NCAA Bans Universities From Using Coaching Search Firms

Kansas City, MO, United States (AHN) – Already making headlines for investigations of universities all over the country, the NCAA extended its crackdown by going after coaching search firms, the most famous of which is run by college basketball power brokers Dana and David Pump.

Universities are no longer permitted to use the Pumps’ consulting firm ChampSearch to help hire head coaches nor allowed to contribute to the Harold Pump Foundation named after the Pumps’ father.

The Pumps influence extends through their running of elite AAU teams, reported advisement on at least 17 coaching hires and running of the Harold Pump Foundation, which has ties to coaches and college programs all over the country.

“What are Dana and I supposed to do?” David Pump told Yahoo! Sports. “They just changed these rules. You should ask the NCAA because I don’t know. Of course I’m very disappointed. Dana and I work our whole life to build our business , and people are doing things like this. Don’t you think they’re being a little unfair?”

The NCAA first went after the Pump brothers in 2002 in a ticket scalping scandal and then again in 2004 when they banned schools from playing preseason games against exhibition squads run by the Pumps.

The Pumps again faced scrutiny earlier this year because of their involvement in a reported ticket scalping operation with a high-ranking member of the University of Kansas athletic department and the father of a prominent Jayhawks athlete.

Kansas announced the findings of an internal investigation May 26 that uncovered a massive million-dollar ticket scalping operation orchestrated by the Pumps.

In addition to recent sanctions on Southern Cal and investigations at Alabama and Florida, the NCAA is also pursuing individuals associated with prospects.

The new NCAA legislation states: “It is not permissible for an institution or a men’s basketball staff member to provide a consulting fee to an individual associated with a prospective student-athlete or to a consulting firm in which an individual associated with a prospective student-athlete has a proprietary or financial interest.”

Among one of the many coaches the Pumps reportedly helped hire is Bruce Pearl at Tennessee. Pearl also secured recruit Wayne Chism, who played on one of the Pumps’ AAU teams.

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