University of Rhode Island

The Atlantic Ten sent three teams dancing this season, but the Rhode Island Rams won't be among them. After rolling in dead last in the A-10 East Division with only two conference wins, the Rams will be watching the NCAA finals from home and getting ready for next season. At least they're saving money, now that former assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr. is out of the picture.

Harrick, now an assistant at Loyola University-Chicago, apparently left quite a paper trail behind him. He's currently the subject of a state police investigation, since the university said it has evidence that he defrauded it of at least $900. State auditors believe Harrick billed URI for a laundry list of personal expenses (surprisingly not including his laundry). According to the Office of Higher Education, Harrick may have tried to trick the school into footing the bill for meals, parking validations, and gas tank fill-ups at home in Rhode Island by submitting the receipts for reimbursement as expenses incurred on team trips. Pretty sneaky.

Maybe the younger Harrick learned this slippery trick from his dad, former URI head coach Jim Harrick Sr. Papa Harrick came to Rhode Island in 1997 from UCLA. No, he didn't chooseto leave sunny California for snowy New England. Rather, he was fired from UCLA, partly for falsifying an expense report. After just two years at URI, the elder Harrick skipped on to coach at Georgia, leaving behind a host of angry Ram fans and a trail of minor NCAA rules violations. When asked about the fraud allegations pending against his son, Harrick Sr. said he knew nothing about the investigation and made no comment, aside from these few, well chosen words: "That's something I just don't talk about." Now why would that be?

From The Sporting News:

Former URI Assistant Harrick Being Investigated for Fraud

From CBS Sportsline:

Police Investigate Former URI Assistant Basketball Coach Harrick

From ESPN.com:

Harrick Jr. Under Investigation for Fraud

From Total College Sports:

Ex-URI Assistant Harrick Jr. Under Investigation

What Do You Think? Voice Your Opinion on our MESSAGE BOARDS

University of Rhode Island Basketball Page

CNN/SI Rams Page

1999-2000 Basketball Schedule