UConn Releases Official Letter of Notification From NCAA

Official Release from the University of Connecticut:

May 28, 2010

STORRS, Conn. – The University of Connecticut announced Friday that it has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA pertaining to the men’s basketball program.

This notice is the result of 15 months of review by the NCAA and the University in response to published reports in March of 2009 which alleged NCAA violations by current and former members of the UConn men’s basketball staff.

This notice of allegations concludes the initial fact-finding portion of the NCAA review. The University has until August 20, 2010 to provide its response to the notice of allegations to the NCAA Committee on Infractions. During this period, the University will continue to review and collect information in regard to this case. University representatives are scheduled to appear before the committee in Indianapolis on October 15-16, 2010.

The notice contains eight allegations of violation of NCAA Bylaws including:

-Impermissible phone calls and text messages to prospective student-athletes;

-Impermissible benefits provided to a prospective student-athlete by a representative of the institution’s athletic interests;

-Impermissible benefit to a prospective student-athlete by a member of the basketball staff;

-Allegations against two (2) members of the basketball staff for providing false and misleading information to the NCAA Enforcement staff and to the institution;

-Providing impermissible complimentary admissions or discretionary tickets;

-A failure by the head men’s basketball coach to promote an atmosphere of compliance in the men’s basketball program and a failure to adequately monitor the program to ensure compliance with NCAA legislation regarding telephone calls, text messages and benefits provided by a representative of the institution’s athletic interests;

-A failure by the institution to adequately monitor the conduct and administration of the men’s basketball staff in the areas of: telephone records, representatives of the institution’s athletics interests; and, complimentary admissions or discretionary tickets.

The University and Athletic Department will not be making any further comments as this is an ongoing process with the NCAA.

Two UConn Basketball Coaches Resign – UConn to Hold Press Conference With NCAA on Friday

According to an AP report, UConn will hold a press conference Friday morning as the NCAA will announce a notice of allegations. UConn is expected to reveal the NCAA’s notice of allegations that indicates the NCAA enforcement staff believes that violations have occurred. The notice of allegations, in effect, notifies all involved parties of the alleged violations of NCAA rules uncovered during the inquiry.

This is from Fox News:
Two UConn staff members have parted ways as the NCAA is set to release a notice of allegations on Friday morning stemming from a report more than a year ago which documented numerous rules violations.

Assistant Pat Sellars and director of basketball operations Beau Archibald, according to multiple sources, are both out of jobs

Sources have also told FOXSports.com that UConn is slated to have a news conference on Friday at 10 a.m. to discuss the notice of allegations.

Yahoo! Sports reported in March of 2009 that there were violations in the recruitment of former UConn player Nate Miles and the involvement of former Huskies manager Josh Nochimson — now an agent.

The report stated that phone record showed hundreds of calls and text messages between Nochimson and UConn staff members.

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Update: May 27, 2010 11:34pm ET

Jeff Goodman over at Fox Sports tweeted that, “the official terminology for Pat Sellars [sic] and Beau Archibald’s departure will be “resignation”. However, it wasn’t by choice.”

In addition, Goodman tweeted that two of the names being mentioned to replace Sellers and Archibald are former Huskies Donyell Marshall and Kevin Ollie.

UConn to the Big Ten???

Since Mid-February rumors have been spreading about the Big Ten and it’s desire to expand. The Big Ten currently has 11 teams(I know, it doesn’t make sense), and is looking to expand to at least 12 teams, possibly more.

The Big Ten, which is a history rich league, has a few schools on its radar that they might be looking at for expansion. Let’s take a look at a few of the schools:

- The number one school that is on the conference’s list is of course Notre Dame, who makes the most sense, but Notre Dame refuses to give in and join a conference. The Fighting Irish have been independent and can afford to do so due to their lucrative television contract with NBC. Their national following puts them at a different level then other schools. My guess, along with many experts, is that Notre Dame doesn’t give in, and remains independent.

-The next few schools all offer similar things to the Big Ten. Rutgers, Syracuse, and UConn all have a Northeast following, which is something that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany wants. All three schools would give the Big Ten a New York and New England following. The main reason Delany and the Big Ten want the New York and the New England markets is because of their own television network(The Big Ten Network), which they are expecting to grow. Rumors say that if Notre Dame says no, the Big Ten’s next choice would be to add all three Big East schools.

- The University of Missouri is another school that is also in the mix to be added. Their Kansas City fan base would be a prize possession for the Big Ten.

Ok, so you might be asking why UConn would leave for the Big Ten. The school has been a part of the Big East for almost 30 years, and have a rich history within the conference. While this is true, no school would be able to turn down the money that the Big Ten would offer. It would be like your boss offering you a 200% raise at work. Would you decline? Probably not.

