Give them credit. Coach Jim Calhoun and the University of Connecticut staff have had to go through quite a few obstacles in winning the 2011 NCAA Championship. In addition to mowing down the competition during an unblemished NCAA post-season, including a nearly unheard of 5 wins-in-5 nights Big East crown and a National Title, there have been health concerns for the head coach and that nasty recruiting scandal involving once highly touted HS player Nate Miles.
In earning his 3rd National Title, all with Connecticut, coach Jim Calhoun moved into select company joining only John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Duke’s coach K, and Bob Knight as the only other Division I coaches with 3 or more titles.
He also can be considered, more than any individual player, the face of UConn basketball as he has turned them into one of the elite programs in the country, annually ranking among the top teams in the rough Big East Conference and sending numerous players to the NBA.
As far back as 2003, Calhoun has battled prostate cancer and in 2008 was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. In ‘09, he fell off of a bicycle during a charity event and broke 5 ribs, and took an extended leave of absence in early 2010 to treat a still unknown illness.
Prior to this past season, speculation was that Calhoun was at least considering retirement amid the constant health concerns and recruiting implications. To his credit, he persevered an helped lead the Huskies to an unexpected NCAA crown.
If you thought Calhoun and the school could rest on their laurels and cruise into the ’11-’12 season behind a talented core of youngsters led by last year’s breakout star Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi, Shabazz Napier, and Roscoe Smith, think again. The school will be docked 2 scholarships for failing to meet the NCAA’s Academic Performance Rating.
The APR as it is commonly called, measures the classroom performance of every Division I student-athlete, composing a score for each team. Division I teams are usually measured on a 4 year scale in addition to getting a total rating for each academic year.
UConn’s rating of 893 over the past 4 seasons, comes in just below the NCAA minimum score of 925, thus receiving a penalty of having to forfeit 2 scholarships for the upcoming season. The reported major violation pulling down the cumulative score was from ’08-’09 when UConn registered an 826.
Here’s Calhoun’s statement:
“Eight straight years, we made the APR,” Calhoun said after being lauded by the governor and lawmakers during “Husky Day” at the state Capitol last month. “If because someone left early or didn’t finish, all those various things that get you … when you have 16 kids leave (for the pros) in a 10-year period, you are more likely to be more open to (a low APR) happening.”
What does this mean for the Huskies heading into next season? Not that much considering they will be losing Kemba Walker to the NBA and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel to transfer. UConn has already been docked one of its 13 scholarships because of NCAA recruiting violations. The loss of scholarships due to the APR report will leave the school with 10 for the next academic year.
The Huskies have 8 players already under scholarship for the ’11-’12 season with only prized recruit Ryan Boatright as an incoming freshman. A low rating is costly to Calhoun personally. His contract calls for him to donate $100,000 to a UConn scholarship fund if the program doesn’t meet the APR. He also will forfeit his post-season bonus of $87,500, earned during UConn’s run to the national title.
Despite all of the constant distractions, I’m sure coach Calhoun will once again find a way to keep the Huskies competitive in the Big East next season.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
