MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis has lost every one of the 38 victories it piled up in a basketball season that ended with John Calipari’s Tigers just missing out on a national title.
The NCAA stripped Memphis of all its victories from 2007-08 on Thursday, saying the Tigers used an ineligible player who is believed to be NBA star Derrick Rose.
Memphis president Shirley Raines said shortly after the NCAA’s announcement that the school is appealing what she called an unfair penalty.
“We know the rules,” Raines said. “We did our due diligence. We did everything we could to determine the student-athlete was eligible and that the rules were being followed.”
The NCAA announcement came 16 months after the Tigers lost the national championship to Kansas in overtime at the end of the 2007-08 season. It marks the second time both Memphis and coach John Calipari had to vacate Final Four seasons. The Tigers were stripped of their 1985 appearance, and Calipari’s Massachusetts team lost its 1996 berth.
Now the basketball coach at Kentucky, Calipari said he was “very disappointed and disheartened by the NCAA’s findings” and that he would not comment again until Memphis’ appeal is concluded.
Memphis finished 38-2 in 2007-08, setting the NCAA record for wins in a season.
The NCAA report did not identify the ineligible player by name, though descriptions of the athlete involved lead to the conclusion it could only be Rose. He was the only player who played just that season at Memphis — a fact noted by the governing body of college sports. Rose went on to be selected by the Chicago Bulls as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft and later won the NBA rookie of the year award.
The player was accused of having another person take his SAT exam in Detroit so he would be eligible as a freshman after failing the ACT three times in Chicago.
In addition to the lost season, Memphis also must return the money it received from the NCAA Tournament to Conference USA and will be prevented from receiving future shares doled out in the conference’s revenue-sharing program — a total loss estimated at $530,000 on top of the $85,000 already paid by the school. If Memphis loses its appeal, athletic director R.C. Johnson said approximately $300,000 in bonus money Calipari earned from that season would be paid back.
