Hope or March Sadness? EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON OSU BASKETBALL’S APPEAL TO THE NCAA
ALSO INSIDE: - STILLWATER COVID-19 UPDATE
- MAtthew-Alexander Montcrieffe analysis
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C OV E R S T O RY
O S U Bas k e t ba l l
2020 Cowboys basketball: Hope or ‘March Sadness?’ Sam Hutche n s , Staff reporter, @ O colly
When a tornado rips through an Oklahoma town, it is quite the occurrence. The storms, often springing out of nowhere, leave the entire town in a flurry. News vans rush to survey the damage, and residents gather outside their homes to see if their fences are intact and where their trampoline may have landed. Soon though, the exciting, turbulent and damaging incident is in the rearview mirror. Attention and outrage fade, and all that is left is for the residents to quietly rebuild their lives. So it goes for Mike Holder, Mike Boynton and the Oklahoma State University men’s basketball team, not victims of any tornado, but turbulent activity just the same. On June 5, the program was hit with crippling NCAA sanctions in connection with the 2017 investigation of former assistant coach Lamont Evans. Many have called the penalties, which include a 2020 postseason ban, harsh and unjustified. While the NCAA’s ruling has been chastised by media members like Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale for being unfair and ineffective, the ruling is essentially set in stone. Essentially. In the middle of an OSU official statement on the sanctions, putting the NCAA ruling on blast, one phrase gives Cowboy fans hope of still seeing their team in the NCAA tournament.
MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
were announced, the OSU
if Mike Boynton’s team
University Department of Ath-
“The Oklahoma State
department of athletics said,
regains hope for playing in the
letics will file an immediate
“The University is stunned by
postseason.
appeal of the NCAA penalties
the severity of the penalties
That is a process that usu-
assessed to the men’s basket-
and strongly disagrees with
ally happens in Indianapolis,
ball program on Friday.”
them. The penalties do not
where the NCAA has its
align with the facts and are
headquarters, OSU’s appeal
unfair and unjust.”
may look different due to the
The appeal offers hope, yet what chance of a successful appeal does OSU actually have? Will the talented OSU basketball team headlined by loyal No. 1 national recruit Cade Cunningham be barred from playing in all postseason basketball? Historically speaking, OSU’s chances are grim. It is rare for the NCAA to lighten its punishments upon appeal. Since 2013, when the NCAA revamped its penalty structure against schools in hopes of standardizing punishments, few appeals have been overturned. According to a list of cases on the NCAA’s website, 10 out of the last 11 penalties handed down by the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee were upheld in entirety. Mike Glazier, a sports appeal lawyer who has defended basketball programs like North Carolina, Kansas and Louisville, believes the appeal process has gotten more difficult in recent years. “Whereas before the standard may not have been quite as high,” Glazier told the O’Colly. “(It is now) a very high burden that the university has to meet in order to be successful.” A 91% clip of denied appeals seems to be an accurate indication of the success of NCAA appeal cases, whether Ole Miss track violations or
The OSU basketball appeal is a large question mark for the Cowboys this year.
Adam Luther/ OCOLLY
Louisville or UConn men’s
than the Level I allegation
basketball charges
applied to the case. Accord-
According to an article
ing to pages 359-360 of the
from the Atlanta Journal-Con-
NCAA Division I manual, a
stitution, often the most ef-
Level I violation consists of
fective argument in an appeal
a “severe breach of conduct”
process is a technical one, not
whereas a Level II violation is
an argument merely arguing
only a “significant breach of
the unqualified harshness of
conduct.” While either viola-
the penalties.
tion can ban a university from
A technical argument
the postseason, getting the
won an appeal for the 2018
offense lowered from a Level
Louisville men’s basketball
I to a Level II could result in a
program. A former program
retraction of the ban.
assistant of the Cardinals
Richard Karcher, an ac-
basketball team was released
complished author and expert
from a one-year show-cause
on sports law, is not confident
order after successfully argu-
that OSU will have a good
ing that he could not produce
case for this type of appeal.
incriminating evidence on
“I highly doubt this penalty
his phone because the phone
will be reduced on appeal,”
belonged to his mother.
Karcher said. “Because the
Because his mother was the
COI’s (committee on infrac-
one not cooperating with the
tions) decision explains how it
NCAA — not him — then he
weighed the ‘aggravating’ and
could not be found of failing
‘mitigating’ circumstances
to fully cooperate with the
and concluded that OSU
investigation.
committed a Level I Standard
What will OSU most likely argue?
violation, in which case the ‘penalty guidelines’ authorize
“You can appeal two
a postseason ban of one to two
things,” Glazier said. “You can appeal findings of viola-
years.” The other point OSU
tions, or you can appeal the
could argue is that the NCAA
penalty.”
Committee on Infraction’s
OSU’s plan to appeal is
punishment was too harsh,
still to be revealed. It may
also called an “abuse of dis-
be possible to argue that
cretion.”
Lamont Evans was guilty of a Level II violation, rather
In its official statement shortly after the penalties
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Given that strongly worded
current pandemic.
statement, it appears OSU may
Much like the initial pun-
take the latter appeals path —
ishment, which was rather un-
that the NCAA Committee on
expected, there is not a certain
Infractions punishment was an
date when the appeal ruling
abuse of discretion. Still, OSU
will be handed down.
is limited in the information it can use in its case. “The appeal has to be based
“The NCAA bylaws do not impose a deadline for the IAC to issue a decision, but
on whatever was the record
I suspect a decision will be
before the committee on in-
released before the start of the
fractions at the time” Glazier
season,” Karcher said.
said. “You cannot bring in new evidence.” According to Glazier, what
While not guaranteed, a ruling before the college basketball season starts is likely.
