Gary Parrish

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- As expected, Memphis will ...

• Vacate all 38 wins from the 2007-08 season and its Final Four appearance.
• Face three years probation.
• Endure a public censure.

One of the interesting bits of information released today is that the SAT in question that the NCAA believes Derrick Rose did not actually take was taken by somebody in Detroit only a month before Rose enrolled at Memphis. Rose had already taken the SAT three times and failed to get a qualifying score each time. So suddenly this Chicago native went to Detroit to take the test one final time, and would it be too cynical to mention that the famed William Wesley -- AKA "Worldwide Wes" -- just so happens to live in Detroit?

That's probably just a coincidence, right?

The NCAA Committee on Infractions is forcing Memphis to vacate its appearance in the 2008 Final Four, sources familiar with the case told CBSSports.com on Wednesday.

The NCAA's report will be released Thursday.

Memphis appeared before the Committee of Infractions in June and faced allegations of major infractions -- among them that Derrick Rose used a fraudulent SAT score to gain freshman eligibility, and that his brother, Reggie Rose, traveled on team charters and stayed in team hotels at no expense. With the Final Four now officially wiped from the record books, John Calipari becomes the first coach in history to vacate Final Fours at two different schools.

Calipari's 1996 Final Four at UMass has also been vacated.

He's now the head coach at Kentucky.

Attempts to reach new Memphis coach Josh Pastner were not immediately successful.

Derrick Rose issued a written statement in response to a picture circulating that shows him flashing a gang sign, but he still hasn't said anything about the NCAA's allegation that he didn't take his own SAT. In other words, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year doesn't seem to care if you think he committed academic fraud, but he will not have the world under the impression that he associates with gangs.

"Recently, a photo has been circulating on the Internet which appears to depict me flashing a gang sign," Rose said in the statement. "This photo of me was taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was meant as a joke ... a bad one, I now admit."

A bad one, I now admit?

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Trust me, there is NO WAY Derrick Rose wrote that sentence.

So we now know he neither takes his own standardized tests nor authors his own statements.

"I want to emphatically state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and anti-violence," the statement continued. "I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I can't speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs represent. In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment. I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake. I pride myself on being a good citizen, and role model, that young people can look up to and I want to urge all my young fans to stay away from gangs and gang-related activities."

That's the statement in its entirety.

It is 161 words.

And though I personally like Derrick Rose and have always found him to be pleasant, if he could really construct sentences like that there would've been no reason for him to have somebody else take his SAT. Far as I'm concerned, that statement about the gang sign is an admission of guilt on the SAT allegation ... an obvious one, I must admit.

On the same day that the University of Memphis released its response to NCAA allegations that Derrick Rose had someone take his SAT for him, sources told CBSSports.com that Rose's former teammate, Robert Dozier, only played for the Tigers because the University of Georgia declined to enroll the in-state product over concerns that he might've similarly had someone take his SAT.

According to a source, Dozier took the SAT once before trying to enroll at Georgia, but that score was flagged after the school received a tip that the score might be "fishy." At the time, Georgia was still dealing with charges of academic fraud under Jim Harrick and determined to be extra careful with everything. So the school asked Dozier to take the SAT again, and a source with knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com that the second score was "not enough to resolve the issue." Put another way, Georgia officials were not properly convinced the first test and second test were taken by the same person, which led to the end of Dozier's time as a Georgia recruit in August 2004.

Dozier subsequently enrolled at Laurinburg Prep along with four other future Tigers (namely Antonio Anderson, Shawne Williams, Kareem Cooper and Roburt Sallie). About a month later, he committed to Memphis for a second time -- Dozier was actually committed to Memphis before he ever signed with Georgia -- and eventually helped the Tigers make the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 NCAA tournaments under John Calipari while becoming the winningest Division I men's basketball player in history (along with Anderson and Chance McGrady).

The University of Memphis will release its response to the NCAA's notice of allegations on Tuesday, a source has told CBSSports.com.

According to the source, the response is 63 pages long with another approximately 480 pages of exhibits. It is designed, in part, to refute the NCAA's claim that former Tiger Derrick Rose "failed to deport himself in accordance with the generally recognized high standards of honesty and sportsmanship normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics" by allowing someone else to take his SAT. The other serious charge facing Memphis is that Rose's older brother, Reggie Rose, flew on team charters for road trips and stayed at the team hotel without paying.

Memphis will appear before the NCAA committee on infractions in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Jon Roser -- a radio producer in Memphis who cannot sing -- got a karaoke machine and a back-up singer (Mark McCleskey) and recorded a song inspired by the allegations of NCAA rules violations at Memphis. Naturally, it's called "Johnny Calipari." Everybody except Kentucky fans will probably get a chuckle out of it. But remember, this dude is a terrible singer (even if he is quite funny).

Click this link to check it out.

It's best described as an alternative version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California."

Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner confirmed to CBSSports.com on Thursday that he was never told the school had been charged with major NCAA rules violations when he accepted the job last month.

"I was unaware," Pastner said by phone from his office. "That's the truth."

Memphis received a letter alleging violations in January.

Pastner was hired nearly three months later.

