Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun and the UConn men’s basketball program have been accused of eight major NCAA infractions, with investigators citing hundreds of improper calls and texts from UConn staff to recruits. Aside from the calls and texts, the accusations include giving recruits improper benefits and improperly distributing free tickets to high school coaches and others. Calhoun is cited for failing to promote an “atmosphere of compliance”, whatever that means.
The NCAA alleges 160 telephone calls and at least 191 text messages between recruits and coaches, including assistants Beau Archibald, Patrick Sellers (both have resigned already amidst these allegations), Andre LeFler, associate head coach George Blaney, and then-assistant Tom Moore, who is now the head coach at D-1 Quinnipiac in Connecticut. UConn will appear in front of governing body on October 15 of this year to respond.
The allegations come at the end of a 15-month investigation into the recruiting of former player Nate Miles, who was expelled from the school without ever having played a game for them. Ramifications from allegations such as UConn’s, that are centered around recruiting, usually only result in loss of scholarships, not a ban from the NCAA tournament or erasing any wins. It helps that Nate Miles never played for the Huskies, so none of this ever resulted in a competitive advantage for them. Regardless, for a high profile program like UConn, this is negative attention is not good. A few weeks ago, Calhoun signed a 5-year, $13M deal to remain as head coach of the Huskies and this is the first time the school has ever received a letter from the NCAA.
Calhoun addressed these allegations not long after they surfaced and said, “It’s not exactly, certainly anywhere near the high point of my career, as a matter of fact it’s certainly one of the lowest points at any time that you are accused of doing something. It’s a very serious matter.” It is important, however, to point out that Calhoun stated that he wasn’t aware that school did anything wrong.
As a UConn grad, this hits close to home. I brushed it off when it surfaced 15 months ago, but to actually receive a letter from the NCAA probably means that they have proof. This isn’t good for the school. I would like to believe that this isn’t true but I’m having a tough time doing so. I’m just happy that this shouldn’t result in any NCAA tournament ban. At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters. That’s what brings in the dollars for the school. We’ve seen a number of programs face NCAA tournament bans and never return to their former selves. But how will this impact the type of talent they bring in now? Hopefully that won’t change either.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe too for free on iTunes.
