The Glenn Cyprien File ...

[CajunGuru]

Student alleges Rebel violations

A former UNLV basketball manager says a coach gave him hundreds of dollars to pay toward a player's car.

By Kevin Iole
Review-Journal

A 20-year-old UNLV sophomore has made allegations against the men's basketball program that would be serious violations of NCAA rules.

Mike Viellion, an international business major who once served as a student manager for the basketball team, said University of Nevada, Las Vegas associate head coach Glynn Cyprien gave him money to make car payments on behalf of former Rebel Tyrone Nesby. In addition, Viellion said Cyprien loaned Viellion's 1995 Ford Thunderbird without his permission in the summer to Rebel Kaspars Kambala and that Kambala subsequently was involved in an accident that totaled the car.

Viellion made his allegations as NCAA investigators were in Las Vegas to conduct an informal review of information that alleged recruiting violations.

He said that four times during the 1997-98 basketball season, Cyprien gave him money that Cyprien took out of his own pocket. Viellion said he was under instructions to take the money to a car-leasing agency, which he declined to name, and make payments for Nesby, who is now an NBA rookie playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. Viellion said he could not recall the exact amount, but said it was between $300 and $400.

Viellion also said he served as a go-between for UNLV coach Bill Bayno and Nesby in picking up loaner cars Bayno had arranged for Nesby when the player's car was out of commission.

Bayno would not comment on Viellion's allegations regarding the payments on Nesby's car, other than to deny it in a news release put out by the university's sports information department. However, Bayno said he was aware of the dispute regarding Kambala's accident and questioned Viellion's truthfulness.

"None of this is true," Bayno said of Viellion's allegation that Cyprien lent Viellion's car to Kambala. "Mike is lying. Cyp had no control of (Viellion's) car. Kas borrowed the car from Mike's friend."

A university is forbidden under NCAA rules from providing a benefit for a student-athlete that it would not provide for every other student.

Viellion said NCAA investigators questioned him about the Kambala incident, but he denied at that time anything had occurred. Later, however, after he said he had difficulty obtaining money from Kambala to purchase another car and to pay his increased insurance premiums, he contacted the NCAA and told them of the incidents regarding Nesby's car, which he said was a black Honda Accord. He said he isn't sure what year the car was, but said he thought it was a 1995 model.

"Coach Cyprien just totally took the money right out of his pocket," Viellion said. "I paid Tyrone Nesby's car payment on several occasions. I would take the money, drive to the place, get the receipt and give it back to Coach Cyp. I did that on several occasions."

Nesby had a game with the Clippers on Tuesday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York and could not be reached for comment. Cyprien said he never gave Viellion money on Nesby's behalf.

"That's totally bogus," Cyprien said. "I'm not very intelligent, but why would I give him money to pay Tyrone's car note? That doesn't make any sense. It's totally out of line."

Viellion worked for the basketball team during the 1997-98 season and described himself as Cyprien's "right-hand man."

He said the two began to grow apart after Kambala wrecked his car on July 28. Viellion said he was at his home in New Orleans and had given his car to Cyprien to keep an eye on. However, Viellion alleged that Cyprien then gave the car to Kambala. Kambala wrecked the car at 12:30 p.m. on July 28 at Eastern and Washington avenues. According to the police report, Kambala was traveling 50 mph in a 35 mph zone, jumped the median and hit a pole.

Viellion said Cyprien called him in New Orleans to inform him of the accident.

"He told my dad, `We'll take care of everything. Don't worry about anything. It was an accident. I'll take responsibility for it. I shouldn't have given him the car,' " Viellion said.

Viellion said his insurance premiums went from $1,100 a year to more than $5,200. He said he had to quit working for the basketball program in September to get a job so he could make his insurance payments, which he said were now around $500 a month.

Bayno said Kambala, who could not be reached for comment, offered to pay Viellion $50 a month toward the car, but Viellion turned it down.

The coach accused Viellion of trying to destroy his program.

"This has been an issue for three months," Bayno said. "The truth will come out. He's trying to blow up the program and I don't know why."

Cyprien and Viellion attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans and Cyprien said he arranged for Viellion to be UNLV's basketball manager at the request of his former high school basketball coach. Cyprien said Viellion became upset when he learned he would not receive a scholarship for being the manager.

