NCAA Issues Verdict In Ascot State Case

from the Allied Press

Nearly 11 months after NCAA officials discovered that the Ascot State baseball team had been playing atop what is now known to be a 13th Century Native American burial mound, the committee on infractions finally issued their findings. According to the report, ASU officials were unaware of the situation until it was discovered by an official sent by the NCAA Division 4 headquarters to investigate accusations that the pitcher's mound was above regulation height. Immediately following the uncovering of the burial site, the Navajos were ordered to make other accommodations for all remaining home games, resulting in the completion of the Prescott Regional, part of the 2008 Division 4 baseball tournament, on a partially paved practice field.

Despite being unaware of the burial mound situation, the NCAA report still sites "major infractions" concerning the illegal height of the pitcher's mound. "Ascot State officials should have been aware that the pitcher's mound was above regulation, and thus have corrected the problem. Instead, they decided to ignore the fact and subsequently continued to participate on a field that provided an unequal opportunity to compete." The report goes on to mention that, "...the issue of the uncovered burial mound is only of secondary concern."

In addition to the findings, the report also recommended a series of aggressive penalties for the infractions. The most notable of these is the potential loss of the 2004 and 2006 national championships which Ascot State currently shares with Cabrillo College and Thomasville Tech, respectively. Other possible penalties include scholarship reductions (from 1 to 0.5) and one year probation. Under probation, Ascot State would not be able to compete in the postseason baseball tournament (effective immediately) but would still be eligible to be selected for a co-national championship. There is also the potential that the case could be used to reopen the mascot issue, in which case the NCAA may mandate a change from the current Navajos nickname. Both the Neckerchiefs and the 'Jos are current pseudonyms for the school's athletic program.

Regardless of the final decision on reprimands, the Navajos will no longer be playing their home games on the former Yavapai Field. Instead, the school has erected semi-permanent stands on the paved practice field, which will be officially named 'Yavapai Memorial Field Lot' this Friday in a naming ceremony. The school says that the former field will still be used as the practice field, just with pitchers being required to participate in a ceremonial dance before ascending the mound.

NCAA Unveils All-Time Division IV Basketball Teams

from the Washington Post-it

As part of Championship Week, the NCAA today unveiled its all-time Division IV basketball teams since 1973 when the division was established. The news comes on the heels of the 2009 championship game, which was won by Tacoma State 97-78. The announcement came in three parts, the first officially recognizing and honoring the basketball programs of the decades, the second officially recognizing and honoring various Division IV basketball "dynasties", and the final one crowning a program of the 20th Century. Said Bud Seleguin, director of Division IV, "In the spirit of championship week, we felt it best to honor all of the excellent programs in all sports since the beginning of our level of competition." Throughout the week, similar announcements will be made for baseball and football, capped off with the announcement of the overall program of the Century.

Saturday Press Release:

Program of the Decade
-1970's: Penn Dutch University (3 championships: 75, 77, 79; 4 final four appearances, 6 tournament appearances overall)
-1980's: Key Biscayne State University (2 championships: 82, 85; 3 final four appearances, 4 tournament appearances overall)
-1990's: UNC Boone (2 championships: 94, 96; 2 final four appearances, 5 tournament appearances overall)
-2000's: Cabrillo College (2 championships: 05, 07; 3 final four appearances, 7 tournament appearances overall)

Offically Recognized Dynasties
-1975-79: Penn Dutch University (3 championships: 75, 77, 79)
-1982-91: Key Biscayne State University (3 championships: 82, 85, 91)
-1988-96: UNC Boone (4 championships: 88, 89, 94, 96)
-1992-01: Point Loma College (3 championships: 92, 97, 01)

"Basketball Program of the Century"
-UNC Boone: 4 championships, the most of any team in the 20th Century. Additionally, 8 final four appearances and 13 tournament appearances.

All Time Division IV Basketball National Champions
1973 LaJolla S&M
1974 Detroit Clemency
1975 Penn Dutch
1976 Warren State
1977 Penn Dutch
1978 Flagstaff State
1979 Penn Dutch
1980 Boston State
1981 Detroit Clemency
1982 Key Biscayne State
1983 Flagstaff State
1984 Tacoma State
1985 Key Biscayne State
1986 Cabrillo College
1987 New Holland College
1988 UNC Boone
1989 UNC Boone
1990 Cape Charles College
1991 Key Biscayne State
1992 Point Loma College
1993 LaJolla S&M
1994 UNC Boone
1995 Detroit Clemency
1996 UNC Boone
1997 Point Loma College
1998 Spokane State
1999 Spokane State
2000 Tacoma State
2001 Point Loma College
2002 Phoenix
2003 Fourlane
2004 Tulsa at Lawton
2005 Cabrillo College
2006 Flagstaff State
2007 Cabrillo College
2008 Tombigbee
2009 Tacoma State

Tacoma State Wins 2009 Division IV Basketball Championship

from the Allied Press

Coming into the 2008-09 season, Coach Raniere told his players that it would be a season to remember. On Saturday morning, that statement came true as the Beavers of Tacoma State defeated the Allentown State Black Diamonds 97-78 to capture their third Division IV basketball championship in school history, the other two coming in 1984 and 2000 respectively. The road to the championship game was anything but easy for the Beavers, however. In just one week, they had to face and defeat #15 Unalaska State, #7 Empire State, #3 New Holland College, #4 Point Loma College, #10 Macon, and finally #2 Allentown State in the finals. Combined, those teams have 4 Division IV basketball championships since the division was created in 1973.

