January 27, 2008
It's a police matter
UConn coach Jim Calhoun said Friday that the suspension of two of his top guards wasn't "a legal matter."
Well, turns out it was.
Doug Wiggins and Jerome Dyson were ticketed _ for lack of a better word _ by UConn police for possession of alcohol by a minor when they were found in a car Thursday night in Storrs with two bottles of booze. Wiggins, who drove into the parking lot where cops approached them, was also issued a summons for operating with a suspended license.
They weren't arrested. So, in that sense, the coach was sort of telling the truth.
But they'll have to go to court (sort of like when you challenge a speeding ticket or get some kind of motor vehicle infraction) and probably pay a fine.
They're both 20 years old. Wiggins turned 20 on Saturday, so he technically got in hot water this time as a 19-year-old.
Neither is playing Monday against Louisville. The suspensions are indefinite but they'll definitely last until after the game.
More details in the morning paper.
As for now, I haven't slept in what seems like two days so........
Posted by Neill on 11:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 26, 2008
Just a little of the ol' Donovan McNabb
All it took was a little puke.
Despite playing without Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins, two of their top six players, UConn somehow found a way to beat No. 7 Indiana Saturday.
Indiana's 13-game win streak? Done.
Indiana's 29-game home win streak? Over.
How did it happen? Mostly because UConn guard A.J. Price played until he made himself sick. Literally.
Doing his best Donovan McNabb _ who once paused before a fourth-quarter play in the waning moments of a game against Virginia Tech, vomited, then threw the game-winning TD pass _ Price led the Huskies to the most unlikely of wins.
He also had to stop during two breaks in the action to throw up near the UConn bench.
"I got sick. It just happens sometimes. When you work that hard, it happens," said Price, who could laugh at the matter after the game. "I was tired as hell."
Donnell Beverly provided some relief and Craig Austrie played a little point guard, but coach Jim Calhoun knew his Huskies probably couldn't win without Price in the game for a long, long time.
Rather than subbing him out, Calhoun just went to a four-corners style offense a little earlier than planned.
"We had nothing left," Calhoun said. "I thought if I could give A.J. 10 or 20 seconds off the ball just standing there, we could win the basketball game."
The coach didn't elaborate much on the suspensions that kept Wiggins and Dyson home. Calhoun said he gave the team some of the specifics of the infractions late Friday night and Saturday morning.
Calhoun previously said he allowed Wiggins and Dyson to practice Friday afternoon even after he "received some information" but later was told more and decided to suspend the pair indefinitely.
Saturday Calhoun said that Wiggins and Dyson were on the scout team during Friday's workout and were never scheduled to play against Indiana. Calhoun maintains that even if he hadn't been given the second piece of information (whatever that was) that he had already made up his mind not to play the two against IU, even if he allowed them to travel with the team.
As for Monday, it doesn't appear likely that either Dyson or Wiggins will play, though Calhoun was non-committal.
The question is, do the Huskies have the stomach for another one of these efforts?
Posted by Neill on 7:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hoosier's Daddies
Greetings from Assembly Hall, where we patiently await the start of UConn's 1 p.m. scheduled execution.
OK, that's overstating it. The Huskies will probably play with some serious emotion and just might hang around long enough to surprise some folks today.
By the way, the suspensions of Doug Wiggins and Jerome Dyson for the game reminded veteran UConn observers (me and one other person, at least) of a similar situation back in the 1999-2000 season.
On a Wednesday night (Feb. 2, 2000), UConn played a road Big East game at Villanova, picking up a nice 74-60 win. Media types such as myself flew straight from Philadelphia to East Lansing, Mich. for a Saturday game against Michigan State.
Because they could charter back and attend classes on Thursday and Friday, returned to Storrs and left for MSU on Friday. Only when the team arrived at their hotel on Friday, two members weren't there.
Doug Wrenn and Tony Robertson had been left home, suspended for the old "violation of team rules."
The Huskies got blasted by Michigan State, dropping an 85-66 game.
Flash forward eight years and the situation is eerily similar. A good road Big East win over Cincinnati on a Wednesday, and a road game at a Big Ten power ahead on Saturday.
The Huskies fly home, guys like me move on to the next city to save our bosses' money (extra flights are much more than one more night in a hotel) and wait for the team to catch up.
The team arrives Friday at their hotel and _bam! _ two guys missing. Suspended.
Now, there's no evidence that Doug Wiggins and Jerome Dyson did anything like what Tony and the other Doug were involved in (they were trying to trade tickets for shoes at a local mall), and as of noon on Saturday we still don't know what the current players' infractions were.
But for those of us who like to enjoy what a city has to offer the night before a game and perhaps imbibe a few of the local libations, though, the timing and the extra work were about as welcome as they were eight years ago.
Posted by Neill on 12:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 25, 2008
Dyson and Wiggins suspended
UConn guards Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins have been suspended indefinitely by coach Jim Calhoun and will miss Saturday's game against No. 7 Indiana. They did not make the trip here with their teammates Friday evening.
Calhoun said after he arrived at the team hotel in Bloomington that he became aware of some information Friday afternoon before the Huskies practiced in Storrs. He allowed Dyson and Wiggins to participate in the practice but later suspended the pair.
“I was informed of something and then allowed them to practice,” Calhoun said. “I got more information after practice then made my decision.”
Dyson is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game. Wiggins is the team’s top performer off the bench, averaging 6.6 points per game.
It's not a legal matter _ no arrests _ and the university as a whole didn't have any say in this.
Craig Austrie will start and probably get the bulk of the minutes. But freshman Donnell Beverly appears to be in line for a big bump in playing time and even walk-on Kyle Bailey (of prep basketball power White Mountains Regional High School) could get in the game.
"Other people are going to have to stand up and play the best they can _ for now and until whenever the suspension is or isn't lifted," Calhoun said.
Austrie said he spoke to Wiggins just before the team left.
"I spoke to Dougie. I didn't see 'Rome," Austrie said. "I told him we were going to get this win for him."
Posted by Neill on 8:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
My kingdom for wireless signal
Internet at the Marriott in lovely Covington, Ky. was down all week so no chance to write much here.
Thanks to the lack of technology, you didn't have to read about my travel woes getting to Cincinnati. Now, however, you do.
Short story: sort of missed my connecting flight in Chicago but
1 - a helpful colleague from the Journal Inquirer who shall remain nameless (wait, I just sort of named him) helped me out while on his cellphone from the plane...
and ...
2 - a pilot who doesn't take any @%&*$# from the gate agents personally walked back up to the gate, opened the door and said "You (United agents and previous flights) are running late. He (me) is coming with us to Cincinnati." Captain Joe Morris (not the former Giant RB) then walked me to the plane and to my seat. Good job GoJet Airlines! (a United Express carrier)
Made the drive from the Queen City (I don't think residents of Cincinnati actually refer to themselves as Queens, though) to Bloomington Friday morning.
There was a lot of flat land....and farms....and not much else.
Oh, wait. Actually there was a highlight of sorts.
We drove through Milan, Indiana. It's known to movie watchers as Hickory.
Couldn't find Jimmy Chitwood or Shooter, though.
Posted by Neill on 2:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
