it the quick flush; that much is true.

The local D.A., Fitzpatrick, came out on televsion and said that he felt the accusers were *not* credible, except for one - Zach Tomaselli - who wound up going to prison shortly afterwards for child molestation himself (takes one to know one?). The D.A. speaking out on ongoing cases (something he likes to do with alarming frequency) is a walking, talking ethics violation, a real gasbag who really should be removed from office.

 

[caw]

You're badly mistaken on this. I don't want to rehash everything, but the Post-Standard did not find enough believeable evidence to run the story when it first arose in 2003-04. That's why it never appeared, until ESPN thought they could make hay after missing out on the Penn State story. The University did an investigation, using a local law firm that is actually rather well respected nationally for their NCAA sports law practice. The police dept. gave it the quick flush; that much is true.

The local D.A., Fitzpatrick, came out on televsion and said that he felt the accusers were *not* credible, except for one - Zach Tomaselli - who wound up going to prison shortly afterwards for child molestation himself (takes one to know one?). The D.A. speaking out on ongoing cases (something he likes to do with alarming frequency) is a walking, talking ethics violation, a real gasbag who really should be removed from office.

That's a fairly big "except" even with the fact he was going to jail.

A lot of child molesters were molested as children.