Report: More Alleged Violations Involving Majok Now

Andre LaFleur, Jim Calhoun, Ater Majok - Hartford Courant photo (left), Norwich Bulletin Photo (right)

Yahoo! Sports was at it again on Thursday trying to do anything it could to distract the UConn Huskies men’s basketball from the task at hand of beating the Purdue Boilermakers. Well this story nor the one from Wednesday distracted them at all as they beat Purdue to advance to the Elite Eight against the Missouri Tigers.

University of Connecticut assistant coach Andre LaFleur engaged in two lengthy phone conversations with former student manager turned pro sports agent Josh Nochimson while Nochimson shadowed a blue-chip Huskies recruit in April 2008, Yahoo! Sports has found.

Nochimson and LaFleur traded three phone calls, including conversations of 13 and 44 minutes, during the Kentucky Derby All-Star Festival in Louisville, Ky., phone records show.

Nochimson attended the tournament and, according to an ESPN.com report, was a pervasive presence around recruit Ater Majok, a touted 6-foot-10 forward.

This is getting very serious folks. This isn’t going to just be swept under the rug.  But as we saw, the Huskies were able to put these allegations to the side and focus on basketball.

Let’s hope that trend continues on Saturday.

Second UConn assistant, agent in contact [Yahoo! Sports]

Win A Free Colonoscopy

As I was watching the UConn Huskies beat the Purdue Boilermakers last night in the Sweet 16, one public service announcement caught my eye but not for the reasons you might think.


Watch CBS Videos Online

I will admit that I really thought it was a joke of some kind since Alan Kalter is the announcer for the Late Show with David Letterman. But it’s not.

I know colon cancer is a big thing and once you hit 40 you should get a yearly colonoscopy but seriously, have you ever heard of someone giving away one for free.  Well, that’s what CBS Cares is doing. You can find out more here.

UConn Huskies Postgame Quotes – 3/26

Hasheem Thabeet (34) and UConn reserve Jim Veronick, a senior forward from Durham, bump chests after the game. Veronick, who had four minutes' total playing time before Thursday's Sweet 16 game, got in for a minute as the Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight - RICHARD MESSINA / HARTFORD COURANT

Here is the transcript of the press conference after tonight’s UConn Huskies 72-60 win over the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Glendale, AZ.

If you’d like to watch the video, you can check out the press conference here.

CONNECTICUT QUOTES

THE MODERATOR: While we are waiting for Coach Calhoun, we will go ahead with the UConn student athletes. Questions, please.

Q. You got off to that 8 0 and then 14 3 lead. In retrospect as you look back on the game, how important was that for you to come out and establish the way you did?

A.J. PRICE: I think it was very important that we came out and wanted to show what type of team we were, get off to the same kind of start we got off in the previous two games and we did that.

We knew they were a tough team. We told ourselves all week if we got ourselves out to a good run, they were going to come back. They are a very game team, tough team. They proved that time and time again. Every time we made a run, they seemed to cut it back to four, two, something like that. A lot of credit to them.

Q. Can you just talk about the turnaround defensively on Hummel. It seemed like he obviously did most of his damage in the first half.

Hasheem Thabeet wags his tongue - Richard Messina/Hartford CourantHASHEEM THABEET: He was effective in the first half. And second half we huddled up the whole team and we said we got to find a way to stop him. And the guys was talking when you play great defense like that, we stay together five as one, we can play great defense.

And today in the second half, we did that. It was really tough. They got a lot of shooters, moved the ball pretty well. We tried to stay and play defense. When we play great defense, that’s how our offense gets going.

Q. A.J., it was 44 40 midway through the second half. You looked like you just took over, really made some tough shots. Can you talk about that spurt and maybe your mind set.

A.J. PRICE: The whole game I felt like I was getting to the spots that I wanted to get to. But I just wasn’t able to finish. And I kept telling myself, stay with it, at some point I will finish the shot, finish the play off and I will make a big basket.

Around that time it started to happen for me. I made two or three tough little floaters in the lane, and it was just being persistent and staying with it.

Q. How important was this game for Craig? He hit a couple of shots early and seemed to find his range. He hasn’t been in a rhythm like that for a while.

A.J. PRICE: It was huge. He got his confidence back tonight, I could tell. I love to see Craig Austrie smiling. Tonight he brought that smile out. He made huge 3 pointers in the second half. He was big on the defensive end the whole game. Made clutch free throws down the stretch.

I think this was one of his best all around games he played all season. Hopefully he can bring it again for us on Saturday.

Q. Second half it seemed like you were more assertive at the start. Did you come out with that in mind or did the game just open up that way for you?

HASHEEM THABEET: My guys in the locker room just told me the first half you didn’t have good performance. You go back out in the second half and play your game. They know I’m capable of doing a lot of stuff. Today second half they told me to go back there and do what you do all season long.

Again, all the credit goes to my guys. They really helped me.

Q. You have been mentioned with everything surrounding the team that you do what you do best which is play basketball. How did it feel to be back out on the court? And then obviously you guys were started off well and then a little sluggish before getting together again.

A.J. PRICE: Felt great to get out there on the court and play basketball. Like I have been saying all week, that’s what we know how to do, that’s what we focus on and that’s what we do best.

We came out here and played as hard as we can and we played a great team today. I really do believe that. They are a very tough team. They wouldn’t go away by any stretch of the imagination. We tried to put them away three, four, five different times, and every time they came back.

But we stayed with it and we were able to keep that lead. We prevailed today.

Continue reading →

No Distractions For UConn In 72-60 Win Over Purdue

Connecticut's Stanley Robinson, right, hugs Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet, second from right, as they and other players, including A.J. Price (12) and Craig Austrie, left, celebrate in the closing moments of a 72-60 win over Purdue in a men's NCAA college basketball tournament regional semifinal in Glendale, Ariz., Thursday, March 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Obviously all of the focus on the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team hasn’t been for the right reasons. Yes the question does remain whether the allegations are true. But tonight, it was UConn’s chance to prove that the accusations wouldn’t matter.

While they did struggle a little bit at times, the distractions proved to be a non-story as Craig Austrie scored 17 points to lead the No. 1 seed Huskies to a 72-60 win over the No. 5 seeded Purdue Boilermakers in front of 20,102 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Huskies (30-4) await the winner of the Memphis/Missouri game that is currently being played right now. The young Boilermakers finish up the season at 27-10 and with most of their team back next season, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the Big 10 and on the national stage.

Connecticut's Stanley Robinson dunks as Purdue's JaJuan Johnson (25) and Robbie Hummel (4) look on during the second half of a men's NCAA college basketball tournament regional semifinal in Glendale, Ariz., Thursday, March 26, 2009. Connecticut won 72-60. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Hasheem Thabeet had a good game for the Huskies tonight as he picked up a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds and added four blocked shots. Despite a poor shooting night (5-for-15), A.J. Price also finished with 15 points and also had 4 rebounds and 7 assists while Stanley Robinson also had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

For a while the only offense the Boilermakers could muster up was from the hands of Robbie Hummel who led them with 17 points. The only other player in double-figures for Purdue was JaJuan Johnson who had 13 points and 7 rebounds while Lewis Jackson chipped in with 8.

This was a much different game than we saw out of the Huskies in the first two rounds. Purdue plays great defense and this game was definitely owned on the defensive end with both teams clamping down at different periods of each half.

The Huskies started out quickly as Robinson scored 6 of the first 10 points as they raced out to a 10-2 lead. UConn pushed the lead to 14-3 before Purdue started to chip the lead down eventually getting it to 3 points at 26-23 on a Hummel 3-pointer. The Huskies eventually took a 30-25 lead into the locker room.

As I said above, the only reason why the Boilermakers were in this game was because of the play of Hummel, who was playing with a fractured vertebrae. The Huskies really had no answer for him and fortunately enough for them they were able to keep the lead behind the play of Austrie and Thabeet.

Purdue stuck around early in the second half but the Huskies used a 8-0 run to open up an 11 point lead. But the Boilermakers wouldn’t go away, as they cut UConn’s lead down to 4 points on the strength of a 7-0 run.

The Huskies then pushed the lead back up to 8 points and got it up to a 12 point lead at 57-45. Purdue would get no closer than 8 points the rest of the way.

Jim Calhoun should be very happy that Austrie found his shooting touch tonight as Price and Jeff Adrien had off shooting nights. The foul-line jumper wasn’t falling for Adrien while Price was having trouble getting free from the grasps of Jackson and Keaton Grant.

Robinson also stepped up huge in the second half on the defensive end of the floor as he had the assignment of covering Hummel. He shut down Hummel who had just two points in the second half which was the big reason why the Boilermakers couldn’t get over the hump when they got it close in the second half.

I was impressed with the Boilermakers tonight as they are a solid defensive team. Since they are graduating only two seniors, I expect them to be contenders next year. UConn will need to play just a little better than they did tonight as Memphis or Missouri also both play good defense.

Continue reading →

Afternoon UConn Huskies Delight – 3/26

Connecticut Huskies vs Purdue Boilermakers

We’re just about an hour or so away from tip in the West Regional Sweet 16 matchup of the UConn Huskies and Purdue Boilermakers. Remember the tip is scheduled for 7:07 PM and the game can be seen on CBS or CBS online. And for those in Connecticut, you can always catch it  on WTIC 1080 AM on your radio dial. Due to NCAA regulations, WTIC isn’t able to stream the game online.

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Source: NCAA to probe UConn [ESPN.com]

Report: NCAA Already Investigating UConn [Hartford Courant]

Sources: NCAA Investigation May Involve Entire UConn Athletic Department [New London Day]

Connecticut has favorable history in Valley [The Arizona Republic]

Sweet 16 Preview: Connecticut-Purdue [College Hoops Journal]

At the West Regional [UConn | Men’s Basketball]

A game by any other name [In Storrs Now]

UConn-Purdue tip in an hour [UConn | Men’s Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball Links

For six schools, March has been oh-so sweet [AP]

Charles In Charge [Rich Elliott – UConn Women’s Basketball]

Travel And Ticket Information For NCAA Trenton Regional [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Football links

UConn hopefuls show off at pro day [ESPN.com]

Notes From Spring Practice No.5 [UConn | Football]

Other Uconn related links

Second Chance for Big East Fans [SNY.tv]

Lacrosse Faces a Pair of BIG EAST Opponents at Sherman This Weekend [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Women’s Big Three Named State Farm All-American Finalists

UConn Women's Big Three

The UConn Huskies women’s basketball big three of Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles and Maya Moore have been selected as three of the 40 finalists for the 2009 State Farm Coaches’ All America Basketball Team.

Here’s the full press release:

ATLANTA – The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in cooperation with State Farm, announced the finalists for the 2009 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The 40 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA-member coaches in each of the eight WBCA geographical regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team.

Name Institution Year Pos. Height
Jayne Appel Stanford Univ. Jr. C 6’4
Chante Black Duke Univ. Sr. C 6’5
Whitney Boddie Auburn Univ. Sr. G 5’9
DeWanna Bonner Auburn Univ. Sr. G 6’4
Sha Brooks Univ. of Florida Sr. G 5’8
Tina Charles Univ. of Connecticut Jr. C 6’4
Kristi Cirone Illinois State Univ. Sr. G 5’8
Alysha Clark Middle Tennessee St. Univ. Jr. F 5’10
Marissa Coleman Univ. of Maryland Sr. G/F 6’1
Siarre Evans East Tennessee State Univ. Jr. G 5’11
Danielle Gant Texas A&M Univ. Sr. G/F 5’11
Allison Hightower Louisiana State Univ. Jr. G 5’11
Ashley Houts Univ. of Georgia Jr. G 5’6
Briann January Arizona State Univ. Sr. G 5’8
Jantel Lavender Ohio State Univ. Soph. C 6’4
Shalee Lehning Kansas State Univ. Sr. G 5’9
Lyndra Littles Univ. of Virginia Sr. G/F 6’1
Rashanda McCants Univ. of North Carolina Sr. G/F 6’1
Angel McCoughtry Univ. of Louisville Sr. F 6’1
Danielle McCray Univ. of Kansas Jr. G 5’11
Renee Montgomery Univ. of Connecticut Sr. G 5’7
Maya Moore Univ. of Connecticut Soph. F 6’0
Jen Morris San Diego State Univ. Jr. G 5’9
Deirdre Naughton DePaul Univ. Jr. G 5’10
Courtney Paris Univ. of Oklahoma Sr. C 6’4
TaShia Phillips Xavier Univ. Soph. C 6’6
Rachel Porath Univ. of Wisconsin, Green Bay Sr. G 5’10
Epiphanny Prince Rutgers Univ. Jr. G 5’9
Takia Starks Texas A&M Univ. Sr. G 5’8
Kristi Toliver Univ. of Maryland Sr. G 5’7
Courtney Vandersloot Gonzaga Univ. Soph. G 5’8
Kia Vaughn Rutgers Univ. Sr. C 6’4
Ashley Walker Univ. of California, Berkeley Sr. F 6’0
Morgan Warburton Univ. of Utah Sr. G 5’11
Natasha Williams DePaul Univ. Sr. F 6’3
Danielle Wilson Baylor Univ. Jr. C 6’3
Christina Wirth Vanderbilt Univ. Sr. F 6’1
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton Purdue Univ. Sr. F 6’2
Monica Wright Univ. of Virginia Jr. G 5’11
Shavonte Zellous Univ. of Pittsburgh Sr. G 5’11

The State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division I will be announced at the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team Press Conference on April 4, at 9:45 a.m. CT in St. Louis, Mo.

Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 3/26

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they are in Glendale, AZ to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Tip is scheduled for 7:07 PM and the game can be seen on CBS or CBS online. And for those in Connecticut, you can always catch on WTIC 1080 AM on your radio dial. Due to NCAA regulations, WTIC isn’t able to stream the game online.

Obviously the big story of yesterday was the alleged recruiting violations that the UConn men’s basketball program may have committed during the recruitment of Nate Miles. Calhoun briefly addressed those issues during pre-game press conference yesterday and the UConn athletic department also issued a public statement.

The football program was also busy yesterday as they hosted their NFL Pro Day on campus. It was also a good day for the UConn women’s basketball program as they landed another top recruit.

And one last thing to add before we move onto the links. Be sure to check out the all new UConnHuskies.com. They have done a complete overhaul of the site and I think it looks great.

UConn Men’s Basketball Links

Report: UConn Men Commit Recruiting Violations [SOX & Dawgs]

UConn Statement on Yahoo! Sports Report [SOX & Dawgs]

Jim Calhoun Talks About Alleged Recruiting Violations [SOX & Dawgs]

NCAA West Regional: Connecticut vs. Purdue; Memphis vs. Missouri [Detroit News]

Purdue big men face tall order vs. UConn’s top-notch front line [USA Today]

What the Enemy Thinks: Sitting Down with the UConn Bloggers [Hammer & Rails]

UConn Focuses On Court, And On Purdue [Hartford Courant]

UConn men’s gameday [Connecticut Post]

McDonald: Quinnipiac stands behind Moore [Connecticut Post]

Huskies say they have no distractions [Connecticut Post]

UConn vs. Purdue matchups [Connecticut Post]

Five questions for UConn men [Connecticut Post]

