NCAA Upholds Sanctions Against Former OU Coach

Friday, February 9th 2007, 2:46 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The NCAA says Friday is upholding sanctions it imposed last year against Ray Lopes, a former Oklahoma assistant basketball coach and Fresno State head coach.

Lopes was involved in separate infractions cases for improper recruiting practices at OU, where he served as an assistant to current Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson from 1995 to 2002, and Fresno State, where he spent three seasons as the head coach before resigning in March 2005.

The NCAA issued separate but concurrent penalties that mean Lopes may not seek employment with another NCAA school before March 2008 without first appearing before the infractions committee to determine if his duties should be limited.

Lopes appealed to the NCAA Division One Infractions Appeals Committee, which rejected his argument that the penalties were excessive.

Lopes' Oklahoma-based attorney, Toby Baldwin, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office Friday by The Associated Press.