Pres. Herbst Boston Globe Letter to Editor

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Great job by Susan Herbst. But tell the truth. How many would have even come up with the name Pat Lenehan if I asked you to name everyone on the roster?

Truth is, you can consider yourself lucky if anyone else dignifies your question with a reply.
And I've seen "A Star is Born," so Lenehan's no surprise.
#Trollharder.

 

[CL82]

Picking nits but: We’re even prouder of coach Kevin Ollie’s determination to put academics first seems to imply that Jim Calhoun did not. I don't think that is accurate.

 

[freescooter]

Truth is, you can consider yourself lucky if anyone else dignifies your question with a reply.
And I've seen "A Star is Born," so Lenehan's no surprise.
#Trollharder.

Which version, the 1937 one with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason (I think), or the 1976 version with Barbara Striesand and Kris Krissofferson?

 

[Husky25]

Great job by Susan Herbst. But tell the truth. How many would have even come up with the name Pat Lenehan if I asked you to name everyone on the roster?

Hey if talking heads aren't going to research the proper background behind the time frame used for the APR ban, then they probably don't know Lenehan is not on an athletic scholarship.

BTW she did tell the truth:
"We’re even prouder of coach Kevin Ollie’s determination to put academics first, which shows in our improved APR of a perfect 1000 in 2012-2013 and in the individual academic honors of players such as Pat Lenehan, who this year received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship."

She did not say that Lenehan's academic performance contributed to the APR of 1,000, just that he received a prestigious scholarship.

 

[freescooter]

Picking nits but: We’re even prouder of coach Kevin Ollie’s determination to put academics first seems to imply that Jim Calhoun did not. I don't think that is accurate.

You know what, in the early days of his career I think that's actually a true statement. Actually for most of his career is a better way to say it. But from roughly 2006 on, Calhoun wanted his 3rd national championship and was willing to look the other way to get it. I can't find the data right now, but beginning roughly around that time, Calhoun lowered the standards for the kind of kids he recruited. If you look at things like the average SAT scores of the basketball team, they weren't just much lower than the the general student body but they were also lower than in previous years. That was the era of recruiting players like Nate Miles and kid from Africa via Australia who took so long to get NCAA clearance then left after 1 season. Neither belonged at UConn. And surprise, surprise! Academic performance suffered, and it was really obvious that it was suffering but between Calhoun who wanted a 3rd title more than life itself and Hathaway who lacked both a clue and the ability to control his coach, that problem was ignored until it became both an embarrassment and a problem. Funny thing was that when Calhoun was finally pushed to back off, and , he did, and he won his third title. Unfortunately, the legacy of those 4 or 5 years remains in the public's mind. And, apparently, in Susan Herbst's mind, too.

 

[Deadrody]

The fact of the matter is, there is only so much the school can do to force basketball players to GRADUATE. I'm not sure where that 8% graduation rate came from, but I know for a fact it can't include this year's seniors, because they wouldn't have graduated by now anyhow.

So who DOES it encompass ? Guys who left early to play professionally ? Transfers ? Without seeing who is being considered, I'm not going to pass judgement. I mean, we can all yell about Calipari the slimeball, but would anyone really say he hasn't done his job by graduating players when Kentucky has become the premiere destination for one and done NBA players ? Come on

UPDATE: And here you go:

UConn Men's Basketball Scores An 8 Percent Graduation Rate
October 24, 2013|By DOM AMORE, damore@courant.com, The Hartford Courant
The graduation numbers continue to be low for the UConn men's basketball program. In figures released by the NCAA on Thursday, UConn scored an 8 percent graduation success rate for players who entered school between 2003 and 2006 — far below the national average of 74 percent in the sport.

Between 2003 and 2006. I mean, seriously, are you kidding me ? You're trying to say something about what's going on at UConn in 2013-2014 by referencing data from a decade ago ? F v ck off.

