UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway and Mr. Calhoun declined to comment on the status of the NCAA investigation. They also agreed that the investigation has not been a factor in contract discussions.
In an interview Monday, Mr. Calhoun said one issue that had delayed his contract is what the coach's role will be after he retires. He said this issue has been resolved and the two sides were "signatures away" from finalizing a four-year deal. Mr. Hathaway wouldn't comment on the status of the contract.
Mr. Calhoun, 67, is one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history, ranking No. 10 all-time in the NCAA's Division I with 823 victories over 38 seasons at Northeastern and UConn. He has won two national championships, in 1999 and 2004, and made three trips to the Final Four, most recently in 2009, when the Huskies were led by Hasheem Thabeet, the No. 2 pick in last year's NBA Draft. In 2005, Mr. Calhoun was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Last season was not the program's finest. After being ranked No. 12 in November, UConn had its worst performance since Mr. Calhoun's first season at the school in 1986-87. Mr. Calhoun missed seven games this winter with a medical condition that the school did not disclose. Mr. Calhoun did not explain the nature of the problem, only that it was a condition that required medication. The team lost to Virginia Tech in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. Three of UConn's four leading scorers last season were seniors who will not be on the team next season.
The confusion over Mr. Calhoun's contract has discouraged at least one top recruit from attending the school. Josh Selby, a top-ranked high-school point guard from Baltimore whom Mr. Calhoun has recruited, signed with Kansas this month. Uncertainty surrounding the coach's future weighed heavily on the decision, according to Mr. Selby's mother, Maeshon Witherspoon. "In Josh's mind, that was a concern—just how long he's going to be there," she said.
Mr. Calhoun says he was concerned that the delay in signing the contract might affect his recruiting, and that the question has been posed by recruits, but not Mr. Selby. "If that's the way Josh felt, he never expressed it to me," he said. UConn's incoming class is ranked No. 17 by Scout.com, a national recruiting site. "We feel very good about our recruiting class," he added.
In March 2009, published reports based on public phone records alleged that members of the UConn men's basketball staff and a former team manager had made improper contact with a recruit named Nate Miles by providing meals and exceeding the allowable number of calls and texts. According to school officials, the NCAA and the school began independent investigations into the matter last year. A spokeswoman for the NCAA says the organization does not comment on investigations until they are completed.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471204575210401099496076.html
In an interview Monday, Mr. Calhoun said one issue that had delayed his contract is what the coach's role will be after he retires. He said this issue has been resolved and the two sides were "signatures away" from finalizing a four-year deal. Mr. Hathaway wouldn't comment on the status of the contract.
Mr. Calhoun, 67, is one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history, ranking No. 10 all-time in the NCAA's Division I with 823 victories over 38 seasons at Northeastern and UConn. He has won two national championships, in 1999 and 2004, and made three trips to the Final Four, most recently in 2009, when the Huskies were led by Hasheem Thabeet, the No. 2 pick in last year's NBA Draft. In 2005, Mr. Calhoun was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Last season was not the program's finest. After being ranked No. 12 in November, UConn had its worst performance since Mr. Calhoun's first season at the school in 1986-87. Mr. Calhoun missed seven games this winter with a medical condition that the school did not disclose. Mr. Calhoun did not explain the nature of the problem, only that it was a condition that required medication. The team lost to Virginia Tech in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. Three of UConn's four leading scorers last season were seniors who will not be on the team next season.
The confusion over Mr. Calhoun's contract has discouraged at least one top recruit from attending the school. Josh Selby, a top-ranked high-school point guard from Baltimore whom Mr. Calhoun has recruited, signed with Kansas this month. Uncertainty surrounding the coach's future weighed heavily on the decision, according to Mr. Selby's mother, Maeshon Witherspoon. "In Josh's mind, that was a concern—just how long he's going to be there," she said.
Mr. Calhoun says he was concerned that the delay in signing the contract might affect his recruiting, and that the question has been posed by recruits, but not Mr. Selby. "If that's the way Josh felt, he never expressed it to me," he said. UConn's incoming class is ranked No. 17 by Scout.com, a national recruiting site. "We feel very good about our recruiting class," he added.
In March 2009, published reports based on public phone records alleged that members of the UConn men's basketball staff and a former team manager had made improper contact with a recruit named Nate Miles by providing meals and exceeding the allowable number of calls and texts. According to school officials, the NCAA and the school began independent investigations into the matter last year. A spokeswoman for the NCAA says the organization does not comment on investigations until they are completed.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471204575210401099496076.html