COLLEGES Coaches convene to discuss trouble

Nebraska has suspended a football player for punching a fan.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
College basketball coaches always have plenty to talk about. Today will be no exception.
They're traveling from all over the country to attend a mandatory meeting in Chicago aimed at the array of problems the sport has faced in the past six months.
The issues range from schools declaring themselves ineligible for postseason competition because of rules violations (Fresno State and Georgia), to players who refused to finish the season after a teammate was found to have been admitted to the school under false pretenses (St. Bonaventure).
Then there's the coach who partied with students in dormitories after road games (Iowa State), and the player accused of murdering a teammate followed by the coach trying to discredit the dead player (Baylor).
"The majority of guys are doing a good job, but the series of events over the last six months, with Baylor the punctuation mark, has the entire profession looked at as unethical and immoral," said Jim Haney, director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, which called the meeting. "And when that happened it was obvious to the board that we didn't want the stigma to remain."
Tickets at stake
The group's 18-member board is made up mostly of Division I coaches. Coaches who don't attend the session at an airport hotel will lose the right to buy Final Four tickets.
"It became paramount in the eyes of the board that we talk about it and move forward," Haney said.
Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson, the NABC president, said coaches generally see themselves as "guardians of the game" and the purpose of the meeting is to improve the sport.
"We are competitors and we all want to win," he said. "The thing we have to understand is we all wear the same jersey with our name on the front -- basketball."
Haney sees the meeting as an exchange of ideas rather than a session aimed at specific problems. He said a memo seeking recommendations was sent to Division I coaches identifying areas for action.
Those steps could be taken immediately, in the next three weeks or at the NABC convention at the Final Four when all divisions will be represented. Other action might require further study.
"Coaching is very empowering and we're all permanent and temporary at the same time," Sampson said. "We want to make sure these jobs remain positive and make sure we put game first."
Haney understands attendance at the meeting will not be perfect. He said some coaches are outside the country with teams and others do not have money in the school budget for such a trip.
"We didn't do an RSVP because it was stated as a mandatory meeting, and we are expecting a good number to recognize that," he said.
Football
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska placekick holder Kelly Huston was suspended one game for punching a Missouri fan following a loss.
Earlier Tuesday, a fan claimed he was the person assaulted by Huston as people stormed the field after last Saturday night's game in Columbia, Mo.
Coach Frank Solich said in a statement that he decided to discipline Huston for this weekend's game against Texas A & amp;M after reviewing a videotape and interviewing people who were at the scene.
Marshall vs. West Virginia?
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall coach Bob Pruett's cell phone rang during his weekly news conference Tuesday.
It was someone from his office just down the hall, but Pruett, as he often does, chose to joke about a subject close to his heart.
He pretended the caller was West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, and Pruett talked about the possibility of playing the Mountaineers.
"OK, I'll call Miss Cleo to see if we can get the stars aligned," Pruett said.
If there's a time during the season when Pruett can afford to be in a joking mood, it's when Marshall (3-3, 1-1 Mid-American) gets ready to play Buffalo (0-7, 0-3).
But Pruett eventually did his best to find something to worry about before Saturday's game.
"We need to take care of us. The name of the football team we are playing is irrelevant," he said. "This is a team that beat Rutgers last year. I think what our players need to understand is that we cannot overlook anyone. We've already proven that earlier this year."