NCAA could remove victories

~ Southeast could lose its OVC championship from 2005-06.

Southeast Missouri State's 2005-06 women's basketball championship in the Ohio Valley Conference could be in jeopardy next month when the NCAA Committee on Infractions meets, but the program's second championship in 2006-07 should remain with the school.

The NCAA notified Southeast Missouri State last week that the committee will consider further penalties for violations committed by the women's basketball program. Those penalties may include vacating the program's victories if an ineligible student-athlete was used during that time.

The NCAA considers a player to be ineligible once that player has received improper benefits.

Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman said the university had to declare a number of players ineligible and then have their eligibility reinstated prior to the Redhawks' NCAA tournament game in Denver in 2006.

"There were two or three players who had received improper benefits," Kaverman said. "You have to declare the student-athletes ineligible and have their eligibility restored, and we did that."

The university had begun the investigation process about two months earlier during a 22-win season that included the program's first OVC championship and NCAA appearance.

Kaverman said the process of restoring eligibility could include a student-athlete paying back the cost of benefits such as lodging or travel, which were among the areas where violations took place.

The Redhawks repeated as OVC champions this past season, following a summer in which a preliminary report outlined areas of violations and the university took action to penalize the program.

Included in the penalties were a reduction of scholarships from 15 to 12 for the 2006-07 season and a reduction in days of recruiting for the coaching staff.

While the NCAA's communication to Southeast Missouri State cited the association's ability to include financial penalties, Kaverman doesn't expect that.

"I would be shocked if that's the case," Kaverman said.

He said the university receives no money for appearances in the NCAA women's tournament, unlike the men's tournament that includes thousands of dollars in distributions to member schools. The program may fly as many as 75 people, including players and staff, to the NCAA tournament locations, with the NCAA paying for airfare and reimbursing the university for lodging and food.

Kaverman said he did not know how the NCAA would view the program's victories in the 2005-06 season and in turn what that could mean for the conference championship.

"There has been no discussion of that with the conference," Kaverman said. "I assume anything is possible once the NCAA has concluded its business."

OVC commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher on Friday refused to speculate on what may happen with Southeast's 2005-06 OVC championship.

"I think we'll see how this thing plays out and then we'll deal with it," he said.

Kaverman expects that a conclusion may finally come next month, as the penalty phase is on the agenda for the NCAA Committee on Infractions for Oct. 5 through 7. The committee, in its correspondence, stated that it had accepted the findings of the report, which Kaverman said are not substantially different from those outlined in the preliminary report made public in June 2006.