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The USC men’s basketball team has avoided a ban on the national season due to NCAA offenses committed by former head coach Tony Bland.
The NCAA on Thursday announced that it had put the Trojans to the test for two years and fined $ 5,000 plus 1 percent of the budget for the men’s basketball program. Bland received an assignment of three years.
USC was one of the schools involved in the FBI’s investigation into corruption in university basketball.
In January 2019, Bland pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. He admitted that he received $ 4,100 to help players sign with specified financial advisors and managers.
The NCAA refers to the FBI’s investigation in its announcement setting out the fines for USC:
” As part of his plea agreement for federal proceedings, the former co-coach admitted to accepting bribes during a July 2017 meeting with financial advisers and business executives in exchange for ordering basketball players to retain their services.
‘Government recordings of the meeting and a second meeting in August 2017 – which was evidence in federal court – revealed that the co-head coach indicated his ability to connect the company with current or prospective student athletes, and noted that he had a great influence on players’ decisions.
However, the organization also noted that Bland had fulfilled ‘his obligation’ when he collaborated with NCAA investigators and provided the necessary information in the case.
Officials also looked favorably on USC after the school itself issued sanctions before any final decision. The Trojans have reduced their available scholarships for the 2018-19 academic year by two and slightly limited the amount of contact with prospective recruits.
Andy Enfield, head coach of USC, led the team to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2001. Leading scorer Evan Mobley is likely to go to the NBA, but the Trojans sit 14th in 247Sports’ composite team rankings for the 2021 recruiting cycle.
While the NCAA investigation casts a shadow over the program, the outcome should not hinder USC much after the school avoided the worst-case scenario.