The meme on how loaded the Big East will be in basketball for 2008 continues to worm its way around. Per Jay Bilas at ESPN (insider subs.)

It’s still too early to put together a coherent Top 25 for next year, but it is not too early to determine that the Big East will be the best league in the country.

By October, expect the backlash. At the first stumble of an expected top team in the Big East there will be the “ah-ha, see the BE isn’t that good!”

One of the stories I have always been fascinated, because of the consequences and that shows how effed up college sports can be has been the Baylor-Dennehy scandal. This was where a Baylor basketball player was shot by one of his teammates in the off-season. As the investigation was getting underway, the then coach, Dave Bliss, wanted to cover-up how he was secretly paying the way for walk-ons who had transferred — including Dennehy. That included trying to mislead investigators that Dennehy was shot because of a drug deal — despite Dennehy having no involvement in that. He even wanted the assistants to help with the cover-up. One young assistant and former Baylor player was so disturbed by this, he taped one of the conversations.

He went to see a lawyer who eventually leaked the tape, and helped blow the whole thing up. In the fallout, Abar Rouse became blackballed in D-1 because he “betrayed” his head coach. This long piece on what has happened to him is a hell of a read.

Many coaches, including Hall of Famers Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski, have said that Rouse had crossed the line. “If one of my assistants would tape every one of my conversations with me not knowing it, there’s no way he would be on my staff,” Krzyzewski told “Outside the Lines” in 2003. The rank and file has fallen in step.

Despite beating down seemingly every door and mailing out countless résumés, Rouse has had only one basketball job in the past five years, a graduate assistant position at Division II Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. In October he made the agonizing decision to quit, unable to survive on the $8,000 annual salary.

…

Assistant coaches are basketball’s Secret Service, there to step in and take a bullet when one is fired at the man in charge. Indiana’s Senderoff was sent packing long before the NCAA’s tentacles reached Sampson; Dwane Casey took the initial heat for Eddie Sutton at Kentucky in 1989. Taking the fall is an act of honor, despite the fact it usually means some sort of violation occurred.

Turning a coach in, deservedly or not, is viewed through an altogether different prism. Among coaches who pontificate about integrity and ethics — the NABC, then headed ironically enough by Sampson, called an emergency summit the fall after the Baylor scandal to discuss the very thing — there is a hypocritical silent code: Thou shalt not drop a dime on one another. Or at least get caught doing so.

And in a career in which networking is critical for job placement, those who go against the silent code are exiled, left to scrap their way back or wait in hope that someone offers a lifeboat.

Bliss, by the way, got to coach in the NBDL for a year and actually felt like he has re-habbed enough to start showing up at the Final Four once more. Read it all.

East Carolina desperately has wanted in to the Big East since the re-formatting a few years ago. They still want to find their way in. Even if just in football.

OK, but what if a deal too sweet to beat existed? Just for kicks, let’s put one on the table in the form of, say, a job application. The school should be willing to:

• Play a conference football schedule with zero compensation from the Big East so current members don’t have to give up any of their share of revenue.

• Be responsible for negotiating a television contract for home games until the league wants the school to be a part of its package.

• Not expect any of the league’s BCS revenue until earning a BCS bid of its own representing the conference.

• Come in as a football member only. Other sports would play in another league in order to not interfere with the league’s current 16-member setup for all other sports.

• Show a solid track record of putting fans in the seats at home, on the road and at bowl games — all on a trial basis for a few years.

The Big East still won’t bite. They don’t have to. As much as it makes things difficult to schedule in football,  even a provisional, part-time new member would likely upset the delicate balance with the basketball schools. Until the conference realizes it has to split, ECU has no chance.

Finally, congrats to Dick Groat and Pitt great Don Hennon on being included for induction into the WPIAL Hall of Fame. That they weren’t been inducted years ago is more of a shock than anything else.

Last night was the night to get the taxes done. Anyone know if you can just not pay the taxes owed and let the IRS simply take the money from that “economic stimulus” check? Just asking. So, I missed the always startling news of player discipline issues.

Pitt defensive back Sherod Murdock has been suspended indefinitely for disciplinary reasons. Athletic department spokesperson E.J. Borghetti said the school has no further comment on the incident, which led to his suspension.

Murdock is a 6-foot, 170-pound redshirt freshman from Tampa, Fla. He is competing for one of the reserve safety spots.