The really obnoxious thing is the players that make up this statistic. Freshmen incoming in years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006:

2003
Josh Boone - NBA early entry
Charlie Villanueva - NBA early entry
Marcus Williams - NBA early entry
2004
Rudy Gay - NBA early entry
Antonio Kellogg - transfer
2005
AJ Price - NBA
Jeff Adrien - NBA
Craig Austrie
Rob Garrison - transfer
Marcus Johnson - transfer
2006
Hasheem Thabeet - NBA early entry
Jerome Dyson - NBA aspirations, drafted, D-league, NBL Canada
Stanley Robinson - NBA aspirations, D-league, Israel, Italy
Gavin Edwards - NBA aspirations, NBA summer league, Japan
Curtis Kelly - transfer
Ben Eaves - transfer (?)
Doug Wiggins - transfer
Jonathon Mandledove

So the bottom line is that of the guys here, there are TWO that seem like they would have benefited - in the near term - from getting their degree - Craig Austrie and Jonathon Mandledove. I don't know who the ONE player from the 12 they counted is, but I wouldn't doubt for a second that it was Craig Austrie. The really ironic thing is, this is the exact group that played a significant role in the APR nonsense, too. But incredibly stupid to still be talking about UConn's academic performance in 2013-14 but using numbers from 2003-2006. That's just idiotic.

 

[Chief00]

Agree, good letter. Much better than some prior SH letters.

 

[willie99]

Good for President Herbst. The Boston Globe is a rag that is an absolute disgrace to journalism. Good for her for not letting them get away with their crap!. Don't hold your breath for any apology or retraction though. They are far too low class for that.

The modern day media is a disgrace to journalism, not just the Globe.

It's not about objectivity, it's about a personal bias they're all trying to sell, with a few exceptions.

The sports media is just as bad as the modern day political media, low information liars. They're one of the least respected professions on earth, and they earned it.

 

[Deadrody]

The modern day media is a disgrace to journalism, not just the Globe.

It's not about objectivity, it's about a personal bias they're all trying to sell, with a few exceptions.

The sports media is just as bad as the modern day political media, low information liars. They're one of the least respected professions on earth, and they earned it.

They're also lazy and incompetent and looking to make a splash, rather than tell a story and take pains to make sure its the TRUTH. Its shameful, really.

 

[Husky68]

You know what, in the early days of his career I think that's actually a true statement. Actually for most of his career is a better way to say it. But from roughly 2006 on, Calhoun wanted his 3rd national championship and was willing to look the other way to get it. I can't find the data right now, but beginning roughly around that time, Calhoun lowered the standards for the kind of kids he recruited. If you look at things like the average SAT scores of the basketball team, they weren't just much lower than the the general student body but they were also lower than in previous years. That was the era of recruiting players like Nate Miles and kid from Africa via Australia who took so long to get NCAA clearance then left after 1 season. Neither belonged at UConn. And surprise, surprise! Academic performance suffered, and it was really obvious that it was suffering but between Calhoun who wanted a 3rd title more than life itself and Hathaway who lacked both a clue and the ability to control his coach, that problem was ignored until it became both an embarrassment and a problem. Funny thing was that when Calhoun was finally pushed to back off, and , he did, and he won his third title. Unfortunately, the legacy of those 4 or 5 years remains in the public's mind. And, apparently, in Susan Herbst's mind, too.

Since you noted "if you look at like the SAT scores of players", please provide the SAT scores for the players who counted against the APR from 2002 to 2006 and 2007 to 2011. Chose those years as that latter was the time frame of the NCAA violations. Since my understanding is that SAT scores are not public, please advise how you acquired them.
Would appreciate you solve the "I can't find the data right now" problem. until then your comment about SAT scores going down as a lie (a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood).

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Which version, the 1937 one with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason (I think), or the 1976 version with Barbara Striesand and Kris Krissofferson?

 

[intlzncster]

Great job by Susan Herbst. But tell the truth. How many would have even come up with the name Pat Lenehan if I asked you to name everyone on the roster?

Thing is, this is how a lot of other schools pad their academic stats. Stuff the back of the roster with brains.

 

[intlzncster]

You know what, in the early days of his career I think that's actually a true statement. Actually for most of his career is a better way to say it. But from roughly 2006 on, Calhoun wanted his 3rd national championship and was willing to look the other way to get it. I can't find the data right now, but beginning roughly around that time, Calhoun lowered the standards for the kind of kids he recruited. If you look at things like the average SAT scores of the basketball team, they weren't just much lower than the the general student body but they were also lower than in previous years. That was the era of recruiting players like Nate Miles and kid from Africa via Australia who took so long to get NCAA clearance then left after 1 season. Neither belonged at UConn. And surprise, surprise! Academic performance suffered, and it was really obvious that it was suffering but between Calhoun who wanted a 3rd title more than life itself and Hathaway who lacked both a clue and the ability to control his coach, that problem was ignored until it became both an embarrassment and a problem. Funny thing was that when Calhoun was finally pushed to back off, and , he did, and he won his third title. Unfortunately, the legacy of those 4 or 5 years remains in the public's mind. And, apparently, in Susan Herbst's mind, too.