OSU has to do boils down to
While OSU’s punishment is
one thing.
being appealed, the sanctions
“If the university is ap-
(including postseason ban)
pealing one or more of the
are stayed — meaning they
penalties that were imposed,
technically don’t exist until
they have to persuade the in-
the appeal results come out. A
fractions of appeals committee
quick ruling would mean that
that the committee of infrac-
OSU gets clarity and decisive-
tions decision was essentially
ness in what could otherwise
an abuse of discretion.
be an uncertain season with a
With this goal in mind, what will OSU’s appeal
looming punishment. When all arguments have
process look like? When can
been made and a ruling has
Cowboy fans expect a ruling
been determined by the seven-
in these turbulent times?
person IAC, the decision will
Bylaw 19 of the NCAA
be final. OSU may ultimately
Division I manual states that
seek significant reductions
the board of directors — the
in penalty, or simply aim at
same people who appointed
having the postseason ban
the original committee on
removed, allowing that major
infractions — will appoint an
goal and reward to exist for
Infractions appeals commit-
the team.
tee (IAC) composed of seven people, with at least two of those people being from the
As for a positive outcome, Karcher isn’t optimistic. “I highly doubt this penalty
general public. Those seven
will be reduced,” Karcher
people will ultimately decide
said.
S p o rt s
O S U Bas k e t ba l l
Column: Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe’s potential is off the charts S u dee p Tum m a , Sports Editor, @ask tu m ma
In a Zoom call with reporters on April 16, OSU basketball coach Mike Boynton confidently spewed out an exhilarating line that sums up 4-star recruit Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe from Orangeville Prep Academy in Ontario, Canada. “If Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe was a U.S. high school basketball player, he would be a top-20 player in the country,” Boynton said. OSU is clearly high on the two-time Canadian Player of the Year. And it’s easy to see why. Just turn on the tape. The 6-foot-7 wing is a top-tier athlete who certainly plays above the rim. His leaping ability and length just pop off the screen. His 7-foot wingspan spreads to all facets of his game. It’s not just the gaudy physical tools, his high motor allows him to squeeze every inch out of his talent. Moncrieffe is constantly hustling and giving full effort. If his defender beats him, he doesn’t give up, he continues chasing his man and tries to swat the ball at the rim. If he’s driving and misses an easy layup,
MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
Mike Boynton eagerly awaits the arrival of Matthew-Alexander Montcrieffe on his team.
he doesn’t just stare at the ball, he continues attacking the glass to grab the rebound and put the ball back up. And that rebounding is one of the most impressive aspects of his game. Moncrieffe averaged 7.2 rebounds a game as a senior. It wasn’t just the length and athleticism alone that allowed him to get to that mark. Moncrieffe displayed his motor here. When the ball went up — on offense or defense — Moncrieffe crashed the glass hard. If you just watch Moncrieffe after a shot attempt, he’s almost always in the paint. He has a nose for the ball. And when he gets in
the paint, he has excellent anticipation for where the ball is going. Moncrieffe should be an instant impact guy on the boards, and also as a defender. While Moncrieffe possesses good lateral quickness, his defining traits are length and effort. He has the ability to guard multiple possessions and be a true difference-maker. Without the ball, he understands team defense. He knows how to provide weak side help, make rotations and switch in pick-and-roll situations. Then on offense, Moncrieffe is a really enticing prospect. As it stands, he’s an aggressive slasher who
excels at attacking the rim. He has a quick first step, which allows him to explode to the rim. He’s got a lot of savvy on his drives. When he starts going downhill, he uses euro steps and side steps to split defenses with ease. He has great body control as well, which helps him stay square on those drives. When he’s at the rim, he can finish through contact, but what’s really impressive to me is his finesse. You think you have him trapped, he’s far away from the rim. Then, out of nowhere, he’ll extend his arm out and elegantly finger roll the ball in. It’s
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Joshua Cleary/OColly
almost deceptive. Then there’s one thing I love the most. When at the rim, Moncrieffe can leverage the defender by shoving his body into said defender, but at the same time, using his own length to keep the ball away from the defense to score. It’s not just the length, but the vertical and hang time allow Moncrieffe to stay in the air and make his move and finish. That and he’s equally adept at finishing with either hand. Moncrieffe possesses a sweet blend of power and finesse that makes stopping him at the rim a tall task. And it’s even more impressive when you
consider his jump shot will continue to be refined. He averaged 21.8 points this season, which is crazy when you consider he wasn’t a huge threat from beyond the arc. When the 3-point ball develops, he’ll be lethal. But for now, the driving will continue to show up on highlight reels. Moncrieffe finds ways to score, but his playmaking ability is solid as well. He’s a good passer that can pass out of drives as well as he does standing. His athleticism allows him to burst in transition and score on the break, which is a huge plus considering Cade Cunningham and Isaac Likekele are in the backcourt. However you want to slice it, Moncrieffe is an enticing prospect for the Cowboys. His role this season is still in flux — he could be a Day One starter or a valuable bench player. But you love what you see from the guy. With a motor and physical tools you just can’t teach, the guy is going to be special. He’s going to be an exciting player who appears destined for the NBA.
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