Spring Break
Suspensions Mar Recent Success
Dan Olender
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Sports
In the last 11 days we have seen just about everything that the men's basketball team could possibly throw at us. This time span has been thrilling, heart-pounding and rewarding at times, but it's also been disappointing and upsetting.
The play on the court has been a far cry from the troubles we saw last season and the team knocked off two teams that were ranked in the top 15 during its four-game win streak.
However exciting this time has been, it's like the old saying goes, "There's always a but."
That but, of course, is the suspensions of two players. On Friday, Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins were suspended indefinitely by Jim Calhoun for violating team rules. Then we learned that the suspensions were a result of the two possessing alcohol as minors. Wiggins was also driving with a suspended license. All of a sudden things look a lot worse for the two then when we knew they just violated team rules.
We really don't know any details about what happened that night, so I don't want to sit here and speculate about what took place. Guessing only leads to nasty rumors and that doesn't do any good for anyone.
We can say these two messed up big-time and they disappointed their teammates and coaches. They have also embarrassed a basketball program that is finally getting past the laptop situation that involved former Husky Marcus Williams and current point guard A.J. Price.
It's hard to believe that Wiggins would do anything that might land him in Calhoun's dog-house once again this season, but apparently he wasn't so concerned with that possibility. He was barred from the locker room for a month earlier this season, but recently things had seemed to be OK as he got minutes off the bench and provided the team with a nice spark.
Wiggins hasn't shown a lot of maturity here and certainly that will weigh heavily on Calhoun's mind when he and the athletic department decide what punishment to hand down.
While this situation isn't good for Dyson, Wiggins or the program, just remember, there's always a but.
The play on the court has been a far cry from the troubles we saw last season and the team knocked off two teams that were ranked in the top 15 during its four-game win streak.
However exciting this time has been, it's like the old saying goes, "There's always a but."
That but, of course, is the suspensions of two players. On Friday, Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins were suspended indefinitely by Jim Calhoun for violating team rules. Then we learned that the suspensions were a result of the two possessing alcohol as minors. Wiggins was also driving with a suspended license. All of a sudden things look a lot worse for the two then when we knew they just violated team rules.
We really don't know any details about what happened that night, so I don't want to sit here and speculate about what took place. Guessing only leads to nasty rumors and that doesn't do any good for anyone.
We can say these two messed up big-time and they disappointed their teammates and coaches. They have also embarrassed a basketball program that is finally getting past the laptop situation that involved former Husky Marcus Williams and current point guard A.J. Price.
It's hard to believe that Wiggins would do anything that might land him in Calhoun's dog-house once again this season, but apparently he wasn't so concerned with that possibility. He was barred from the locker room for a month earlier this season, but recently things had seemed to be OK as he got minutes off the bench and provided the team with a nice spark.
Wiggins hasn't shown a lot of maturity here and certainly that will weigh heavily on Calhoun's mind when he and the athletic department decide what punishment to hand down.
While this situation isn't good for Dyson, Wiggins or the program, just remember, there's always a but.
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