OSG High: The Tale Of Two Hoops Stars Under One Roof

((HT: WFAA-TV))

This is the sad reality of high school athletics- kids transfer, their parents let them, and sometimes the best of intentions (no matter how illegal) turn into tragedy.

Two Dallas Independent School District high school basketball coaches are on administrative leave following the death of one player and the arrest of another who lived under the same roof. James Madison High and Wilmer-Hutchins High's head coaches- Roderick Johnson and John Burley- look like they were in a situation where they recruited two athletes and may have gone as far as having associates forge documents, signatures, and violated UIL (the Texas high school athletics association) residence guidelines when it comes to housing and enrolling athletes in their basketball programs and respective high schools.

Troy Causey of Wilmer-Hutchins and Johnathan Turner of Madison High School got in a fight in front of the home where they were both living in South Dallas. Causey died from his injuries and Turner has been charged with the murder. Turner says it was an accident.

Parents and relatives interviewed below were amazingly forthright in admitting their rationale for the actions they did.

Here's their Part Two with Brett Shipp
News 8 has uncovered two other DISD instances of improper recruiting and grade changing and they maintain that the DISD Athletics Director, Jeff Johnson, has not been held in any kind of account for all of this.
The HQ isn't naive into thinking that this stuff never happens- or never happens anywhere close to home. That would be an astronomically naive point-of-view in today's universe of cutthroat high school athletics. But to get events to spiral this out-of-control is a new level of out-of-control.

Masiello In Trouble At USF And Manhattan

Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello had to face his mentor Rick Pitino in the first round of this year's March NCAA tournament in one of those 4-13 match-ups... and it wasn't really fair...

But Masiello got to parlay the Jaspers success into a job offer from the University of South Florida- who was looking at a replacement for Stan Heath...

Problem...

Masiello's resume claims that he majored in communications and graduated from Kentucky in 2000. However, in the verification process, USF found out that Masiello did not in fact graduate from UK...

The job offer from USF has been withdrawn and he is now on administrative leave at Manhattan...

"The agreement was pending a verification of credentials," South Florida said in a statement. "Through the verification process it was determined the candidate's credentials could not be substantiated and therefore he did not meet the requirements for the position."

"As a result of a background check commissioned by the University of South Florida, Manhattan College has learned there is a question of the validity of head men's basketball coach Steve Masiello's undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky," reads a statement from Manhattan. "Masiello is currently in the process of reviewing his degree status with the University of Kentucky. Manhattan College has placed Masiello on leave while he completes this process with the university."

Jeff Goodman discusses
((HT: ESPN))

Alabama Strength Coach Placed On Administrative Leave For Clinton-Dix Loan

((HT: Tuscaloosa News/Suttles))

University of Alabama assistant strength and conditioning coach Corey Harris has been placed on administrative leave for providing impermissible benefits to suspended football safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Basically, it was a loan of less than $500, and Clinton-Dix has since paid the loan back...

Now, we know why this was what Coach Nick Saban told the media yesterday...


The university compliance office also discovered that Harris had a connection to a representative of a sports agent. The subsequent investigation determined that Clinton-Dix has not had any contact with anyone that Harris may know fitting that description.

The act by Harris may be a violation of NCAA Bylaw 16.11.2.2, which states that “an institutional employee or representative of the institution's athletics interests may not provide a student-athlete with extra benefits or services, including, but not limited to ... a loan of money.”