Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes
SPORTING GOODS
For those interested in where the disappointing UConn men's basketball program is headed, take a look here. Among the highlights:[Coach Jim] Calhoun said some players have not met the academic and social responsibility standards he calls for and that overall change and commitment to what he calls the UConn "basketball culture" is needed for the program to live up to the lofty standards it set with national championships in 1999 and 2004.I wouldn't be surprised to see Thabeet go to the NBA, and with seven(!) guards on the roster, something's got to give. The truth is that Calhoun, and UConn fans for that matter, were terribly spoiled with Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor in 2004—two upstanding team players and citizens if ever there were any. It's never easy to replace that kind of player under any circumstances, but, reading between the lines, it looks like that's exactly what Calhoun (with his concern for the university's "basketball culture") would like to do."So if you see any movement within our roster, which, I'm telling you right now, you will ..." Calhoun said. "Speculate all you want [about which players], but I think most of it will become pretty evident in the next week or two. ... We will have a minimum of four scholarships for next year. We feel that life doesn't begin and end on the court. It's how we show ourselves as a basketball program.
"I do think we need a little bit of action to make the point to everybody where we are. What transpires over the next month or two will help everybody. On our side, we have made our mind up on a couple of situations. ... None of these things are written in stone, but the chisel is ready to start doing that."
Calhoun's point is that the program and some of its players might be better off without one another.
posted by monocle at 3/28/2008 10:52:00 AM
2 Comments:
No to besmirch a hall of famer or anything but isn't one of the primary roles of a college coach to "mold young men" or some other such cliche?
Over the years Calhoun has received a lot of credit for doing just that. Now, as the fortunes of the program are in a lull, Calhoun seems ready to cut bait and send some of these kids on their way rather than taking any responsibility for failing these kids. As evident by his on-court presence the last few years Calhoun just doesn't like his players.
Here, Calhoun wants to be praised for valuing character but he is only doing so when the team he constructed isn't any good. Would Calhoun care about character if the team was winning? I doubt it. (see Marcus Williams; AJ Price -- who undoubtedly won't be one of the players leaving UConn). Instead, Calhoun, realizing that he put together a flawed team (as Monocle notes "seven(!) guards"), wants a fresh start. What better excuse than to blame the character of certain players.
Of course, for the players, I'm sure this wide-ranging ramifications. They lose their scholarships, have to go to new schools (hopefully), and likely, lose a season of eligibility. I'm not saying the players are not to blame (if they have in fact failed to live up to the academic standards -- I don't recall reading those stories this season though) but I would like to see Calhoun be a little more self-reflective and responsible. I would think that the parents that encouraged their kids to go to UConn and placed them under the guidance of Calhoun would have expected him to do everything he could to guide them to adulthood, not to effectively kick them out of school because they "lacked character" when the team hit a lull.
I think this is an embarrassment. The losing I can handle -- especially when the best player gets hurt in the first half -- the blame game and righteous indignation I can do without.
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