Hattiesburg, MS (SportsNetwork.com) – Southern Mississippi says it’s working
with the NCAA to review “potential issues” related to the men’s basketball
program.
Athletic director Bill McGillis said in a statement Thursday that the school
would not comment on details of the review.
According to Bleacher Report, the men’s team is being investigated for
potential rules violations that occurred when Donnie Tyndall was head coach.
Tyndall coached the Golden Eagles the past two seasons, leading them to a pair
of NIT appearances before leaving in April to replace Cuonzo Martin as head
coach at Tennessee.
Southern Miss was 56-17 under Tyndall, winning a school-record 29 games and
earning a share of the regular-season Conference USA championship last season.
He was the head coach at Morehead State from 2006-12 — a stint that included
a two-year probation handed down by the NCAA for recruiting violations related
to booster activity. The program was also stripped one scholarship amid other
penalties.
Tennessee says it’s aware of the review at Southern Miss and will not comment
further until the process is over.
“We have an extensive vetting process with all potential coaching candidates,
including very specific conversations with the NCAA and school officials at
Southern Miss regarding compliance during coach Tyndall’s tenure there, during
which no issues were brought to our attention,” Tennessee spokesman Jimmy
Stanton said.
