The Daily Campus

Issue date: 6/15/09 Section: Sports

It was a move that seemed unexpected to many UConn fans. But when you break it down, it's the only thing Haralson should have done.

I want to applaud his efforts to go out and start over. Here, you have a kid who was the 2008 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and he comes to one of the best basketball schools in the country and doesn't get his playing time.

So instead of sitting around dejectedly, he still has enough swagger and confidence to think that if he isn't going to play for UConn, then he's going to play for someone else.

In many ways, it wouldn't have been right if Haralson spent four years playing limited minutes at a high caliber program that was only destined to compare him to figureheads of the past.

Now, as it should be, Haralson can go out and make a name for himself at a school that is on the upswing. Last season, Tulsa finished second behind Memphis in the Conference USA and advanced to the second round of the NIT.

In accordance with NCAA rules, Haralson will sit out the 2009-2010 season and will then have three years of eligibility.

But what exactly does his departure mean for UConn next season? Even though I was a Haralson supporter and stubbornly believed that he was going to be a great player, his departure from UConn was for the best.

First of all, UConn has three incoming recruits in Darius Smith, Jamaal Trice and Jamal Combs-McDaniel who all play the wing, the same position Haralson played.

And perhaps most importantly, with Haralson gone, Calhoun now has another open scholarship that, in my opinion, should be invested in another big man to try and replace some guy by the name of Hasheem Thabeet.

Then again, if UConn is forced to give up any number of scholarships as a result of the alleged recruiting violations dealing with Nate Miles, this open scholarship will certainly come in handy.

Either way, UConn is better off without Haralson, and Haralson is better off without UConn.

< prev Page 2 of 2

Article Tools