NCAA opens formal investigation of Eastern Michigan women's basketball program
The NCAA wants to take a closer look at the Eastern Michigan women's basketball program.
The university announced Thursday that it received a Notice of Inquiry from the NCAA, the official start of an investigation.
Eastern Michigan women's basketball coach AnnMarie Gilbert, shown when Eastern announced four self-reported major violations to the NCAA in September 2010, has coached the Eagles for four seasons.
Eastern self-reported four major NCAA violations and suspended head coach AnnMarie Gilbert for 30 days without pay in September 2010. The violations included "exceeding limits on practice time, improper coach involvement in voluntary practices, and two individual violations regarding prospective student athletes participating in organized workouts," the university said in a release today.
Eastern also put a salary freeze on Gilbert, ordered her to attend counseling and gave her a letter of reprimand. Eastern also suspended assistant coach Darin Thrun, who was accused of telling players to lie about practice hours, and gave him a letter of reprimand. Thrun left the program in May and accepted an assistant coaching position at Saginaw Valley State. Associate head coach LaTonya Tate also received a letter of reprimand.
The NCAA notes there are three triggers for its enforcement staff to investigate a school. Those are:
- Information indicates an intentional violation may have occurred.
- There is a chance a significant competitive or recruiting advantage was gained through violations.
- False or misleading information was given to the NCAA.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the NCAA, and will work through this matter until its resolution," Eastern Michigan athletic director Derrick Gragg said in a statement.
The notice from the NCAA said the enforcement team expects to complete its investigation by October.
Eastern went 24-13 last season and reached the third round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament. Eastern is 71-55 in four seasons under Gilbert.
Eastern's original report to the NCAA said the Eagles exceeded the daily four-hour limit for practices, sometimes by as much as two hours. The investigation was launched in July 2010 when a player approached officials in the athletic department.
Download the Notice of Inquiry: NCAA letter 082011.pdf
VIDEO FROM EASTERN'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF VIOLATIONS IN SEPTEMBER 2010
Comments
10dz
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 4:50 p.m.
Did I miss something? They have sports at EMU?
Justalibra
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 5:04 a.m.
has it dawned on anyone that Coach Gilbert has never had an issue in all of her years of Coaching yet you all are so quick to believe that she did the things that they say she did. If you knew the facts of the case you would find out that it's all over exaggerated and that she is simply the fall guy.
David Paris
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 12:21 p.m.
Congratulations go out to the unnamed student who reported the violations to the administration, and to the administration for coming down hard on Coach Gilbert! I also wish only the Beast for Coach Gilbert (once we get beyond this infraction issue) and the entire Women's Basketball Team in the future, Go Eagles!
Craig Lounsbury
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 11:13 a.m.
The NCAA needs to throw the book at EMU womens basketball. They need to be made an example of to insure this sort of thing never ever happens at a big time mens program. ;)
KatiGal
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 9:15 p.m.
Like this has never happened before??
Engineer
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 1:26 a.m.
If eastern has to give back 2 hours for every hour extra like Michigan did then practice for the Eagles should be pretty easy this year. 2 hours over so 4 hours less than 4 hours would be 0. I guess they will just play the games with no practice. Should be interesting to say the least.