So no, it does not appear athletic director R.C. Johnson was forthcoming with some crucial information when he offered Pastner the opportunity to replace John Calipari. But the good news for the first-year coach is that it seems highly unlikely that he'll be affected in any tangible way by the possible violations that happened while he was still an assistant at Arizona.

In other words, this is about the Tigers' past, not the Tigers' future.

So while it's possible Memphis might have its 2008 Final Four appearance banished from the NCAA record books, there is no indication whatsoever that a postseason ban, TV ban or any scholarship losses are on the way. That's a key point Pastner must stress going forward, if only because opposing schools will undoubtedly use the threat of harsh penalties in an attempt to scare prospects away from Memphis.

"I've been told by our athletic director and other people in the administration that none of this will affect the current team or any future team," Pastner said. "This is all about [the 2007-08 season]."

A person with access to Derrick Rose's academic records at Simeon High in Chicago changed a D to a C on his transcript just before the future Memphis Tiger was applying to college, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.

According to the paper, the Chicago Public Schools has been unable to determine who falsified the transcripts. But a report by the CPS inspector general claims Rose was one of four Simeon High athletes whose grades were changed after their 2007 graduation, which is notable now that the NCAA has alleged that an unnamed player who competed for Memphis in the 2008 Final Four knowingly had his SAT taken for him in advance of his enrollment.

Sources have told CBSSports.com that the player in question is Rose.

Attempts by CBSSports.com to reach Rose and his older brother Reggie have been unsuccessful.

The Chicago Sun-Times ' Michael O'Brien is reporting that the NCAA believes former Simeon High basketball player Kevin Johnson is the person who allegedly took the SAT for Derrick Rose.

The paper's source on the story: Luther Topps.

He helped coach one of Rose's old summer teams.

He's receiving a lot of attention this morning because of the following quote:

"[Simeon coach Robert Smith and I] didn’t know anything about his test,’’ Topps told the Sun-Times . "(Derrick's older brother) Reggie (Rose) moved me and him out of the way long before that, as soon as the money got involved."

Money involved?

CBSSports.com reached Topps by phone early Thursday, asked for a clarification on that quote, asked what he meant by "as soon as the money got involved," asked whether he was accusing Reggie Rose of being on the take. In a brief conversation, Topps denied he was suggesting improprieties and insisted that when he said he was moved out "as soon as the money got involved" that what he really meant was that he was moved out when it became obvious that Rose's future clearly included millions of dollars as a professional basketball player.

"What (I meant) by 'money involved,' is that (I was moved out) when they started smelling the money as far as (Derrick) getting rich," Topps said. "That's what (I) mean. ... (I) was talking about (money as in) when the kid turned pro."

Multiple attempts by CBSSports.com to reach Reggie Rose have been unsuccesful.

Here's Thursday's Dear Gary ...

Dear Gary: Do you agree with Mike Freeman that this year's draft class is weak? I've heard so much about how this is such a strong class, maybe not deep, but still very strong at the top. But Freeman made it sound like not even Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose are going to do much of anything in the NBA, saying Beasley would be a "solid" player as the top pick.

-- Soham

No, I don't agree with that assessment at all.

I like Mike.

He's fantastic.

But the Class of 2007 high school seniors were always believed to be strong as a whole, and considering 12 of them are in the draft -- everybody from O.J. Mayo to Anthony Randolph -- I find it hard to believe that some of them won't be perennial all-stars, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley being the two most obvious.

As for Beasley specifically, well, I think the term "solid" is vast understatement.

(Sorry, Mike)

I mean, there aren't many college basketball players in history who have done what he did in the Big 12, and I can't imagine the Kansas State phenom will go from averaging 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in his first year of college to being just "solid" in the NBA. In fact, I think Beasley will be great, and I'm willing to bet at least four players in this draft -- Rose, Beasley and two others -- will develop into all-star-caliber performers at the NBA level within four years. So put me down as somebody who believes in this draft based on the amount of young talent involved, and I'm looking forward to tonight as much as I've looked forward to any draft in recent history.

(Speaking of, I'll be providing live pick-by-pick analysis of the first round here at CBSSports.com. I invite you to join me.)

Turns out there might be a good reason for Derrick Rose not holding a press conference to announce his NBA plans.

You know, besides the whole he's-really-shy thing.

Which is not to suggest Rose isn't really shy, because he is really shy. Anybody who has ever seen the freshman basketball star in front of a camera knows that to be true. But multiple sources close to the Memphis basketball and football programs have told CBSSports.com that Rose was recently involved in an altercation over a girl with Tiger football player Steven Black, an altercation that -- how to phrase this? -- didn't go so well for Rose. Put another way, the possible No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft spent the early part of this week looking like a person who had just been in a scrap, making the way he announced his future plans -- through a release distributed by the Memphis Sports Information department -- convenient, if not necessary.

That's the bad news.

Here's the good news (in bullet points):

• Rose is not said to be seriously injured.
  
• Nobody was arrested or charged with a crime.
• The altercation did not happen anywhere near the Plush Club.
  

So in the end it seems what we have is two college guys scrapping over a girl. But this is still a story that provides the kind of Just Like Us moment highlighted in US Weekly, the kind of moment that proves even basketball stars/future millionaires have girl problems. In that way, they are indeed just like us -- except, of course, with better crossovers and earning potential.