UH in limbo as it waits to hear from NCAA

This month the University of Hawaii moves quietly into the second year of NCAA limbo regarding its men’s basketball program, still unsure when a notice of allegations will arrive.

It was last January when UH officials said they first determined that the infraction that touched off the NCAA investigation had occurred.

As of Monday, athletic director Ben Jay said, "we still haven’t heard (when the notice will come). Nothing at all."

The UH Board of Regents is scheduled to be briefed on the situation Wednesday in an executive session that is closed to the public, according to the agenda.

Head coach Benjy Taylor, who took over the team Oct. 28 in the wake of the dismissals of head coach Gib Arnold and assistant Brandyn Akana, said, "You know, we’d like to know what’s going on, but (UC) Davis could care less. We’ve got our work cut out for us just trying to win basketball games."

UH plays UC Davis on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The school has been expecting the formal notification of allegations since late November, and officials have said they fear allegations of multiple Level One (the highest category) violations.

Jay said, "Everytime we come to think that we’re going to get it, it doesn’t come."

According to documents obtained by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser under the state’s open records law, UH determined on Jan. 9, 2014, "a men’s basketball coach submitted an altered document that was essential for admissions purposes" and subsequently reported the suspected violation to the NCAA.

That report, UH officials have said, led to a deeper, wide-ranging inquiry by the NCAA, which sent an investigator to Honolulu in March.

Between the initial visit and the apparent last interviews in October, more than 25 people, including coaches, players, administrators and a booster, were interviewed. Some were interviewed, either in person or by other means, on multiple occasions as the NCAA sought to sort out what people who were interviewed described as often conflicting accounts.

Isaac Fotu, the team’s star player, was suspended indefinitely by the school in October pending NCAA action, apparently due to allegations of impermissible benefits. Fotu soon left UH and signed with a professional team in Spain.

After Monday’s practice, Taylor said, "There’s no frustration with us. It’s out of our hands, it’s done. We fully anticipate the investigation will be thorough. … We have enough distractions with the injuries. You’re talking about a team that first practiced Nov. 1. So we have enough to do, enough to catch up on the floor without worrying about that."

Taylor said, "When the shoe drops, it comes, I’m sure it’ll be interesting and I’m sure (there will be) some questions that have to be answered, and asked, but you know, at this point, we’re just moving forward. The guys have been real professional about it. And as a staff we’ve been real professional about it.

Guard Negus Webster-Chan said, "We’re not even thinking about it. I didn’t … remember it until you just told me."