May 2011 Basketball Wiretap

Calhoun May Lose Postseason Bonus

Apr 22, 2011 8:17 PM

Jim Calhoun is expected to have to return his postseason bonus and make a contribution to the university’s general fund if the Academic Progress Rate for the program does not meet NCAA standards.

According to the five-year contract extension Calhoun and UConn agreed upon in May, Calhoun is to receive a bonus equal to three months of his annual salary for winning the NCAA championship. Calhoun’s base salary is $350,000 (he makes nearly $2 million more in speaking and media fees), so that bonus, which would be paid in August, would be about $87,500.

However, the contract also stipulates that such a payment would only be made “if the Academic Progress Rate (APR) ... for the men’s basketball team has been satisfactorily met.” UConn should learn in a few weeks whether it meets APR standards, but it’s a virtual certainty that the program will fall short of the standard score of 925.

David Borges/ New Haven Register

Tags: UConn Huskies, American Athletic Conference, NCAA, NCAA Suspension

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Davies Plans To Play For BYU Next Season

Apr 22, 2011 8:13 PM

BYU center Brandon Davies, who was dismissed from the team on March 1 because of an honor-code violation, plans to play for the Cougars next season.

Davies completed his winter semester work Thursday and withdrew from school, but he hopes to re-enroll in the fall.

According to BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins, Davies is working with the dean of students on a possible return.

If he meets certain conditions, Davies will be allowed to re-enroll in school and play basketball in 2011-12.

“There’s a pretty long list of people that I’d like to thank who are helping me through this difficult time,” Davies said in a statement released through BYU.

Steve Luhm/Salt Lake Tribune

Tags: Brandon Davies, Brigham Young Cougars, Mountain West Conference, NCAA, NCAA Suspension

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Stanford Suspends Leading Scorer Jeremy Green

Apr 7, 2011 10:06 AM

Jeremy Green, Stanford's leading scorer last basketball season, has been suspended from school for academic reasons, a school spokesman said Wednesday.

Green's status for next season would not be affected, and the first-team All-Pac-10 selectee is expected to take part in the Cardinal's preseason trip to Spain in September, school spokesman Brian Risso said.

It's possible that the 6-foot-4 junior from Austin, Texas - who has exceptional shooting range - could apply for early entry in the June 23 NBA draft. An NBA spokesman would not say whether Green has applied. A list of the early-entry candidates would not be issued until the April 24 deadline has passed.

"My sense is that he will be back," coach Johnny Dawkins said.

Tom FitzGerald/San Francisco Chronicle

Tags: Jeremy Green, Stanford Cardinal, Pacific-12 Conference, NCAA, NCAA Suspension

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Miles Does About Face, Will Not Speak To NCAA About Recruiting Violations

Apr 5, 2011 10:25 AM

Former UConn recruit Nate Miles has spoken again. Probably for the last time.

About two hours before UConn played Butler for the national championship Monday at Reliant Stadium, Miles emailed a statement to The Courant, wishing UConn well and expressing a desire to move on.

"Mistakes were made by many," part of Miles' statement read. "I made most of them."

Miles will not be speaking to the NCAA, sources close to him say. His statement essentially spelled that out, too.

"I have to take charge of my life," Miles wrote. "It is up to me. ... It is time for me to step up and take charge of my own life and stop talking about history and the various mistakes that I made and that others made."

In two separate stories last week Miles alleged that Jim Calhoun knew more than was admitted during an NCAA investigation about improper benefits provided to Miles by team manager-turned-agent Josh Nochimson.

Mike Anthony/Hartford Courant

Tags: Nate Miles, UConn Huskies, American Athletic Conference, NCAA, NCAA Suspension

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Report: Former Calipari Assistant Made Illegal Calls At Kentucky

Apr 2, 2011 12:45 PM

A former John Calipari assistant, Bilal Bately, made illegal phone calls to recruits, including DeMarcus Cousins, according to a report by FOXSports.com.

NCAA rules state that all telephone calls made to or received from a recruit, his parents, legal guardians or coaches must be made and received by a team’s head coach or three countable assistant coaches.

According to Memphis and Kentucky, Batley was not a countable coach at either school. NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson declined comment to FOXSports.com on the alleged violations.

But Cousins, a Sacramento Kings rookie forward who played for Kentucky as a freshman last season and then left for the NBA draft, said Batley played a “big role” in him committing first to Memphis. He then followed Calipari to Kentucky shortly after the coach’s hiring in April 2009.

Jeff Goodamn and Thayer Evans/FOXSports.com

Tags: DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings, Kentucky Wildcats, Southeastern Conference, NCAA Tournament, NCAA, NCAA Recruiting, NCAA Suspension, NBA

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Miles Says Calhoun Knew About Improper Benefits

Apr 2, 2011 12:27 PM

Nate Miles is open to talking to the NCAA about his recruitment by Connecticut, telling The New York Times that Jim Calhoun was well aware of benefits provided by former team manager Josh Nochimson, who had become a certified agent, that he had help on two standardized tests so he could qualify academically, and was paid $250 every three days by Nochimson.

Miles also said Calhoun did not warn him against taking gifts from Nochimson, and only brought him up once — after Miles was on campus.

The NCAA initially suspended Calhoun three games for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance within the program.

Pete Thamel/New York Times

Tags: Nate Miles, UConn Huskies, American Athletic Conference, NCAA Tournament, NCAA, NCAA Recruiting, NCAA Suspension

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