Sun, Jul 05, 2009

UA basketball

Arizona Wildcats basketball: Olson investigated for possible NCAA violation

By Patrick Finley
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.15.2008
A letter bearing Lute Olson’s signature and University of Arizona letterhead was distributed to a UA booster club in the spring and asked for donations to the Arizona Cactus Classic prep tournament, a violation of NCAA rules.
The violation, considered a Level II infraction, was self-reported to the Pac-10 Conference by the university, according to documents acquired by the Star through an Arizona public records request. Those documents were released to the Star by the university this afternoon.
Arizona Cactus Classic director Jim Storey was instructed not to accept donations as a result of the letter. Olson later sent a letter to the same club, saying that “a letter was sent from the basketball office under my electronic signature which I had never seen or approved in any way because it was a clear-cut violation of NCAA rules.”
In a letter to the Pac-10, UA athletic director Jim Livengood wrote that Storey said he had "zero response" from the letter.
Read more of this story in Tuesday's Star and at azstarnet.com