SMU Mustangs: The NCAA Continues to Punish the Wrong People

As I’m sure most of you have heard by now, the NCAA has banned Southern Methodist University from postseason play this year, and suspended head coach Larry Brown for nine games.

Another day, another dollar for the NCAA, right?

I’m not going to bore you guys with the details of the case. You can find that anywhere else. Long story short, the two cited allegations are for academic fraud, and unethical conduct.

More from NCAA Basketball News

The real issue here lies within the NCAA, and it’s something that absolutely must be examined.

The postseason ban came down today, September 29th. Why’s that significant? That is past the date that the NCAA allows players to transfer.

This means that Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy, two three-year starters and two of the better players in college basketball, get to finish their college basketball careers on a postseason ban.

Did Moore or Kennedy even do anything wrong?

No. Larry Brown and his coaching staff did. Yet, the NCAA couldn’t even do these players the service of allowing them to transfer.

Now Brown is claiming that he had no idea that these infractions were going on. But I think that’s ridiculous, because guess what? This is Brown’s third time being punished by the NCAA. He has coached just three college basketball teams. That’s three-for-three.

He made a Final Four with UCLA in 1980, but two of the players on that team were found ineligible, and the Final Four was vacated. Brown just about immediately left to coach in the NBA.

Live Feed

SMU vs. TCU Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 4 /

Betsided

What channel is Oklahoma playing on today, Sept. 9?FanSided

When is the last time SMU beat Oklahoma?FanSided

College Football Week 2 Upset Picks (Is Temple's Resurgence Legit?)Betsided

College Football Top 25 Picks Against the Spread for Week 2Betsided

SMU vs. Oklahoma Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 2Betsided

He returned to college basketball coaching in 1983 with the Kansas Jayhawks, and later led “Danny and the Miracles” to a championship in 1988. He then left to coach the NBA, and coincidentally, Kansas was hit with multiple recruiting violations not long after, banning them from the 1989 NCAA tournament.

And now this. So why does the NCAA continue to let Larry Brown coach?

Even more importantly: why are they punishing Kennedy, Moore, and the rest of the SMU squad by banning them from postseason play, while Brown continues to stroll the sidelines for the Mustangs after serving just a nine game suspension?

All of this responsibility lies with Brown. That’s why he is the only one who should be punished for this. The NCAA should simply ban him from coaching. Let SMU pick up someone in the interim for this season, and let Moore and Kennedy play in the tournament. Or at the very least, let them transfer. Nothing is stopping Larry Brown from bailing on this team, just like he has the past two times the NCAA has levied his school.

But I guess that makes too much sense for the NCAA. Here’s to hoping Moore and Kennedy enjoy playing their final college basketball games for nothing. And I’m sure they love that their only NCAA tournament memory will be losing in the first round because of a botched goaltend call.

Dear NCAA, please fix this. Please make things right.

Next: Coach K Masters Recruiting in the One-And Done Era

More from Busting Brackets

Home/NCAA Basketball News