As we found out this morning, the SMU men’s basketball program has gotten into some deep trouble with the NCAA, who handed down some severe penalties including a postseason ban for the 2015-16 season and a nine-game suspension for legendary head coach Larry Brown.
At the heart of the matter is some academic misconduct regarding Mustangs forward Keith Frazier, a former standout at Kimball High School, that led to the dismissal of an assistant coach during the middle of last season, when SMU qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993.
Reactions to the news have been varied, of course. Some beleaguered fans and alumni are condemning the NCAA for its perceived unfair punishment for SMU compared to other programs who’ve had similar problems, and university officials are crying foul, as well.
Others are saying that since the Mustangs and Brown both have a lengthy history of infractions involving the NCAA, that such trouble shouldn’t be surprising, and that it’s the price to be paid for such a quick-fix, big-splash coaching hire. The truth might lie somewhere in the middle. What do you think?
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