UConn is a good school for the Big Ten to choose because of its top tier basketball programs, as well as their up-and-coming football program. UConn has a large alumni base, which even extends into the midwest(Big 10 country). Another key that might help bring UConn into the Big Ten, is the President of the university. Mike Hogan, who has been at UConn for three years now, came from the Big Ten and the University of Iowa before heading to Storrs. His connections to other Big Ten administrations could help the cause.

So as a UConn fan, I would root for the Huskies to join the Big Ten. Yes, the Big East has a great tradition, but the Big Ten is going to take at least one Big East school, maybe more, and whoever is left behind is going to see a depleted Big East. While the basketball side of the Big East won’t take a huge hit, the football side will suffer a major loss if one of the eight football playing schools leave.

UConn to the Big Ten might sound crazy, but it might just be the right move for both the Huskies and the Big Ten.

With UConn in NIT, NCAA Tournament Not the Same

The NCAA Tournament will always be a special event. It is an event that has brought a lot of glory to many schools over the years, including here at the University of Connecticut. But for this Husky fan, the NCAA Tournament just isn’t the same without Fightin’ Jim Calhoun’s taking part. Now I get that the reason UConn is not in the tournament is their own fault. When you lose your last four games of the season, including being trounced by lowly St. Johns in the Big East Tournament, you can’t expect to go dancing.

Last season’s run to the Final Four brought so much excitement to the UConn campus and to the state of Connecticut, just like it did back in 1999 and 2004. Everyone was talking about UConn and the team’s trek to Detroit for the Final Four. Excitement was abundant all over campus and the NCAA Tournament was even more exciting because it was our school who was not only a part of it, but was a leading contender to win it.

So this year’s NCAA tournament is really exciting, just as it is every year. But for UConn country it’s just not the same. It’s hard to get excited about our team playing in the NIT against Northeastern, when the previous year the team was playing in front of 75,000 people against Michigan State in the National Semifinal. Jim Calhoun and his players might not say the same thing, but they gotta be thinking it.

As a basketball fan I’ll continue to watch March Madness, but with less effort, anticipation, excitement, and overall interest. Let’s just hope our UConn Huskies can rebound next season and get back to the NCAA Tournament, cause I need my Fightin’ Jim Calhoun’s in the big dance.

Calhoun Retirement Rumors Hurting Recruiting

From the Associated Press
STORRS, Conn. — Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun says it’s been difficult to convince players to come to Connecticut when other people are telling them he’s about to retire.

The 67-year-old Hall of Famer says that’s why he issued a statement last week reiterating what he’s been saying since December — that he and the school are on the verge of signing a multiyear contract, and that he plans to continue coaching at UConn.

“The reason that we announced something that we already knew is that we were getting killed on the recruiting trails,” Calhoun said Monday. “Nothing drastically has changed. I’m just waiting to get a copy back of the signed contract.”

NIT Tournament Bracket
Following the road to the NIT championship on April 1 at Madison Square Garden. NIT Bracket

A story in New York last week cited people close to Calhoun as saying he would retire at the end of the season. Calhoun said there was no truth to it, but recruits had told him they were hearing the same tales.

“During the year kids are being told that I wasn’t going to come back, they all knew this,” Calhoun said. “I had one guy tell a kid that I told them, and I don’t even speak to the guy.”

Calhoun has won two national championships at Connecticut and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Several off-the-court issues had prompted questions about Calhoun’s future last year, and questions were raised again after he took a medical leave of absence in January, missing seven games with an undisclosed condition.

Calhoun said he doesn’t talk to recruits about any other coach’s personal issues, but knows that some others don’t play by the same rules.

“Do I like it? No,” he said. “Do we do it? I hope that no one on my staff has ever done that. That’s not how we recruit.”

The Huskies (17-15) lost last Tuesday in the first round of the Big East tournament, and will play Northeastern on Tuesday night in the first round of the NIT.

Sophomore guard Kemba Walker said he doesn’t believe the rumors affected the team’s play. Still, he said he’s glad the coach has put the issue to rest.

“I knew he was coming back,” Walker said. “Having him say he was coming back was big especially for recruits. Of course, it’s good for us. That’s the guy we committed ourselves to, so yeah, it’s a good feeling to know he’s coming back.”

Walker said he will sit down with Calhoun after the season is over and discuss whether he should play another year at UConn or declare for the NBA draft.

“He’s going to let me know what the best possible choice is for me,” Walker said. “Coach Calhoun has told guys when to leave and when not to, and from guys [in the NBA], it’s turned out for the best, so I’m going to listen to him.”

UConn will lose seniors Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards to graduation this season. The program has signed two players for next season — center Michael Bradley and guard Jeremy Lamb.

