Southeast responds to violation report with pre-emptive strike

~ The university detailed the results of the OVC investigation and took action on numerous violations by the women's basketball program.

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team will have three fewer scholarships to work with in 2006-07 for its defense of the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

The scholarship reduction -- from 15 to 12 -- was among seven self-imposed sanctions the university adopted from a status report into the conference and NCAA investigations into the program.

University president Dr. Ken Dobbins received the report from the office of conference commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher on Thursday and released it Friday morning.

The report detailed seven violations -- including instances of inappropriate transportation for prospective and enrolled student-athletes as well as inappropriate housing arrangements -- committed by the program during the past two years under coach B.J. Smith.

"Seven in a two-year period, we are concerned about that," Dobbins said. "We will not tolerate failure to comply with NCAA bylaws and rules. We will make changes and try to comply.

"We don't expect these types of violations to occur again."

Chuck Smrt of The Compliance Group, which conducted the investigation for the OVC commissioner's office, said the report was not specific on the number of instances for the infractions nor did it specify which members of the staff had committed the violations.

"We're not far enough in the inquiry to determine who did what at what time," said Smrt, who joined the news conference via telephone. "I think the information that has been reported says that current and former staff members might have been involved but at this point, we don't feel comfortable saying who might have been involved and when."

The report listed seven self-imposed sanctions, which Dobbins said the university has adopted. A copy of the report was to be forwarded to the NCAA, which may also level its own penalties when it concludes its investigation and releases its report in late July or early August.

The self-imposed sanctions for the women's program include the reduction of scholarships and two items related to recruiting. The coaching staff will have a reduction of recruiting days from 85 to 80 during the period from this September to August 2007, and Smith will not be able to recruit off-campus during the July evaluation period "in order for him to more effectively monitor the summer activities of prospective and enrolled student-athletes."

"The reduction of scholarships is a very significant penalty," said Smrt, who said the number takes Southeast below its average of about 13.5 scholarships awarded annually. "I think that shows a good faith effort on the part of the institution."

The ban on July recruiting for Smith reflects three violations that specifically mentioned summer activities. Prospects who had signed letters of intent with the university volunteered to be involved in summer camps, and women's basketball staff members observed summer workouts involving prospective and enrolled student-athletes.

In addition, prospective student-athletes who spent the summer in Cape Girardeau before full-time enrollment lived in a house but did not pay for lodging or did not pay the appropriate amount.

"It was not a situation where anyone connected with the coaching staff or the university paid anything," Smrt said. "There was not sufficient scrutiny or monitoring of that situation to make sure that everybody was paying the appropriate amount, and in a couple occasions people got to stay without paying anything."

The report said several prospective and enrolled student-athletes received transportation between regional airports provided or arranged by a member of the women's basketball staff. Also, a student-athlete provided transportation to campus for "a few prospects" for official visits.

In addition, meal money was provided to student-athletes from university funds over the Christmas holidays when it was prohibited.

Athletic director Don Kaverman mentioned that violation and the inappropriate transportation this spring when he said some violations had been addressed.

Also, a prospective student-athlete used the computer of a member of the women's basketball staff and was assisted with transportation and moving a used bed.

The program has had its two most successful seasons at the Division I level with back-to-back 22-win seasons. In Smith's four seasons, Southeast is 79-41 overall and 51-17 in the OVC, the best marks in the conference for that span.

Southeast concluded the 2005-06 season with a 22-9 record and won the program's first OVC tournament championship and gained its first NCAA Division I tournament berth.

Smith eventually was rewarded with a three-year contract.

But at the same time players were celebrating an NCAA tournament opening-round matchup with perennial power Stanford, which ended Southeast's season, the NCAA was on campus to investigate the program.

Dobbins requested an investigation from the OVC commissioner's office in January, after he came to the conclusion that the university would not be able to handle the investigation.

"We were trying to get information from an individual, and it was difficult to get information," Dobbins said. "At the same time, this individual was making more and more allegations. We wanted to get an independent and impartial review."

The OVC hired The Compliance Group, headed by former NCAA enforcement officer Smrt, to conduct its probe. The conference also contacted the NCAA, which elected to join the investigation based on information that it already had received from an outside source.

The Compliance Group joined the NCAA for all on-campus interviews, which included all members of the women's basketball team and the coaching staff. The Compliance Group also took part in some but not all off-campus teleconference interviews conducted by the NCAA.

"This is a snapshot, if you will, of where we are right now," Smrt said. "The NCAA has not signed off that these are the areas [of inquiry]. The NCAA may or may not be looking in other areas. These are areas that have been mentioned to the conference and the institution, and these are areas where the institution agrees violations have occurred. There could be additional ones."

Since the NCAA investigation continues, Dobbins said that members of the university staff have been asked not to comment until the NCAA probe is complete.

In addition to addressing violations regarding transportation and funds, the university also began making changes this spring in its compliance division. Southeast, as outlined in the sanctions, is changing the current position from 75 percent of a full-time post, with other duties in academic services, to 100 percent in compliance with an assistant position.

Alicia Scott, who had served in the previous role for 10 years, resigned at the conclusion of the 2005-06 school year.

The university is recruiting a new compliance director and an assistant, Kaverman said.

"We will have more full-time employees devoted to compliance than anybody else in the conference," Kaverman said.