News Nuggets, 08.12.03
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Former Louisville hoops star paralyzed in cycle accident

Marques Maybin, one of Louisville's all-time leading scorers, was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident in his hometown, his father told a newspaper.

Maybin, who turns 25 on Sept. 17, was riding a motorcycle when he collided with the back of a pickup truck at an intersection on Aug. 5, said Clarksville, TN, police spokesman Geno Grubbs. Maybin had an "incapacitating injury," meaning he was unable to leave the scene on his own, Grubbs said.

Maybin was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he was undergoing surgery on Monday. A spokeswoman said the family asked that no information about his injuries be released.

But Michael Maybin told The Courier-Journal in Louisville that his son is paralyzed. “Marques is kind of messed up in his head right now,” Michael Maybin said. “He's such a wonderful kid. He's always smiling when people come in to see him. But at night, when it's just us, it all caves in on him.”

Maybin's father said the purpose of Monday's surgery was to fuse vertebrae around his son's spine to prevent further paralysis.

The 6-foot-3 Maybin was a guard at Louisville from 1997-2001, the last four seasons of Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum's tenure. Maybin finished with 1,624 points, 12th on the school's career scoring list. He played professionally in Lebanon and France after leaving school. He was living in Clarksville at the time of the accident, Grubbs said.

Maybin's father said his son did not have a job and does not have health insurance. Louisville sports information director Kenny Klein said the school will accept donations to place in a fund to help Maybin.

Police blotter: 'Cocks' Howell in trouble again

South Carolina center Rolando Howell was arrested and charged with criminal domestic violence, according to Richland County police. The rising senior, who has the most experience of any South Carolina player, was arrested around noon Saturday at an apartment complex where he lives with his girlfriend and 2-year-old son, county deputies said.

An incident report said Howell's girlfriend was crying and had a red mark on the left side of her neck. She told deputies she had an argument with Howell that turned physical with Howell choking her, pulling her hair and hitting her in the face, according to the incident report. No one answered the door at Howell's apartment Monday night and he does not have a listed phone number.

It's unclear if any disciplinary action will be taken against Howell, who averaged 10 points and 6.3 rebounds last season. “I have met with Rolando Howell. I have been alerted to the allegations and at this point all the facts are not in,” Gamecocks coach Dave Odom said in a statement. “Until that time we will have no further comment.”

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Howell was suspended for seven games in 2000 for his part in a money-order scam before he even played for the Gamecocks, who finished 12-16 last season. After that arrest, Howell completed a pretrial intervention program for first-time offenders.

Terps get wrist slap for 'major' recruiting violation

Only days after Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow said she expected the Terrapins football program to avoid significant sanctions over some self-reported recruiting infractions, her prediction was validated. The school was placed on only one year of probation by the NCAA on Monday after it found that an assistant football coach committed a “major” violation by giving money to a high school recruit. The NCAA's infractions committee determined that coach Rod Sharpless gave heralded prospect Victor Abiamiri cash in amounts ranging from $5 to $200 five different times in order to gain an edge in the recruiting competition. Sharpless “formed a pattern of deliberate violations with a prospect of elite stature that spanned virtually the entire period the assistant coach was permitted to recruit the prospect under NCAA rules,” according to a statement released by the NCAA.

The committee found another coach gave a player a T-shirt and hat worth $20, a move the NCAA deemed a “secondary” infraction, but Maryland escaped serious punishment for the violations, largely because of actions the school took after the allegations arose. It forced Sharpless to resign and stopped recruiting both players involved, steps the NCAA called “commendable.”

Most punishments for major infractions involve at least two years of probation and often include a ban from postseason play or cuts in funding, said Thomas Yeager, chairman of the infractions committee. “A one-year probation is about as short as it gets,” he said.

Under the probation terms, Maryland will have to develop an educational program on NCAA rules and make periodic reports to the body that governs intercollegiate athletics. After it comes off the probation, which began Monday, any future infractions will be subject to NCAA repeat offender rules. The NCAA also accepted Maryland's agreement with Sharpless that he will not seek employment at an NCAA school for two football seasons.

Sharpless allegedly gave Abiamiri cash to buy a a video game machine several days before Christmas. Yeager said Sharpless gave Abiamiri one payment of $200 after overhearing the prospect have a conversation with his mother about the video game system. Sharpless also allegedly left $100 in Abiamiri's basketball shoe to mark the student's birthday during a visit in mid-January. Other payments were small amounts, such as $5 or $10, Yeager said.

Sharpless resigned in February after an internal investigation and Maryland stopped recruiting Abiamiri, who eventually signed with Notre Dame. Both Sharpless and Abiamiri acknowledged the payments occurred, Yeager said. No other football coaches were involved in the infraction.

Maryland reported the results of its probe, conducted by an outside consultant, to the NCAA in hopes of staving off sanctions. Maryland officials met with NCAA officials June 13 to lobby for having the infraction involving Sharpless labeled “secondary.” The NCAA ordered the coach who gave a player a hat and T-shirt to donate $20 to charity. It also issued an official letter of reprimand that will remain in his personnel file for three years and froze his compensation package at its current level for fiscal years 2004 and 2005.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2003 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007

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