Doug Wiggins, ranked 55 by scout.com and a high-quality point guard, has decommitted from St Johns because UConn has an open spot (after the harris fiasco and all).

He may sign with us soon. Wouldn't that be a beautiful ending to our recruitment!

p.s. beat ya to it husky fans!

Here's an article on this player. Something to be proud of, what can you say.

<a href='http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9014921' target='_blank'>Up to some old tricks</a>

uconnbaseball Wrote:Doug Wiggins, ranked 55 by scout.com and a high-quality point guard, has decommitted from St Johns because UConn has an open spot (after the harris fiasco and all).

He may sign with us soon. Wouldn't that be a beautiful ending to our recruitment!

p.s. beat ya to it husky fans!

Harris fiasco??? Calhoun just told him they didn't want him anymore. This goes along with the Gay, Dehnam Brown and Ed Nelson situations.

Jim Calhoun is a loser.

Ugh...cbs sportsline...*yawn*


There is no proof that he was stolen...the kid himself said he changed his mind...but whatever keeps you warm at night :red:

JFlight21 Wrote:Harris fiasco??? Calhoun just told him they didn't want him anymore.

He was dumped because he couldn't make the grade...I have to consider that a fiasco!

CollegeCard Wrote:Here's an article on this player. Something to be proud of, what can you say.

<a href='http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9014921' target='_blank'>Up to some old tricks</a>

Here is explanation from Doug Wiggin himself:

<a href='http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/story/361164p-307721c.html' target='_blank'>Doug Wiggins' version of the story</a>

CBSSPORTSLINE is so freaking lame with their article. I cant wait for Calhoun to respond to that crap. Did the guy have a clue what he is writing or its based on his own interpertation?

Why do everyone jump to conclusion about this?

Doug Wiggins lives 20 mins from UCONN. He is a lifetime UCONN fan and wants to go to UCONN badly. His parents want him to go to UCONN. He loves UCONN. Calhoun recruited other guards and did not have room for him. When UCONN pulled Ramar Smith scholarship, there suddenly is one available. Doug decided to take a chance and decommit from SJU. Now Doug can pursue his dream school, what the hell is wrong with that? At end of the day, its the kid's life and he has the right to make the right decision. At UCONN, he will have a chance to go after a national championship.

Calhoun is a damn good coach. His program NEVER had a NCAA violation. Marcus Williams got what average students received for his involvement in the laptop thing. What he did was wrong, but I believe he was trying to help his cousin out of the jam. AJ Price is just a stupid kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. Blaming Calhoun for all this crap is garbage. You can tell Calhoun's relationship with his former players.

As an UCONN fan, I cant freaking believe all the crap that the program is going through right now. We are on top and many folks are just jealous what we got.

Quote:The 6-0 guard said he based his assessment of "90% for UConn" on a rumor the school is interested in him...

"Everything is rumors right now, but the rumors are they want me and they want me bad.

Gee, I wonder how that rumor got started... :rolleyes:

Calhoun has likely done nothing illegal or aginst the letter of the NCAA rules, but anyone that thinks he (and coaches of other power programs) doesn't wield his status like a blunt instrument is fooling themselves. If the kid was such a die hard UConn fan to begin with, and worth the scholarship, then it's "amazing" that Calhoun missed him to begin with. That Smith was dissed when he was and Wiggins tapped when he was could either be a) well coordinated, or b) a supremely extraordinary set of circumstances. Believe what you want, though justice would suggest SJU beats UConn every time they meet with Wiggins on the roster.

- - -

Quote:At UCONN, he will have a chance to go after a national championship.

I understand what you're saying here, but it's also an elitist's viewpoint. You're saying he won't EVER have that chance at SJU? Or other programs, for that matter? The kid even suggested SJU had the better coaching staff, and most folks suggest Wiggins will ever be the back-up at UConn as opposed to likely starting at SJU. Then again that's not the point, is it?

A strong UConn is generally good for college basketball, kind of like Miami football. The devotion of their fans can be admirable, but don't cross over the line into thinking of success as a right. From outside I don't see people "jealous what (you) got,' they just don't want to see fans act like spoiled children. Same goes for any power program, BTW, not just UConn.

