UCONN't Do That on Television

I loved Nickelodeon growing up, and I have to say it's a shame that there isn't a "Nickelodeon Classic" to give ESPN Classic and the NFL Networks "1995 Miami Dolphins Video Yearbook: Swimming Upstream" to help me procrastinate important work or slowly let the seconds of my youth fade away. C'mon, we could put Double Dare with my favorite OCD-sufferer (not named after Nelly's initial hit song)/Food Network Host, Marc Summers. Maybe include a little Agro-Crag with the adrogenously named and sexually ambiguous referee "Mel," even a little "Pinwheel." I'm telling you, it would get ratings.

No, instead, this is a message to our friends in New York's Northernmost suburb: you can't make illegal contacts with recruits via cell phones and text messages in the digital age. Yahoo Sports broke the story earlier today that Jim Calhoun, among others on the UConn staff, made over 1500 illegal calls and texts to former recruit Nate Miles between 2006 and 2008. The point of the story is that with the new one-and-done rule that requires players to attend college for one year before declaring for the NBA, college coaches and agents are now teaming up to bring top recruits to certain schools. College coaches win because agents help them recruit top kids to their school, agents win because the coach will ensure that player remains loyal to the agent until he can turn pro. Shady business.

While I think it's just further proof that the NBA should follow the NFL and make it a three year commitment (and yes, leagues can make this demand. Try to apply for my job without going to college: you'll never get an interview. It's done all the time in business), it also raises questions about what to do with UConn. Since UConn is not USC and Nate Miles is not Reggie Bush, I am going on a limb here and saying that the NCAA will find enough to convict UConn of major recruiting violations. Luckily, as an IU fan, I know a great template the NCAA can follow to ensure fairness in how they prosecute similar crimes, after all, illustrious and moral coach Kelvin Sampson committed almost the exact same violation in his two years at IU.

Now, the counterargument that some people, like Ryan Rusillo at ESPN Radio, will throw out is that "Jim Calhoun is no Kelvin Sampson." And this is true, unlike Sampson, as far as I know Calhoun has a spotless record when it comes to recruiting. On the other hand, Indiana, which had gone 40 plus years without a single recruiting violation, is no UConn. So, IU remains a good baseline for this type of infraction. Basically, the NCAA/UConn Athletic Department should choose to:
1. Forfeit 2 scholarships for the next two years
2. Ban Calhoun from making off campus visits for two years
3. Ask Calhoun to give back his bonuses from the years in question, or forfeit bonuses for next year.

IU put in the self-imposed sanctions, and the NCAA accepted them. The same crime deserves the same time.