The Huskies have a verbal commitment from highly touted small forward Roscoe Smith.

UConn is NIT Bound

The UConn Huskies have had a disappointing season to say the least, but the team still has a chance to end on a positive note. After being left out the NCAA Tournament, just one year after making the Final Four, UConn will face the Northeastern Huskies in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. UConn finished the season at 17-15 overall and 7-11 in the Big East. The Huskies lost their final three must win regular season games and then lost in embarrassing fashion in the first round of the Big East tournament to St. John’s.

The NIT is not what the Huskies or its fans had hoped for at the beginning of the season, but the NIT Tournament has a special place in UConn history. In 1988, when UConn was rarely in the conversation for either tournament, it did get an NIT bid, two years after Calhoun took over the program. They won that year and captured the imagination of the state of Connecticut, if not quite the nation, and established a culture of winning that led eventually to three Final Four appearances and two national championships.

The Huskies will host Northeastern on Tuesday March 16 at 7pm on ESPN2.

Three in A Row: UConn Takes Down #7 West Virginia

The UConn Huskies out-fought the West Virginia Mountaineers Monday night, in a Big East fist fight. In a very physical contest, UConn used the play of Kemba Walker, Jerome Dyson, and Stanley Robinson, to secure their third straight victory.

Coming off his first ever Big East Player of the Week Award, for his play last week, Walker led the Huskies with 21 points as he went 14-17 from the free-throw line. His massive one-handed dunk with less than a minute to go, put the seal on the win and made the XL Center go crazy.

UConn is now 17-11 on the season and 7-8 in the Big East. They have three games remaining, Sunday vs Louisville, then they close the season with two away games at Notre Dame and South Florida.

The NCAA Tournament hopes are alive for the Huskies, as the win over West Virginia is their third over a top-10 team this season(Texas and Villanova). If the Huskies can win on Sunday, which is the home finale and Senior Day, then they will put themselves on the right side of the “bubble”.

UConn Puts Tourney Hopes On the Line Against West Virginia

The UConn Huskies will put their two game winning streak on the line tonight, when they take on the 7th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers at the XL Center. Both the Huskies and Mountaineers are looking for an important win. With four games to go in the season, the Huskies have no room for error if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. A win against tonight would be their third victory over a top-10 team this season(#1 Texas, #3 Villanova).

UConn knows the importance of game. “ESPN game, home game,” UConn point guard Kemba Walker said. “We have to come out with a lot of effort. I’m sure they’re going to come out playing real hard and we have to match their intensity.”

Head Coach Jim Calhoun hopes his Huskies can build off the momentum they created in the last week with solid road wins over Villanova and Rutgers. “The team has found a little bit of a blueprint that works,” Calhoun said. “So let’s see if we can do it again. That’s the big thing, trying to use it again.”

The game is at 7pm tonight, and will televised nationally on ESPN.

UConn Students on UConn’s Tourney Hopes: ESPNU Campus Connection Video

After an upset victory over Villanova ESPNU Campus Connection Reporter Marcus Lynam wanted to find out how UConn student’s felt about the Husky’s Big dance Chances.

Finally A Big Win: UConn 84, No.3 Villanova 75

“Don’t give up, Don’t ever give up.” The famous quote by Jimmy Valvano rang through the Wachovia Center tonight, as the UConn Huskies finally put together a full 40 minutes of basketball, and were finally able to finish a game. Led by Kemba Walker, who finished with a career high 29 points, the Huskies were able to knock off the third ranked Villanova Wildcats.

Just two days after what Jim Calhoun called an “embarrassing” loss to Cincinnati, the Huskies put a little life back into its season. The Huskies earned their first road victory of the season, and improved to 2-5 against ranked opponents.

Jerome Dyson finished with 15 points and 6 assists, while Stanley Robinson added 10 points and 7 rebounds. However, Walker was the star. The sophomore point guard added 9 rebounds and hit 14 of 16 free throws, including 6 in the last-minute of the game to seal the victory. Walker, whose had his ups and downs this season, played “the best game of his career,” said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas.

“I told them let’s start from the jump. That’s what we did,” said Walker. “We put together a 40-minute game. Probably the first one of the season, to tell you the truth. It was great.”

UConn’s record improved to 15-11 on the season and 5-8 in the Big East. The Huskies travel to Rutgers on Saturday, before hosting #8 West Virginia next Monday at the XL Center.

Let’s hope the Huskies can build off this win, and keep the momentum going. They have five games left in the regular season, and if they can run the table they can put themselves in position to make the NCAA Tournament, which is a goal that looked lost after the embarrassing loss to Cincy, but is now back within reach.