Never like to read any player getting in some trouble. The vague reason just furthers message board/comment speculation. Of course, cynicism says this isn’t particularly problematic since Murdock would only be a back-up most likely. Plus, the suspension will only cost him the Blue-Gold Spring game. Most likely he’ll be back for training camp in August.

This is more troubling.

Pitt starting left tackle Jason Pinkston is being investigated for his role in an altercation on campus over the weekend.

It’s a relatively specific issue: on-campus “altercation” (reading as: fight). Considering Pinkston has been out of spring drills as he recovers from his shoulder injury, this is not the way to help the rehab.

UPDATE: Per the Pitt News, this bit.

Pitt defensive back Sherod Murdock was involved in an incident at Sutherland Hall Saturday night, Pitt Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Robert Hill confirmed.

Murdock was then suspended indefinitely from the football team yesterday for disciplinary reasons.

Pitt police responded to Sutherland at about 11 p.m. Saturday for “a disturbed, potentially violent person,” their log reported.

Hill said that Murdock’s suspension was connected to the incident, but added, “I had not said [this person and Murdock] were one in the same person.”

Um, and he didn’t say that he wasn’t. Sutherland Hall holds about 739 students and they were in lock down with this matter.

The police log said Pittsburgh medics transported the person to the hospital.

A UPMC Presbyterian operator confirmed Murdock had been in the hospital over the weekend and had been discharged. The operator would not give patient details other than name confirmation, including when the patient came to the hospital or when he was discharged.

Hill said one other member of the football team was involved in the incident, although his status on the team is not in question. The action, Hill said, is no longer under review.

Still, nebulous, but not good. No wonder EDSBS is looking to give Pitt some big points in the Fulmer Cup when this finally gets hashed out.

I swear I will get to spring practice stuff. Really. But before I can, I have to make a plea to Pitt basketball. Get Penn State back on the schedule. I don’t care how. Just for a couple years. Even if Pitt has to go to State College twice for one trip to the Pete for next season.

This just has to happen. At least as long as Stanley Pringle remains with the Nittany Lions. He has his defense.

Pringle told police he has “a bad habit of putting his hand down his pants,” and demonstrated for the officer by placing his hand down the front of his sweatpants, according to the complaint.

“Why would I need to masturbate?” he told police. “This is how I chill, ma’am.”

Disturbingly, Pringle could, uh, get off. The woman didn’t actually see him actually see any shaking.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman said Pringle sat down on top of a desk behind her and asked if she wanted to purchase some hand lotion he was selling for the basketball team.

Sports Information Director Brian Siegrist declined to comment.

The woman told police that after 15 minutes of conversation with Pringle, she heard the sound of adjusting clothing followed by a “smacking sound, like Pringle’s hand was smacking against the skin of his body.”

The victim said she did not turn around because she was afraid, adding that she believed this to be the sound of masturbation and could see a reflection of Pringle’s hand moving back and forth, according to the criminal complaint.

…

The victim told police that after walking through the bookshelves while answering her phone, she saw Pringle rubbing his hands together, “as if he had just put lotion on them,” and when she returned to her seat, she said she saw Pringle tying the drawstring on his sweatpants.

Oh, please, please, please, please put Penn State on the home schedule for 2008-09.

As a friend told me, nothing pops like a Pringle.

Penn State Police confirmed today that they have filed charges against Nittany Lions basketball player Stanley Pringle in an incident involving public masturbation that occurred last Thursday in Pattee Library.

Police said Pringle, the team’s point guard, sat behind the victim in the stacks section of the library, attempted to start a conversation with the woman and began masturbating. Police have filed charges of public lewdness and disorderly conduct against him in connection to the incident…

A similar incident occurred on March 21 on the second-floor landing of McElwain Hall’s main stairwell between 8 and 8:15 p.m, when police said a man entered the building behind the woman and followed her to the stairwell landing where he began to masturbate. A similar description of the man was given in both incidents, police said. No charges have been filed for the McElwain Hall incident.

Classic.

As BigEast.org comes up on my screen, I see the Pitt and West Virginia logos near the top. You would think it might say “Listen Live For Free To The Backyard Brawl”.

Nope…

No doubt the higher-ups of the Big East offices want to see West Virginia advance to the BCS title game. Will the refs give the Mountaineers a few calls? Conspiracy theory? Or am I just looking for an excuse after White/Slaton put up 600 yards and 50 points on us?

