FAMU basketball coach on NCAA sanctions: 'We're moving the needle in the right direction'

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Florida A&M men's basketball team was hit the hardest after the release of the latest NCAA APR scores, and head coach Bryon Samuels said the team is already making strides to erase the sanctions levied against the team.

APR scores, provided and tracked by the NCAA, take eligibility and retention rates into account and provide team-based scores. Teams need multiyear (taken over four years) scores of 930 to participate in the 2015-16 postseason.

FAMU's basketball team has a score of 905 and is one of four teams nationwide facing a Level Three penalty, which includes financial aid penalties, a postseason ban, penalties restricting the amount of coaches available to the team, a reduction in games and other self-imposed restrictions.

Samuels said with the help of FAMU president Elmira Mangum and interim athletic director D'Wayne Robinson, the team is already taking steps to get out from under the sanctions by recruiting strong, academically-inclined athletes.

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