NCAA Cracks Down On Louisville

Louisville's men's basketball team was banned from postseason play for one year and placed on probation for three years Tuesday by the NCAA.

The NCAA, punishing the university for one infraction involving basketball and eight involving volleyball, also reduced the number of scholarships for the men's basketball and women's volleyball programs.

The infractions committee have imposed harsher punishments, including shutting down one or both programs for one year.

The basketball citation was especially serious because of allegations that the program's five-year probation might have been violated. Louisville won the national championship in 1980 and 1986.

The allegation involved arrangements made by assistant coach Scooter McCray in 1996 to keep player Nate Johnson's father from being evicted from a Louisville hotel. McCray admitted giving his personal credit card to the Wilson Inn to assure Fred Johnson wouldn't be evicted. However, McCray said he never intended to pay the bill himself.

The NCAA released its findings in April in a letter of inquiry which labeled the alleged violations as "major," including a claim of "lack of institutional control."

Since the current investigation began, the university has transferred McCray to an administrative post and suspended volleyball coach Leonid Yelin for a month without pay. An assistant women's volleyball coach was reprimanded and the volleyball team's preseason trip to Japan was canceled.

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