Valley Coaches Call for Reform

(St. Louis, MO) – Scandal is rocking college basketball and most experts say we’ve just touched the tip of the ice berg of the issues of bribery, illegal influence, fake classes and dirty AAU programs.

Missouri Valley Conference coaches say the ‘dirty little secret’ is that no one is surprised by recent allegations against big time programs, assistant coaches, or the firing of Rick Pitino, but they are equally bullish to say most programs aren’t run in that fashion.

During what is viewed as the initial wave of bad news for college hoops, assistant coaches from Auburn, Arizona, Oklahoma State and USC have been arrested on charges of bribery, wire fraud and financial payments made to family members. Since that time, the FBI report led to Louisville and Miami being named as teams under investigation. That led to the firing of the Louisville AD and Pitino. Miami coach Jim Larranaga has recently admitted that the Hurricane program is under investigation.

When you couple this scathing indictment with the recent North Carolina fake class issues, and you find the college game teetering.

Valley Hoops Insider recently asked MVC coaches what good can come out of these allegations, and how the NCAA should respond.

Indiana State’s Greg Lansing tells us that college coaches know what’s going on and what happens next is up to the will of the NCAA. Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson sounds hopeful when he says rules will now be changed and guilty people will now be punished and the college game will be better for everyone.

 

 

Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin believes the recent scandals are a wake-up call for college basketball and he hopes the NCAA doesn’t miss the opportunity to make some adjustments related to agents, shoe companies, summer recruiting and perhaps revisiting the idea of players going straight from high school to professional basketball.

 

 

Defending co-champion coach Dan Muller, says anyone could make a mistake, but those coaches found to be breaking the rules on purpose should be punished and lose their jobs. Muller doesn’t believe that rule changes will keep people from cheating.

 

 

Barry Hinson, the league’s most out-spoken coach says the recent scandal isn’t his biggest concern. The veteran Southern Illinois head coach says the existing transfer rules are what is damaging mid major basketball. Recent Saluki transfer losses have been devastating to SIU hopes in recent seasons.

 

 

Rule changes and ending an atmosphere of cheating are some of the central questions surrounding Division 1 basketball. What happens next could reshape the college hoops landscape.

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