The best that can be said about the blistering report from the NCAA on Friday, citing former top University of Hawaii men’s basketball officials with seven rule violations, is that UH may have hit bottom and already be on the road to recovery, given its prompt move to correct course last fall.

And the best that can be hoped for, once the allotted time for answering the charges elapses, is that the NCAA recognizes that sufficiently to soften the blow of sanctions, especially as they affect the student athletes who weren’t involved in the infractions or the cover-up.

That would be fair recompense for the UH decision to dismiss "without cause" former head coach Gib Arnold and former assistant coach Brandyn Akana on Oct. 28. That was a costly decision: Because of Arnold’s contract terms and his $344,000 salary for 2014-15, terminating him "without cause" incurred the UH an additional payout of more than $200,000.

But it was a sound decision, ultimately, because it enabled UH to move on from this low point and get the current season underway without the worry about continuing litigation. And it ought to serve as demonstration that the university administration is not impeded by institutional problems handling the case.

On that score, at least, the NCAA has sent the only morsel of good news: UH has escaped the very serious "lack of institutional control" charge. According to the report: "The institution promptly acknowledged and accepted responsibility for the violations alleged in this case and imposed meaningful corrective measures and/or penalties," including the firings. The university also increased its compliance monitoring efforts, such as attendance at practices, and rules education provided to booster clubs and others.

This is worth acknowledging, because having administrative controls in place is crucial for UH to rebuild its standing. It also is fortunate that the current coach, Benjy Taylor, now serving as interim coach, was not cited because his focus can remain on season play.

Rebuilding with any permanence will be a long process because UH also has a lame-duck athletic director, Ben Jay, who should be replaced first; Jay’s successor likely will want to direct the hiring of the next head coach. It should be obvious — but at UH, bears repeating — that checking the candidates’ attention to ethical behavior and rule compliance must be a major concern.

Outreach to the boosters is another essential, because it’s easy to see how, unmonitored, mistakes such as these can happen. In one cited episode, a player was loaned the use of a Porsche owned by a booster, who probably assumed a short-term loan was not a gift and thus problematic. Anyone in a position to provide perks needs to be schooled on just how strict the rules are.

This is not to diminish the distressing nature of the alleged violations overall: Three of the seven were Level I violations, the most egregious kind. Akana provided a player with an iPad, gave false information about that gift, and altered a document used in admissions for another player, according to the report.

Arnold’s alleged practice of concealment was especially extreme, influencing others to provide the NCAA with "false or misleading information, or to conceal information" regarding involvement with NCAA violations.

Among the Level II infractions, there were uses of staff in unauthorized coaching and scouting, the NCAA has charged, as well as impermissible tryouts and extra benefits at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Hotel. In all of this, the dollar amounts seem small but, reminiscent of the Watergate scandal and many others that followed, the crime is less serious than the coverup.

Going forward, UH has to keep forefront in mind that student athletes are still students, that college sports is meant to be part of a collegiate, not professional, experience. The whole reason for the NCAA is to keep such distinctions clear, and universities must respect them.