SEMO BASKETBALL ON PROBATION

Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball program was placed on probation for three years and lost a scholarship for violating NCAA regulations under former coach Ron Shumate.

The school's cooperation in the NCAA investigation likely helped avoid a more severe penalty.

David Swank, chairman of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions, said during a telephone press conference Thursday that Southeast probably would have received a ban on postseason play had it not been for the school's detailed self-reporting and its cooperation and participation throughout the investigation.

Swank lauded Southeast officials for reporting the alleged incidents as soon as they learned of them and fully cooperating with investigations by the Ohio Valley Conference and the NCAA.

"Throughout the investigation, the university cooperated and participated fully," said Swank. "The violations found were serious, and without the cooperation of the university it's quite likely the penalties would have been much more serious.

"Had the university not cooperated, I think there would have been a postseason ban."

Probation basically means that the program must commit no violations for the next three years or it will be subject to more and undoubtedly much harsher sanctions. Realistically, simply being put on probation was the best-case scenario for the program.

Ken Dobbins, Southeast executive vice president, said the university is generally satisfied with the NCAA's decision and does not plan to appeal.

"Obviously we'd rather not be on probation, but if you consider all that could have happened we definitely think the NCAA was very fair," said Dobbins. "We are very pleased that we will be allowed to compete in postseason play."

The NCAA Committee on Infractions said it found violations in the areas of extra benefits, recruiting, financial aid, institutional responsibility and ethical conduct.

The violations cited included cash payments, loans, excessive compensation, compensation for work not performed, and transportation provided by Shumate and his staff to players and recruits, the NCAA said.

The committee also cited Shumate and two assistant coaches for unethical conduct, saying they knowingly violated NCAA legislation and provided false and misleading information to the enforcement staff and university when questioned about possible NCAA violations.

Shumate, the winningest basketball coach in Southeast history with a 306-171 record in 16 seasons, was fired on May 14, 1997. Assistant coaches Randy Curl, Kirt Cochran and Scott McCowan did not have their contracts renewed.

The NCAA report did not name players or coaches involved, but the incidents all happened over a three-year period, from the 1994-1995 through 1996-1997 school years, while Shumate was head coach.

Swank said that many of the violations were "considered major in nature and a few were relatively minor."

Although the committee did not find a lack of institutional control, it did say there was a lack of appropriate monitoring in the men's basketball program.

Besides the probation and loss of one scholarship for next season, the committee required compliance education programs, annual reports to the committee during the probation period and attendance at an NCAA compliance seminar and a one-day on-campus compliance seminar.

The committee also placed show-cause requirements on Shumate and two assistants who were involved in providing the extra benefits and provided false and misleading information to the NCAA enforcement staff and the university.

Under the NCAA's show-cause procedures, coaches who seek employment or affiliation in an athletically related position at an NCAA member institution during a specified period must appear -- along with the school -- before the infractions committee to consider whether the school should limit the coaches' athletically related duties for a certain time.

Swank said that even though there are relatively few restrictions placed on Southeast's basketball program except for the loss of one scholarship, he does not view probation as an insignificant penalty.

"It's a black eye, and it hurts the reputation of the university," he said. "We consider it a significant penalty.

"And the university is obliged to provide us annual reports during the three-year period. If we're not satisfied with those reports, we can take further action."

In determining the penalties, the committee took into account a host of corrective actions taken by Southeast, including the termination of Shumate; not renewing the contracts of the assistants; instituting the monitoring of student-athlete employment; and expanding the rules education program for the athletics administration, compliance staff and coaching staff.

The committee also cited Southeast's self-imposed penalty of eliminating one scholarship for the 1997-98 school year, which the committee adopted as its own penalty.

"I think, as David Swank said, our cooperation paid off," said Dobbins. "Otherwise, I believe we would have had a postseason ban, and that is something that can really cripple a program for a long time.

"We still have a lot of compliance issues we need to address over the next few years, but we have already taken a lot of steps in that direction."

INSIDE

-- Southeast Missouri State University head basketball coach Ron Garner and former Southeast basketball coach Ron Shumate react to the NCAA report, Page 1B.

-- The NCAA committee's complete report, Page 4B.

MAJOR INFRACTIONS

-- A player was paid for work as a team student manager that he did not perform.

-- A player received a $1,100 loan from a coach to help pay school expenses.

-- Players received more than $700 to cover costs of rent for an apartment and furniture.

-- The head coach gave a player $200 to pay a delinquent telephone bill.

-- An assistant coach loaned a player $200 to pay fines on two speeding tickets.

-- Wages for summer employment of players and recruits were inflated by $4 to $5 per hour over that paid to other non-student-athlete employees by a representative of the school's athletic interests.

-- An assistant coach arranged transportation for a recruit to Cape Girardeau from St. Louis.

-- During the 1995-1996 season, the university provided financial aid to an ineligible player.

-- During August 1996, as the team was practicing for a European tour, the coaching staff provided several prospective student-athletes with impermissible meals and lodging and allowed them to participate in practices when they should not have.