GunnerFan Wrote:

Quote:The 6-0 guard said he based his assessment of "90% for UConn" on a rumor the school is interested in him...

"Everything is rumors right now, but the rumors are they want me and they want me bad.

Gee, I wonder how that rumor got started... :rolleyes:

Calhoun has likely done nothing illegal or aginst the letter of the NCAA rules, but anyone that thinks he (and coaches of other power programs) doesn't wield his status like a blunt instrument is fooling themselves. If the kid was such a die hard UConn fan to begin with, and worth the scholarship, then it's "amazing" that Calhoun missed him to begin with. That Smith was dissed when he was and Wiggins tapped when he was could either be a) well coordinated, or b) a supremely extraordinary set of circumstances. Believe what you want, though justice would suggest SJU beats UConn every time they meet with Wiggins on the roster.

- - -

Quote:At UCONN, he will have a chance to go after a national championship.

I understand what you're saying here, but it's also an elitist's viewpoint. You're saying he won't EVER have that chance at SJU? Or other programs, for that matter? The kid even suggested SJU had the better coaching staff, and most folks suggest Wiggins will ever be the back-up at UConn as opposed to likely starting at SJU. Then again that's not the point, is it?

A strong UConn is generally good for college basketball, kind of like Miami football. The devotion of their fans can be admirable, but don't cross over the line into thinking of success as a right. From outside I don't see people "jealous what (you) got,' they just don't want to see fans act like spoiled children. Same goes for any power program, BTW, not just UConn.

Well said Gunner. At the same time, I think the sportsline story is pure bunk. I love Calhoun as a coach. I just cant see the guy doing something illegal. He is simply a great recruiter and he can backup anything that he tells recruits. Why would a recruit not want to go to a place like Uconn over St Johns, who has been in shambles? There is simply nothing wrong with one school stealing another schools recruits. Thats what recruiting is all about. Even if a kid commits to a school, there is nothing wrong with other schools to continue recruiting a kid.

cuseroc Wrote:There is simply nothing wrong with one school stealing another schools recruits. Thats what recruiting is all about. Even if a kid commits to a school, there is nothing wrong with other schools to continue recruiting a kid.

If you believe this then you'd better be pro-BCS and avoid any claims of fairness, equity and gentleman's rules regarding collegiate athletics. Unless I'm mistaken, the point of having a verbal committ, as per NCAA regulations, is to have other schools back-off that student. That the paperwork can't be signed until later is another legal issue, but offering a verbal committ is, in essence, a verbal contract.

I agree that the kid can do what he wishes, and if he did lust for the Husky program then by all means go there. And likely Calhoun did nothing illegal. If he or someone at his direction made overtures at a kid who'd already committed to another school, however, then that's running afoul of manners if not the NCAA regulations. If he wants to make sure no other program approaches kids who've committed to UConn, surely he'd respect that rule toward other kids, right?

GunnerFan Wrote:

cuseroc Wrote:There is simply nothing wrong with one school stealing another schools recruits.&nbsp; Thats what recruiting is all about.&nbsp; Even if a kid commits to a school, there is nothing wrong with other schools to continue recruiting a kid.

If you believe this then you'd better be pro-BCS and avoid any claims of fairness, equity and gentleman's rules regarding collegiate athletics. Unless I'm mistaken, the point of having a verbal committ, as per NCAA regulations, is to have other schools back-off that student. That the paperwork can't be signed until later is another legal issue, but offering a verbal committ is, in essence, a verbal contract.

I agree that the kid can do what he wishes, and if he did lust for the Husky program then by all means go there. And likely Calhoun did nothing illegal. If he or someone at his direction made overtures at a kid who'd already committed to another school, however, then that's running afoul of manners if not the NCAA regulations. If he wants to make sure no other program approaches kids who've committed to UConn, surely he'd respect that rule toward other kids, right?

