Coastal Carolina reported violations

Coastal Carolina says it reported violations regarding its men's basketball team to the NCAA last year.

A statement from the university Friday said the allegations were brought to the school's attention late last summer and President David DeCenzo ordered them turnover over to the NCAA.

The Chanticleers basketball program is being looked at by the NCAA. The New York Times reported the focus of the group's investigation is possible illegal benefits that former player Marcus Macellari said were given to other players, including suspended leading scorer Desmond Holloway.

''Coastal Carolina University is and has been fully cooperating with the NCAA in its current inquiry,'' according to a statement released by Martha Hunn, the university's director of news and public affairs.

Hunn said neither DeCenzo nor anyone else at the school could discuss the NCAA inquiry until it was complete. Athletic department spokesman Mike Cawood referred all requests to speak with basketball coach Cliff Ellis to Hunn at the president's office. Messages left with Ellis and athletic director Hunter Yurachek were not immediately returned.

Macellari, who played in 11 games during the 2009-10 season, told the newspaper that he met with the NCAA last November. He said his scholarship ''wouldn't have been revoked if these players hadn't been bribed to come here and offered unfair things.''

Ellis has not been named in NCAA sanctions at Clemson or Auburn, although both programs drew probations for his time there.

Macellari's attorney, San Francisco-based Jon T. King, says neither he nor the former player would give further comments.

Coastal Carolina's statement said that when the school learned of potential violations in the basketball program DeCenzo ''immediately directed Chief Operating Officer Edgar Dyer and University Counsel Tim Meacham to self report the allegations to the NCAA.''

Hunn confirmed that that had occured.

The Chants (25-4) had been in the midst of a breakout season. They owned the country's longest winning streak at 22 straight games earlier this month and appeared a lock to get Ellis back into the NCAA tournament since his last trip as Auburn's coach in 2003.

However, the team has lost several key players the past two months. Starting forward Mike Holmes, a transfer from South Carolina, was dismissed in January because of a fight. Kierre Greenwood, who started the first 27 games at point guard, was lost for the rest of the year with a torn ligament in a 59-57 defeat to Gardner-Webb on Feb. 15 that ended the winning streak.

Guard Willie Kirkland has been academically ineligible since December.

Holloway was suspended indefinitely shortly before Coastal's game with North Carolina Central two days later. The school has said it has applied to the NCAA for Holloway's reinstatement.

Coastal Carolina ends the regular season Saturday at Charleston Southern. The Chants head to next week's Big South Conference tournament as the No. 1 seed, meaning they would play at home all three games if they advanced to the championship.

That's no longer the guarantee it looked like a few weeks ago.

The Chants are seeking their first NCAA tournament bid since 1993. The next year, the athletic program was placed on four years of probation by the NCAA for men's basketball violations. The NCAA cited academic fraud and ''a complete lack of institutional control.''

The basketball team had 11 straight losing seasons until going 20-10 under coach Buzz Peterson in 2006. Peterson left after the next season and was replaced by Ellis in the summer of 2007.

The 65-year-old Ellis gained his 600th coaching win earlier this season.