Cal State suspends coach, 2 athletes
Press-Telegram 2/2/07
According to multiple sources who asked to remain anonymous, all three suspensions are related to coursework the players took at community colleges after signing letters of intent to play at Cal State Long Beach but before enrolling at the school.
The players, Kejuan Johnson and Mark Dawson, were told Wednesday of Athletic Director Vic Cegles' decision to suspend them because of "eligibility issues prior to their attendance at Long Beach State," according to a news release from the school.
"The suspensions, effective immediately, will continue pending further inquiry by the NCAA," the statement went on to say.
Reggie Howard - who carries the title of associate head coach and has been an assistant to head coach Larry Reynolds since Reynolds was hired by the school in the spring of 2002 - also was told of his suspension Wednesday, "pending an NCAA investigation related to recruitment of prospective student-athletes during the summer of 2005," according to the release.
During the suspensions, the players are still active members of the team - they can practice and attend team meetings and sit on the bench in street clothes during home games - but are prohibited from playing in games or going on road trips.
All of Howard's duties with the program are on hold during the suspension.
Johnson, a senior guard who attended Artesia High and Long Beach City College before enrolling at CSULB in the fall of 2005, is one of the best players in the Big West Conference.
After missing three games early in the season because of a broken nose, he has averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during the team's 13-6 start heading into Thursday night's game.
Dawson, a senior center who attended Pasadena City College before enrolling at Long Beach in the fall of 2005, splits time at the position with Dominique Ricks and is averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
The players and Howard could not be reached for comment Thursday. Reynolds and other staff members have been told not to comment on the matter.
According to the news release, the school and NCAA have jointly investigated the matter for several months. NCAA representatives, the Press-Telegram learned, have interviewed the players and Howard about the matter.
"It's the NCAA's policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations, even to confirm an investigation," an NCAA spokesperson told the Press-Telegram Thursday.
In cases in which athletic department or NCAA investigations reveal the possibility that rules violations may have been committed by student-athletes, the players are suspended until their eligibility is clarified.
"It's our policy not to discuss ongoing NCAA investigations or personnel issues," Cegles told the Press-Telegram Thursday. "But we felt we needed to be proactive in making these decisions (to suspend the players and coach)."
The news was announced some seven hours before the team's home game against Cal State Northridge. CSULB won the game, 79-72.