In light of the burgeoning scandal in college basketball, the response from some corners is that if players were compensated — paying players, permitting them to cash in on their likeness (autographs, cut of jersey sales, etc.), and even allowing them to cut deals directly with shoe companies — it would end this sort of shenanigans. So would eliminating the NBA’s restriction on high school players that creates the one-and-done rule.

It’s an appealing notion. And it would reduce it a bit. Everyone would have to get comfortable with shoe companies dictating which schools would get the players. Nike deciding which blue bloods get certain players in their stable. That certainly would be what happens. Shoe company paying six-figures for a 5-star, elite player. They are going to tell him where he’s playing. They are going to recoup that money in apparel sales.

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As expected, Rick Pitino is out at Louisville. Technically, he is on administrative leave. That, though, is for contract/money reasons. He has to be put on leave for 10 days before he can be fired for Louisville to avoid paying a tremendous buyout. Again, this is more the cumulative effect. Not just for this scandal.

This will end up with lawsuits and an eventual settlement — unless the FBI is given/releases some direct evidence of Pitino’s knowledge before it gets to trial.

The somewhat surprising thing is that Louisville’s AD Tom Jurich is also out. Some reports have said he was told to place Pitino on leave/fire him, but he refused. Others deny it. Regardless, this is a big hit for Louisville as Jurich is widely credited with building the Cards into the athletic program it is today — and how they were able to get into the ACC.

Jurich’s firing also has the effect of triggering a reduction in the buyout their rather nomadic football coach would have to pay if he were to take another job. Bobby Petrino’s buyout to leave goes down from $8+ million to $4.25 million. Why, hello there, Nebraska. What’s new with you? Ole Miss, what’s happening?

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“Always be a pessimist, you will never be disappointed.”

—Variations on a theme.

I don’t think of myself as a pessimist. More that I am a cynic.

Whether it is as a wounded idealist, someone who wears it as an armor rather then choosing to believe or strive for something, or a realist with a sense of humor.  Perhaps all of them and more.

Which means a day like this creates something interesting.

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In the first 24 hours or so after the NCAA announced the sanctions on Penn State, there was a feeding frenzy expected for Penn State football players who had the freedom to transfer without sitting a year. Some top targets are almost viewed as rentals — juniors and seniors.

No surprise that PSU Coach Bill O’Brien is putting on a brave front, and talking of keeping the players together. It’s not so easy with the present recruiting class, as you would expect. But so far it seems to be working with plenty of present players saying they are not leaving.

Starting quarterback Matt McGloin, starting cornerbacks Stephon Morris and Adrian Amos, running back Bill Belton and wide receiver Allen Robinson all said they are staying at Penn State through social media.

Offensive tackle Mike Farrell, a Shady Side Academy graduate, and Fox Chapel product Miles Dieffenbach each told the Tribune-Review that they will remain at Penn State.

This shouldn’t be a big surprise. It also shouldn’t stop coaches at other schools from staying in touch with these players. This is a year-long courtship. Not a two week window.

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I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on. I will not pile on.  I will not pile on…

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Well, it has been an active 24 hours or so, hasn’t it?

The Joe Paterno statue has been removed. Reports swirl of unprecedented sanctions from the NCAA — that Penn State won’t fight — and quickly verbal commits start hedging on their future.

NCAA President Mark Emmert is going to be conducting a press conference this morning at 9am to lay things out on Penn State. This is all uncharted territory, but everything about this Penn State scandal is uncharted territory for college athletics and the NCAA.

Yahoo Sports reported on Sunday, citing two sources, that Mr. Emmert has been able to skip the normal enforcement procedure as part of a provision allowed in the NCAA constitution by getting permission from the NCAA’s board of directors. The board comprises 18 university presidents and chancellors.

Coincidentally, former Penn State president Graham Spanier endorsed the need for swift decisions by the board, like the type it has reportedly taken, at a summit of NCAA presidents last August.

“The board needs to be prepared to take stronger actions directly,” he said.

We’ll all find out in just a short while. Twitter may break on this one.

The insanely bizarre Next Media Taiwanese animation folk have their depiction of the Miami scandal.

This just keeps getting more entertaining.

Wow. Just. Wow.

There were so many topics I wanted to post on in the less than copious spare time, I have, but the bomb Yahoo! dropped in the college football world moves that to the front of the line.

I won’t lie, given Miami’s history. Given what happened with their departure from the Big East. I had a fair amount of bitter cackling laughter over this. I deeply mean this. I have been giggling like a school girl every time I look at that picture of Nevin Shapiro bowling with Frank Haith, while Miami Pres. Donna Shalala is greedily examining the check Shapiro gave her.

When you think of the possible consequences Miami faces for this. When you also think about the still ongoing mess with UNC football. Plus the penalties that were put on Georgia Tech over the summer. Well, it is clear that while the ACC may not be matching up with the big boys of college football on the field, they are overcompensating more than a little off of the field.

