The NCAA has forced Memphis to give up every victory in its 38-win season under coach John Calipari that ended in the national title game in 2007-08, saying the school used an ineligible player.
The announcement came Thursday, 16 months after the Tigers lost to Kansas in overtime in the championship game.
The NCAA also said the school must return the money it received from the NCAA tournament appearance that season. School officials were expected to discuss the report later Thursday during a conference call.
It is the second time both Memphis and Calipari have had to vacate Final Four seasons. The Tigers were stripped of their 1985 appearance, and Calipari's Massachusetts team lost its 1996 berth.
Calipari is now the coach at Kentucky, where officials have voiced support for him despite the Memphis scandal.
The NCAA did not identify the player by name, though earlier descriptions of him lead to the conclusion it could only be current Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose, the 2008 No. 1 draft pick who went on to win the NBA rookie of the year award.
The player was accused of having another person take his SAT exam so he would be eligible as a freshman. Memphis argued it did not have enough information to substantiate the allegations in November 2007 and cleared him to play.
However, the SAT officials later conducted their own investigation and notified the player, the university and the NCAA's eligibility center that they were canceling his test in May 2008.
The agency said it sent letters to the player in March and April 2008; the latter letter was sent three days after Rose and the Tigers lost to the Jayhawks. The player did not respond to either letter.
The committee also said the player's brother received free transportation on the team's charter plane and hotel lodging that season. Investigators said the total cost would have come to $1,713.85. Such an arrangement is considered an impermissible extra benefit.
The school's women's golf team also received three years of probation and lost a scholarship for violations in its program.
jeebus - Rick Pitino and John Calipari in the same state... wtf next?
WKU to be coached by Tubby Smith?
EKU to be coached by Bob Huggins?
Morehead to be coached by Jerry Tarkanian?
let's gather all the classless coaches in one place - forget FIU, let's get Isaiah Thomas in here for good measure somehow...
North Dakota State University Bison 2011 and 2012 National Champions
TwinTownBisonFan wrote:jeebus - Rick Pitino and John Calipari in the same state... wtf next?
WKU to be coached by Tubby Smith?
EKU to be coached by Bob Huggins?
Morehead to be coached by Jerry Tarkanian?
let's gather all the classless coaches in one place - forget FIU, let's get Isaiah Thomas in here for good measure somehow...
Tubby Smith is pretty happy at Minnesota, for now.
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TwinTownBisonFan wrote:jeebus - Rick Pitino and John Calipari in the same state... wtf next?
WKU to be coached by Tubby Smith?
EKU to be coached by Bob Huggins?
Morehead to be coached by Jerry Tarkanian?
let's gather all the classless coaches in one place - forget FIU, let's get Isaiah Thomas in here for good measure somehow...
Tubby Smith is pretty happy at Minnesota, for now.
sorta biffed that joke... was going for Clem Haskins to return to WKU - got my Kentucky-based black college hoops coaches mixed up...
North Dakota State University Bison 2011 and 2012 National Champions
dbackjon wrote:Of course the NCAA double standard rears it's head. Duke used an neligble player back about 7 years ago but didn't have to forfeit any victories
Difference between Duke, USC (Reggie Bush), and others like them is that they are private schools while Memphis is public... it's a lot harder for the NCAA to prove their cases against private schools as they don't have to publicly disclose anything.
How does Calipari keeps getting jobs? Better jobs at that? Think if he fails at Kentucky and gets run out of town by the donors he will find another job after this latest debacle?
dbackjon wrote:
Not like Calipari is a first time offender.
he should be banned... 4 years at least. everywhere he goes his records "disappear" after he's moved on to the next payday...
btw, is anyone even a little surprised at this??? i know i'm not.
I'm even less surprised that Kentucky hired a winning coach with questionable ethics...will fit right in with the the racist Rupp, cheaters Joe B Hall & Eddie Sutton & the fornicator Pitino...only honorable coach UK had was Smith and they ran him & his NC trophy out of town on a rail.....
“It’s like someone found a manic, doom-prophesying hobo in a sandwich board, shaved him, shot him full of Zoloft and gave him a show.” - The Buffalo Beast commenting on Glenn Beck
I agree with other posts here. I also think there was no reason the Rose should have been in college to begin with. Basically the NBA wants schools to socialize (babysit) a kid for a year before they will allow him to be drafted. If a player is good enough, he should be drafted straight out of high school.
