College basketball's 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

College basketball’s 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

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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(Minneapolis, Minnesota ? Sunday, March 22, 2009) USC coach Tim Floyd pleads with officials after forward Taj Gibson was called for his 4th foul early int the second half against Michigan State in round two of the midwest regional of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) /

23. Tim Floyd

USC has been better known as a football school for a long time, but their basketball program isn’t too shabby. One of USC’s most successful periods in recent memory came with Tim Floyd at the helm, when he guided the Trojans to an 85-50 record in four years and three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

After the 2008-2009 season, Floyd strangely stepped down, claiming to have lost enthusiasm for his job there. It turns out that Floyd was probably worried about getting caught in the line of fire for an NCAA investigation which centered around one of his most prominent players.

That player was guard O.J. Mayo, who starred at USC the previous year before bolting for the NBA, where he was drafted in the lottery. Mayo reportedly received money from Los Angeles-based events promoter Rodney Guillory, and it appeared if Guillory was funneling the money for Floyd.

The NCAA investigated both Floyd and the program, and its findings revealed that Floyd and his staff knew about a pair of serious rules violations involving Mayo and Guillory, but did nothing about them. That makes up a lack of institutional control, leading to USC vacating all of their wins and the tournament appearance from Mayo’s time at the school.

Floyd himself took a year off of coaching and ended up at UTEP in 2010, where he coached for the next eight years before retiring.