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Under NCAA investigation, Hawaii announces self-imposed sanctions

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An ongoing investigation by the NCAA hovered over the Hawaii men’s basketball program last season, one in which then-interim head coach Benjy Taylor led the Rainbow Warriors to within a win of the NCAA tournament. With the school since hiring a new head coach in former Saint Mary’s assistant Eran Ganot, Friday evening Hawaii announced that it has self-imposed some sanctions as a result of the investigation.

Among the sanctions are the vacating of 36 wins in which athletes since ruled to be ineligible, Isaac Fotu and Davis Rozitis, played, the payment of a $10,000 fine and the forfeiture of one scholarship in each of the next two seasons according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii, which received a Notice of Allegations in late January, has placed itself on probation for one year and will also cut its practice time for the upcoming season. Prior to the 2014-15 season the school fired head coach Gib Arnold and also replaced assistant Brandyn Akana as a result of the NCAA investigation.

Both coaches were cited in the Notice of Allegations, with Arnold being charged with “obstructing an investigation or attempting to conceal the violations.”

“For the most part these violations involve either intentional or careless failure to follow well-known bylaws that members of the men’s basketball coaching staff understood but failed to obey,” the school said in a release according to the Star-Advertiser. “The coaches compounded the adverse impact of these poor decisions when they (1) failed to report to the university’s compliance department their own or other violations in the program; (2) instructed or encouraged staff members and student-athletes to conceal or not report the violations or; (3) provided false or misleading information during the investigation rather than admit the violation occurred.”

The next step for Hawaii is a meeting with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, which by rule should occur within the next 60 days. That meeting will determine whether or not the NCAA determines the self-imposed sanctions to be sufficient, and if not what additional penalties they may hand down.