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You can well imagine what dominated the conversations throughout Ohio yesterday. Everyone was buzzing everywhere about it. Here’s the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s frontpage for today.

Tressel’s downfall was death by a thousand papercuts. It was a slow painful process. He could not contain things. One more thing happened just as it seemed the worst was over. The Dohrman piece in Sports Illustrated was more of the same. Nothing so outrageous or damning by itself. Little that directly tied — only implied or strongly suggested — Tressel was well aware of much that was happening. It was just the final few nails for the coffin.

Ultimately the one thing that truly did Tressel in was back in March when he was forced to acknowledge that he had been alerted to what was happening.

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I’ve barely been home today and yet the tabs seem to have multiplied.

Okay, first off a hat tip to Corey for noting that ESPN.com updated their profile on Malcolm Gilbert. The ESPN.com profile (Insider subs) moved Gilbert up to the #12 center and increased his grade to “94.” Here’s some of the updated profile, and I repeat, that this is almost a blueprint for a Coach Dixon Center project.

Gilbert is a well built center and one of the best interior defenders in the country. He has a great build with a good height, a sturdy frame, wide shoulders, and a long and cut upper body. He is an excellent shot blocker both on and off the ball. …  Gilbert’s defense is far ahead of his offense. He is a bit robotic with his back to the basket as the game can move a little too fast for him at times and in need of a go-to move that he can quickly execute. With a motor that is less than consistent, Gilbert is a good, not great, finisher at the rim.

Gilbert has confidence in his offense, but also admits he needs to improve it.

“Most definitely,” he said. “I have a great touch on my jump shot. I can step out and hit that 10-footer and 15-footer. I’m getting progressively better on the offensive end as far as scoring around the basket. I do think I’ll get progressively better on the offensive end.”

So, it’s in progress.

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With the NCAA enforcement paying attention to social media as a way to find out who could be violating rules, Greg Romeus’ name is somewhere in the midst of the burgeoning agent scandal.

Greg Romeus attended San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore’s South Beach party in May, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told NFL Insider Aaron Wilson.

Romeus is from nearby Coral Springs, Fla., so it’s plausible that the NFL draft prospect could have arranged for his own transportation to the pool party at Gore’s residence.

We’re told that Romeus is prepared for any inquiries about how he came to be at the party.

The story notes that reports state that Romeus has denied to Pitt officials and coaches that he was even in Florida. Hopefully this is true.

If the NCAA starts sniffing around him, he had better be honest about things even if he attended. Last year Dez Bryant for Texas Tech Oklahoma St. had his career ended because of lying to investigators. Not for actually meeting with Deon Sanders. It’s always the cover-up that makes things worse.

Romeus is poised to be a first round pick regardless of this. It will, however, effect a lot of other things.

Romeus is one of the seniors on the squad and a face of Pitt football this year.

The Big East exposure continues on Friday as Pittsburgh hits the Bristol campus.

Coach Dave Wannstedt, running back Dion Lewis and defensive end Greg Romeus will appear in spots on the “Mike and Mike Show,” “College Football Live,” “The Scott Van Pelt Show” and ESPNews.

Romeus has also been named to the watchlist for the Allstate Insurance and American Football Coaches Association’s Good Works Team.

Several little things to get out.

A story on incoming freshman Talib Zanna’s journey from Nigeria to the United States. Go figure, it was not an easy thing. Even coming from a well-educated family, Nigeria is a mess and his father passed away this past year.

A nasty mess brewing at the Kiski school where 2010 verbal commit Isiah Epps might prep (unlikely now).

A coach hired to take the basketball program of an Indiana County private school to national prominence sued Monday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, claiming he was forced out for recruiting too many black players.

Anthony Cheatham, 31, of Edgewood claims administrators at The Kiski School told him they would not tolerate fielding an all-black lineup.

“He was told to recruit scholastic, highly talented basketball players,” said Cheatham’s attorney Sam Cordes.

Cheatham was an assistant at Robert Morris and also trains future and present NBA players including Sam Young. Messed up stuff.

I really don’t think Coach Dixon is sweating his annual NCAA Recruiting exam.

“You can’t recruit until you pass it,” Dixon said hours before the Erie Chapter of the Panthers Club’s annual sports banquet at the Kahkwa Club on Tuesday.

With college basketball coaches being able to start summer recruiting next month, passing the test now is a must for them.

“I’ve never failed the test,” said a smiling Dixon, whose team won a school-record 31 games in reaching the Elite Eight last season before losing to Villanova.

Dixon said the coaches have 90 minutes to take the test and must score 80 percent.

It’s an open book test, but the rules are lengthy and not so easy to figure out.

“Open book” being the key aspect.

To help pass the time of the offseason, one of my colleauges at FanHouse has prepared a list of the top-25 college basketball coaches.