I’ve tried to not get into this too much, but I think something needs to be said. By now, I’m sure a lot of you have seen the video from Saturday’s PSU-OSU game in Happy Valley. At a tailgate party, Penn Staters throw beer cans and shout obscenities at Buckeye fans. The video made it’s way to Youtube but has now been taken down, probably by the kid who put it up in order to attempt to stay clear of any charges. It’s too late.

First thought: This is a perfect example to throw back at Penn State’s face. Look at their fans, acting classless and stupid, throwing things at opposing fans.

Second thought: Take a step back and look at it a little bit more. There’s no way this represents their entire fan base. Sure they might all be elitists, but they can’t all be the jerks the video showed them to be. When I want to see something involving Penn State, I always turn to Black Shoe Diaries. In Mike’s post with the original video:

This is Penn State, bitch.

No, son, that is not Penn State.

To the Ohio State fans featured in the video, I’m sorry. On behalf of the 99% of Penn State fans that are nice people capable of showing respect to opposing fans, I’m sorry. This is not the Penn State I know and love.

See, they’re not all bad people.

One point that many people noticed, though, was that the cameraman (who, if you saw the video, was worthy of a sucker punch to the jaw) mentioned his beer-slinging friend was from Pittsburgh. It didn’t necessarily mean he was a Pitt student though.

Today (via Mondesi’s House), I saw a link to an update on the story: the kid you see below is, in fact, a Pitt student.

Oh no! A Pitt student did this! Now there’s someone to blame! Whoa, hold on…

A Pitt fan did this? No, not a Pitt fan, but a Pitt student. If he is a Pitt fan, there’s no way in hell he’s up in Happy Valley helping Penn Staters to throw beer at innocent OSU fans. Also, this does not let the other 100 PSU fans involved get off the hook. A lot of them threw beer (but most completely missed) and all should be charged. Hopefully when this is all over, that Pitt student is no longer a student at our school.

So Levance Fields is essentially in the clear as long as he keeps his nose clean. Obviously this is good for Pitt basketball. Fields had not been permitted to practice with the team or the coaches since it had happened. He is now, apparently back in the fold. All punishment by Coach Dixon will remain in-house according the brief statement released to the media.

“Over the last three years, I have viewed firsthand the very positive way Levance Fields has conducted himself as a person, student and athlete while at the University of Pittsburgh. The initial report of this incident did not reflect the young man I have come to know.

“We have let the judicial process run its course and acknowledge today’s decision. Levance has been, and will continue to be, held to our team’s disciplinary standards. Those disciplinary actions will remain within the confines of our program. I know he has learned valuable lessons from the experience and will be better for it.”

Did Levance Fields get any extra benefit because he is a basketball player on a top-25 team? Well, the most obvious one was that he was able to hire/retain/use the services of a well-known and very good defense lawyer. It made it easier to negotiate and work with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office.
That the charges Fields was initially facing,

…aggravated assault, disarming a police officer, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. The aggravated assault and disarming a law enforcement officer charges are felonies.

Ultimately were withdrawn by the DA and only a simple assault to which Fields pled guilty also suggests that the case wasn’t nearly as strong.
The judge’s role in this case was minimal. Despite the story saying Judge Firestone, “ordered Mr. Fields to be admitted to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders,” he was actually approving the deal. The Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) Program is a Commonwealth program administered at local county levels across the state by the  District Attorney’s office in each county. That means it is primarily at the discretion of the DA to approve an applicant’s request.
I wouldn’t have minded a couple games suspension of Fields as well. The best thing, though, is that the case is already resolved. It isn’t being drawn out and hanging over his and the team’s head for the season. No games at delaying and putting things off. Fields has pled and accepted his punishment/deal.

Amid all of the football ugliness, the news of Levance Fields’ attempted assault of an off duty police officer added to the misery. He was charged with aggravated assault, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and others. Luckily, it looks like he’s out of most legal trouble. Today, his charges were reduced to simple assault, which will require him to enter a nine month program. If he makes it through the nine months without another incident, his record will be cleared.

He hasn’t worked out with the team since his September 16 arrest, but how he’ll be able to participate.

“I think this addresses the government’s concern for punishment, but also allows us to earn a clear record,'’ DelGreco said.

In a statement, coach Jamie Dixon said, “The initial report of this incident did not reflect the young man I have come to know.'’

“We have let the judicial process run its course and acknowledge today’s decision,'’ Dixon said. “Levance has been, and will continue to be, held to our team’s disciplinary standards. Those disciplinary actions will remain within the confines of our program.'’

