Memphis Is Punished...But Not Really

Let me get this straight. The University of Memphis men's basketball program is punished by the NCAA for violations involving the recruitment of Derrick Rose back in 2007, but essentially, nothing is happening to them. Oh sure, they have to forfeit their 38 wins and NCAA Tournament appearance (including a Final Four) from that season, and they're on some sort of random probation until 2012 that doesn't include scholarship reductions or postseason bans; but I don't quite see how the deters them from doing it again once their 2012 deadline has passed.

Maybe I'm just slow/crooked/conniving. Either way, this seems like a slap on the wrist to me.

Think about it, they used an ineligible player and won the most games in NCAA history. And to show everyone how wrong that was, the NCAA is...well, I'm not sure exactly. Yes, I understand that if they're caught again before 2012 then it's going to be a double boom that drops instead of the normal boom. However, if no transgressions are committed (which, if you're new coach Josh Pastner, you'd have to be an idiot to do), then it's all swept under the rug.

Once again, THEY USED AN INELIGIBLE PLAYER. They cheated. Only they're not getting punished for it.

What should happen then, Lank? I'm not sure. I think John Calipari should be penalized at Kentucky (I heard a good joke from Skip the other day: John Calipari is the only coach to take two teams to a Final Three; for those of you who are slow, Cal also coached the 1996 UMass Minutemen, whose season was nullified by the NCAA for using an ineligible player in Marcus Camby). I think the Memphis program should miss the postseason this coming year. I know that seems unfair since Kentucky had nothing to do with the Rose scandal, and the current Memphis staff wasn't even around when the infraction occurred. I get that, I really do. But what kind of message is it sending when all parties involved are getting off scot free?

I know that the NCAA is the most screwed up organization in the country. Believe me, that's saying something. However, it's discrepancies in judgment like this that drive everyone nuts. USC paid a player to be a Trojan and their program is in shambles now (note: no official NCAA ruling has been handed down to the USC men's basketball program, but there's a reason that everyone jetted. Where there's smoke, there's fire). Memphis also uses an illegal player and they just have to strike a couple wins from their record book.

Whatever. It won't much matter. We still have vivid memories of a Memphis Tigers team that was one of the best of the past decade. Had they not blown their second half lead to Kansas, we'd be talking about a 39-1 national champion that sent three guys to the draft that season. Instead, we're talking about a 38-2 team that was still plenty good and gave us a season to remember.

And also a punishment that will quickly be forgotten.

~~ Lank