He places Jamie Dixon at #17. I only quibble that Dixon should be about one spot higher, because he has overrated Matt Painter of Purdue. Painter is good and may merit being up there in a few years, but not yet does he rank #14.

By the time the Tim Floyd and the USC mess is finished, the Trojan job will be one of the most unattractive spots out there. Thus making the inevitable rumors that will occur after Floyd is fired regarding Dixon just silly. Really, shedding players and recruits at an epic pace. Floyd just seems clueless to his culpability.

“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.”

Let’s see. Collins and Aldrich are at Kansas where they have a shot at winning the national championship in 2010. They are on a stable team with a coach that has won and put players in the NBA.

Floyd and USC recruit hoping the glamor and location will get the kids, and the main promise seems to be that they will be able to get a future paycheck for playing basketball. The team has little shot at even contending for the Pac-10 next year.

Then there is that whole NCAA investigation hanging over the program; a coach that nearly bailed for Arizona — after previously telling a recruit that he wouldn’t like it if the recruit looked at other schools after giving a soft verbal; to say nothing of that the kids that want to bail ASAP were the ones the coach recruited and presumably knew what they were looking for.

It is very dangerous out there in the world of recruiting. UConn in a bit of trouble it would appear on its face.

The University of Connecticut violated NCAA rules in the recruitment of former guard Nate Miles, a six-month investigation by Yahoo! Sports has found.

Miles was provided with lodging, transportation, restaurant meals and representation by Josh Nochimson – a professional sports agent and former UConn student manager – between 2006 and 2008, according to multiple sources. As a representative of UConn’s athletic interests, NCAA rules barred Nochimson from having contact with Miles or from providing him with anything of value.

A UConn assistant coach said he made Nochimson aware of the Huskies’ recruitment of Miles. Later, the assistant coach said he knew that Nochimson and Miles had talked.

Nate Miles never played a game for UConn. He was kicked out of the school this past fall when he violated a restraining order against a female student. He’s now at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college.

How much trouble UConn could actually be in and when anything could happen, is still a big question mark. Hell, USC is still cruising along a year after the revelations regarding O.J. Mayo and his time in LA.

Still, I am betting that somewhere in Maryland, Gary Williams will hear about this and just smile.

Not really my preference, but it seems to have gotten the attention of the NCAA in Ben Mauk’s case.

The NCAA agreed on Wednesday to re-hear Mauk’s appeal for a sixth year to complete his four years of eligibility.

If the appeal reaches the Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, which ruled against Mauk on Aug. 8, Mauk has been assured that he will be given a chance to speak, something that he was not allowed to do the last time.

But Kevin Murphy, Mauk’s attorney, said he hopes the matter never reaches the committee.

“The (NCAA) staff is going to hear it first,” Murphy said. “If the staff agrees with us, he’s back on the field.”

File a lawsuit that would force the NCAA to make its explanation in a court of record and suddenly they want to re-hear the matter. Funny how that works.

Count on Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News to know about all of this.

The Panthers played 27 regular-season games–nine non-conference, 18 in the Big East season. They competed in the Big East tournament, which counted as one game because any team could be eliminated the first day. They played four early games in the Hispanic College Fund Basketball Challenge, which counted as two under NCAA rules for multi-team events. The Panthers’ NCAA Tournament appearances does not factor in; postseason doesn’t count because there’s no expectation a team will make it. So as permitted by the organization’s rules, Pitt’s schedule officially consisted of 30 games last season.

If you count Cook as having played 11 games, he is not eligible for the waiver. Indeed, he took the court 11 times. There’s no disputing that. He played a full complement of minutes in every one of those games.

However, it seems curious for the rules to be different for a team and a player in terms of how the games are calculated. If those four games in the Hispanic College Fund tournament counted only as two on Cook’s record–as they did for Pitt to meet NCAA scheduling rules–he officially would have played nine games last season. He’d be at exactly 30 percent and eligible for the waiver.

That case was made to the reinstatement committee nearly two months ago. Its members apparently thought hard about this, because they did not issue an answer for quite a while. But they still said no.

“They say, ‘There may be merit to your case, but we can’t do anything about it,’ ” Dixon said.

The university was told it could attempt to change the rule through the NCAA’s legislative process.

Of course, by the time a new rule could be adopted, Mike Cook’s grandkids would be D-I prospects.

If the committee had wanted to be just, it could have essentially rewritten the rule by issuing a precedent-setting decision. Instead, the committee chose expedience.

Got that?

Two different calculations, one screw over.

Cook had never taken a redshirt — medical or otherwise. He sat out one year under NCAA rules for transfers — he was not eligible to play. While getting a 6th year is rare, it would only have been a 5th year of actual eligibility. That’s one of the key differentials between the Ben Mauk case at Cinci and Mike Cook’s.