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The point-shaving scandal that has rocked the University of Toledo hit a little too close to home for Kent State.
In the wake of the revelation that members of Toledo's football and men's basketball teams may have conspired to fix the outcome of games, KSU's athletic department has met to discuss how to make sure a similar nightmare never hits its own campus.
"We discussed that as a staff and with our coaches (April 5)," said KSU athletic director Laing Kennedy. "It's a frightening situation. Knowing how this can happen, we have to do a better job than ever in educating our student-athletes. We have to be diligent as administrators to make sure that we all have a heightened sensitivity to it and really do everything we can so that our student-athletes are aware of the consequences of what can happen."
According to the FBI, Cleveland native Harvey "Scooter" McDougle Jr., a senior on the Rockets football team, allegedly recruited football and basketball players to fix games in a scheme concocted by a Detroit-area professional gambler. In a March 31 story in the Detroit Free Press, federal agents claimed the Toledo athletes were wined and dined at fancy restaurant, taken on trips to Detroit's Greektown Casino and given cash, groceries and cell phones from the gambler, identified as "Gary."
"It's scary, because there is no way as a coach you can monitor your kids 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said KSU men's basketball coach Jim Christian. "It's such a negative story, and it could happen at any school. All you can do is make your kids aware so that they make the right decisions."
KSU has already been active in educating its student-athletes about the dangers of sports gambling. Two months ago, convicted gambler and former mob captain Michael Franzese was the special guest at a lecture where attendance by all Kent State student-athletes was mandatory.
For the last six years, student-athletes and administrators in KSU's athletic department have been required to sign a declaration stating that they will not gamble, and if they become aware of gambling affecting their respective teams or sports, they will report it.
"The school has been very proactive in terms of education and bringing in experts to speak to our kids," said KSU football coach Doug Martin. "(Franzese) made a big impact on our players. Obviously, we'll continue to talk to our team and ask them to police each other. I think we are being very naive if we don't believe this kind of thing can happen anywhere.
"I promise you that Toledo's coaches probably talked to their athletes until they were blue in the face. It's a very scary deal because you just can't watch your players every hour of every day."
A few more hours may help, though. Currently, the NCAA only allows coaches to spend 20 hours per week in-season with their players and eight hours per week in the offseason.
"Before the (20/8 rule), we used to be able to have kids over to our house for meals, and we were just around them more," said Martin. "The rule makes it difficult for us to spend enough time with the kids. In the summer, we are not allowed to spend any time with them at all. The only guy who can have contact with them is the strength coach. In the summers, kids have all sorts of free time unless they are in summer school, and that's probably when they need to have us around the most to make sure they keep making good decisions."
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ORR A NICE ADDITION TO MAC -- Jim Christian was happy to see Louis Orr added to the Mid-American Conference coaching fraternity.
Orr, a former head coach at Siena and Seton Hall and a longtime NBA power forward, was hired as Bowling Green's new men's basketball coach last week.
"Louis is a tremendous person," said Christian. "I think he is a real complement to a league that already has some quality, experienced head coaches. There were great coaches in this league last year, and there are going to be great coaches at every school this year. It's going to be as competitive as it always is in the MAC next season."
Christian knows all about Orr from their years competing against each other as assistant coaches in the Big East. In fact, the relationship that grew between the two in the late 1990s almost led to Christian accepting a job as an assistant on Orr's first staff at Siena in 2000.
"We grew close when I was at Pittsburgh and he was at Syracuse," said Christian. "We'd always see each other out on the recruiting trail. When I left Pitt, I was very much involved talking to him about (a job at) Siena. It just wasn't the right time for my family."
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DIX STADIUM RENOVATION UPDATE -- The first stage of the renovation of Dix Stadium is in the bidding process. The school hopes to replace the blue-steel fence surrounding Dix Stadium with new brick and wrought iron fencing by the start of the new season. A permanent canopy will also be installed above the west press box, replacing temporary blue-and-gold tent covers the school uses on game day.
Future renovation will include the removal of the south stands, making room for a grass hill and a scoreboard archway. |
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发表于 2007-4-11 01:24
