Southeast women's basketball program faces new NCAA allegation

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball program has earned the attention of the NCAA Committee on Infractions again, but this time the head coach is being left out of the mix.

The university was informed earlier this week that one of the allegations of NCAA violations for the athletic department involves a booster paying $7,078 in course expenses for the 2007-08 school year for a fifth-year student who had exhausted her eligibility.

The report, which details allegations that led the university to place men's basketball coach Scott Edgar on administrative leave until the completion of the investigation, does not include any reference to women's basketball coach John Ishee, which university president Dr. Kenneth Dobbins noted in explaining why the university's actions Thursday included no disciplinary action for Ishee.

Southeast, in addition to disciplining Edgar, placed athletic director Don Kaverman on administrative leave and exercised the option to terminate his contract with 120 days' notice. Kaverman did not return calls to his residence Thursday.

The women's basketball program was the primary subject in an NCAA investigation process that began in February 2006 and concluded with penalties being handed out in June. Those penalties included a vacation of victories for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, the latter being the year the Redhawks won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and made the first of two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

Ishee replaced B.J. Smith, who was placed on leave just before the start of the 2006-07 season and resigned in a joint statement with the university in December of 2007.

Ishee was named the OVC coach of the year for 2006-07 and led the Redhawks to an OVC regular-season title and Women's NIT berth last season.

"I would rather not get into any specifics or comment on anything other than I look forward to the upcoming season and defending our OVC championship," Ishee said Thursday. "I would like to say we've got a great institution and I look forward to better days ahead for everybody involved with Southeast athletics."

The Notice of Allegations, received by Southeast on Monday, asks the university to include information in a response due Jan. 2. The NCAA is asking Southeast to provide the identities of any staff members who may have known about or were involved in the receipt of the extra benefit and to indicate whether the impermissible payments could have been prevented.

Jayson Santos, now the assistant AD for compliance for Texas State after serving in the same post at Southeast from August 2006 through last month, said this allegation was a "booster's decision."

"There was nothing from an administration standpoint we could have done," Santos said.

He said the university acted within a week of discovering the information and that the individual "was removed as a booster."

Santos said he was surprised a supporter of the program would violate an NCAA rule at a time when Southeast was under scrutiny.

"It doesn't make any sense," he said. "Who would think you would have to sit down with someone and explain it? It's common sense."

Santos said the university provided boosters with pamphlets and included information in a bimonthly newsletter.

"It's not like nothing was being done to educate these people," said Santos, whose position currently is vacant at Southeast.

The NCAA's Notice of Allegations said the institution failed to monitor the men's and women's programs.

It alleges "in the fall of 2007 and May 2008, some members of the athletics department became aware that a representative of the institution's athletic interests had intentions of paying for course expenses" for the student-athlete. "Despite those concerns," the allegation continues, "the institution did not take adequate measures to prevent the payment."

The previous violations for the women's program included impermissible transportation and impermissible lodging, largely due to failure to provide oversight in the summer. The number of violations during Smith's tenure was large enough in the estimation of the Committee on Infractions to merit the vacation of victories.

Santos, who had interned with the NCAA before working at Southeast, didn't believe the allegation made the women's program a repeat offender subject to the death penalty.

Dobbins deferred to the NCAA.

In response to a recent Southeast Missourian request for clarification, an NCAA spokesman cited the organization's bylaw, which said repeat offender status can apply to institutions that have a major violation within five years of the starting date of a major penalty. Southeast's penalty was handed down in June, after the violation took place, although it had not yet been reported.

Marty Mishow contributed to this report.