Eh, most of these kids weren't any different from any other schools' kids (save Duke maybe). UCONN is guilty of not playing the game properly, and that's on the AD. Plenty of other schools had complete morons who didn't attend a single class, but they didn't get hurt with the APR. Kentucky didn't even have their kids stay on campus after basketball season. They went to another city to train for the NBA (and ostensibly took 'online' classes--right).

 

[TortillaMonster]

Eh, most of these kids weren't any different from any other schools' kids (save Duke maybe). UCONN is guilty of not playing the game properly, and that's on the AD. Plenty of other schools had complete morons who didn't attend a single class, but they didn't get hurt with the APR. Kentucky didn't even have their kids stay on campus after basketball season. They went to another city to train for the NBA (and ostensibly took 'online' classes--right).

This is definitely not an argument that will win you any debates on opposing message boards, but as a UConn fan, I've always felt that Calhoun never really cared about academic success, but he did care about "making men." I don't believe that player's grades were important to him, but I also feel that there is not a coach out there who cared more about his players. That's why UConn basketball feels like a family. It is also why I hate the APR/Graduation Rate conversation; the reason why those poor stats mean something is that people take them to indicate that Calhoun/Uconn thought of players as disposable commodities to win as many games as possible. I don't think you could be further from the truth.

 

[Deadrody]

This is definitely not an argument that will win you any debates on opposing message boards, but as a UConn fan, I've always felt that Calhoun never really cared about academic success, but he did care about "making men." I don't believe that player's grades were important to him, but I also feel that there is not a coach out there who cared more about his players. That's why UConn basketball feels like a family. It is also why I hate the APR/Graduation Rate conversation; the reason why those poor stats mean something is that people take them to indicate that Calhoun/Uconn thought of players as disposable commodities to win as many games as possible. I don't think you could be further from the truth.

The thing is, this is all a bunch of BS. You're giving these kids free tuition and free room and board in exchange for playing basketball. And they get all the free tutoring they can stand.

There is only one person to blame for poor academic performance in that case - the student themselves. All the rest of the student body is paying their way through school with none of those benefits and where is the argument being made that when one of THEM doesn't graduate, that its some kind of failure on the part of the university.

If I remember correctly, the APR was primarily a problem with a couple kids that eventually transferred, and the seniors in 2010 that didn't graduate or stay on track.

I don't know. All I do know is what Jim Calhoun did for a kid like Kevin Ollie or Caron Butler. He OBVIOUSLY cared a great deal about the kids he recruited and gave them every opportunity in the world. Some of them took advantage of the opportunity, some of them did not. I don't fault Calhoun for that in the least.

Oh, and AGAIN with the BS about Nate Miles. Caron Butler was just as sketchy a recruit as Nate Miles. You do not get to say, "But Nate Miles" without conceding that Jim Calhoun had long since set a precedent in taking a questionable player for the right reasons, and that he is due the benefit of the doubt in taking Nate Miles for the exact same reasons with nothing but the best intent. One guy worked out, one did not.

 

[whaler11]

The problem with Nate Miles was they didn't cut bait fast enough once they knew he was an issue.

Giving kids chances in commendable. Hell someone giving Miles cash for surgery does not bother me in the least (assuming said cash isn't stolen). But once he shows up and you know it's sour - have to get out.

 

[upstater]

No school in the power conferences will ever run afoul of APR again. It's just not going to happen. And that tells you everything you need to know.

 

[Waquoit]

The problem with Nate Miles was they didn't cut bait fast enough once they knew he was an issue.

Yeah, this is where JC's halo was tarnished. Miles was JC's Moby Rick. (last word altered due to auto-correct)

 

[Pudge]

The problem with Nate Miles was they didn't cut bait fast enough once they knew he was an issue.

Giving kids chances in commendable. Hell someone giving Miles cash for surgery does not bother me in the least (assuming said cash isn't stolen). But once he shows up and you know it's sour - have to get out.

