USC Loses Scholarship Over Misinterpretation

For misinterpreting NCAA rules and awarding one too many basketball scholarships last fall, USC will have to offer one fewer for the 1999-2000 season.

The Pacific 10 Conference learned that when USC awarded a scholarship to Claude Green, a walk-on player, last season, the school was over the NCAA-stipulated 13-scholarship limit, said Noel Ragsdale, USC athletic faculty representative.

Green played one minute of one game last season.

“It’s my understanding, the basketball team wanted to help this player pay his tuition,” Ragsdale said. “They didn’t try to gain any competitive advantage. They had the best intentions but we made a mistake.”

According to Ragsdale, after center Philip Von Backstrom left USC last September, Leslie Daland, USC director of compliance, advised that the school could use the scholarship on another player. But Daland was mistaken, Ragsdale said.

NCAA rules stipulate that because Von Backstrom had attended classes, even for only a few days, the scholarship could not be transferred.

“People make mistakes,” Ragsdale said. “[Daland] is very good and very experienced.”

Daland, the daughter of Peter Daland, former USC men’s swimming coach, declined to comment.

Because USC already had committed all its scholarships for this season, the Pac-10 penalty takes effect next season.