NEW YORK -- Wichita State, under NCAA investigation for a series of alleged violations, Wednesday awaited word on a ruling by college basketball's governing body.
'I don't know anything,' said Wichita State's Coach Gene Smithson before his club met Iona in the first game of a double-header at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. 'And I won't know until I hear from the NCAA office.'
Smithson, whose club is ranked 12th in the nation, said he has not heard from school officials as well as the NCAA concerning the matter.
Clark Ahlberg, president of the university, would be likely figure to notify Smithson of any decision by the NCAA. But Ahlberg was out of town and not expected to return to the campus until Monday.
The Cable News Network in Atlanta reported that a letter had been sent to the university concerning the probe, but school officals said no such letter has been received.
Smithson said the last time he formally spoke to the NCAA was at a hearing last month in San Diego.
'But again, they don't tell you anything,' the coach said of the meeting.
The NCAA, as a matter of form, does not disclose the findings of any investigation until it officially notifies the school.
Smithson said the ongoing investigation has been somewhat of a strain on his team but his players have handled it well.
'We've been living with adversity since last February,' Smithson said. 'That's when the Kansas City Times article came out.'
In that story, the paper alleged that Wichita State's officals paid for an abortion of a girlfriend of one of the players and helped a menber of the team finance a home for his mother.
'It's totally ridiculous,' Smithson said of the paper's charges. 'It's a bunch of crap.'
The NCAA investigation, however, stems from the dismissal from the team last year of players Richard Williams and Ray Shirley. An NCAA official spoke to Williams at his Florida home that summer. From that conversation with Williams, the NCAA initiated its investigation.
Smithson said there was nothing improper surrounding the dismissal of Williams.
'It was for breaking curfew,' Smithson said, 'And a few other things before that.'
Smithson did not specify what those other things were.
The Wichita State coach defended the basketball program and said it was free of any wrongdoing. When asked if the program was cleanly run, he said: 'Yes I do.'
If the Shockers are placed on probation, Smithson said it would not be any irreperable blow.
'We'd be disappointed, obviously,' Smithson, who has three years remaining on hos contract, said. 'But we won't lie down. It's a great program and we'll go ahead just fine.'
Should Wichita State be hit with NCAA sanctions, it would be the second major penalty by the body this season. Last month, the NCAA placed UCLA's acclaimed basketball program on probation for two years.
Smithson said he was unsure if the NCAA were trying to provide a lesson for certain schools.
'It's hard to say,' he said. 'They've (NCAA) been around a lot of years. I don't know if they're trying to make a point of what. I just hope they treat people equally.'
The Shockers, who feature one of the country's most imposing front lines with (bookend forwards) Cliff Levingston and Antoine Carr, are 10-2 this season. They were undefeated entering the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii last week but dropped games to North Carolina State and San Francisco.
'I've been up front with them,' said Smithson of his players. 'But we won't know anything until it's official.'
