SMU receives Notice of Allegations from NCAA
Southern Methodist has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA over alleged academic improprieties in the men's basketball program, the school confirmed in a statement on Friday.
SMU said it is "working through our response" to the college governing body. The notice was first reported by ESPN.com.
SMU is expected to meet with the NCAA's Committee of Infractions this year, the report says. According to the report, one allegation surrounds Mustangs guard Keith Frazier, who has reportedly been ruled ineligible for the rest of the season due to academics, barring an appeal.
Earlier this month, SMU announced that assistant coach Ulric Maligi has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons. Maligi played a big role in recruiting Frazier, a five-star prospect from Dallas, as well as Emmanuel Mudiay, the No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2014.
Mudiay elected to play in China instead of attending the school amid concerns over amateurism issues and academics. He is a projected first-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
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A January 2014 report said Frazier had a grade changed so he could graduate from Kimball (Texas) High. The report says that Frazier "had difficulty meeting the NCAA's eligibility standards to get into SMU."
From the report:
"This is about his eligibility in school," SMU coach Larry Brown told ESPN.com's Andy Katz. "We appealed it and we are waiting to hear. That's what this is about.
"... This is all about what he did academically. It's a GPA issue. That's the thing. It's his grade-point average. We have an appeal. That's it.''
According to the report, former SMU forward Justin Martin, who was said to be leaving school to pursue a professional career, was ineligible due to academics. In addition, star big man Markus Kennedy missed the first 10 games of the season after reportedly being deemed ineligible for the first semester.
SMU (13-4) hosts East Carolina on Saturday.
In 1988, Kansas was placed on probation for three years and banned from the postseason for one year because of recruiting violations under Brown, who left months earlier to become the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Brown has also served as the coach at UCLA as well as several NBA teams.
The notice also includes alleged infractions within the men's golf program, the ESPN report says.
