From Las Cruces to Ames, Gar Forman has transferred.

Away from the chaotic mess in New Mexico to the pleasant dullness in the doldrums of Iowa.

But it seems the ISU assistant basketball coach has finally reached an ultimate crossroads — hide in the doldrums and risk injuring the fledgling program under Tim Floyd or resign and face the NCAA alone.

Iowa State announced Tuesday that Forman would stay on board because “he has had a job to do here at Iowa State and he’s done it the right way. Two internal looks have proven that,” said Floyd.

OK.

But that doesn’t change the possibility of penalties being imposed on ISU because someone allegedly violated NCAA regulations on recruiting.

The accusations of wrongdoing are strung out over three years of Forman’s past association with New Mexico State University.

Forman is accused of completing chapter and final exams for players at New Mexico State in 1992, writing papers for his players including a term paper in 1991 and 1992, and giving inducements to recruits including a night’s free lodging at his own home in 1993.

The news of allegations against Forman were made known last year, but the Cyclone basketball program’s eyes are starting to show some color now from the punches being thrown by these allegations

If the university doesn’t adopt “appropriate disciplinary or corrective action” for Forman, according to the NCAA Infractions Committee, instead of a couple of black eyes, the program may feel a concussion when it comes to recruiting in the future.

I repeat these are all accusations and have not been proven, but a 28 page letter of inquiry is said to be “consistent with New Mexico’s findings.”

Jim Darnell, Forman’s lawyer, said that he was being served up as the fall guy in NMSU’s wrongdoings because he is no longer at that university.

“I think New Mexico State took that approach to try and save what was left of their program,” Darnell said.

Forman hasn’t owned up to anything — he may not have to, maybe he didn’t do anything. But now Iowa State’s program is paying for it.

Forman is an assistant coach who is in charge of young men’s actions on the court and in an unofficial way, off the court as well.

How can we expect Forman to teach his players to do their job and be ethical and moral while doing it, if he violated the rules of his own job?

And to think, Kenny Pratt chose ISU over Nevada-Las Vegas. What does that say? UNLV has had trouble for awhile with penalties from violations.

Kenny Pratt is not a good example, however. Pratt’s possible sexual urges have nothing to do with Forman and ISU officials have done nothing wrong while employed by this university. I just don’t understand why someone who did at another school was hired.

Do people who have pressure on them to produce great teams with great athletes to produce great revenue crack when it comes to the rules?

Because the spotlight is on the coaches and their players, do they need to act with extreme dignity and thoughtfulness in all their decisions?

Yes, I think so.

I think every day coaches come to a crossroads in decisions they have to make. Everyone does. But the more you are in the limelight, the more you have to consider the repercussions of your actions.

Violating NCAA regulations requires massive repercussions for the violator and the program the violator is under.

It also requires a huge decision, whether or not to take another program down with you.