Northern Colorado basketball placed on probation by NCAA
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The NCAA placed the University of Northern Colorado men's basketball program on three years' probation among other sanctions Friday after finding academic fraud and recruiting violations by ex-coach B.J. Hill and some of his assistants.
The violations by Hill and eight members of his staff over a four-year span included completing coursework for prospects, paying for classes prospects needed to become academically eligible and arranging off-campus practice sessions with an academically ineligible student-athlete.
In addition to probation, penalties in the case include a one-year postseason ban (already served) for the men's basketball team; a financial penalty; scholarship and recruiting restrictions; and a vacation of records.
Seven coaches received ''show cause'' orders, including a six-year penalty for the head coach, five years for two assistant coaches, four years for another assistant coach and three years for two assistant coaches and the graduate assistant. During the show cause periods, if an NCAA school hires the coach, that school must demonstrate why restrictions on the coach's athletically related duties should not apply.
The NCAA concurred with the university's self-imposed one-year postseason ban last season, a reduction of three scholarships and recruiting restrictions. Also, the school must return all proceeds from its 2011 NCAA Tournament appearance.
The rules violations spanned four years under Hill, a first-time head coach who personally completed coursework for a prospect and enlisted an athletic director to do the same, the NCAA found.
The NCAA said Hill recruited ineligible players, then broke rules to get them on the court.
Hill was fired last year when the NCAA began looking into the violations. He had gone 86-98 with two postseason appearances in six seasons after taking over the program in 2010 following a stint as an assistant in Greeley to current Colorado coach Tad Boyle.
The NCAA commended the university for its ''exemplary cooperation'' in the case and said Hill ''admitted that he failed in his responsibilities to promote an atmosphere of compliance and monitor his staff.''
The panel said two assistant coaches violated ethical conduct rules for lying to investigators and a third failed to cooperate with the probe.
