tito maddox not playing yet

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SoCalHoops College News

Tito Maddox Not Playing Yet At Fresno State;
NCAA Investigates--(Nov. 19, 2000)

Many people have been writing to us and asking about Tito Maddox (6'-4" So. PG) who enrolled last season at Fresno State as a Prop.48 casualty. As a result of his inability to qualify for initial freshman eligibility, he had to sit out all of last season. Apparently Tito got the grades he needed, and was eligible to play this season. He worked hard last year, and studied this summer as well. Many assumed that Tito would come in this season and set things on fire up in Fresno and in the WAC, leading the Bulldogs to the promised land: The NCAA Tournament and possibly back to a berth in the Final Four with one of the most athletic teams in Fresno State history, and certainly one of Jerry Tarkanian's best teams since his UNLV days.

But Tito isn't playing, this season. At least not yet. And it's not grades that are the problem.

Instead its an apparent on-going NCAA investigation (which the NCAA and the school will not confirm) which apparently arises from some traveling Tito and another former Compton High teammate did to Las Vegas for three days in September. Somehow, word got back to the NCAA that a "friend" of Tito's had purchased airline tickets for him, and that he was also "seen" at a Vegas club where a player agent was also in attendance.

While the school and the NCAA are mum, Tito has confirmed the basic facts to newspaper reporters, telling them that the NCAA spoke with him about three weeks ago. But he denies any wrongdoing, and says, somewhat defiantly, "I would do it again. . . .I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks."

So, for now at least until the NCAA investigation is concluded, Tito isn't playing. Fresno State is winning, but Tito isn't playing, and when he will return is unknown.

The Fresno Bee has, quite obviously, been covering this story like a blanket, and reporters Eric Prisbell (eprisbell@fresnobee.com who can be reached at 441-6625) and Milo F. Bryant (who can be reached at mbryant@fresnobee.com or 441-6497), have written two articles on the subject, and the effect Tito's absence has been having on the team. Both articles are available on the Fresno Bee website, and we've also excerpted them below (with appropriate links to each story). Here's the news on Tito (the photo below of Tito, about two years old, is one from our SoCalHoops archives and doesn't appear in the FresnoBee story):

Maddox tells his story
The Bulldogs point guard reveals why his
eligibility is under review.
By Eric Prisbell
The Fresno Bee
(Published November 15, 2000)

Tito Maddox's eligibility is still in limbo, awaiting an NCAA ruling regarding an airline ticket he used in late September.

The sophomore point guard sat out the Fresno State men's basketball team's exhibition Sunday against Global Sports because of what the school called "questions regarding his eligibility." Fresno State athletic director Al Bohl declined comment, but Maddox explained his situation Tuesday.

Maddox said he and a former Compton High teammate flew to Las Vegas for three days in late September. He said the plane tickets were purchased by a "family friend" whom Maddox has known since he was in the eighth grade.

In question is the relationship Maddox had with the family friend.

Student-athletes cannot be given preferential treatment because of their notoriety as athletes.

The NCAA would not say whether it is involved in an inquiry with Fresno State. Maddox, however, said the NCAA spoke with him about three weeks ago.

"The NCAA talked to me first," Maddox said. "For everyone involved, the stories didn't mix, so they think someone is lying. I'm not lying. I'm straight."

Maddox said he believes the NCAA learned of the trip after he and his former teammate were spotted in a nightclub in Las Vegas. An agent was seen at the nightclub, although Maddox said he was not accompanying the agent.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Maddox said. "What, I can't take a trip without people looking at me? I would do it again."

Bohl said he would not provide any information on the Maddox situation while a review is under way. No member of the athletic department or the men's basketball staff would disclose further information.

"I really feel an athlete's eligibility is inappropriate to comment on while it is still under review," Bohl said.

Maddox said it does not bother him that his situation has been left open to speculation. "I know everyone is assuming it is grades," said Maddox, who sat out last season as an academic nonqualifier. "I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks."

Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian still expects Maddox to start in Friday's season opener.

Tarkanian, who declined to comment on specifics of the situation, said Maddox could have played Sunday and that the pending decision rests upon a "technicality."

