Spring Break
Calhoun should recruit men, not boys, for team
Aaron Igdalsky
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Commentary
In August 2005, Marcus Williams and A.J. Price were each charged with third-degree larceny for stealing four laptops from dorms. Calhoun allowed both Williams and Price to stay on the team after serving minor suspensions. This established the precedent that no matter what kind of hooligan you are, if you've got a sweet jump shot, you're welcome on Calhoun's team.
The fact that Williams (now in the NBA) and Price (who will probably be starting on the men's team this year) were allowed to stay at UConn, let alone on the basketball team, is appalling. If I stole four laptops from dorm rooms here on campus, I would have been expelled in a New York minute. The "men" recruited by Calhoun to represent our university on an international stage should be held to a higher standard than the rest of the student body, not a lower one.
No one would argue that Calhoun has put together some very successful teams, which his two national championships attest to. However, there are other ways to assemble successful athletic teams without recruiting delinquents. One need only look at the shining example of the UConn women's team to see what a university athletic team should act like. There has not been one single disciplinary embarrassment under women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma and they have actually had more overall success on the court than the men's team. In fact, Auriemma's players are nationally-known for their strong academics and well-mannered behavior. This is because Auriemma recruits women who have strong character and are respectable both on and off the court. It would be hard to imagine coach Auriemma offering a UConn scholarship to a young lady who attended five different high schools because of poor behavior. It's time that Calhoun and the UConn "men's" basketball team follow the women's lead and grow up.
The fact that Williams (now in the NBA) and Price (who will probably be starting on the men's team this year) were allowed to stay at UConn, let alone on the basketball team, is appalling. If I stole four laptops from dorm rooms here on campus, I would have been expelled in a New York minute. The "men" recruited by Calhoun to represent our university on an international stage should be held to a higher standard than the rest of the student body, not a lower one.
No one would argue that Calhoun has put together some very successful teams, which his two national championships attest to. However, there are other ways to assemble successful athletic teams without recruiting delinquents. One need only look at the shining example of the UConn women's team to see what a university athletic team should act like. There has not been one single disciplinary embarrassment under women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma and they have actually had more overall success on the court than the men's team. In fact, Auriemma's players are nationally-known for their strong academics and well-mannered behavior. This is because Auriemma recruits women who have strong character and are respectable both on and off the court. It would be hard to imagine coach Auriemma offering a UConn scholarship to a young lady who attended five different high schools because of poor behavior. It's time that Calhoun and the UConn "men's" basketball team follow the women's lead and grow up.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
Sammy
posted 10/07/08 @ 12:12 PM EST
Totally agree with your article.
I am really upset with Mr. Calhoun and his antics. Seems like everytime this happens, people just give Calhoun a pass and say its the kids fault. (Continued…)
Jon
posted 10/07/08 @ 12:24 PM EST
Life sucks and is often unfair. The men's team brings in lots of revenue and the school is not going to give that up for anything. I would love it if college sports just disappeared off the face of the earth and we could give the scholarship money to high achieving students rather than athletes, but I am thankful this is Connecticut and not the South where this player wouldn't have even been expelled. (Continued…)
Andrew
posted 10/07/08 @ 4:23 PM EST
Thank God UCONN allowed Marcus Williams and AJ Price to stay at Uconn. Marcus now starts in the NBA and returns to CT to help calhoun raise money for charity, and AJ Price has turned into a role-model and dependable leader. (Continued…)
Mike B.
posted 10/07/08 @ 4:32 PM EST
Aaron - Maybe if you did some research, you would realize that many of the disciplinary incidents listed in the Hartford Courant were after those players finished their playing careers. (Continued…)
Jama
posted 10/08/08 @ 3:31 AM EST
The program should be judged on the quality of the individuals that leave the program - not on who is brought in. As John Thompson once said, don't look at what I bring in, look at what I put out. (Continued…)
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