College basketball’s 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

11. Marcus Camby

When a small school makes a big run to the top of the college basketball mountain, it often involves a player emerging as a star. That was certainly the case for the University of Massachusetts, which went from a small college in Amherst to national powerhouse on the strength of center Marcus Camby.

Camby was one of the best recruits for then-coach John Calipari, and he dominated college basketball from the jump. During his freshman year, Camby blocked 105 shots and was named A-10 Freshman of the Year.

Camby’s sophomore year was even better, as the Minutemen advanced all the way to the Elite Eight, with the center earning A-10 First-Team honors. UMass became a super team in Camby’s junior year, reaching the top of the polls and getting to the Final Four with Camby himself sweeping Player of the Year honors.

After Camby went pro following the season, allegations emerged that he had received money from agents while he was at UMass. NCAA investigators discovered that Camby had been paid $28,000 from two agents, making him retroactively ineligible for games UMass played with him during the 1995-1996 season.

As a result, UMass was forced to vacate its Final Four appearance, costing the school over $150,000 in revenue. Camby reimbursed the school for its financial losses, but it still stings for UMass to not be able to recognize its finest achievement.