But you’d be missing one heck of a story.

What you’re missing is why he is the coach he is. He’s a product of an incredibly competitive father, and unfortunately, that rubbed off on him—a lot.

“It’s a hard paradox to explain or understand,” said Andy Toole, one of Rice’s assistants at Robert Morris, to the New York Times. “He cares about you so much and he wants so much to win, he’s willing to maybe go into a gray area with you to motivate you.”

And what Rice was willing to do to motivate his players was throw basketballs at his players’ feet, call his players homophobic slurs or do any of the other things he was caught doing on the video clips that ultimately ended his career at Rutgers. It’s just that he didn't realize what he was doing was wrong soon enough for it to matter.

What good has come of Rice’s fall? He’s volunteered for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, and he’s gotten anger management treatment from John Lucas. He’s trying to rebuild his career, but it may be a long process, because he was too headstrong to understand what he was doing was wrong. His way had worked for some time.

“I wish I would have been more thoughtful in how I went about making (Rutgers) forged as a team, making them tougher as a unit,” Rice told the New York Times. 

Clearly, the path to self-awareness was a road Rice needed to take. And he deserves credit for taking the steps to right his wrongs.


NCAA HEAD-SCRATCHER


Here’s another reason to enjoy the NCAA’s fine work: Colgate freshman Nathan Harries has lost a year of eligibility because he played three games of a church basketball league where most participants involved were in their 30s, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. And at least one had no idea how to play.

Harries, who is Mormon, played in the league this past summer during his two-year mission commitment with the church.

“We had one guy who played with us and he was like, ‘If any of you have any advice you could give me that would be great because I never played basketball before,’” one player, a 36-year-old high school teacher, told the AJC.

The NCAA's decision was enough to infuriate Harries’ father, Michael.

“Some of the rulings that come from the NCAA don’t make sense,” Michael Harries said. “Johnny Manziel gets a half-game suspension for signing autographs. A guy plays three games in a church league, and he loses a year. Obviously there’s a difference between big-time athletes and small-time athletes with the NCAA.”

The school is appealing the NCAA’s decision, but like any NCAA ruling, who knows what the NCAA will decide.


PROVIDENCE SUSPENDS TWO


Two freshman players at Providence have been suspended from play indefinitely for what the school described as "not upholding their responsibilities as student-athletes."

The school announced Wednesday that Brandon Austin and Rodney Bullock have been suspended from game action indefinitely.

Spokesman Arthur Parks said no further details would be released.

Coach Ed Cooley said in a statement that student-athletes are held to high standards and that "we are disappointed in some of the choices" Austin and Bullock have made.

The Friars open their season Friday night against Boston College at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Contributors: Roger Kuznia and The Associated Press