Indiana imposes sanctions on itself
Basketball team will lose 2 scholarships for 08-09
Getting a jump on possible Academic Progress Rate penalties for a large number of defections, Indiana University took away two scholarships in basketball for the upcoming season.
Teams can lose scholarships if they fall short of NCAA standards. Teams that score less than 925 and have a student leave school academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships. That equals two in men's basketball.
In a story first reported by the Indianapolis Star, the loss of two scholarships gives the Hoosiers 10 for the upcoming season. Nine have been filled. The penalty is in addition to the one scholarship the school lost because of the self-imposed sanctions in October.
“We will take the contemporaneous penalties pro-actively this year for the upcoming 07-08 numbers and we don't anticipate further penalties going forward,” IU associate athletic director Grace Calhoun said in a statement Wednesday.
The Hoosiers have lost 11 players - seven who had eligibility remaining - since the end of the season. Eric Gordon went to the NBA, where he was drafted last week by the Los Angeles Clippers. Eli Holman transferred to Detroit Mercy. Armon Bassett, Jamarcus Ellis, DeAndre Thomas and Brandon McGee were dismissed. Jordan Crawford decided to leave.
“It's not necessarily about one issue,” assistant athletic director Frank Cuervo said. “It's obviously related to the APR score. In terms of reasons, it's not necessarily due to just players leaving.”
IU has eight players on scholarship for this season: Kyle Taber, Malik Story, Tom Pritchard, Verdell Jones III, Matt Roth, Nick Williams, Tijan Jobe and Devan Dumes. Jeremiah Rivers - son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers - has to sit out this season after transferring from Georgetown. He counts as the ninth.
Tuesday during a news conference, IU coach Tom Crean talked about making an additional roster move.
“You don't want to reach if it's too big of a risk,” he said. “If we were to sign anybody right now, it would certainly have to be somebody bigger.”
The APR measures eligibility, retention and graduation over a rolling four-year period. Indiana had an APR score of 899 in men's basketball when the latest figures were released May 6. But the program's one-year APR score improved to 932, a 40 percent increase that helped the school avoid a public reprimand. Historical penalties for schools with an APR less than 900 increase with each consecutive year a school falls under the mark. The first is the public reprimand, or warning. The second includes loss of scholarship and practice time. The third includes a postseason ban, in addition to the previous penalties.
Calhoun pointed to Crean's success at Marquette as a sign of change.
“Coach Crean's academic record at Marquette with an APR of 951 and the fact that all 26 seniors who exhausted their eligibility graduated is an example of why we feel confident in his leadership on the court and in the classroom,” she said.
lpope@jg.net
Indiana’s biggest questions entering this season centered on its retooled defense.