NCAA hits Ga Tech with postseason ban, 4 years of probation

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Tech’s basketball team was banned from postseason play for the upcoming season and slapped with four years of probation for major recruiting violations committed by a former assistant coach and an ex-friend of head coach Josh Pastner.

The sanctions handed down Thursday by the NCAA also included a reduction in scholarships, limits on recruiting and a fine of $5,000 plus 2% of the program’s budget.

The NCAA says former assistant coach Darryl LaBarrie gave $300 to a highly touted prospect for a visit to an Atlanta strip club and arranged for him to meet with a former Georgia Tech athlete who played for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, including a visit to the player’s home and a free meal at a lounge owned by the player.

The committee said another booster, identified previously as Pastner’s former friend Ron Bell, provided two players and a potential transfer athlete with $2,424 in shoes, clothes, meals, transportation and lodging.