Maddox continues to practice, and the team is preparing as if it will have the point guard available Friday. He said the past few days have been confusing but not a distraction. If Maddox is not ruled eligible by Friday, 6-foot-5 Dennis Nathan probably will start at point guard as the Bulldogs meet St. Mary's in the opening round of the Hispanic College Fund Classic at Selland Arena.

Tito didn't play on Friday night. The Fresno Bee had this update on the Bulldogs and how they are reacting to Tito's absence, and how Tarkanian is managing playing time:

Saint Mary's no test for Maddox-less Bulldogs
By Milo F. Bryant
The Fresno Bee
(Published November 18, 2000)

Entering Selland Arena on Friday, one uncertainty rang out.

"Hey! Do you know if Tito is gonna play?"

"Will he go tonight?"

"Is he still sitting?"

Tito or not Tito? That was the question.

Would Fresno State point guard Tito Maddox be on the bench or on the court? Could the Bulldogs win a real game without his ability? Well, Fresno State answered the first question when it announced the starters.

The last remains a mystery.

The Bulldogs trounced Saint Mary's 104-66. But it wasn't a real game. Bulldogs practices are harder.

Saint Mary's, bless its heart, was a warm-up for a vastly more experienced and talented team.

Now the question is whether Fresno State fans should ingest Pepto Bismol or Tums.

Because it's going to take a couple of bottles of one -- maybe both -- to quell the queasy stomachs.

And believe that stomachs are unsettled. From the coach to the most devout fan, there's the anxiousness of not knowing.

Nobody knows how well this team will operate when Maddox returns. Until he does, thinking this team is set should be the last thing folks do.

At the rate the NCAA operates, the investigation over a Maddox plane flight to Las Vegas will be completed in the next millennium. Combine that with Fresno State's time-management skills, and we'll all be full-fledged AARP members by the time Maddox dishes his first assist.

We can only speculate about the future. But, here in the present, there's no Maddox, and for now he's not needed.

Though Sunday's game against St. Bonaventure will be more difficult, the Maddox-less Bulldogs should beat the Bonnies, too.

However, Wednesday, the Bulldogs play North Carolina State in the Tip-Off Classic in Massachusetts. The Bulldogs can't win that one without Maddox. No disrespect meant to the other players, but Maddox in the lineup is like giving candy to a hyperactive 3-year-old -- energy on top of energy.

Maddox makes the team more athletic. Offensively, he gives it a controlled insistence that is absent while he sits. Fans certainly won't see the ball walked up the court too many times.

The whole mess is a distraction. Not knowing who will play easily disrupts a chemistry the Bulldogs worked so hard to achieve during the preseason. The situation is enhanced when the one in question is the point guard.

The distraction started Sunday. It's going on now. Understand, it will continue when Maddox finally returns -- albeit at a different level.

Remember, Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian said he would only play 10 players. The squad has 13. As long as Maddox sits out, those minutes go to players who eventually will be grabbing pine.

Tarkanian reiterated that after Friday's game.

"I played 13 guys, and I can't continue to do that," Tarkanian said. "I don't want them to think that this was going to happen over and over again, because it will backfire on them."

Right now, those players have the chance to impress, maybe earn a few minutes. Friday night, all of them did. Only one player didn't score.

After Maddox returns, don't think they'll be happy sitting, especially when they know they can contribute. A few weeks ago, Tarkanian spoke to the players about hustle and commitment. Teamwork and work ethic. He also told the players that if any of them who aren't playing think they could get minutes elsewhere, he would call any coach in the country to help them transfer.

He may have to make good on that promise.

Then again, maybe not.

"He's not going to play a lot of guys," forward Chris Jefferies says. "But, I think we'll handle it the way we've been handling this. We're going to come out and play hard. That won't change."

For the team's sake, hopefully not.

For now, the Bulldogs are undefeated. They have a team that Saint Mary's coach Dave Bollwinkel considers "athletically in the top 10 or 15 teams in the country."

There's excitement in the full-court pressure and surprise in the play of backup center Mustafa Al-Sayyad, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds (seven offensive) in 17 minutes.

Tarkanian even joked, "Last year we would go a month without seven offensive rebounds."

All was happy in Bulldog land, at least for a few hours.

A Maddox appearance only would have increased the margin of victory. Then again, it would have meant he was eligible.

And eligibility would have rid the uneasy stomachs faster than Pepto-Bismol or Tums ever could.