This was written before their win over Temple...
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UNIVERSITY PARK - SMU played 10 games without its best frontcourt player, has gone seven games without its best shooter, lost a key backup and an assistant coach, received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA and
just keeps rolling.
The Mustangs (21-5, 12-2 AAC) have won 19 of their last 21 games. They enter Thursday's contest against Temple (19-7, 10-3) ranked 21st in The Associated Press poll and first in the American Athletic Conference.
The euphoria over SMU's resurgence under Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown has only strengthened. The Mustangs broke the program's season attendance record last Saturday with the largest crowd (7,395) since Moody Coliseum's renovation.
Q-ratings continue to soar. SMU celebrated its first ESPN College GameDay with a resounding victory over Connecticut.
On Wednesday, Brown posted a video via social media in which he thanked fans for their support and encouraged them to arrive early and be loud Thursday.
"It meant a lot to us to have you all there," Brown said.
For now, the silver lining overshadows the cloud. SMU had 90 days to respond to the NCAA's Jan. 16 notice. The school will probably meet with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in June at the earliest. The current season will not be affected by the process, unless a penalty is assessed retroactively.
But as a result of its 2011 NCAA case, SMU could face harsher penalties as a "repeat violator" if major infractions were committed.
The basketball program was placed on two years probation primarily for impermissible text messages sent to parents of recruits. An associated violation was issued for "failure to implement self-imposed remedial and corrective actions after the reporting of four secondary violations in 2007 and 2008, again relating to impermissible text messaging."
SMU remains subject to the provisions of NCAA Bylaw 19.5.2.3 concerning repeat violators, for a five-year period that began on the effective date of penalties issued March 10, 2011.
As stated on that infractions report, additional violations within five years "shall be considered grounds for extending the institution's probationary period or imposing more severe sanctions or may result in additional allegations and findings of violations."
SMU officials, including President R. Gerald Turner and athletic director Rick Hart, declined to comment on the current NCAA issue.
What is known:
On Jan. 10, SMU announced that Xavier transfer Justin Martin had decided to turn pro instead of finish his senior season. Three days later came word that assistant coach Ulric Maligi was taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons. On Jan. 16, SMU confirmed that sophomore guard Keith Frazier was academically ineligible and that the school had received the Notice of Allegations.
Maligi recruited Frazier, a McDonald's All-America at Kimball. A DISD investigation revealed that one of Frazier's grades had been changed so he could graduate and that Maligi had asked Kimball's guidance counselor about the grades. Several pages of that report involve discourse about Maligi's communication with school officials. SMU supported Maligi, saying that checking on a recruit's academic status is a common procedure of college recruiters.
Maligi's departure might be a self-imposed corrective action by SMU. Frazier is in school and practicing with the team. Frazier's academic ineligibility is a separate matter.
Working in SMU's favor is the school's upgraded compliance efforts, which include regular informational meetings with the team.
In the 2011 case, resolved through the summary disposition process, the report stated, "In light of the institution's and the head coach's prompt actions in discovering and reporting the violations the committee decided to impose no additional penalties."
Another issue for SMU fans to consider is the NCAA's Coach Responsibility Rule implemented in 2013. In a nutshell, Brown is responsible for the actions of all assistant coaches and administrators who report to him.
But for now, Brown and his team are headed for a different kind of NCAA meeting in which infractions result in free throws. SMU is positioned for its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1993.
The adversity seems to have strengthened the Mustangs. With Markus Kennedy academically ineligible the first 10 games, they managed to go 7-3. They are 14-2 since his return.
"Our depth has been challenged without Keith and Justin," Brown said. "We've had a lot of things happen that were not expected. The team's done a great job of just moving forward. They've also understood that with those problems, they all had to step up their games."
Without Frazier, the Mustangs are leaning more on guards Ryan Manuel and Sterling Brown and forward Ben Moore. They have shifted their offensive attack more to the inside with Kennedy, Yanick Moreira and Cannen Cunningham.
"We've seen all this going on and have come together," said Moreira, who is averaging 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. "We decided we're not going to focus on anything outside this locker room."