I will tell you what, if UCONN loses a recruit at the last minute, I would rather the kid go to another BE school than out of conference. Calhoun did not offer Wiggins at beginning because UCONN had better prospects. Doug commited to SJU before the summer and he blew up in the summer. Do I want more CT kids playing at UCONN? Hell yea I do and I think it is good for the state. Do I think Calhoun use UCONN brand and his track record as a recruiting tool? Hell yea we did and whats wrong with that? We lost number of recruits to UNC this year when we went head to head with them. Those are facts of life. You win some and you lose some.

I do agree we need a early signing period. I think once a kid commits, he should sign the LOI immediately instead of waiting until Nov. It sucks when losing players, but it happens all the time at the last minute. Hell, UCONN lost Andrew Bynum to the NBA early this year and did anyone cry for UCONN?

Uh oh... with Huggins being out of basketball this year the media has to find a new coach to hate. Apparently it is Jim Calhoun. Just wait until they start calling UConn a "basketball factory that doesn't care about graduating players".

Maybe some of you will have a new appreciation for what UC fans have had to deal with for the past 10 years... most of it 100% completely blown out of proportion or not true to begin with.

GunnerFan Wrote:

Quote:The 6-0 guard said he based his assessment of "90% for UConn" on a rumor the school is interested in him...

"Everything is rumors right now, but the rumors are they want me and they want me bad.

Gee, I wonder how that rumor got started... :rolleyes:

Calhoun has likely done nothing illegal or aginst the letter of the NCAA rules, but anyone that thinks he (and coaches of other power programs) doesn't wield his status like a blunt instrument is fooling themselves. If the kid was such a die hard UConn fan to begin with, and worth the scholarship, then it's "amazing" that Calhoun missed him to begin with. That Smith was dissed when he was and Wiggins tapped when he was could either be a) well coordinated, or b) a supremely extraordinary set of circumstances. Believe what you want, though justice would suggest SJU beats UConn every time they meet with Wiggins on the roster.

- - -

Quote:At UCONN, he will have a chance to go after a national championship.

I understand what you're saying here, but it's also an elitist's viewpoint. You're saying he won't EVER have that chance at SJU? Or other programs, for that matter? The kid even suggested SJU had the better coaching staff, and most folks suggest Wiggins will ever be the back-up at UConn as opposed to likely starting at SJU. Then again that's not the point, is it?

A strong UConn is generally good for college basketball, kind of like Miami football. The devotion of their fans can be admirable, but don't cross over the line into thinking of success as a right. From outside I don't see people "jealous what (you) got,' they just don't want to see fans act like spoiled children. Same goes for any power program, BTW, not just UConn.

Good post...one disagreement though...while St Johns has some good hoops, I really doubt they get to a final 4 appearence in the next 4 or 5 years...it's possible...but the odds are much better at UConn.

uconnbaseball Wrote:...one disagreement though...while St Johns has some good hoops, I really doubt they get to a final 4 appearence in the next 4 or 5 years...it's possible...but the odds are much better at UConn.

I agree. The wording of the quote I was citing suggested SJU had no chance and came off with airs. To me, anyway. No harm, no foul.

SF Husky Wrote:Calhoun did not offer Wiggins at beginning because UCONN had better prospects.&nbsp; Doug commited to SJU before the summer and he blew up in the summer.&nbsp;

This part I get. What comes off as bad is the timing/appearance of the vacancy made at UConn and how Wiggins may/may not have learned about UConn's interest. Would Smith have been so quickly disimissed if such a ready made, Husky loving prospect not been in UConn's back yard? Couldn't Calhoun gone after someone, publicly, who was not committed? Or maybe he could've suffered what other programs have to do, work with what you got. (GASP!)

Like I said, Jimbo may not have done anything here and as far as I'm concerned he's innocent until proven guilty. This case does provide enough circumstantial evidence to warrant suspicion and investigation though. And if he is found guilty, I'd be curious to see how the NCAA treats him.

Quote:Do I think Calhoun use UCONN brand and his track record as a recruiting tool?&nbsp; Hell yea we did and whats wrong with that?

Nothing wrong with that. Although as I explained in my last two posts above (discussing championships) I would hope Calhoun wouldn't need to also stoop to negative recruiting tactics or lambasting other programs. It'd be a shame if he couldn't successfully recruit on his own laurels instead of denegrating others.

