Oklahoma State MBB Banned from 2022 Postseason
Oklahoma State men’s basketball has been banned from the 2022 postseason after the NCAA denied the school’s appeal.
How we got here
The Cowboys were assessed a one-year ban, three-year probation and a loss of three scholarships over the next three seasons in 2020, with several recruiting probations to boot. Oklahoma State appealed the ruling and the delay allowed the team, led by freshman star and current Detroit Piston, Cade Cunningham, to play in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. OSU went 21-9 and were a 4-seed in the Big Dance, losing to Oregon State in the Round of 32.
The punishments relate to the 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball corruption. Then Oklahoma State associate head coach, Lamont Evans, was indicted for accepting bribes ranging from $18,150 to $22,000 in hopes he would direct players towards various agents and financial advisors while he was a coach at both OSU and South Carolina, according to ESPN. He was sentenced to three months in prison in 2019.
South Carolina was not handed a postseason ban in February 2020.
Oklahoma State’s reaction
Cowboys head coach Mike Boynton didn’t mince his words when speaking about the NCAA’s ruling on Wednesday.
“I am disappointed, disgusted, appalled, frustrated, but somewhere in Indianapolis there’s a group of people celebrating. They won. Our players don’t deserve and shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
VIA ESPN
“It was a single NCAA violation. One player received $300. One player. Not a recruit. Not a future recruit. Not a family member. One current player received $300. And in and of itself, because it was self-reported by us, it’s a secondary violation. So, the punishment is you pay the money back, serve your suspension — which the kid did — and you move on.”
VIA ESPN
“There have been some results that have been very different from ours with very similar circumstances involved. And that makes it even more frustrating. The cases have similar circumstances and the consequences are drastically different. And that’s utterly ridiculous.”
VIA ESPN
It’s a day that ends in ‘y’ and the NCAA still sucks
Boynton’s sentiments are not unique. The NCAA has a long list of critics, and today’s ruling only further that universal hatred.
The organization has deprived a group of young men from playing for college basketball’s ultimate prize. This Cowboys team is deeper and potentially more talented than last year’s squad. They were a dark horse to win the Big 12. Oklahoma State was projected to finish fourth in conference play by Vendetta’s Jimmer Range podcast, but Karl and myself lauded the squad’s upside.
But here we are, frustrated once again by the questionable decision-making levied by an organization out of touch with the very people it’s supposed to represent.
Boynton was able to verbalize a lot of what the college basketball world wanted to say on Wednesday, but arguably no statement captured the distrust and suspicion of the NCAA and its rulings better than this:
“It’s no wonder that nobody trusts (the NCAA). They don’t have to come and do this, and answer questions, and talk to kids, and talk to parents.”
VIA ESPN
This is a group of players that had nothing to do with the events that transpired in 2017. The school, by all accounts, participated cooperatively with the NCAA in the investigation. The man who committed the Level 1 violations went to prison. So why are we here? Why are we enforcing this ban, when schools that were indicted in the same investigation were given a slap on the wrist?
In short, the NCAA is corrupt. It is a disappointing and tone-deaf organization led by a man in Mark Emmert who just celebrated his 11-year anniversary as president of the NCAA – a tenure that is 11 years too long.
But I guess the NCAA is accomplishing their mission, because like their website says, “All college athletes deserve a fair shot. We focus on respect, integrity and responsibility, both on and off the field, so that college sports prepare student-athletes for life.”
Translation: life isn’t fair, but thanks for the revenue.
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