DMN
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UNIVERSITY PARK - SMU played 10 games without its best frontcourt player, has gone seven games without its best shooter, lost a key backup and an assistant coach, received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA and
just keeps rolling.
The Mustangs (21-5, 12-2 AAC) have won 19 of their last 21 games. They enter Thursday's contest against Temple (19-7, 10-3) ranked 21st in The Associated Press poll and first in the American Athletic Conference.
The euphoria over SMU's resurgence under Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown has only strengthened. The Mustangs broke the program's season attendance record last Saturday with the largest crowd (7,395) since Moody Coliseum's renovation.
Q-ratings continue to soar. SMU celebrated its first ESPN College GameDay with a resounding victory over Connecticut.
On Wednesday, Brown posted a video via social media in which he thanked fans for their support and encouraged them to arrive early and be loud Thursday.
"It meant a lot to us to have you all there," Brown said.
For now, the silver lining overshadows the cloud. SMU had 90 days to respond to the NCAA's Jan. 16 notice. The school will probably meet with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in June at the earliest. The current season will not be affected by the process, unless a penalty is assessed retroactively.
But as a result of its 2011 NCAA case, SMU could face harsher penalties as a "repeat violator" if major infractions were committed.
The basketball program was placed on two years probation primarily for impermissible text messages sent to parents of recruits. An associated violation was issued for "failure to implement self-imposed remedial and corrective actions after the reporting of four secondary violations in 2007 and 2008, again relating to impermissible text messaging."
SMU remains subject to the provisions of NCAA Bylaw 19.5.2.3 concerning repeat violators, for a five-year period that began on the effective date of penalties issued March 10, 2011.
As stated on that infractions report, additional violations within five years "shall be considered grounds for extending the institution's probationary period or imposing more severe sanctions or may result in additional allegations and findings of violations."
SMU officials, including President R. Gerald Turner and athletic director Rick Hart, declined to comment on the current NCAA issue.
What is known:
On Jan. 10, SMU announced that Xavier transfer Justin Martin had decided to turn pro instead of finish his senior season. Three days later came word that assistant coach Ulric Maligi was taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons. On Jan. 16, SMU confirmed that sophomore guard Keith Frazier was academically ineligible and that the school had received the Notice of Allegations.
Maligi recruited Frazier, a McDonald's All-America at Kimball. A DISD investigation revealed that one of Frazier's grades had been changed so he could graduate and that Maligi had asked Kimball's guidance counselor about the grades. Several pages of that report involve discourse about Maligi's communication with school officials. SMU supported Maligi, saying that checking on a recruit's academic status is a common procedure of college recruiters.
Maligi's departure might be a self-imposed corrective action by SMU. Frazier is in school and practicing with the team. Frazier's academic ineligibility is a separate matter.
Working in SMU's favor is the school's upgraded compliance efforts, which include regular informational meetings with the team.
In the 2011 case, resolved through the summary disposition process, the report stated, "In light of the institution's and the head coach's prompt actions in discovering and reporting the violations the committee decided to impose no additional penalties."
Another issue for SMU fans to consider is the NCAA's Coach Responsibility Rule implemented in 2013. In a nutshell, Brown is responsible for the actions of all assistant coaches and administrators who report to him.
But for now, Brown and his team are headed for a different kind of NCAA meeting in which infractions result in free throws. SMU is positioned for its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1993.
The adversity seems to have strengthened the Mustangs. With Markus Kennedy academically ineligible the first 10 games, they managed to go 7-3. They are 14-2 since his return.
"Our depth has been challenged without Keith and Justin," Brown said. "We've had a lot of things happen that were not expected. The team's done a great job of just moving forward. They've also understood that with those problems, they all had to step up their games."
Without Frazier, the Mustangs are leaning more on guards Ryan Manuel and Sterling Brown and forward Ben Moore. They have shifted their offensive attack more to the inside with Kennedy, Yanick Moreira and Cannen Cunningham.
"We've seen all this going on and have come together," said Moreira, who is averaging 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. "We decided we're not going to focus on anything outside this locker room."
DMN