Cyprien denied Viellion's charge that he loaned Viellion's car to Kambala. Cyprien said Viellion had given the car to a former UNLV employee for safekeeping when Viellion returned to New Orleans. Cyprien said that person loaned it to Kambala. Cyprien wouldn't identify that person but said he was a friend of Viellion's.

However, Viellion said Cyprien took responsibility when he phoned regarding the accident.

"(He said) `Mike, this is Cyp. We have a problem,' " Viellion said. " `Today, Kas had to run an errand. He had a friend in town. I couldn't let him use my car, so I let him use yours and he wrecked it.' I said, `OK.' He said, `I don't know how bad it is.' So I'm thinking, broken headlight or something. Little did I know when I got back and looked at the car, there was no front end.

"He told my dad `We'll take care of it.' Bayno got on him and said, `Let's get together and take care of this.' Cyp basically just blew everybody off, started lying to us."

Viellion received a Dec. 15 memo from Jerry Koloskie, UNLV's associate athletics director, in which Koloskie wrote, "On July 28, 1998, Coach Cyprien lent Mike Viellion's car to Kaspar (sic) Kambala."

Koloskie said he was just trying to put together a list for Viellion's father, George, of what he knew and that the memo was not a finding of fact. Koloskie said his investigation has led him to believe that a friend of Viellion's lent the car to Kambala, but Koloskie would not name that individual.

"This is a nonuniversity matter and it's not my place to implicate somebody else," Koloskie said. "I'm very comfortable that Coach Cyprien did not intentionally violate NCAA rules in this matter."

[CajunCharlie]

What is the rest of the story, and why are you bringing this up? :confused: confused:

[CajunGuru]

Originally posted by CajunCharlie
What is the rest of the story, and why are you bringing this up? :confused: confused:

"This is a nonuniversity matter and it's not my place to implicate somebody else," Koloskie said. "I'm very comfortable that Coach Cyprien did not intentionally violate NCAA rules in this matter."

While he was not implacated,the NCAA did put UNLV on probation for violations dealing with Lamar Odom during the summer 1996-December 1997. Yes coach Cyprien was there at the time.

Someone made the statement that nothing ever came from the NCAA investigation. On coach Cyprien no, on the program,yes. It's something we all should have known about before hand,not after the fact. Regardless of which coach anyone wanted to be named.

UNLV Hoops Placed on Probation
By TIM DAHLBERG
AP Sports Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- UNLV's basketball program, no stranger to problems with the NCAA, was placed on four years' probation Tuesday for violations that included a booster's payment of $5,600 to Lamar Odom and the failure to monitor recruiting visits.

UNLV responded to the sanctions by firing coach Bill Bayno, according to Fox Sports and KTNV-TV. An afternoon news conference was scheduled to discuss the sanctions.

Bayno, who had coached the Runnin' Rebels for five years, did not respond to calls on his cell phone. The Rebels were off to a 3-4 start this season and lost Saturday to rival Nevada.

The university escaped the ``death penalty'' for the program despite the fact the infractions occurred within five years of a previous probation and were similar to earlier UNLV violations.

"We don't have to put a team on the shelf. It's a drastic remedy," said Jack Friedenthal, chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions. "It was awhile back and it occurred at a different time and level."

Odom never played for UNLV and is now with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The penalty ‹ which included a one-year postseason ban ‹ came despite UNLV's attempt to minimize its problems by imposing its own sanctions earlier this year. The violations occurred between the summer of 1996 and December 1997, the NCAA said.

The governing body also ruled that UNLV cannot participate in outside tournaments next season and will have to cut a total of two scholarships for the next two seasons. It also ordered the university to disassociate itself from two prominent boosters.

The NCAA said it was concerned the violations were ``very similar'' to those in a 1993 infractions case involving UNLV, and expressed concern that university officials did not appear to accept responsibility for some of the violations.

"We want people to straighten up and fly right," Friedenthal said.

Friedenthal said the university was given some leeway in the finding it was a repeat violator because the 1993 sanctions stemmed from recruiting violations several years earlier under former coach Jerry Tarkanian.

In its report, the NCAA said the university ``should have had a heightened sense of vigilance'' about the basketball program.

The payments were made while Odom was in Las Vegas in the summer of 1997 and was enrolled in a summer class while awaiting his formal admission to UNLV. They continued, the NCAA said, after the university announced it would not admit Odom in the wake of publicity over his recruiting status.

According to the report, UNLV booster and local dentist David Chapman gave Odom $400 to $800 two or three times a week, paying him a total of about $4,000 before the university decided not to allow him to enroll. He later gave him other money, the NCAA said.

