Pretty easy to recruit under *these* circumstances.
Thursday, November 7, 2002
BY LARRY LAGE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANN ARBOR -- The University of Michigan punished the men's basketball program Thursday, ordering a one-year postseason ban, forfeiting victories for certain years and removing championship banners from Crisler Arena as a result of the scandal surrounding a former booster.
In a letter submitted to the NCAA Thursday, Michigan said the men's basketball team would: be ineligible to participate in the 2003 NCAA tournament as well as the 2003 National Invitation Tournament; be placed on probation for two years; forfeit all victories earned during the entire 1992-1993 season and all seasons from fall 1995 to spring 1999; return $450,000 to the NCAA for money earned for appearing in the NCAA tournament during those years; and have four championship banners removed.
"There is no excuse for what happened. It was wrong -- plain and simple," university president Mary Sue Coleman said. "This is a day of great shame."
The scandal, involving Ed Martin, has been an ongoing headache for Michigan, with some, including former athletic director Don Canham, saying it has caused irrevocable damage to the university, not just the basketball program.
Martin, who pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to launder money, has said he took gambling money, combined it with other funds and lent it to Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber and other former Michigan basketball players and their families while the players were still amateurs.
By imposing the sanctions on itself, Michigan hopes to forestall more severe action by the NCAA.
Athletic director Bill Martin said the university received a formal letter of inquiry from the NCAA on Oct. 29. Thursday's report represented Michigan's official response, said Martin, who is not related to Ed Martin.
"We have worked closely with NCAA at every stage," he said. "We will now ask to get on the schedule for a hearing with the infractions committee as soon as possible. We hope it will be very soon."
NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said Thursday that the association doesn't comment on pending investigations.
The scandal traces itself to the "Fab Five" era, during which the basketball program became a national sensation.
Webber and four other freshmen, including future NBA stars Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose, with their baggy shorts and black socks, led the Wolverines to two consecutive NCAA finals in 1992 and 1993.
The banners taken down are the 1992 Final Four, 1993 Final Four, 1997 NIT championship and the 1998 Big Ten tournament championship.
Martin has said he paid $280,000 to Webber; $160,000 to Robert Traylor, who plays for the New Orleans Hornets; $105,000 to Maurice Taylor, who plays for the Houston Rockets; and $71,000 to Louis Bullock, who plays for a professional team in Spain.
Webber, along with his father, Mayce Webber Jr., and aunt, Charlene Johnson, are charged with lying to a grand jury and obstructing justice in Martin's case. They have pleaded innocent and their trials are not expected to begin until next year.
Martin's name first surfaced after former Michigan standout Maurice Taylor lost control of his Ford Explorer on February 17, 1996. He was returning from a party in Detroit with four teammates who were entertaining Mateen Cleaves on his official recruiting visit.
Cleaves led Michigan State to the 2000 national title.
The well-publicized crash led to the first of three investigations, the firing of head coach Steve Fisher and the cloud that has hovered over Michigan's basketball program since.
Second-year coach Tommy Amaker has continued to do everything he can to turn around the program, despite possibility of NCAA sanctions stemming from the activities of Martin.
He signed five freshmen -- including two of the best prospects in the country -- for this season and also has received commitments from three high school seniors for next year, including two marquee players: shooting guard Dion Harris of Detroit and center Courtney Sims of Boston.
Last year, during Amaker's first season, the Wolverines continued to struggle, going 11-18 overall and 5-11 in the Big Ten.
Thursday, November 7, 2002
BY LARRY LAGE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANN ARBOR -- The University of Michigan punished the men's basketball program Thursday, ordering a one-year postseason ban, forfeiting victories for certain years and removing championship banners from Crisler Arena as a result of the scandal surrounding a former booster.
In a letter submitted to the NCAA Thursday, Michigan said the men's basketball team would: be ineligible to participate in the 2003 NCAA tournament as well as the 2003 National Invitation Tournament; be placed on probation for two years; forfeit all victories earned during the entire 1992-1993 season and all seasons from fall 1995 to spring 1999; return $450,000 to the NCAA for money earned for appearing in the NCAA tournament during those years; and have four championship banners removed.
"There is no excuse for what happened. It was wrong -- plain and simple," university president Mary Sue Coleman said. "This is a day of great shame."
The scandal, involving Ed Martin, has been an ongoing headache for Michigan, with some, including former athletic director Don Canham, saying it has caused irrevocable damage to the university, not just the basketball program.
Martin, who pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to launder money, has said he took gambling money, combined it with other funds and lent it to Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber and other former Michigan basketball players and their families while the players were still amateurs.
By imposing the sanctions on itself, Michigan hopes to forestall more severe action by the NCAA.
Athletic director Bill Martin said the university received a formal letter of inquiry from the NCAA on Oct. 29. Thursday's report represented Michigan's official response, said Martin, who is not related to Ed Martin.
"We have worked closely with NCAA at every stage," he said. "We will now ask to get on the schedule for a hearing with the infractions committee as soon as possible. We hope it will be very soon."
NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said Thursday that the association doesn't comment on pending investigations.
The scandal traces itself to the "Fab Five" era, during which the basketball program became a national sensation.
Webber and four other freshmen, including future NBA stars Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose, with their baggy shorts and black socks, led the Wolverines to two consecutive NCAA finals in 1992 and 1993.
The banners taken down are the 1992 Final Four, 1993 Final Four, 1997 NIT championship and the 1998 Big Ten tournament championship.
Martin has said he paid $280,000 to Webber; $160,000 to Robert Traylor, who plays for the New Orleans Hornets; $105,000 to Maurice Taylor, who plays for the Houston Rockets; and $71,000 to Louis Bullock, who plays for a professional team in Spain.
Webber, along with his father, Mayce Webber Jr., and aunt, Charlene Johnson, are charged with lying to a grand jury and obstructing justice in Martin's case. They have pleaded innocent and their trials are not expected to begin until next year.
Martin's name first surfaced after former Michigan standout Maurice Taylor lost control of his Ford Explorer on February 17, 1996. He was returning from a party in Detroit with four teammates who were entertaining Mateen Cleaves on his official recruiting visit.
Cleaves led Michigan State to the 2000 national title.
The well-publicized crash led to the first of three investigations, the firing of head coach Steve Fisher and the cloud that has hovered over Michigan's basketball program since.
Second-year coach Tommy Amaker has continued to do everything he can to turn around the program, despite possibility of NCAA sanctions stemming from the activities of Martin.
He signed five freshmen -- including two of the best prospects in the country -- for this season and also has received commitments from three high school seniors for next year, including two marquee players: shooting guard Dion Harris of Detroit and center Courtney Sims of Boston.
Last year, during Amaker's first season, the Wolverines continued to struggle, going 11-18 overall and 5-11 in the Big Ten.
If they did, maybe he could share a cell with Art Shlister!
