Fresno State Gets Four-Year Probation

Fresno State was put on NCAA probation for four years Wednesday for violations involving academic fraud, recruiting and eligibility.

The NCAA Infractions Committee also found a lack of institutional control.

Fresno State banned its men’s basketball program from postseason play last season after learning that a former team statistician and an academic advisor helped three former players cheat on course work.

The school self-imposed a two-year probation and cut three scholarships from the men’s basketball program for other violations.

The committee required the university to vacate the record of its performance in the 2000 NCAA tournament and return 90% of the funds it earned for that appearance.

Probation will end Dec. 4, 2006.

The NCAA said most of the school’s violations were found in the men’s basketball program but added that some secondary infractions were uncovered in the men’s soccer and women’s basketball programs.

The committee said it found violations ranging from free meals being provided to numerous players by the owner of a restaurant who is a representative of the school’s athletic programs, to improper cash stipends being given to a player and his family.

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Leading rebounder Steve Thomas was kicked off the Georgia men’s basketball team by new Coach Dennis Felton for unspecified reasons....New Mexico player Billy Feeney had a blood-alcohol level of 0.158% -- nearly twice the legal driving limit of 0.08 -- when he committed suicide Aug. 28, according to an autopsy report.

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Free-agent forward Malik Allen re-signed with the Miami Heat, and the former starter probably will back up new acquisition Lamar Odom....San Antonio Spur guard Tony Parker’s 18 points led France past Russia, 76-69, in the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championship at Stockholm. Lithuania defeated defending champion Serbia and Montenegro, 98-82....The Long Beach Jam of the ABA is conducting a free-agent tryout camp Sunday at the Pyramid for players 18 and older. Information: (562) 799-8100.

Hockey

Unrestricted free-agent forward Magnus Arvedson signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks....Nashville agreed to terms with David Legwand....Center Igor Larionov, who turns 43 in December and is the oldest player in the NHL, signed with New Jersey.

Miscellany

NCAA President Myles Brand endorsed Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee’s plan to put the school’s athletic department under the central university administration.

Brand called it a major shift in the college sports culture and “a model for how to embed the operations that have been isolated from the university with similar functions throughout the campus.”

Vanderbilt football Coach Bobby Johnson said he supports the bold move, and Mississippi State football Coach Jackie Sherrill predicted other colleges will follow to save money.

Fifth-ranked Guillermo Coria pulled out of Argentina’s Davis Cup semifinal against host Spain on Sept. 19-21 because of a left leg injury.

NASCAR reached a two-year agreement with Craig Media Inc., Canada’s largest privately held TV broadcaster, to show 12 races live in Canada starting with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

Kemp Richardson of Laguna Niguel defeated Roy Smethurst of England, 3 and 2, and Frank Abbott of Napa beat David Boesel of Winter Park, Fla., 2 and 1, in the semifinals of the USGA Senior Amateur at Bristol, Va.