Quote:I do agree we need a early signing period.&nbsp; I think once a kid commits, he should sign the LOI immediately instead of waiting until Nov.&nbsp; It sucks when losing players, but it happens all the time at the last minute.&nbsp; Hell, UCONN lost Andrew Bynum to the NBA early this year and did anyone cry for UCONN?

a) UConn's not alone in this phenomena;
b) It wasn't an act perpetrated by a peer/other university.

But I agree, the age limit matter needs a resolution so that college programs have a sense of security in knowing what to expect of their players. But that's another matter.

GunnerFan Wrote:

cuseroc Wrote:There is simply nothing wrong with one school stealing another schools recruits.&nbsp; Thats what recruiting is all about.&nbsp; Even if a kid commits to a school, there is nothing wrong with other schools to continue recruiting a kid.

If you believe this then you'd better be pro-BCS and avoid any claims of fairness, equity and gentleman's rules regarding collegiate athletics. Unless I'm mistaken, the point of having a verbal committ, as per NCAA regulations, is to have other schools back-off that student. That the paperwork can't be signed until later is another legal issue, but offering a verbal committ is, in essence, a verbal contract.

I agree that the kid can do what he wishes, and if he did lust for the Husky program then by all means go there. And likely Calhoun did nothing illegal. If he or someone at his direction made overtures at a kid who'd already committed to another school, however, then that's running afoul of manners if not the NCAA regulations. If he wants to make sure no other program approaches kids who've committed to UConn, surely he'd respect that rule toward other kids, right?

Gunner, this happens all of the time to almost every program. A kid will verbal and then for some reason, many reasons, they will not honor their verbal commitment. There is nothing wrong with this in my opinion, which may not be worth much :D . If a kid signs, then changes his mind, he needs to get permission from the spurned program. Thats one thing. But if a kid verbals, there is no permission needed, just announce that he has changed his mind. Fans of the spurned program may not like it but thats just the way it is. Cuse being down the last few years, I have seen a lot of verbals not being honored. Just the world of big time college athletics.

No disagreement on that point, Cuseroc. I know it happens a lot, especially to those kids who rush to judgment. They should be free to change up within the allowed practices of accepting scholarships.

I do think, however, that kids who've made a verbal committment shouldn't be approached by other schools to try to change that decision. It's disrespectful to the athlete, his family and the universities involved, and moves the college game closer to a purely professional, cut-throat nature. Besides, if kids were fair game after making a verbal committment, then what's the point?

Then again, I'm one of those old-school guys that beleives in an Honor Code!

cuseroc Wrote:At the same time, I think the sportsline story is pure bunk. I love Calhoun as a coach. I just cant see the guy doing something illegal.

Since he's not the reason that teams can no longer play travelling all-star programs in the exhibition season, right?

Calhoun may not be a rule-breaker by the letter of the NCAA bylaws, but he's sure a skeezy used-car salesman waiting to poach players and bend the rules to their breaking point. I truly believe that he'll make all the "old C-USA" newbies forget all about Bobby Huggins.

CardinalEmpire.com Wrote:

cuseroc Wrote:At the same time, I think the sportsline story is pure bunk.&nbsp; I love Calhoun as a coach.&nbsp; I just cant see the guy doing something illegal.

Since he's not the reason that teams can no longer play travelling all-star programs in the exhibition season, right?

Calhoun may not be a rule-breaker by the letter of the NCAA bylaws, but he's sure a skeezy used-car salesman waiting to poach players and bend the rules to their breaking point. I truly believe that he'll make all the "old C-USA" newbies forget all about Bobby Huggins.

What the hell are you talking about? UCONN never had one single NCAA violation while Calhoun is the coach. Like him or not, he is a good coach and his players are very royal to him. Because one ****** who wrote about him, now he is a total loser and same as Bob Huggins of the world? Please... No one said Calhoun is an angel. Calhoun is not known for his well-spoken ways. For god's sake, he is a tough as nail basketball coach. For that matter, every damn coach in the NCAA is the same way. How many times have you heard people calling recruits after they commited? It happens in FB and BB recruiting every damn day.

