Athletic Recruiting Violations

Tim Floyd submitted his resignation Tuesday and Athletic Director Mike Garrett accepted it so fast he probably got a paper cut snapping it out of the fax machine. The good news, of course, is that it's only the fall of USC basketball, leaving the all-important work of preserving, defending and protecting the constitution of USC football. What happened to Floyd was inevitable and the appointed hour of his departure was inconsequential.

Finally, USC speaks! Actually, no, the university on Wednesday again refused to discuss the public disintegration of one of its marquee assets -- the blowing up of the men's basketball program -- but I dug up a quote anyway. The following is an excerpt from President Steven B. Sample's annual address to the faculty, delivered Feb. 10, 2009: "I have learned that difficult times often bring out the best in us. Complex challenges have a way of focusing our attention on what is essential.

USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd delivered cash to the man who steered O.J. Mayo to the university, according to a former associate of the player and the middleman. That associate, Louis Johnson, says Floyd met Rodney Guillory outside a stretch of Beverly Hills cafes on Valentine's Day in 2007, giving him at least $1,000 cash in an envelope -- which Johnson has since reported to investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office, FBI, IRS and the NCAA.

University of Washington compliance officials are investigating whether football Coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt violated NCAA rules by allowing a reporter and a high school junior to attend a recruiting meeting that was detailed in a story by The Times.

Marcus Johnson played only 16 games for USC's basketball team, averaging 3.6 points during one injury-marred season -- and even he is turning pro. "Kansas has two players who would have been NBA lottery picks, Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, and they are returning to school," USC Coach Tim Floyd said late Monday night, only hours after hearing about Johnson. "Good for them. "Our guys get an offer from Islamabad and they're gone." Where the Trojans go from here is unknown.

The Long Beach State men's basketball program has been penalized by the NCAA because of multiple major and secondary violations that occurred from August 2005 to August 2006, the NCAA announced Thursday. The program will be on probation for three years, loses one scholarship for each of the next two years, is prohibited from recruiting junior college players for two years and will have to forfeit victories in which ineligible players participated.

LAS VEGAS -- For many, the frenzy of four high-profile basketball tournaments operating simultaneously here this week is a highlight of the summer. Former Georgetown coach John Thompson has another view. He says the scene is more evidence that the game is troubled. "So much is built on promises that aren't being kept, people are bribing others -- it's not regulated, and it's not regulate-able," Thompson, 67, said Monday as he watched the USA Olympic basketball team practice at Valley High.

LAS VEGAS -- The NCAA is working here, seven members of its staff having been assigned to cover as much ground as possible this week among the approximately 900 teams competing in four prestigious basketball tournaments. No, they're not pulling suspected cheaters off the court and into a room for polygraph tests. "It isn't about what happens in this gym that concerns us," associate director of enforcement Richard A. Johanningmeier said. Said Sandra C.

A San Diego judge Friday denied a motion brought by attorneys for former USC star Reggie Bush to settle a lawsuit against him through confidential arbitration. The decision by Superior Court Judge Joan Lewis means the suit, brought against the New Orleans Saints running back by would-be marketer Lloyd Lake in connection with a failed business deal, now moves closer to trial. Lewis' ruling is good news for NCAA investigators hoping to gain access to potential evidence in the case.

Maybe Russell Otis' reign as Compton Dominguez High boys' basketball coach is over. Maybe it's not. Otis remains on paid administrative leave from the Compton Unified School District as Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives investigate an allegation of criminal misconduct, according to district and sheriff's officials. Seven years ago, Otis spent several days in a defendant's chair as an L.A. County jury weighed the legitimacy of charges he molested a former male Dons player.