Dein erstes Forum » ere you cant be lax.Game notes The Stars are stick

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The NCAA accused Louisville of four serious violations and criticized coach Rick Pitino for failing to monitor a former basketball staffer who hired escorts and strippers for sex parties with recruits and players.The governing bodys report Thursday didnt mention a lack of institutional control -- considered the most serious violation in some cases.Pitino disputed the finding that he did not monitor Andree McGee, saying his tendency is to over-monitor. If anything, the coach said he was guilty of trusting someone to tell him what was going on.This man (McGee) made a mistake and we apologize for his mistakes, he said during a news conference. Pitino has denied knowledge of the alleged violations.The NCAAs letter is the first step in a process that could extend into next spring. Louisville has 90 days to respond.The letter culminates an inquiry that began with the publication last October of Katina Powells book, Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen.Powell wrote that McGee paid her $10,000 for strippers to perform 22 shows from 2010-14 -- a period that includes Louisvilles NCAA 2012-13 championship season -- with many occurring in the players Billy Minardi Hall dormitory. The building is named for Pitinos brother-in-law, who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York.Compliance consultant Chuck Smrt, hired by the school to investigate the allegations, said he did not think vacating records was appropriate as a penalty but noted there is precedent.The NCAAs letter lists the value of the impermissible/extra benefits as at least $5,400 and cites multiple instances in which McGee hired strippers to dance and have sex with recruits.Louisville already has imposed its own penalties. The most severe one was announced Feb. 5 -- a postseason ban after the school determined violations occurred. A month later, the school announced the reduction of two scholarships and the number of days staffers could recruit.Neville Pinto, the universitys acting president, and athletic director Tom Jurich said the NCAAs findings align with the results of the schools investigation. He said the school would fight the charge against Pitino.Improper activities took place in a dormitory that never should have occurred, they said in a statement. When the facts were established, we acted. We took appropriate punitive and corrective actions. The penalties we imposed were among the most severe penalties ever self-imposed by a NCAA member.Those self-imposed penalties were taken as a way of possibly lessening NCAA discipline and follows measures used by Syracuse and SMU. NCAA punishment went further in those cases, with nine-game suspensions each this past season for Hall of Fame coaches Jim Boeheim and now-retired Larry Brown.It remains unclear if the NCAA will take the same step with Pitino. Jurich made clear the schools intent to defend the allegation and show-cause order against Pitino and said he could not have known what occurred in the dorm because if he caught a whiff of what was going on, theres no question hed hit the roof.Jurich went further in the schools planned defense of the coach, saying we dont agree with it and we will dispute it.The NCAAs 20-page letter dated Oct. 17 alleges that McGee provided benefits to at least 17 recruits and players, two non-scholastic coaches and one friend of a prospect during that period. Names of the players were redacted in the report.McGee did not cooperate with NCAA investigators and is subject to a show-cause order for two violations. McGees attorney, Scott C. Cox, had no comment.Smrt said the vast majority of the activities occurred with prospects on official or unofficial visits at Louisville. He declined to say how many eventually enrolled at the school, adding that would be getting into the specifics of the case.Former Louisville assistant Brandon Williams, who hadnt been previously mentioned, is also cited in the letter for failing to provide requested phone records to NCAA enforcement staff.Lawyer Steve Thompson of Nixon Peabody, the firm hired by the school as outside counsel, said the violation is unrelated to the core allegations. Pitino said Williams had no relationship with McGee.The action by the NCAA has cast a shadow over one of the countrys most prominent basketball schools and led to several investigations, including ones by the Louisville police department and the Commonwealths Attorneys Office. Pitino has said in recent interviews he believes Louisvilles self-imposed penalties suggested by the compliance consultant should be enough to satisfy the NCAA.Jurich reiterated the programs steps to address the allegations from the moment the school became aware of them. He and Pitino also said the program has taken additional measures to improve security and compliance to ensure the violations arent repeated.For now, the school must prepare its defense before waiting to see what the NCAAs final word will be.Larry Csonka Dolphins Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Mark Duper Dolphins Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Christian-Wilkins-Jersey/ . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Jason Taylor Dolphins Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Josh Rosen Youth Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle.DALLAS -- While Adam Cracknell is one of the newcomers for the Dallas Stars, he knew Antoine Roussel wanted the puck.Roussel scored the tie-breaking goal on the next shift, and only 22 seconds after Andrew Coglianos second goal for Anaheim had tied the season opener early in the third period, and Dallas went on to a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Thursday night.Rous made a good yell, I knew he was backdoor, and I just whacked it over there, and hes a guy thats going to work hard for that puck, Cracknell said. And he puts it in ... and we get that lead right back.Cracknell later scored a goal that included a secondary assist from Roussel on the Stars third line.If you look at the scoresheet tonight, it was some of their foot soldiers, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.Lauri Korpikoski, another newcomer, and Stephen Johns also scored for the Stars, and Antti Niemen stopped 33 shots -- 16 in a strange first period.Antti was excellent, coach Lindy Ruff said. That first period, we had some bad decisions, gave up some odd-numbered rushes, made some uncommon bad decisions, gave up three 2-on-1s where he made real good saves.Anaheim finished the first period with a 17-1 shots on goal advantage, and spent 8 minutes on the power play. But the game was tied 1-1 with Johns scoring on Dallas only shot before Cogliano had a short-handed goal.They came out flying. I think we were just a little too wound up, all pretty juiced up and excited, Johns said. In the second and third, we settled down and played our system and got back to the way we know how to play.Cogliano had a breakaway after an open-ice turnover by Jason Spezza, and scored on the rebound after his initial shot ricocheted off Niemi.I got lucky. ... I kind of knew he wanted to go across the ice, I got a stick on it and made a shot and was able to pick up the rebound, Cogliano said.Ducks goalie John Gibson had 16 saves in the opener matching the Westtern Conferences two defending division champions.ddddddddddddThe Stars had a conference-high 109 points while winning the Central Division before losing in the second round of the playoffs to the St. Louis Blues. Anaheim was the Pacific Division champs, but went back to a familiar coach after being ousted in the first round by Nashville.Carlyle, who led the Ducks to their only Stanley Cup title in 2007, replaced Bruce Boudreau nearly five years after being fired.They scored three goals right from in tight. So we were lax on that coverage. And we were 0 for 5 on our power play, Carlyle said after his first game back. These are the frustrating ones, when you work hard and you do the things that can give yourself a chance, and then youre lax in the area where you cant be lax.Game notes The Stars are sticking with their two-goalie system. Niemi got the starting nod in the opener over Kari Lehtonen. Before the Stars lost in the second round of the playoffs to the St. Louis Blues, both won 25 games last regular season. ... On the helmets of Stars players were decals representing the badges of five officers slain in downtown Dallas this summer. Family members of two of the officers participated in the pregame ceremonial puck drop. The arena is only a few blocks from where the officers were shot by a lone gunman on July 7. ... Korpikoski just joined the Stars on Monday, when the eight-year NHL veteran signed a $1 million, one-year contract after being released from his professional tryout with the Calgary Flames. ... The Stars started the season with forwards Ales Hemsky (groin), Cody Eakin (knee) and Mattias Janmark (knee) on injured reserve.UP NEXTDucks: Continue their season-opening five-game road trip at Pittsburgh on Saturday.Stars: Play at Colorado on Saturday night. ' ' '