Number of writers have wrote about UCONN after the DOYLE article and have said things are BLOWN WAY OUT OF HAND. UCONN is on top so everyone wants to take a shot.

Just wait until something bad happens to Pitino. It happens every damn day in the NCAA. Get off him already.

SF Husky, so you think it's totally OK to pay an AAU booster to bring his team in when he has influence on some of your future recruits? Nothing about the Rudy Gay/Denham Brown situation stinks from where you sit?

I'm sorry, but between the AAU issue and the way the school (and Calhoun is the face of the school when it comes to basketball decisions) dealt with Marcus Williams and AJ Price, there's a lot of manure getting ripe in UConn's back yard.

I said in my post that he has not EXPLICITLY broken any NCAA rules, but he sure is jumping through a bunch of loopholes. The parallels are there between Huggins (numerous players getting free passes) and Calhoun (Marcus Williams situation), whether or not you want to see them.

And as for the recruit poaching, why should we be OK with it just because it happens every day? People are getting murdered every day, too... do I have to just deal with that? Stealing recruits out from under another team (and a BIG EAST team for that matter!) is just plain wrong; there is this thing called SPORTSMANship that Calhoun is having a VERY difficult time grasping. Doyell may have blown it out of proportion, but I can see no reason for a program to throw around their status as the elite and not honor another school's verbal agreement with a kid.

CardinalEmpire.com Wrote:SF Husky, so you think it's totally OK to pay an AAU booster to bring his team in when he has influence on some of your future recruits? Nothing about the Rudy Gay/Denham Brown situation stinks from where you sit?

I'm sorry, but between the AAU issue and the way the school (and Calhoun is the face of the school when it comes to basketball decisions) dealt with Marcus Williams and AJ Price, there's a lot of manure getting ripe in UConn's back yard.

I said in my post that he has not EXPLICITLY broken any NCAA rules, but he sure is jumping through a bunch of loopholes. The parallels are there between Huggins (numerous players getting free passes) and Calhoun (Marcus Williams situation), whether or not you want to see them.

And as for the recruit poaching, why should we be OK with it just because it happens every day? People are getting murdered every day, too... do I have to just deal with that? Stealing recruits out from under another team (and a BIG EAST team for that matter!) is just plain wrong; there is this thing called SPORTSMANship that Calhoun is having a VERY difficult time grasping. Doyell may have blown it out of proportion, but I can see no reason for a program to throw around their status as the elite and not honor another school's verbal agreement with a kid.

Dude you need to get your facts straight:

#1 Marcus Williams and AJ Price got what most UCONN students would have. Hartford Courant said UCONN had 50 similar cases and the punishment is consistant with what handed out to the students. Do I think they being basketball stars helped them some? I am certainly not naive to think otherwise. However, look at the bigger picture. Marcus Williams did not steal those laptops, but he did try to help his cousin unload them cause he knew his friend/cousin was in trouble. AJ Price is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Did those 18 years old made a horrible decision? Yes they did and should they get expelled? Maybe or maybe not cause none of really know what happened except the people in the court room. We only know whats in the news.

FOR YOUR INFO, AJ PRICE IS THE BETTER PG BETWEEN HIM AND MARCUS WILLIAMS. CALHOUN HAS SAID SO AND SETH DAVIS ALSO MENTIONED IN HIS ARTICLE TODAY. Do I think UCONN would be better with AJ Price? Maybe maybe not.

#2 UCONN did not call Doug Wiggins after he commited to SJU. Why dont anyone believe that? This came from Doug and his coach. Both have said REPEATLY UCONN did not do anything wrong. Doug is a lifelong UCONN fan and he wants to be a Husky BADLY. Why cant people accept this crap? Do I think it is wrong to go after someone else's recruit? Hell yeah I think so. But the reality is what it is. How come no one give BC any crap when BC called Wiggins immediately learning he might decommit? There are so many facts it is not even funny.

#3 Do I think the AAU is bad? Hell yeah I do and Calhoun has said repeatly he hates to do it. In case you dont know, most of the major college programs do the same including Gary Williams from Maryland. Why dont you look at their recruiting history.

This crap is getting old. If none of this is legal, then NCAA needs to come out and put some serious punishment on all the issues above.