Wow... and right in the middle of a potential championship run. Even if the allegations don't amount to anything, which is unlikely, it still really hurts.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketb...onnphone032509
and on top of that:Probe: UConn violated NCAA rules
The University of Connecticut violated NCAA rules in the recruitment of former guard Nate Miles, a six-month investigation by Yahoo! Sports has found.
...
Miles was provided with lodging, transportation, restaurant meals and representation by Josh Nochimson – a professional sports agent and former UConn student manager – between 2006 and 2008, according to multiple sources. A UConn assistant coach said he made Nochimson aware of the Huskies' recruitment of Miles. Later, the assistant coach said he knew that Nochimson and Miles had talked... The relationship and UConn’s knowledge of the situation are potential major NCAA violations.
I'm still reading the rest of the article (it's very long), but everyone involved comes off as very shady, and Calhoun is no exception. This seems like a pretty serious violation if the allegations hold up.In December of 2006, for instance, former UConn assistant coach Tom Moore made 27 calls to Miles's guardian
...
Miles was expelled from the university in October 2008 for violating a restraining order brought by a female student
...
[former UConn student manager and the man in the middle of all this] Nochimson filed paperwork with the NBA Players Association to decertify himself as an agent in June 2008 after UConn All-American and Detroit Pistons star Richard Hamilton fired him as his business manager and accused him of stealing more than $1 million.
Wow... and right in the middle of a potential championship run. Even if the allegations don't amount to anything, which is unlikely, it still really hurts.
Have to wonder if, when, or ever this will break on the likes of ESPN.
So I guess we've got NBA agents out there recruiting kids to schools, and in return signing those players when they embark on their NBA career. That assumes there are no blatant payoffs.
More D1 schools blatantly cheat today than baseball players used steroids 5 years ago. It's a real shame that Yahoo is the only organization making any attempt to expose the situation. Hello NCAA? Where are you?
Say what?a six-month investigation by Yahoo! Sports has found.
~rthomas
Why is Thabeet shady?
ESPN is on it... now the question is, how big will this get during the NCAA tourney weekly news cycles?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4014188
yea, Gottlieb says no biggy, every school does it.
~rthomas
It's been in regular rotation all morning on both ESPN and ESPN2. Seems like it's got some legs, and there is of course more of the story to be told.
I just can't wait until some reporter asks Calhoun about it during postgame...
Maybe that's why he was in the hospital during their opening round game.
Connecticut's local paper picked up the story:
http://www.courant.com/sports/colleg...,3720833.story
Some of the comments are interesting.
Just turned on Jim Rome, this is his lead story.
Remeber when Chris Collins going to that holiday tourney during a no visitation time was the lead story a few month back and it was nothing? Now we have some possible serious violations, it gets kicked to the back page with Doug the dweeb Gottlieb saying its no biggie. All because its UConn the new sacred cow.
Its just like the media made such a huge deal about Duke's supposed decline, ye the new sacred cow also hasn't been to a sweet 16 since 06, didn't make the field in 07 and was bounced in the 2nd round last year when a lot of people expected them to upset UCLA. This is why I hate UConn, far more than I will ever hate UNC. If UConn lost its basketball program, I would not miss it at all.
And here it is on CNN/SI:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...les/index.html
I love the part where it mentions that Miles left the school AFTER VIOLATING A RESTRAINING ORDER... Ugh! Good grief! This from the school that brought you players who steal laptops from fellow students and are caught selling the out in town. (And after insisting that only HE could deal appropriately with dicipling the kid, he ends up suspending him from just a handful of meaningless early season games...) And so-on, and so-on. "UCON(victs)" sounds about right.
Gotta say, though, this is not the first time stories of UCONN recruiting infractions have surfaced in recent years. Poor Calhoun -- he's just so misunderstood... NOT! Anybody want to ask him again about what he makes ($$)? (reporter a couple months ago then got torn a new one my Calhoun in mid-Press Conference) These guys may take the crown in terms of teams to root against!!
In Connecticut, the beat just goes on, and on, and on.
-BDBD
Well ESPN has certainly ran with this...
http://www.realclearsports.com/blog/...iolations.html
Best--Blueprof
There was speculation earlier in the week that Calhoun might resign at the end of this year, potentially like Al McQuire - with a championship. He has health issues and is losing key seniors Adrian, Austrie and Price. He is also likely to lose Thabeet.
I dislike Calhoun for many reasons, including the big money payments to AAU clubs for exhibition games that had recruits on the squad. Not illegal then, but soooo shady. Paying an AAU team via exhibition games to deliver recruits has now been prohibited.
As Cajun Man would say:
SuspiSHON
InvestigaSHON
AccusaSHON
ProbaSHON
Post season suspenSHON
Scholarship revocaSHON
possible terminaSHON
much jubilaSHON