UH basketball right to move on after stiff penalty

It’s never a good thing when you’re among the first to be punished under a new set of rules, especially if the rulemakers want to set an example. That sentiment holds true whether the rules govern a household, a place of employment — or collegiate sports.

The University of Hawaii men’s basketball program can attest to this, having been on the receiving end of NCAA sanctions announced last week that include being banned from post-season play for the 2016-2017 season.

The Level II sanctions stem from seven violations of NCAA rules while former coach Gib Arnold was calling the shots. The university has said the penalties seem a little harsh, and they’re correct in their assessment.

The UH case was one of the first adjudicated under a new NCAA penalty structure installed in 2013, and that guinea-pig status did not bode well for the team. As harsh as the sanctions seem, the university wisely has decided to take its lumps and, at least for now, forego an appeal and get to work fixing the problems the NCAA addressed.

It was certainly unfortuitous that the announcement coincided with the first night of the university’s Diamond Head Classic basketball tournament. But it highlighted what was a clear message from the NCAA: Do not take lightly our rules and new penalty structure.

UH was punished for allowing the basketball team’s director of operations to actually coach the team during practices, failing to report extra benefits provided to athletes, and misleading the NCAA during the investigation, among other things.

Whether the punishment fits the crime certainly is debatable. But the effects already are being felt — the ban on post-season play will wreak havoc on recruiting efforts and the ability to retain key players who, if playing their last year in 2016-2017, can opt to transfer to another school. Post-season, after all, is often when players’ futures are solidified.

The fallout also included a three-year probation period for the team; sanctions against the former head coach and his former assistant, Brandyn Akana; and a reduction of men’s basketball scholarships by two for a total of 11 during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

There’s no sense in dissecting the decision to death. The bigger test is whether the university can become better for it and move forward without further missteps.

Athletic director David Matlin, who was hired after the NCAA announced its probe of the program, said the bottom line was that infractions were committed.

“I mean, we have to own some of our mistakes and have to improve and move forward from it,” Matlin said.

The NCAA placed blame both on the UH coaching staff and the athletic department’s compliance office, noting the relationship was nearly dysfunctional and lacked communication.

Matlin has since promoted the compliance director at the time, Amanda Paterson, to assistant athletic director, noting her issue with Arnold was an “anomaly.”

We would expect that at the very least, compliance administrators will work more closely with coaches and the rest of the athletics department staff to ensure the NCAA’s new rules are understood and followed.

Arnold’s contract, of course, was terminated in October 2014 without cause and he was paid $700,000 under a settlement.

In April, Matlin hired a younger coach, Eran Ganot, who has guided the team well so far and says the decision “is what it is” and that pouting won’t help matters.

Ganot is right. Pouting will get you nowhere. Instead, plugging the holes in compliance, communication and coaching will allow the program to forge ahead and draw in the fans, even without post-season play next season.