Friday, May 1, 1998
NCAA violations haunt UCLA
PROBATION: Despite outstanding sanctions, penalties don’t impose
postseason, scholarhip limitation
By Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
As a result of various recruiting violations and dispersion of
improper benefits to athletes, the UCLA men’s basketball team has
been placed on a three-year probation by the NCAA.
The infractions, which occurred under the tenure of former head
coach Jim Harrick, ranged from players receiving everything from
free meals to free Lakers tickets.
The sanctions were imposed by the NCAA Committee on Infractions
at the conclusion of their follow-up to an investigation by the
Pac-10 Conference.
Under the terms of the ruling, the penalties will not include
postseason, television or scholarship sanctions.
The team will reduce its official recruiting visits from 12 to
six for each of the next two academic years.
"I thought we got hit appropriately," UCLA athletic director
Pete Dalis said. "We did some things that we shouldn’t have been
doing. There were no surprises in the sanctions."
Head coach Steve Lavin declined to comment on Thursday.
The NCAA stated in its report that more extensive penalties were
not inflicted because "the violations were relatively limited and
because of the swift and decisive actions taken by UCLA,
(including) the termination of (Harrick’s) employment."
Thursday’s ruling marks the second significant violation of NCAA
recruiting policy in the past two years by UCLA athletic programs.
Last May, the women’s softball team was stripped of its 1995
national championship title for "major violations" of NCAA
policy.
In response, the UCLA athletic department enacted a series of
education practices for the athletic coaching staffs, including
monthly meetings and letter writing.
"It’s frustrating. You do all of this education … I don’t know
how much more we can do," Dalis said. "It goes down to the central
character and core of who you are.
The penalties imposed by the NCAA will extend UCLA’s current
probation by one year, since it was already on probation for
violations committed by the softball program. Under this recent
penalty, the current probation period will be extended to April 30,
2001.
The NCAA ruled that UCLA did not violate a bylaw relating to
repeat offenses because the violations committed under Harrick
occurred before the softball violations. The repeat-offense
provision will be in effect for the next five years.
While the penalties will curtail the basketball team’s
recruiting efforts, the five returning sophomores will be joined by
a bumper crop of recruits, including 6-foot-11-inch center Dan
Gadzuric.
If Gadzuric signs a letter of intent next week, the Bruins would
likely have only one or two scholarships available.