MU may have broken NCAA rule with phone call

COLUMBIA, Mo. --Missouri basketball coach Quin Snyder and his staff might have violated NCAA rules with improper phone calls during the recruitment of VMI transfer Jason Conley, according to a published report in Friday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

According to records obtained by the paper, at least six calls were made to Conley's mother, Karyne Conley, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2, before the 6-foot-5 swingman obtained his release from Virginia Military Institute. If true, the calls would be in direct violation of NCAA bylaws, rule 13.1.1.3, which states that an athletic program can't directly or indirectly contact an athlete at a four-year college or encourage transfer until it obtains written permission from that college. Conley, who led the nation in scoring at VMI as a freshman during the 2001-02 season, was not released by VMI until Jan. 4.

If the allegations are proven, Conley could be ruled ineligible to play at Missouri.

Snyder is in New Orleans for the Final Four. In a telephone interview with the Columbia Daily Tribune on Friday, he acknowledged returning calls from Karyne Conley but said he didn't think he was violating NCAA rules..

The Post-Dispatch learned about the phone calls to Conley's mother by examining phone records provided by the university through public-records laws. Coaches are required to keep phone logs of each call they make to a recruit or his family.

The coaches' logs provided to the Post-Dispatch included no mention of the calls to Conley. But upon inspection of university phone records, it was discovered that improper calls were made from Snyder's desk, assistant coach Lane Odom's cell phone and the desk of director of basketball operations Lee Rashman.

Missouri athletic director Mike Alden said Friday that the school was investigating the allegations. He said he didn't know if MU would admit to the violations and report them to the NCAA.