Breaking News: UK Coach, John Calipari's University Of Memphis Tigers, SLAPPED With NCAA Sanctions And Will Forfeit 2007-08 Basketball Season.

Source: Memphis Tigers to forfeit record 2007-08 basketball season
By Dan Wolken

The University of Memphis is expecting the release of a report from the NCAA Committee on Infractions on Thursday in which its men’s basketball program will be forced to forfeit a record 38 victories and 2008 Final Four appearance, a source close to the situation confirmed to The Commercial Appeal on Wednesday night.

Memphis received a notice of allegations from the NCAA in January alleging major violations during the 2007-08 season under former coach John Calipari. The most serious allegation was that former Tiger point guard Derrick Rose had a stand-in take the SAT for him, thus making him retroactively ineligible. Memphis also was cited for failure to monitor its charter airplane, as investigators found $2,260 in unpaid travel expenses by Rose's brother, Reggie Rose.
Memphis' basketball program was accused in January of major NCAA violations, the most serious of which was that former Tiger point guard Derrick Rose had a stand-in take his SAT for him.

Memphis' basketball program was accused in January of major NCAA violations, the most serious of which was that former Tiger point guard Derrick Rose had a stand-in take his SAT for him.

Memphis officials addressed those charges June 6 in front of the Committee on Infractions, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to prove whether Rose’s SAT was fraudulent and that the school took all reasonable steps to confirm his test score. Furthermore, Memphis argued that it shouldn’t be penalized because the NCAA Eligibility Center cleared Rose to compete.

Should the NCAA force Memphis to vacate the 2007-08 season, it will mark the school’s second Final Four appearance that was ultimately stripped from the record books, joining Dana Kirk’s 1985 squad.

Only the 1973 team, which went to the NCAA title game under Gene Bartow, will stand in the official NCAA record book.

It will also be the second vacated Final Four for Calipari, whose 1996 season at UMass was expunged after the revelation that star center Marcus Camby had taken money from an agent.

The source was not aware of any penalties that would impact the program going forward under Josh Pastner. Neither Pastner nor athletic director R.C. Johnson was available for comment on Wednesday night. There will be an opportunity to appeal the NCAA’s ruling, though there were no initial indications about whether Memphis planned to pursue that route.

Technically, a forfeit of the 2007-08 season would also impact Memphis’ 61-game winning streak in Conference USA. The Tigers will enter 2009-10 needing four victories to surpass Kentucky’s all-time record of 64 straight against the SEC from 1945-50.


Editor's comment: What a darn SHAME!