Report: SMU, Larry Brown facing academic misconduct charge
SMU men's basketball coach Larry Brown is facing a "lack of coach control" charge after the NCAA investigated allegations concerning the eligibility of one of his players, reports Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde.
According to the report, the NCAA is looking into the golf program as well as the men's basketball program. The NCAA had a two-day hearing with the school last month.
The NCAA is reportedly looking into the role of former SMU assistant coach Ulric Maligi and a secretary in the basketball program who allegedly helped guard Keith Frazier with coursework.
Investigators are trying to determine what Brown knew about Frazier's academic situation.
Maligi was a key recruiter who was instrumental in getting Frazier and highly touted prospect Emmanuel Mudiay to sign with the school. Mudiay never played for SMU, instead choosing playing in China for a year after his academic status was questioned. Mudiay was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the seventh pick in this year’s NBA draft.
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Maligi took a leave of absence from the program in January, citing personal reasons.
Frazier, a sophomore, played for the SMU for two seasons during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons before he was ruled academically ineligible in January 2015, missing the rest of the season. No determination has been made on Frazier’s status for the upcoming season.
Brown has a 69-34 record in three seasons at school. The Mustangs finished 27–7, winning the America Athletic Conference regular season and conference tournament titles and reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993 before losing the UCLA in the second round.
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