Jim Boeheim and the 15 Shadiest College Basketball Coaches of All Time

By Jerry Landry

Jim Boeheim and the 15 Shadiest College Basketball Coaches of All Time

Jim Boeheim Syracuse Orange recruiting violations — It’s been reported by multiple sources that Jim Boeheim was involved in some sketchy recruiting violations with the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team. He’s the latest college basketball coach to endure the ax of the NCAA compliance department, but he’s not the only one either — here are the 15 shadiest college basketball coaches of all time.

15. Todd Bozeman

Todd Bozeman head coach

15. Todd Bozeman

Todd Bozeman head coach — As head coach of the California Golden Bears from 1993-96, Bozeman allegedly funneled $30,000 to the parents of recruit Jelani Gardner, which is a huge NCAA no-no. As penance, California had to forfeit the Golden Bears’ entire 1994-95 basketball season.

14. Larry Eustachy

Larry Eustachy Colorado State Rams head coach

14. Larry Eustachy

Larry Eustachy Colorado State Rams head coach — Larry Eustachy basically pulled a Bob Saget during his time with the Iowa St. Cyclones. In 2003, several pictures of Eustachy kissing college women at a kegger surfaced in the Des Moines Register newspaper. To make this shady incident part of a litany, Eustachy was also believed to have attended a frat party on the Kansas State Wildcats’ campus just hours after Eustachy’s Cyclones lost to the Wildcats.

13. John Chaney

John Chaney Temple Owls Head Coach

13. John Chaney

John Chaney Temple Owls Head Coach — John Chaney publicly threatened to kill a guy. Yes, this is true. And believe it or not, this “guy” was John Calipari. During a press conference on February 13th, 1994, Chaney publicly threatened Calipari while Calipari was speaking to the media.

12. Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino Louisville Cardinals head coach

12. Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino Louisville Cardinals head coach — Although never pinched for a big recruiting violation, Rick Pitino has found himself in a pinch with personal issues. In 2009, Pitino admitted to having a sexual rendezvous with a woman other than his wife in a Louisville restaurant back in 2003.

11. Kevin Broadus

Kevin Broadus Binghamton Bearcats former head coach

11. Kevin Broadus

Kevin Broadus Binghamton Bearcats former head coach — The former Binghamton Bearcats’ head coach soared high and then fell hard with the Bearcats. After tying a school-record for wins in 2008-09, Broadus was eventually pressured to resign in 2010 after several potential NCAA violations discovered by a State University of New York investigation.

10. Roy Williams

Roy Williams North Carolina Tar Heels Head Coach

10. Roy Williams

Roy Williams North Carolina Tar Heels Head Coach — Shortly after accepting the position as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, Williams’ former team, the Kansas Jayhawks were placed under probation. The penalty stemmed from boosters providing graduation gifts to former players, a practice Roy Williams admitting being aware of.

9. Billy Gillispie

Texas A&M Aggies v Oklahoma Sooners

9. Billy Gillispie

Texas A&M Aggies v Oklahoma Sooners — Gillispie was both shady and abusive, at least allegedly. After being fired by the Kentucky Wildcats, Gillespie joined the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and during his tenure 15 players departed before their college careers were over. Gillispie was also caught over-working his players, exceeding the NCAA’s limit on weekly practice time, which resulted in a secondary violation.

8. Tim Floyd

Pac-10 Tournament: California Golden Bears v USC Trojans

8. Tim Floyd

Pac-10 Tournament: California Golden Bears v USC Trojans — Floyd was rising through the ranks of his coaching career until everything fell through with the USC Trojans. The NCAA accused Floyd of providing improper benefits to players and influencing the decision of O.J. Mayo to join the Trojans. Floyd would resign, and USC would vacate 21 wins.

7. Dave Bliss

Dave Bliss NCAA Violations

7. Dave Bliss

Dave Bliss NCAA Violations — Bliss resigned as head coach of the Baylor Bears following the murder of player Patrick Dennehy by former Bear forward Carlton Dotson. Bliss was ignorant to the bylaws, as the NCAA believed he made tuition payments for players, and attempted to paint the deceased Dennehy as a drug dealer. The NCAA didn’t buy any of it, and slapped Bliss with a 10-year show-cause notice.

6. Ned Fowler

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

6. Ned Fowler

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Ned Fowler committed a litany of sins with the Tulane Green Wave men’s basketball program. Fowler admitted to making illegal payments to players, and his players were involved in point-shaving schemes and cocaine consumption during Fowler’s “reign of error” in the 1980s.

5. John Calipari

John Calipari Kentucky Wildcats NCAA Violations

5. John Calipari

John Calipari Kentucky Wildcats NCAA Violations — Calipari leaves the UMass Minutemen, recruiting violations ensue. Calipari leaves the Memphis Tigers, and Derrick Rose gets dinged and Memphis vacates their entire 2008 NCAA Final Four. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before something happens to the Kentucky Wildcats, as something shady always seems to be circling Calipari.

4. Bruce Pearl

Bruce Pearl NCAA basketball violations

4. Bruce Pearl

Bruce Pearl NCAA basketball violations — If you invite Aaron Craft to a family cookout, you better not get caught. This is what NCAA investigators uncovered after Pearl previously denied the known recruiting violation. Pearl would eventually be fired by the Tennessee Volunteers and given a three-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA.

3. Kelvin Sampson

Kelvin Sampson NCAA basketball violations Indiana Hoosiers

3. Kelvin Sampson

Kelvin Sampson NCAA basketball violations Indiana Hoosiers — Sampson’s tenure with the Indiana Hoosiers was short-lived, but his damage to the institution was long-lasting. Indiana forced Sampson to resign less than two years after being hired due to multiple recruiting violations, and the Hoosiers had to serve three years of NCAA probation.

2. Jerry Tarkanian

Jerry Tarkanian

Jerry Tarkanian

Jerry Tarkanian — Rest in peace, Jerry Tarkanian, but we can never forget the hustle you ran with the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Although not nailed for anything directly at UNLV, Tarkanian would get pinched as head coach of the Fresno State Bulldogs, forcing Fresno State to vacate 49 regular-season wins from 1999 to 2001.

1. Steve Fisher

Duke V Michigan

1. Steve Fisher

Duke V Michigan — Steve Fisher’s slippery involvement centered around the “Fab Five.” The most famous recruiting class in Michigan Wolverines' history allegedly accepted a total of $ 616,000 in improper benefits, and the NCAA deemed this unacceptable, hammering Fisher and penalizing the Wolverines’ program by vacating a whopping 113 regular season and tournament wins over Fisher’s tenure.

Teams in this article »

Syracuse Orange

Share On Facebook

Share