I’m feeling a bit better about the upcoming hoops season now that we’ll have our point guard with the team — not in prison.

Shocking, Coach Dixon indicates the team will wait and see for a little with Levance Fields and guess what? No news today.

Even if he does act or has already acted, not all disciplinary action meted out to Pitt student-athletes is made public.

Dixon refused to comment on his star player for the second day in a row, and his other players were instructed not to speak with reporters after the workout.

Regardless of what action the athletic department takes, Fields could be subject to punishment by the university’s student affairs judicial system. According to the university’s Web site, “in some cases, off-campus conduct may also be subject to disciplinary action by the university.”

It was not clear yesterday if the university has disciplined Fields. University spokeman John Fedele said, “At this point, I cannot comment on internal punishments, if there are any.”

While the present players aren’t supposed to say anything, a former player will defend his old teammates and team.

“I don’t think there’s a character issue at all at Pittsburgh,” Gray said. “When we would have recruits come in, that would always be the first thing Coach Dixon talks about. It’s not always about how good of a basketball player they are. It’s also what kind of a person they are.”

Ron Cook channels his inner-Jay Mariotti and calls for a swift suspension — if not outright booting from the team.

But Dixon’s tough-talk statement about the Fields arrest only will mean something if he backs it up, sooner rather than later. Fields is facing serious charges. He should be suspended from the team indefinitely while the legal process starts to take its course, and Dixon has a chance to conduct his own investigation.

Some will argue that isn’t fair to Fields, that he hasn’t been found guilty of anything yet. That’s true. But no one is saying he should be locked up in prison without due process or that his rights as an American citizen be disregarded. He just shouldn’t be allowed to be a part of the Pitt team with all of this hanging over him.

Apparently the part about the  “letting the judicial process run its course” from Dixon never registered with Cook.

Allright, devil’s advocate since Cook tried to couch the whole thing as vital for the “integrity” and risking “permanent damage” to the Pitt program. Isn’t it the biggest key to a basketball or any college sport, recruiting and bringing in talent? Wouldn’t it be bad for Pitt’s program to simply boot or suspend players knee-jerk, without giving any support or backing to them? Doesn’t it make the whole recruiting pitch of being part of a family, team, whatever a completely hollow, one-way thing. Screw-up and you are cut loose.

Final thing. Anyone who tries to use this as some sort of statement on Dixon not having control of the team, recruiting thugs, or any other accusation. Well, they better not be the same people who dream of John Calipari being hired. Last I checked, Joey Dorsey hasn’t been nor going to be kicked off the team anytime soon.

Well, this doesn’t look good.

Levance Fields was charged with one count each of aggravated assault, disarming a police officer, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

The incident took place at 1:50 a.m. at Pure nightclub. According to a police affidavit, an officer working an off-duty detail at Pure spotted Mr. Fields yelling at another police officer. The officer approached Mr. Fields and asked him to stop yelling and using offensive language.

Mr. Fields then went into the street and began arguing with an unknown black man. The officer approached Mr. Fields again and repeated his request that he stop yelling and using offensive language, at which time Mr. Fields cursed at the officer and struck him in the chest, police reported.

Mr. Fields then grabbed at the officer’s duty belt and reached for the officer’s weapon, according to the affidavit. The officer pushed him away, and a security officer shot Mr. Fields in the chest with a Taser.

Fields has a court date on the 24th. Like Coach Dixon, I’m fine with a bit of wait-and-see on what happens, especially considering the preliminary hearing is next Monday.

“Earlier today I was informed of an incident at an off-campus location involving Levance Fields. At this juncture, we will let the judicial process run its course before determining what disciplinary action is necessary. We have built a successful program at Pitt, on and off the court, by prioritizing personal accountability and responsibility. We will not compromise when it comes to those values.”

There is no immediate need to suspend Fields since they aren’t even at formal practices right now. I do expect some sort of suspension for Fields regardless of how the charges are eventually resolved/pled down. Fields clearly messed up, badly.
Seeing the Yuri Demetris comparisons are way off to me. Demetris was stalking, purposefully breaking into an ex-girlfriend’s place. It also took place in the season, necessitating an immediate suspension then being kicked off of the team. The Demetris comparisons are just not apt in my mind.
I’m not trying to diminish the seriousness of what Fields may be facing in charges. Especially with the accusation that he reached for a police officer’s weapon. That’s the part that takes it beyond drunken stupidity.

I guess, Fields was sick of seeing Duquesne get all the fun headlines the last few weeks.