Haha ...

He was in an administrative court and out in about 30 days. You thought that was too long? That's crazy. I am not sure we know of anything he did in his first 7 days; but, damn we let him go another 20.

The Ahab reference is a Rohrshach test for many of us. Jim Calhoun, with Caron Butler & probably a handful of others, gave guidance to kids that needed that. I don't think you can really tell how bad a Nate Miles is going to go ... when you look at your previous good experience with Butler. You think you can succeed. And, guess what, Jim Calhoun did - at least once.

 

[whaler11]

Haha ...

He was in an administrative court and out in about 30 days. You thought that was too long? That's crazy. I am not sure we know of anything he did in his first 7 days; but, damn we let him go another 20.

The Ahab reference is a Rohrshach test for many of us. Jim Calhoun, with Caron Butler & probably a handful of others, gave guidance to kids that needed that. I don't think you can really tell how bad a Nate Miles is going to go ... when you look at your previous good experience with Butler. You think you can succeed. And, guess what, Jim Calhoun did - at least once.

Granted this is off the top of my head but the school expelled him, he wasn't kicked off the basketball team prior that I remember. They could have cut bait before he even got to campus too.

Maybe they had no knowledge of the events that led to the restraining order - but Calhoun was defending Miles even after he was expelled - and was for some bizarre reason talking about his skills as a basketball player.

The Miles situation was a flat out debacle. Calhoun is awesome but let's not pretend he wasn't capable of making mistakes.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You know what, in the early days of his career I think that's actually a true statement. Actually for most of his career is a better way to say it. But from roughly 2006 on, Calhoun wanted his 3rd national championship and was willing to look the other way to get it. I can't find the data right now, but beginning roughly around that time, Calhoun lowered the standards for the kind of kids he recruited. If you look at things like the average SAT scores of the basketball team, they weren't just much lower than the the general student body but they were also lower than in previous years. That was the era of recruiting players like Nate Miles and kid from Africa via Australia who took so long to get NCAA clearance then left after 1 season. Neither belonged at UConn. And surprise, surprise! Academic performance suffered, and it was really obvious that it was suffering but between Calhoun who wanted a 3rd title more than life itself and Hathaway who lacked both a clue and the ability to control his coach, that problem was ignored until it became both an embarrassment and a problem. Funny thing was that when Calhoun was finally pushed to back off, and , he did, and he won his third title. Unfortunately, the legacy of those 4 or 5 years remains in the public's mind. And, apparently, in Susan Herbst's mind, too.

Disagree 100% about your characterization of Jim Calhoun. UConn had a 4 year block from 2006 to 2010 that was really weak from an APR standpoint, but before and after that the school was fine.

I agree with whoever said UConn simply is not playing the game correctly. Why doesn't Kentucky have minimum APR scores for all their early entrants who basically don't attend class in the spring semester?

 

[freescooter]

Disagree 100% about your characterization of Jim Calhoun. UConn had a 4 year block from 2006 to 2010 that was really weak from an APR standpoint, but before and after that the school was fine.

I agree with whoever said UConn simply is not playing the game correctly. Why doesn't Kentucky have minimum APR scores for all their early entrants who basically don't attend class in the spring semester?

I agree that UConn was awful at playing the APR game, but I also think that part of the problem was Calhoun was so intent on getting title #3 that he ignored the waning signs, brought in players who were inappropriate and stopped riding herd on them. At one point the average SAT scores fo the basketball team were published and they were clearly well below what they are now and what they had been in 2004 and before.

 

[Inyatkin]

That was the era of recruiting players like Nate Miles and kid from Africa via Australia who took so long to get NCAA clearance then left after 1 season. Neither belonged at UConn.

You're talking about Ater Majok, who was recruited heavily by Kentucky and Kansas and looked at by nearly every top school. That guy. And you're saying he represents Jim Calhoun's downfall. OK.

 

[CL82]

Disagree with the criticisms of Calhoun. Regarding Nate Miles, Calhoun reported his concerns to the AD, isn't that what he should done?

It is hard to critical of UConn in world that UNC has no show classes and goes unpunished. In any event the APR isn't a scholarship metric.

Finally those who speak to "Calhoun's intent" when they certain can't be aware of someone's intention reveal themselves as having an agenda.

 

[JellyBean]

I am so proud of our President. She is awesome.