Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Just as A.J. Price and UConn seem poised for another Final Four run comes breaking news from Yahoo! Sports that UConn violated NCAA rules in the recruitment of former guard Nate Miles.
The extensive report, written by Adrian Wojnarowski and Dan Wetzel, says Miles was provided with lodging, transportation, restaurant meals and representation by Josh Nochimson – a professional sports agent and former UConn student manager – between 2006 and 2008. As a representative of UConn’s athletic interests, NCAA rules barred Nochimson from having contact with Miles or from providing him with anything of value.
The report says UConn knew of the relationship between Miles and Nochimson.
It also provides evidence that UConn exceeded NCAA limits on phone calls and text messages to Miles and others close to him during his junior year in high school. It says 1,565 phone and text contacts were made.
Given the detailed nature of the story, the NCAA will surely look into this and the NCAA enforcement staff, in conjunction with UConn officials, will decide how to go forward with the investigation.
“It’s really hard to predict what the NCAA will do,” Wetzel told ESPN. “They have a very uneven record of punishment in different things. However, certainly the phone records alone — the excessive phone calls — is a really clear-cut violation. And in terms of the other things, it’s pretty blatant in the rules that these are violations of NCAA rules. What the NCAA does, I would never predict.”
UConn issued a statement essentially saying it would cooperate with any investigation.
“The University takes very seriously its responsibilities of NCAA membership and will do all that is expected to follow up on any information related to possible NCAA rules violations,” it read in part.
UConn head coach Jim Calhoun and his players are due to speak to the media in Glendale, Az., today in advance of Thursday’s Sweet 16 game with Purdue.
It will be interesting to see if this report distracts the players and coaches from the task at hand. The Huskies are playing as well as anyone in the NCAA Tournament and have as good a shot as anyone to win it all.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Just as A.J. Price and UConn seem poised for another Final Four run comes breaking news from Yahoo! Sports that UConn violated NCAA rules in the recruitment of former guard Nate Miles.
The extensive report, written by Adrian Wojnarowski and Dan Wetzel, says Miles was provided with lodging, transportation, restaurant meals and representation by Josh Nochimson – a professional sports agent and former UConn student manager – between 2006 and 2008. As a representative of UConn’s athletic interests, NCAA rules barred Nochimson from having contact with Miles or from providing him with anything of value.
The report says UConn knew of the relationship between Miles and Nochimson.
It also provides evidence that UConn exceeded NCAA limits on phone calls and text messages to Miles and others close to him during his junior year in high school. It says 1,565 phone and text contacts were made.
Given the detailed nature of the story, the NCAA will surely look into this and the NCAA enforcement staff, in conjunction with UConn officials, will decide how to go forward with the investigation.
“It’s really hard to predict what the NCAA will do,” Wetzel told ESPN. “They have a very uneven record of punishment in different things. However, certainly the phone records alone — the excessive phone calls — is a really clear-cut violation. And in terms of the other things, it’s pretty blatant in the rules that these are violations of NCAA rules. What the NCAA does, I would never predict.”
UConn issued a statement essentially saying it would cooperate with any investigation.
“The University takes very seriously its responsibilities of NCAA membership and will do all that is expected to follow up on any information related to possible NCAA rules violations,” it read in part.
UConn head coach Jim Calhoun and his players are due to speak to the media in Glendale, Az., today in advance of Thursday’s Sweet 16 game with Purdue.
It will be interesting to see if this report distracts the players and coaches from the task at hand. The Huskies are playing as well as anyone in the NCAA Tournament and have as good a shot as anyone to win it all.
