Dorm Report: Carolina blues

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – It has not been the best three years for North Carolina basketball and not just because the Tar Heels haven’t won the ACC Tournament or made it to the Final Four.

Since self-reporting academic irregularities in 2011, one of the most popular athletic programs in the country has been under intense scrutiny, made worse by additional damning revelations and accusations recently.

Just a few months ago, former basketball star Rashad McCants alleged academically fraudulent practices were the norm for athletes, including himself, at North Carolina. McCants’s claims came shortly after the eligibility debacle with former players P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald.

The program took another major hit last week when a report was released detailing the findings of former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein’s investigation into possible academic wrongdoing.

In the report, which pulls information from hundreds of interviews and the examination of pages of transcripts and other documents, Wainstein details that from 1993 to 2011 there was development and implementation of a “shadow curriculum” within the African American studies department at UNC. The report goes on to assert the curriculum provided “paper classes” “that involved no interaction with a faculty member, required no class attendance or course work other than a single paper, and resulted in consistently high grades” despite a lack of proven merit.

Additionally, the report mentions these classes were particularly popular for student-athletes, especially in the big money-making sports like men’s basketball and football.

Such excerpts and problematic information from the report are why North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams, and the athletic program in general, are facing even more pressure beyond preparation for the upcoming basketball season.

Williams was not the head coach at North Carolina in 1993, when the report mentions these practices began. However, he has been in charge of the program since 2003, meaning he was at least on the payroll for a chunk of time before the irregularities were noticed by, to its credit, the institution itself.

Wainstein’s report specifically claims there were 167 enrollments in these “shadow classes” after Williams took over, although it was unable to determine if Williams was aware of the academic fraud that was occurring. Unsurprisingly, Williams still vehemently denies any involvement.

“I’m dumbfounded by everything that came out in the report this week,” Williams said during a press conference last week. “The first time I’d ever heard the term ‘paper classes’ was in the last couple years. First time I’d ever heard that terminology.”

Without any real evidence, it is impossible to place all or any of the blame on Williams. Unfortunately, when you are the face of a program, as Williams is, and you collect the type of paycheck that comes with such a prestigious and pressure-packed position, it is difficult to believe you would be left totally in the dark.

After all, Williams’ primary job is to win basketball games. It is an ugly truth, but a truth all the same. Coaches, especially at such elite programs as North Carolina, are rarely fired because of poor academic standing. The ax usually comes in instances of poor on-court performance.

Regardless of Williams’ level of guilt, or lack thereof, another unfortunate aspect of his prominent standing is when the NCAA comes knocking, he will likely be one of those hit the hardest.

In recent years, there have been a number of programs crushed by the hammering punishment of the NCAA, for a slew of infractions that vary in severity. USC, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State and Penn State are just a few of those programs. Very often such programs must part ways with successful head coaches in the wake of revelations of misconduct. For example, Jim Tressel was let go by Ohio State and is still serving a five-year show cause penalty, which effectively ended his coaching career.

Coaches aren’t the only people who are hurt by these types of scandals. The programs themselves take some heavy casualties as well, including the vacation of wins and titles, bans from postseason play and scholarship sanctions. Then there is the ever-lingering “death penalty,” which effectively bans a school from competing in a sport for a year at least. Imagine no Duke- North Carolina and what that would mean for not only those two programs, but the ACC as a conference.

However, the people wounded the most by all these wrongful actions by big- time college programs are the student-athletes themselves. The line between the student and athlete part is as severe as it has ever been, especially in the revenue sports of basketball and football. These athletes are expected to play at a nearly professional level, which comes with incredible amounts of practice, travel and game time while maintaining academic standing. It is totally understandable so many athletes are tempted to find easier routes to remaining academically eligible, especially when confronted with such astounding pressure on the field or court.

Does that pressure excuse the misbehavior? Of course not. However, it produces a bit of sympathy for the athletes, especially current players, who are most affected by whatever NCAA sanctions may come, despite having nothing to do with the wrongdoing that necessitated the punishment.

The NCAA itself is in a no-win situation as well. Many of its recent punishments have been criticized for being too harsh or ineffective, yet it will be expected to punish UNC or any other programs that break the rules. Of course, the shortcomings of the NCAA and its often hypocritical behavior is an entirely different subject altogether.

Doling out punishments is just a quick fix anyhow. Until the real issues, such as the spread of money in college athletics and the broken student-athlete dynamic, are actually confronted, there will continue to be impropriety at programs just like UNC and the laundry list of others from this past decade.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball