NCAA NOA likely a non-factor for Tech basketball and Pastner going forward
Late Thursday night word leaked out about the NCAA findings into an investigation into the Georgia Tech basketball program centering around two separate issues in 2017. One involved former assistant coach Darryl LaBarrie bringing an official visitor to a strip club and the other involved a weird character Ron Bell who paid for a pair of then Tech players to visit him in Arizona.
Tech received the NCAA Notice of Allegations several weeks ago but waited until the 2018-19 season was over to release the documents. JOL read the attached documents and spoke to several sources about where things stand going forward for the Jackets.
While several media outlets pounced on the story, the reality is there is no real news in it other than the NCAA referring to Ron Bell as a booster, something that Tech disputed. The NCAA determination of a booster is a pretty thin line, however. If I bought a McDonald’s value meal for a basketball player from Savannah State who I had no prior relationship with, then I am considered by the NCAA a booster of Savannah State. You do not have to buy season tickets or donate money to be considered a booster in the current climate.
Head coach Josh Pastner isn’t getting fired, nor is he in any trouble here. He was cleared by the NCAA and Georgia Tech’s internal investigations. LaBarrie was suspended then fired as soon as his situation came to light and both players who received impermissible benefits Tadric Jackson and Josh Okogie were suspended for the first part of the season after Pastner self-reported their impermissible benefits once he learned about it. Pastner was unaware of LaBarrie’s actions nor did he have any additional skeletons in his closet during an extensive internal investigation conducted by Tech.
Out of all the people involved LaBarrie is the most damaged in the documents. He repeatedly lied to the NCAA and he will have a hard time getting another coaching position as the lie and not the actions are usually what burns bridges.
So what additional punishment is Tech facing? According to sources inside the program the worst the Jackets are looking at is a reduction in days on the road recruiting or maybe a loss of a few official visits. The NCAA did not find a lack of institutional control or head coach control. Those two are the things that cause a loss of postseason or TV or scholarships.
Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury just made a major hire in football and he is not looking to make any changes anytime soon with the basketball program. He gave his full support for Pastner’s plan last month during the announcement for the new football series at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
“We knew this was going to be a project and so the whole idea of getting old and staying old is kind of the plan and we need to stick to the plan,” Stansbury said. “At the end of the day that is how we’ve got to do it at Georgia Tech and we are still relatively young with not a lot of depth. “
The core of Tech’s basketball team returns for the 2019-20 season with only two role players, AD Gueye and Brandon Alston leaving along with bench reserve Sylvester Ogbonda.