Huskies prepared for Purdue [Norwich Bulletin]

Game now secondary to saga [Norwich Bulletin]

Calhoun says UConn will probe recruiting allegations [Norwich Bulletin]

Huskies try to stay focused on Purdue [Waterbury Republican-American]

UConn hopes to ride same trail to Final Four [Waterbury Republican-American]

UConn’s reputation is at stake [Waterbury Republican-American]

Miles Away From Ordinary: Calhoun trying to keep Purdue the priority [New Haven Register]

A reputation and a legacy are at stake [New Haven Register]

Miles has been a major headache for UConn [New Haven Register]

For UConn, perception suffers most damage [New London Day]

UConn is mum on report of basketball recruiting violation [New London Day]

It's clash of titans when Johnson, Thabeet meet [New London Day]

Huskies stay focused in face of recruiting flap [New London Day]

Patterson Debunks Yahoo Report [Emeka, Nadav and Corny]

UConn Accused Of Basketball Recruiting Violations [Hartford Courant]

Moore Plays Central Role In Allegations [Hartford Courant]

The Main Characters [Hartford Courant]

Greed, Arrogance? It’s Waist Deep [Hartford Courant]

The NCAA Investigative Process [Hartford Courant]

As UConn Manager, Nochimson Watched For NCAA Violations [Hartford Courant]

UConn-Purdue Capsule Preview [Hartford Courant]

Ater Majok could be connected to sports agent [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball Links

UConn Women Pick Up Another Big Recruit [SOX & Dawgs]

Headed to the Hall [Elm City to Eagleville]

Living a dream [Elm City to Eagleville]

Of Goldfish and UConn women [UConn | Women’s Basketball]

Maria Conlon: Steady goes the road to the Final Four [UConn | Women’s Basketball]

Open House In Trenton [Rich Elliott – UConn women’s basketball]

Geno Ensured That Renee Had Her Moment [Rich Elliott – UConn women’s basketball]

Michala Johnson Calls Geno, Commits To Huskies [Rich Elliott – UConn women’s basketball]

Coaches pick Houston & Dagan [Israeli Pro Basketball]

Storr’ing talent [ESPN.com]

Montini’s Michala Johnson commits to Connecticut [Chicago Tribune]

Is parity slipping into women’s basketball? [AP]

Undefeated UConn seek history, makes everyone else an underdog [USA Today]

Johnson says she’ll play for UConn women [Connecticut Post]

Maya, Rene, and Tina hit stride for UConn [Connecticut Post]

Successful atmosphere breeds more of same [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn’s Big Three deliver in a big way [Waterbury Republican-American]

Bears will attempt what no one’s done [San Francisco Chronicle]

An invitation to get “sauced” with Maria [UConn | Women’s Basketball]

Battle of the boards bit Gators [New Haven Register]

UConn adds another star recruit to the fold [New Haven Register]

6-3 junior forward verbally commits to UConn [New London Day]

Geno: There's more to tournament than 35-0 UConn women [New London Day]

UConn Women’s Won’t Overlook Anything [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women Land Third Player For 2010 [Hartford Courant]

UConn casting shadow [The Times of Trenton]

The Pursuit of Perfection [WNBA.com]

UConn Football links

UConn Holds Pro Day In Storrs [SOX & Dawgs]

Miller back? [JSilver’s UConn Blog]

Scouts come to see UConn prospects [Ashbury Park Press]

UConn Players Strut Before NFL Scouts [Hartford Courant]

Pro Day a huge step for program [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Pro Day [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

Since You Asked [UConn | Football]

Huskies strut their stuff for NFL scouts [New London Day]

Other UConn related links

Softball: Huskies Down Sacred Heart In Weekday Doubleheader [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball: Huskies Earn Second Straight Victory with 4-3 Win Over Yale [UConnHuskies.com]

Game preparation in Klagenfurt [Rob Lunn – NESN.com]