Fansided

College basketball’s 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

By Mike Phillips

ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 23: Rick Pitino, Head Coach of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens react during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play Off game 3 between Panathinaikos Opap Athens v Real Madrid at Olympic Sports Center Athens on April 23, 2019 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images)
ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 23: Rick Pitino, Head Coach of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens react during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play Off game 3 between Panathinaikos Opap Athens v Real Madrid at Olympic Sports Center Athens on April 23, 2019 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images) /
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19 Mar 2000: Head coach Jan van Breda Kolff of the Pepperdine Waves screams during the NCAA East Regional second round game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. Oklahoma State defeated Pepperdine 75-67 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart/ALLSPORT
19 Mar 2000: Head coach Jan van Breda Kolff of the Pepperdine Waves screams during the NCAA East Regional second round game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. Oklahoma State defeated Pepperdine 75-67 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart/ALLSPORT /

15. Jan van Breda Kolff

There are a lot of coaches on this list, but Jan van Breda Kolff’s offense is certainly the most unusual. While most coaches find themselves in hot water over recruiting violations or failing to monitor their program, van Breda Kolff found a way to top them all.

The year was 2002, and van Breda Kolff was the head coach at St. Bonaventure, a small school in the A-10 in upstate New York. The Bonnies needed to fill one more scholarship for the upcoming year, and they targeted a junior college forward, Jamil Terrell.

Terrell was a standout at the juco level and figured to make an instant impact for the Bonnies, but there was one slight problem. It turned out that Terrell’s coursework only allowed him to earn a welding certificate, not an associate’s degree, which meant he was ineligible to compete.

Undeterred, van Breda Kolff and St. Bonaventure went Terrell play anyway, a fact that the NCAA didn’t look too kindly upon. Even though the school self-imposed a three scholarship per year penalty from 2003-2005, the NCAA went even further.

St. Bonaventure was put on three years’ probation and banned from postseason play for the 2003-2004 season. The Bonnies ended up firing van Breda Kolff, along with the athletic director and university president, as a result of this fiasco.