What's In Store for UConn After Admitting to NCAA Violations

The Connecticut Huskies men's basketball program admitted on Friday to NCAA recruiting violations. Their punishment for this will be two years' probation and the loss of one scholarship for the next two seasons. The reason for the speculation came when it was found that the UConn staff was making "impermissible telephone calls and text messages...and improperly provided free game tickets to high school coaches and others". The acknowledgment came from the school after a 15-month long investigation by the NCAA. According to Espn.go.com, the following alleged violations were found during the same investigation:

• Members of the men's basketball staff exchanged at least 160 impermissible telephone calls and at least 191 impermissible text messages with recruits.

• Former student manager turned sports agent Josh Nockimson provided impermissible benefits to a recruit.

• Beau Archibald, former director of men's basketball operations, provided an impermissible benefit by placing a 29-minute phone call to a person whose name was redacted.

• Archibald provided false and misleading information to investigators.

• Former assistant coach Patrick Sellers provided false and misleading information to investigators.

• In 2007 and 2008 members of the men's basketball staff provided 26 impermissible complimentary admissions or discretionary tickets to high school basketball coaches, other teachers or coaches of recruits, and a friend of a recruit.

• Head coach Jim Calhoun failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance in the men's basketball program and failed to adequately monitor the program to ensure compliance with NCAA legislation regarding telephone calls, text messages and benefits.

• The university, between 2005 and 2009 failed to adequately monitor the conduct and administration of the men's basketball program.

Will this publicity and negative light alter UConn's chance of success this coming season? The glass half-full way to look at the situation would be that they openly admitted to their wrong doings (but only after the 15-month investigation took place). But now when ever their name comes up in conversation or during the season, we will all know about the way they tried to "cheat", if you will. What they did was a deliberate way to make them better and put them above other teams for a better chance to win and I have a feeling they will have to deal with the repercussions of that.

In the 2008-2009 season, Hasheem Thabeet led the team to be the number one ranked team in the West. They made it to the Final Four before losing to Michigan State in the Semifinals. This shows that Jim Calhoun, Connecticut's head coach, has the ability to lead the team to the finals, but will that all stand true after they face the public now that these violations have become top gossip?