Coastal Carolina In Trouble...???

Coastal Carolina reported violations regarding its men's basketball team to the NCAA.

A statement from the university said the allegations were brought to the school's attention before the season began and President David DeCenzo ordered them turned over to the NCAA.

The New York Times reported the focus of the NCAA's investigation is possible illegal benefits that former player Marcus Macellari said were given to other players. Macellari spoke to NCAA officials and let them know he thinks he was booted off the team because head coach Cliff Ellis over-recruited...

Coastal Carolina's leading scorer, Desmond Holloway, was indefinitely suspended this month while the NCAA looked into his eligibility. The Chanticleers (25-4) close their Big South Conference regular season at Charleston Southern on Saturday.

The Pete Thamel piece in the Times outlines how the 'Cleers now only have seven scholarship players on their active roster and eight players dressed out for recent games. Two other players are ineligible, their star player was kicked off the team after a fight, and their starting guard is injured.

From Thamel:
“I told her (the NCAA interviewer)) that my scholarship wouldn’t have been revoked if these players hadn’t been bribed to come here and offered unfair things,” he said. “These players were bribed to come here to take my spot.”

Macellari said he told the N.C.A.A. that Holloway got a “care package full of stuff” that included clothing. If true, that would be a serious N.C.A.A. violation.

Here's WBTW-TV's coverage of the Holloway suspension...


The university response today was:
“Coastal Carolina University is and has been fully cooperating with the NCAA in its current inquiry. Allegations were brought to the University’s attention in late summer of 2010. At that time, President David DeCenzo immediately directed Chief Operating Officer Edgar Dyer and University Counsel Tim Meacham to self report the allegations to the NCAA on behalf of the University.

NCAA’s rules of ethical conduct prohibit anyone at Coastal Carolina University from providing further comment until the inquiry is completed."

More when we know more...
Cliff Ellis strikes again... alledgedly...