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Bizarre Week in College Basketball
Aired March 11, 2003 - 15:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's kind of a tawdry tale, this year's March madness. And our vice president in charge of tawdry tales is one Lawrence Smith.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And new father to a second child. Got to get that in real quickly.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: Yes, 11 pounds, seven ounces. He's huge, five weeks.
O'BRIEN: Wait a minute, 11 pounds?
SMITH: Seven ounces, and he's five weeks old.
COLLINS: He's going to play basketball.
SMITH: Yes.
COLLINS: There's no question.
SMITH: And I'm going to retire.
O'BRIEN: Some kind of ball.
SMITH: No, I shouldn't say that.
O'BRIEN: Start working him now.
SMITH: Yes. It's an odd time of year. Usually it's my favorite time of year. You hate stories like this, but this is part of what happens in college sports sometimes.
You know too often we'll (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the involvement of boosters, use unscrupulous actions, taint the spirit of college athletics. But this month it's a villain of a different kind, university employees and administrators themselves.
Scandals have rocked Villanova and Fresno State, and now two of the larger ones. The University of Georgia continuing its investigation that has already led to a suspension of head coach Jim Harrick; four school officials to deem current players ineligible; and calling off the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) participation in the upcoming southeastern conference and NCAA tournaments.
The two-week-old probe that began when a former player accused the university coaching staff of wrongdoing. It turned up evidence of three basketball players receiving A's for a class they never attended. The class was taught by Jim Harrick, Jr., the coach's son and top assistant, and a man for whom University President Michael Adams waved the school's nepotism clause that allowed him to be hired. Now while Harrick's future is tenuous at Georgia, and as a coach anywhere, Adams certainly could be held accountable as well.
It's just the latest in a bizarre week of college basketball. The president of St. Bonaventure resigning over the weekend for his role in bringing an ineligible student to the Bonnies' (ph) basketball program. The remaining players then boycotted the final two games of the season, costing other schools much needed revenue from gate receipts. And now there is some talk that the Atlantic 10 Conference might boot St. Bonaventure from the league.
But not all news is bad, though. Bob Knight has had his share of bad press over the years. No chair throwing here. But the Texas Tech coach told the school to keep his $250,000 salary this year because neither he nor the team, in his words, did a very good job.
And Knight led the Red Raiders to the NCAA tournament in its first season in Lubbock, Texas last year. But this season's squad, which is six and 10 in big 12 (ph) play and an NCAA bid is iffy.
March certainly is the crown jewel of college troops. Thirty Division I conferences are staging tournaments this week. The NCAA tournament Field of 65 will be announced come Sunday. And non-sports fans at that point will join the diehards in filling out office tournament brackets for a bit of cash and a lot of bragging rights next week. But maybye then the focus will return to the courts, where it belongs.
O'BRIEN: Oh, you mean they are playing basketball?
SMITH: Oh, yes.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, I forgot -- yes.
COLLINS: Hey, let me just ask you. You know this $250,000 base salary of Bobby Knight, we shouldn't really feel too sorry for him, right?
SMITH: Yes. Well he's going to keep just enough money to make sure he gets his pension and benefits for working for free kind of thing. So Bob's got money, yes. But it's a nice gesture and it's one you don't hear very often anywhere.
Would you work for free? That's what I thought.
COLLINS: I thought we did.
O'BRIEN: Not many people know it, but I'm an intern, years and years.
SMITH: Oh, OK. That explains it.
O'BRIEN: Yes. All right, Larry Smith.
COLLINS: We will also be watching the University of Maryland very, very closely, right?
SMITH: I knew you were going to get that in. The defending champions. Three (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: They call them the twerps, right?
COLLINS: Terps.
O'BRIEN: Oh, the Terps. That's right, yes. Wow.
COLLINS: Larry Smith, thank you so much.
SMITH: Sure, no problem.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 11, 2003 - 15:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's kind of a tawdry tale, this year's March madness. And our vice president in charge of tawdry tales is one Lawrence Smith.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And new father to a second child. Got to get that in real quickly.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: Yes, 11 pounds, seven ounces. He's huge, five weeks.
O'BRIEN: Wait a minute, 11 pounds?
SMITH: Seven ounces, and he's five weeks old.
COLLINS: He's going to play basketball.
SMITH: Yes.
COLLINS: There's no question.
SMITH: And I'm going to retire.
O'BRIEN: Some kind of ball.
SMITH: No, I shouldn't say that.
O'BRIEN: Start working him now.
SMITH: Yes. It's an odd time of year. Usually it's my favorite time of year. You hate stories like this, but this is part of what happens in college sports sometimes.
You know too often we'll (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the involvement of boosters, use unscrupulous actions, taint the spirit of college athletics. But this month it's a villain of a different kind, university employees and administrators themselves.
Scandals have rocked Villanova and Fresno State, and now two of the larger ones. The University of Georgia continuing its investigation that has already led to a suspension of head coach Jim Harrick; four school officials to deem current players ineligible; and calling off the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) participation in the upcoming southeastern conference and NCAA tournaments.
The two-week-old probe that began when a former player accused the university coaching staff of wrongdoing. It turned up evidence of three basketball players receiving A's for a class they never attended. The class was taught by Jim Harrick, Jr., the coach's son and top assistant, and a man for whom University President Michael Adams waved the school's nepotism clause that allowed him to be hired. Now while Harrick's future is tenuous at Georgia, and as a coach anywhere, Adams certainly could be held accountable as well.
It's just the latest in a bizarre week of college basketball. The president of St. Bonaventure resigning over the weekend for his role in bringing an ineligible student to the Bonnies' (ph) basketball program. The remaining players then boycotted the final two games of the season, costing other schools much needed revenue from gate receipts. And now there is some talk that the Atlantic 10 Conference might boot St. Bonaventure from the league.
But not all news is bad, though. Bob Knight has had his share of bad press over the years. No chair throwing here. But the Texas Tech coach told the school to keep his $250,000 salary this year because neither he nor the team, in his words, did a very good job.
And Knight led the Red Raiders to the NCAA tournament in its first season in Lubbock, Texas last year. But this season's squad, which is six and 10 in big 12 (ph) play and an NCAA bid is iffy.
March certainly is the crown jewel of college troops. Thirty Division I conferences are staging tournaments this week. The NCAA tournament Field of 65 will be announced come Sunday. And non-sports fans at that point will join the diehards in filling out office tournament brackets for a bit of cash and a lot of bragging rights next week. But maybye then the focus will return to the courts, where it belongs.
O'BRIEN: Oh, you mean they are playing basketball?
SMITH: Oh, yes.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, I forgot -- yes.
COLLINS: Hey, let me just ask you. You know this $250,000 base salary of Bobby Knight, we shouldn't really feel too sorry for him, right?
SMITH: Yes. Well he's going to keep just enough money to make sure he gets his pension and benefits for working for free kind of thing. So Bob's got money, yes. But it's a nice gesture and it's one you don't hear very often anywhere.
Would you work for free? That's what I thought.
COLLINS: I thought we did.
O'BRIEN: Not many people know it, but I'm an intern, years and years.
SMITH: Oh, OK. That explains it.
O'BRIEN: Yes. All right, Larry Smith.
COLLINS: We will also be watching the University of Maryland very, very closely, right?
SMITH: I knew you were going to get that in. The defending champions. Three (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: They call them the twerps, right?
COLLINS: Terps.
O'BRIEN: Oh, the Terps. That's right, yes. Wow.
COLLINS: Larry Smith, thank you so much.
SMITH: Sure, no problem.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
