The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly women’s volleyball and men’s basketball programs have been placed on probation by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for the 2016-17 academic year. Neither program will be eligible for post-season competition nor team awards and honors. These sanctions were handed down on March 21 from NJCAA officials following an investigation that was triggered when Missouri State-West Plains self-reported rules violations to NCJAA officials on Nov. 30, 2015.
In addition to the post-season ban, mandatory eligibility audits will be submitted to NJCAA officials for both teams.
The sanctions also have resulted in the resignation of Yancey Walker as head coach of the Grizzly Basketball program effective April 30, 2016. Walker has been placed on administrative leave until April 30. Assistant Basketball Coach Chad Van Riessen will serve as interim head coach as university officials consider options for filling the head coaching position on a permanent basis.
NJCAA officials suspended Walker for the first five games of the 2016-2017 regular basketball season; however, due to Walker’s resignation, NJCAA officials told university officials the suspension will not apply to a new coach.
“At Missouri State-West Plains, we are committed to following all of the NJCAA rules and regulations,” said Chancellor Drew Bennett. “Our coaches know that this is a requirement. When we discovered there were issues, we requested an internal audit. We reported all findings and are now working with the NJCAA to assure them we will adhere to all regulations in the future.”
Dr. Angela Totty, dean of student services and athletic director, discovered the budgetary issues during the summer of 2015 during a routine end-of-year review of the athletics department.
“As part of my oversight of the athletic program, I noticed several inconsistencies in time sheets and overages in the men’s basketball budget and requested a full audit of the program by Missouri State University’s internal audit office,” said Totty. “The audit revealed additional issues in both programs. Once the audit was completed, we fulfilled our obligation as members of the NJCAA and self-reported all of the violations noted in the audit to NJCAA officials.”
The audit reviewed athletics department documents back to 2010.
Volleyball Infractions
According to the Nov. 30 self-report filed with NJCAA officials, the volleyball infractions involved transportation benefits, meals, housing and laundry services provided to student athletes in excess of those allowed by the NJCAA. The greatest number of infractions involved transportation benefits; eight transportation infractions occurred between July 2012 and July 2015 and involved student-athletes traveling before Aug. 1, the date on which coaches can begin working with student-athletes.
“Because of the fewer number of volleyball violations, we appealed the sanctions on the volleyball program, but were informed by NJCAA officials Tuesday (March 29) the appeal was denied,” Bennett said.
The majority of issues with the volleyball program dealt with student-athletes, many of whom lived out of the country or across country, traveling to the university before Aug. 1. Eight such violations occurred during the five-year audit period, and in two of the violations, the student-athlete paid for the travel arrangements and was reimbursed by the university after Aug. 1, he said.
There will be no personnel changes for the volleyball team as a result of the violations. Bennett said Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann has proven her commitment to fair play and excellence.
“Paula Wiedemann will continue in her position as head coach of the Grizzly Volleyball team,” he said. “She is a valued member of our athletic program, and we know she will lead the team into the future with integrity.”
Basketball Infractions
Many issues were found in the basketball program. According to the self-report:
• There were 23 instances of providing benefits to student-athletes prior to their signatures and submissions of an NJCAA Letter of Intent;
• 11 student-athletes received travel benefits outside of the one allowable round trip transportation benefit each season;
• There were multiple instances of meals provided in excess of those allowed by the NJCAA;
• Documentation showed improper funding of the team’s participation in an off-season league in Springfield over a three-year period, which is in direct violation of NJCAA rules;
• A member of the athletics department staff provided two basketball student-athletes with cell phones, which is not allowed by the NJCAA;
• Athletics staff, under direction from Walker, provided transportation for a student-athlete to the Howell County Courthouse, which is in excess of that allowed by NJCAA;
• A member of the athletics department staff transported players to and from airports and fed some players in exchange for occasional cash payments from Walker.
Moving Forward
“As an institution, we remain committed to our athletic program and the value it brings to our campus and the community,” he continued. “We do expect the coaches to be well-versed on the NJCAA’s rules and regulations and to ensure there are no violations.
“Moving forward, I have complete trust and confidence in Dr. Angie Totty, our dean of students and athletic director. We are fortunate to have administrators who are willing to make the difficult decisions needed to preserve the integrity of the program when these types of issues are uncovered. We are committed to following the rules and to maintaining the highest standards in both of our athletic programs.”
