Restoring the UofL Men’s Basketball 2013 banner may take longer than fans think

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - UofL fans are hopeful about getting their 2013 title restored after the Thursday’s ruling from the IARP, but it might not be as easy as they think because the two issues aren’t really connected.

The IARP is a different entity from the NCAA, and the ruling they made Thursday was based solely on claims Adidas officials paid the father of recruit Brian Bowen $100,000 to get his son to attend UofL.

The decision to strip the 2013 title was made by the NCAA itself following the sex scandal that involved UofL recruits, strippers and Katina Powell.

NCAA is the only entity that can overturn that decision.

So for now, fans may need to wait to see that banner raised again but the good news is, that dark cloud hanging over the program is clearing.

”This is going to be the first game in a while that I think the fans can just come in and breathe knowing that the monster is not in this facility anymore,” UofL 1986 title team member Robbie Valentine said. “The banner, our athletic director will work on that, forget that part that’s going to happen. In our mind, it never went down.”

Valentine does want the banner to go back up for the fans because he knows just how much it means to them.

”And for the kids to play that hard and do something that only two other teams have done before, and it’s taken away, and I talk to those kids all the time,” Valentine said. “You know it’s a big chunk that comes out of you because we do it for the fans. It’s all about the fans.”

Valentine said he hopes the IARP ruling will lead the NCAA to officially restore the 2013 National Championship to give the fans and the players the closure they need.

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