Friedenthal said the university should have been aware of the relationship because Chapman regularly visited the campus to play in pickup basketball games with Odom and was a well-known booster.

"It's the kind of thing you just must watch for," he said.

In September, UNLV said it would voluntarily cut one scholarship and have coach Bill Bayno spend more time at the university administering the program in an attempt to satisfy the NCAA's investigation.

That didn't prove enough, however, as the NCAA went beyond UNLV's admissions of certain violations to find even more itself.

A current UNLV player, Chris Richardson, was earlier suspended for part of this season for lying to NCAA investigators about how he acquired a bed for his apartment.

UNLV was put on probation in 1993 for violations in the recruitment of Lloyd Daniels when Tarkanian was still the coach. Tarkanian was involved in a long-running battle with the NCAA.

[1stTake]

Originally posted by cajuncharlie
What is the rest of the story, and why are you bringing this up?:confused:confused:

I would rather know this stuff beforehand instead of getting blindsided by some goofball.

[vatican]

I am waiting for some substantiated facts that tie Cyprien committed any violations. As I read other articles, after doing a google search for the rest of the story - it appeared there was never any mention of any proven wrongdoing in the incident which occurred in 1999. I still do not see his name even mentioned in the Lamar Odom saga.

In short, it seems like you have some axe to grind. If you are going to post a story, post the entire story.

[Turbine]

I think Glynn has all the makings of a great coach, but he has to know UL fans will look closer than other fans. I would rather it all be in the open sooner rather than later.

I do not like the phrase "Coach Cyprien did not intentionally violate NCAA rules in this matter." I do like Cyprien's response to allegations shortly after leaving UNLV "I'm not even mentioned in the NCAA report, so there's nothing to run from."

Honestly we will never know and it is probably all water under the bridge -the thing is- most fans at other schools could probably care less about ancient history. But then again their fans never had to sit through a death penalty.

Since the 1972 NCAA fiasco, I think the NCAA has a prerequisite to be hit over the head with video proof of violations to really punish or even come to a conclusion.

Unfortunately the NCAA seems to take the stance if you move away from the scene of the violation we will look the other way, or not look at all.

But that doesn’t mean UL fans shouldn’t look.

[CajunGuru]

Vatican, I think I posted the following with the article;

"While he was not implacated,the NCAA did put UNLV on probation for violations dealing with Lamar Odom during the summer 1996-December 1997. Yes coach Cyprien was there at the time."

What part of not implacated do you not understand? And yes, he was there during the time period of summer 1996-December 1997. Someone posted that nothing every came of this investigation,that is wrong!None of the staff was asked to come back after the NCAA findings. This is information that should have been looked at when considering any candidate period. The fact that the local kool-aid media does not do their homework or consider this information relevant makes no difference to me.

"In short, it seems like you have some axe to grind. If you are going to post a story, post the entire story."

I have no axe to grind. In fact, I will continue to support this program with my money, as I have done in the past. But this is information that should have been discussed.Again, reading comprehension must not be required in Vatican. The whole article is there including comments from the UNLV administration stating that they could find no evidence to the allegations against Cyprien.

[firstandlast]

Try http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho.../10818590.html This is my first and only post. I have been reading you for along time. I know enough about this program to know that this is just wrong. Coach Lee truly deserved this job. You see you all want someone that has roots here and wants to raise his family here. You say this time and time again. You had this man here. Coach Lee was this man. He did not need to be offered a 3-4-5 year contract. He should have been given his chance. Just because you take a man from a bigger program does not make him a bigger man. A bigger man is all about respect, morals and doing the right thing. I am sick to my stomach today. I feel so bad for this good man. Did you really make a coaching change - I guess you will have to wait and see? In my mind you went down the same path. I hope and pray I am wrong, but even if I am it still was not the right thing to do. I have pondered all day about posting this. It was the right thing to do.

[CajunGuru]

Originally posted by Turbine
I do not like the phrase "Coach Cyprien did not intentionally violate NCAA rules in this matter." I do like Cyprien's response to allegations shortly after leaving UNLV "I'm not even mentioned in the NCAA report, so there's nothing to run from."

Thank you Turbine! Someone finally get's it. Considering the history of this program, this was important to get out now. Again, I will support this new coach, but the whole picture needed to be put out for all of us to examine.

[CajunGuru]

Some of us are asking the same questions! Some here just don't want to talk about it.