Memphis official defends basketball program

Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson defended the men's basketball program yesterday, saying the school checks out all potential players.

He would not confirm that Derrick Rose, who led Memphis to the 2008 national title game, is at the center of an NCAA investigation of major violations during that season.

In a letter to the school, the NCAA says an unknown person took the SAT for a player, with his knowledge, and then the player used that test to get into Memphis. The NCAA said the athlete in question played for the Tigers in the 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAA tournament. The only person who played just that season was Rose.

"We wouldn't play anybody if we hadn't checked it out pretty thoroughly," Johnson told the Associated Press.

Johnson would not identify the player involved for privacy reasons. But he said the player was cooperating with Memphis' investigation into the allegations.

"Nobody has thrown up any roadblocks," Johnson said. "We're trying to get it resolved and do it the right way."

The NCAA has asked Memphis to provide copies of the SAT and a Sept. 2, 2008, report by a forensic document examiner who studied the handwriting in the SAT.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported yesterday that someone with access to Rose's academic records at Simeon High School changed a D to a C on his transcript.

Rose was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft by Chicago and this season's rookie of the year. His agent, B.J. Armstrong, did not immediately return phone calls for comment.

Memphis was notified Jan. 16 of the potentially major violations in the men's basketball program and will appear June 6 in Indianapolis before the NCAA committee on infractions for a hearing.

The alleged violations occurred under coach John Calipari, who left March 31 to take over at Kentucky. Calipari, who is cooperating with the investigation, was told by the NCAA in a letter that he was not at risk of being charged with any violations in the case.

Kentucky president Lee Todd reiterated in a statement yesterday that his university was aware of the inquiry while interviewing Calipari.

"We are confident that Coach Calipari was not involved in any way," Todd said.

Memphis faces the loss of its 38 wins that season.

New Memphis coach Josh Pastner said he was not aware of the allegations in April when he was offered the job to replace Calipari.

"It's nothing that will affect the current team, which I believe," said Pastner, who first joined the Tigers' staff as an assistant in June 2008. "I can't comment any more than that."