The championship game itself was the earliest scheduled in Division IV history; scheduled at a 10 AM EST tip off due to conflicts with the Division I tournament. Over 200 people packed the Traverse City Middle School Gymnasium for the event, one of the largest crowds in recent tournament history since the championship game drew over 500 people in 1995 when it was held at Madison Square Garden. The Beavers got off to a quick start, leading by 12 points by halftime. They would continue to build upon that lead in the second half. Coach Raniere had this to say about the performance of his kids, "They really gave their 100% this entire tournament. Because of them, we got to host all the preliminary rounds, which really gave us the boost we needed to get this far. I wasn't sure how they'd respond to playing away here in Michigan, but they came out with the desire to win."

Sweet 16 Set

After the conclusion of the 2nd round Tuesday night, only 16 teams remained in the 2009 Division 4 Men's Basketball Tournament. Some interesting facts about the teams left:

-Three of the four 1 seeds remain, with Phoenix University the lone 1 seed sent home after losing in the 2nd round to #8 College of the Keys 82-74.

-Only two double-digit seeds remain, #10 Macon and #11 Sonora State. Both are in the Midwest bracket and will face each other in the 3rd round, ensuring that one cinderella team will make it to the elite eight.

-Only one Midwestern team remains, #5 Tulsa at Lawton; all the other teams being located near either the east or west coasts. They will face #1 Allentown State next round.

-So far, only 1 game has gone into overtime; the Thomas College-Ashtabula College game which was won by Ashtabula 98-92 in the 1st round. In total, there have been 9 games decided by 3 points or fewer; 6 of those occurring in the South bracket alone.

-Only two teams remain which have won the national championship in the past 5 years, Cabrillo College (05 & 07) and Tulsa at Lawton (04).

1st Round Action Concludes With All Four 1 Seeds Still In The Hunt

All four 1 seeds advanced into the second round of the 2009 Division 4 Men's Basketball Tournament Saturday and Sunday. That's not to say there weren't any upsets, however. Big surprises from first round action include:

In the West:
#13 Ashtabula College stunned #4 Thomas College 98-92 on the Night Hawk's home court in an overtime thriller. Greyhound center Ryan Thagstone sent the game into overtime when he threw the ball over his back with 0.1 seconds left on the gameclock out of anger for a missed officiating call.

#10 Panhandle State defeated #7 Sandusky State 73-67.

In the East:
#9 Northeastern State beat #8 Grand Junction State 72-68.

In the Midwest:
#12 Southern Georgia United Baptist shocked the Centennial State Sentinals 64-63 after Sentinal gaurd Toney Harris got called for a technical foul with 17 seconds left for punching an official in the face for blocking an earlier shot. SGUB made the free throws and the ensuing bucket to win the game.

#15 Seaside State beat #2 Badlands State 74-73. BSU is contesting the win on the grounds that 3/4 of the gymnasium roof blew off during a strong winter storm in Rapid City Saturday.

#10 Macon defeated #7 Joliet State 75-74. Joliet State is considering contesting the win for the same reasons mentioned above. The game was delayed three hours while crews tried to clear snow from the court. The game had 103 turnovers, probably due to the slick conditions, the 52nd most in Division IV history.

#14 La Jolla S&M surprised #3 IUPUEMC. Official attendence was 1, a lone fan who followed the La Jolla bus from California. Said IUPUEMC player Steve Smith, "He definitely was the 6th man." IUPUEMC officials site the 2009 Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament Selection show as the sole reason for the poor attendence, a complaint for scheduling the televised event at the same time as the game is currently being written.

#11 Sonora State defeated #6 Ascot State 79-76.

Field of 64 Set As Tournament Action Begins Tonight

Less than 24 hours after learning that they would be playing as the #1 overall seed in the 2009 Division 4 Basketball Tournament, the Cabrillo College Islanders were hitting the hardwood in practice for their big first round game tonight against Cassidy College from Montana.

"It's really tough having to turn around so quick, but we're like the best, so we're ready", spoke Cabrillo starter Kyle McCule after practice. Other teams, such as Cassidy College were instead using the short amount of time, not to practice, but rather just to reach their destination. As this article was being written, the Ropers were on there way, via bus, to San Diego where the game is to be played. Travel may have also been a deciding factor in determining which teams got into the tournament. American Centennial Conference power, Penn Dutch University, was passed on the league's 3 at-large bids due to travel arrangement "concerns".

