NC State basketball avoids postseason ban In IARP ruling

NC State’s long-awaited decision from the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Referral Process (IARP) is out just in time for the holidays.

While most college basketball fans would likely associate NCAA president Mark Emmert more in line with the Grinch than Santa Claus, the governing body decided not to steal the Christmas joy in Raleigh. 

Yes, the Wolfpack will face punishment for its allegations of wrongdoing involving the recruitment of former point guard Dennis Smith Jr.

But to the relief of the program and its fans, a postseason ban is not one of the penalties listed in the committee’s decision released earlier Monday. 

Here is a list of the punishments handed down to NC State from IARP in the case decision release: 

• A financial fine plus 0.5 percent of the program’s 2021-22 men’s basketball budget. (Self-imposed)

• Reduction of one scholarship from the permissible total of 13 for this year. (Self-imposed)

• Reduction of grant-in-aid awards by one scholarship for 2022-23 season or the first available season.

• Reduction of official recruiting visits by one for 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years, as well as a prohibition on unofficial visits for a two-week period in 2019-20 (Self-imposed)

• A four-week recruiting communication ban (phone calls and written correspondence) for the 2021-22 academic year. 

• An eight-day reduction in the number of recruiting person days for the 2021-22 academic year, including the summer of 2022.

• One-year probation ending Dec. 19, 2022.

• Public reprimand and censure. 

• Vacation of team and individual records from the time Smith played at NC State (2016-17). 

All and all, the decision is a big win for NC State’s men’s basketball program. 

First and foremost, the decision allows the program to move on and put this scandal behind it. 

In hindsight, the biggest punishment handed down was likely the time it took for IARP to ultimately reach a decision in this case. NC State has faced these allegations for years now, which means it was a topic of discussion for multiple recruiting classes at this point. 

While there’s no way to tell if the Pack’s procedural dilemma impacted the decision of any past recruits, there’s no doubt that the NCAA decision looming was at the very least a bad look for the program while it tried to convince players to come suit up in Raleigh. 

“The NCAA stuff has been one of the toughest things that I’ve ever had to deal with as a coach,” head coach Kevin Keatts said. “There wasn’t one phone call, wasn’t one recruit’s parents that I didn’t have to to have the conversation with.

“Even if they didn’t ask, we wanted to be honest with them, to let them know that we were under investigation for something that happened with the prior staff.”

Secondly, the fact that no postseason ban was handed down means that the current players and coaching staff won’t have to pay the consequences for the actions of people no longer affiliated with the program. 

Keatts added that six of the players on the team were in the eighth grade when the allegations occurred.

While only time will tell if this year’s Wolfpack squad will compete for a bid in the postseason, the ruling at least gives the locker room clarity that the goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament is still possible if earned during the regular season. 

And one other win for Pack fans: It seems justice was served with this ruling, something one couldn’t normally say about essentially anything having to do with the NCAA. 

NC State was spared the most devastating punishment it could have received, a postseason ban. And rightfully so, considering one could argue that the athletic department was the real victim in this case due to the improper actions of formerly trusted individuals that are no longer part of the program. 

Instead, those individuals received the most severe punishments in the ruling.

“I hope we’re starting to see a shift.” Keatts said. “… If someone made a mistake or someone did something that was improper, punish that person, but don’t come at kids who had nothing to do with it. I think that’s what happened.”

Former head coach Mark Gottfried received a one-year show-cause order, meaning any institution that wishes to hire him before Dec. 19, 2022 would have to “show cause” to IARP “as to why restrictions on all athletically related activity should not apply.”

Former assistant Orlando Early, the individual who allegedly coordinated the five-figure payment to Smith, received a seven-year show-cause order. 

NC State fans will always have several bones to pick with the NCAA, and rightfully so. But this Christmas, Wolfpack nation opened their stockings to a pleasant surprise: there was not the anticipated lump of coal waiting for them at the bottom. 

Statements from NC State director of athletics Boo Corrigan and former AD Debbie Yow

Wolfpack Nation,

Earlier today we received word on the conclusion of our NCAA process for our men’s basketball program, a cloud that has hovered over NC State for over four years. Quite simply, it’s time for us to finally move forward.

We thank the IARP for its diligent review and thoughtful analysis of all facts of this case, as well as our general counsel and legal team who defended NC State vigorously over the course of several years. 

We now turn our attention to the healing process and how to best support our men’s basketball program moving forward. Kevin Keatts has shown extraordinary leadership throughout and has built a program in which we can all be proud; a program with remarkable potential.

It’s time to move forward and bring closure to this unfortunate chapter. We use the expression “There is strength in the Pack” very often at NC State. Never has that been more important than now.

Be well and Go Pack.

Boo Corrigan
Director of Athletics

I am grateful for today’s outcome by the IARP. Sanctioned those thought to be responsible, while protecting the innocent. No scorched earth approach. Congrats to the entire NC State “team”, including attorneys and staff, for their diligence to pursue a fair outcome.

— Debbie Yow (@gopacknow) December 20, 2021

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