Pacific Loses Scholarships for Violations

The University of Pacific basketball program was put on a two-year probation by the NCAA Wednesday for rules violations involving illegal travel and phone privileges by former starters Domingo Rosario and Roberto Modesto.

The NCAA ordered the school to cut scholarships within the program by one (to 14 scholarships) for the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons and put the school on administrative probation for the next two seasons.

However, Pacific will be able to compete in postseason play and will not be forced to forfeit any revenue.

Bill Atchley, university president who came to Pacific from Clemson in 1987, said the sentence handed down by the NCAA was a reward for Pacific’s honesty and the actions taken by the university. Both the athletic director and athletic department business manager at the time were fired when the violations were uncovered by an internal investigation.

The violations took place during the 1984-85 and 1986-87 seasons and involved travel and the use of university phone credit cards by Rosario and Modesto, who were from the Dominican Republic, and their families.