The NCAA has denied UConn’s request for a waiver just one day after the news became public about the university’s willingness to self-impose penalties. Here’s the release from UConn sports information:
UConn Athletic Communications — February 10, 2012 – NCAA Waiver Denied
STORRS, Conn. (February 10, 2012) – The University of Connecticut was informed on Friday by the NCAA that its waiver request to participate in men’s basketball postseason competition for the 2012-13 season, including the 2013 NCAA Tournament, has been denied.
Connecticut will now appeal the decision to the NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance Subcommittee on Appeals.
In response to the recent news of UConn self-imposing penalties over the men’s basketball program’s APR shortcomings, UConn President Susan Herbst has sent an email letter out to fans and ticket-holders. Here is the letter:
February 10, 2012
To Friends of the UConn Huskies,
As you may have seen in the media, UConn has applied to the NCAA to waive a possible penalty against the university that would prevent the men’s basketball team from playing in the 2013 post-season based on the academic performance of the ’09 – ’10 team. This possible ban – a new policy that was announced in October of 2011 – is a result of the NCAA retroactively changing its rules.
Click the play button and replay our regular UConn men’s basketball chat with The Courant’s Dom Amore. Access the replay on your mobile device here
Dr. Steve Sobel, head coach of the Springfield Slamm of the Greater Hartford Pro-Am League, has coached a number of UConn players each summer, including Jeremy Lamb. Sobel is known as “The Shot Doctor,” a performance-enhancement expert and a master of shooting technique. He has worked with NBA players including Kerry Kittles, Travis Best, Drazen Petrovic and Vinny DelNegro, and he is the author of “Top Shot: Your Guide to Greatness.”
The Doc feels he knows Jeremy Lamb’s shot like the back of his hand, so with Lamb in a prolonged shooting slump – after the game at Louisville, he said, “I can’t put the ball in the hole, I can’t make an open shot” – I asked Sobel to send me some of his thoughts. Here they are:
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“Every tremendous shooter that I have worked with goes through periods where “their shot does not seem to be falling.” This may be hard to understand, but they are more susceptible to shooting slumps because their mental and physical shooting skills are so fined tuned, that any little thing can affect the outcome of their shot.
“It is almost like saying that
The Wall Street Journal did a study of major college basketball programs, and how much money their alumni have made in the pros since 1985. Not a surprise – North Carolina ranked first with $853 million, followed by Duke, Arizona, Georgetown and Michigan. From the WSJ story:
For the most part, The Journal’s ranking looked a lot like most lists that rank college basketball programs by wins. Marquee names like UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Michigan and Georgetown all cracked the top 10 with at least $496 million in aggregate earnings.
UConn, with Ray Allen and Rip Hamilton it’s top earners, is sixth on the list. Ex-Huskies have earned a total of $673 million over the last 26 years. (Um, new basketball facility?)
Anyway, an interesting way to rank programs. Click here to read Jared Diamond’s entire story.
UConn has released an update on Jim Calhoun’s status. There is not much change; he is still getting evaluations on his condition, spinal stenosis, and trying to determine the next course of treatment. He will not coach at Syracuse, but nothing is certain beyond that game on Saturday. Here is UConn’s statement:
STORRS – UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun will miss his third consecutive game Saturday at Syracuse as he continues to battle spinal stenosis, a painful lower back condition.
Calhoun, who was physically unable to coach games Saturday against Seton Hall and Monday at Louisville, is scheduled to meet with specialists over the next few days to determine the best course of treatment.
“I’m feeling better, but as of now, I wouldn’t be able to coach,” Calhoun said Tuesday. “I’m trying to get the best
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Jim Calhoun plans to return to the Huskies’ sidelines as soon as possible, and the odds seem to be in his favor. Calhoun told ESPN’s Andy Katz his current health problem, spinal stenosis, “is just another thing I have to get through” and it doesn’t change his thinking about next year or the year after.
“It’s something I’ve got to get through,” Calhoun said. “I don’t think it changes my mind one way or another about next year or the next two years. I just want to get the pain gone from down my leg so I can walk right. Getting onto planes and coaching — I can’t do that right now.”
click here to read entire story on espn.
Earlier in the day, I spoke to a specialist, Dr. Sheerz Qureshi, assistant professor of orthopaedics and chief/spinal trauma, about spinal stenosis. “It’s one of the most common conditions we treat,” he said.
The condition is degenerative, or arthritic, and is common for people in their 60s and 70s. The first course of
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Some notes, quotes and thoughts from UConn’s 80-59 loss to Louisville …
First blush: P.U.
Wow, this was a stinker. No sense sugar-coating. They beat a collapsing Seton Hall team without Herb Pope the other day. In this game, none of the slogans or feel-good talk mattered. Against a first-class team, the Huskies were anything but. Based on what you saw here, do you give UConn any chance at Syracuse?
Here is George Blaney’s complete take on the game.
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Got to give Ryan Boatright credit. The kid offered himself up for leadership. Back in September, I asked him of he has
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Here are highlights of George Blaney’s post-game interview, following UConn’s 70-59 loss at Louisville:
“One of the things about this league is that you won’t want to play teams when they’re on an uptick, and Louisville is really on an uptick. I thought they were, when I watched them the last four games.”
“I thought we were in good shape at the end of the half. We continued to not play very good offense but we were playing terrific defense. We were on the floor for loose balls, we were competing and we were in fine shape. We
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The mid-season list of 20 players on the Oscar Robertson trophy list includes UConn’s Jeremy Lamb. Here’s the release from the USBWA:
ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected 20 outstanding players for its 2012 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake in New Orleans at the USBWA’s College Basketball Awards Breakfast on March 30.
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