It was reported earlier today that SMU Mustangs head men’s basketball coach Larry Brown was facing a “lack of coach control” charge in an NCAA investigation regarding alleged academic misconduct, but the Hall of Famer has now gone on defense.
According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Brown denied any wrongdoing whatsoever.
The investigation also involves the SMU golf team, but the men’s basketball allegations involve guard Keith Frazier, who was declared academically ineligible back in January.
Allegedly, assistant coach Ulric Maligi and an ex-secretary in the athletic office helped Frazier with his classwork.
This is not the first time Brown has faced such issues on the collegiate level.
While head coach at UCLA, it was discovered that two of his players had played despite being ineligible, and the Bruins had that season vacated. While at Kansas, Brown was found to have committed recruiting violations, particularly in the case of potential transfer Vincent Askew, who Brown gave money to leave his campus to visit a sick relative.
As a result, though Kansas won a national championship in Brown’s final season in Lawrence, the Jayhawks were banned from the following year’s tournament and could not defend their title.
If the allegations against SMU this time around are true, it’d be a huge blow to the great work Brown has done since arriving on campus three seasons ago.
In that time, SMU has gone 69-34 and won the AAC last season, making its first NCAA Tournament Appearance since 1993.
Campus Sports will update this story as it develops.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