Host seeds for the tournament which kicks off tonight include:

In the West: 1. Cabrillo College 2. Gallup State 3. Delmarva 4. Thomas College
In the East: 1. Allentown State 2. Cape Charles College 3. Flagstaff State 4. Dubuque State
In the South: 1. Phoenix 2. Tacoma State 3. New Holland College 4. Point Loma College
In the Midwest: 1. Alaska Ketchikan 2. Badlands State 3. IUPUEMC 4. Peyton Randolph

New Method For Selecting Tournament Teams Controversial For Some

from the Allied Press:

When it was revealed late last year that the NCAA was going to be using a new method in determining which teams received bids to its Division 4 postseason tournament, some coaches had a lot to say. "I think that the change is completely ridiculous", said Coach Urban of Detroit Clemency. Last December, the organization announced that it would no longer be selecting individual at-large bids for the postseason basketball tournament, but would rather issue various numbers of bids to individual conferences for them to allocate. Conference champions will still receive an automatic bid.

Nevertheless, it's a change that could see teams like Detroit Clemency suffer. For several seasons, the Ashes have been one of the top teams in the country, but under the new selection system, they would have to win their conference tournament in order to receive a bid. However, after a heartbreaking loss in the conference finals to Sandusky State, the Ashes find themselves on the wrong side of the tournament picture. "It's really frustrating when you go 30-1 on a season and don't have a shot at the national championship because of a new policy like this." The reason for Detroit Clemency's disappointment is simple, their conference, the Metropolitan Conference, is one of fifteen leagues that only received one bid this year.

Still, others applaud the new process, including Division 4 Director Bud Seleguin. "It saved us a lot of time, and is giving the strongest teams the best opportunity to compete. All teams still have the same chance to win it all." When questioned about whether the new system would be used in other sports and/or in years to come, Mr. Seleguin stated that "it is a definite possibility."

Ascot State Athletics Under Federal and NCAA Investigation

by John Scott / Prescott Tri-County Democrat sports editor
reprint of Thursday, May 29, 2008 article

As the news broke Wednesday morning that Ascot State athletics were under federal investigation, Coach Tont was addressing his team in the baseball locker rooms: "Boys, now we've played a really great season so far, and I don't want any of this to get into your heads before regionals. We're still going to practice, and play hard, whether it's at Yavapai Field or somewhere else."

Government sources report that during an April 12th baseball game against instate rival Flagstaff State, the opposing pitcher complained that the mound was "too tall". After a close 7-6 loss, Coach Francisco of the Tomahawks made a formal complaint to the NCAA. Two weeks later, the NCAA sent an official to make a follow up study. Upon investigation, he found that the pitchers mound was indeed six inches above regulation. When he recommended that the groundskeepers make the appropriate adjustments immediately, the school refused. Under the threat of sanctions against the team, Ascot State AD Chris Walker finally approved the request.

However, while conducting the initial stages of leveling the mound, bits of Native American artifacts were unearthed. The project was immediately halted and the local authorities were notified. Upon further examination, the pitchers mound was discovered, in fact, to be the site of a 13th century Navajo burial mound. Federal authorities have been called in to further examine the site and to determine if Ascot State officials had any prior knowledge of the situation.

In a press release, AD Chris Walker said the following, "I would like to assure the Prescott community that we, here at Ascot State, had no prior knowledge of this matter whatsoever. We are doing everything within our power to work with the FBI and the NCAA to correct the issue."

All of this comes as the ASU Navajos prepare to host the first round of the NCAA Division IV baseball tournament Friday through Monday. A representative from the NCAA Division IV Baseball Commission admitted that it was already "too late for any changes in the host selections" but that it was uncertain whether the games would be played "at the school or somewhere else." When questioned about this, Walker replied that "the games definitively will not be played at Yavapai Field. However, other accommodations are currently being explored."

The list of other possible tournament sites is rather short. Beginning in late April, the local high school's baseball facilities have been under construction making them unusable. The Ascot State head baseball coach mentioned the possibility of playing on the team's practice field, a partially paved parking lot. Another option is the university's softball field, but permission from the NCAA must first be secured.

In the immediate future, the baseball team has been given the 'ok' to continue its season, but the NCAA has made it very clear in an official statement that they are "actively reviewing the matter and gathering information before we make our final ruling." Possible sanctions may include: the loss of scholarships, probation, or even the death penalty (the temporary termination of a particular sport) has been left on the table.

NCAA Outsources Home of Division IV Athletics to Blogspot.com Due to Tough Economic Times

from the Allied Press

It seems that in recent times the economy has affected just about everyone. Today the NCAA informally announced that its home for Division IV athletics would be moved to Blogspot.com in an effort to save money in the failing economy. When asked about the decision to move the site, Chris Walker, Athletic Director of D4 member Ascot State University had this to say: "It really doesn't surprise me. For some time now D4 has been struggling in the NCAA to gain the type of media attention that Division 1 gets. It's really a shame, almost a bias. Here teams like North Carolina and USC get all the national coverage, while we at ASU struggle just to get our scores into the Prescott Tri-County Democrat."

Others, such as Ben Frank head baseball coach at Peyton Randolph University , were pleased with the move, saying that it would give fans of D4 a "more open forum to discus competition." Regardless of opinion, some are viewing the change with a jovial attitude. When questioned about the transition to a new webpage, Penn Dutch Univeristy officials jokingly asked, "What's the internet?"