Fansided

UConn men’s basketball being investigated by NCAA

By Brad Berreman

NEW YORK NY - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Kevin Ollie of the Connecticut Huskies looks on during the Jimmy V Classic college basketball game against the Syracuse Orange at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. The Orange won 72-63. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NEW YORK NY - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Kevin Ollie of the Connecticut Huskies looks on during the Jimmy V Classic college basketball game against the Syracuse Orange at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. The Orange won 72-63. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

UConn men’s basketball is having a poor season, and now the program has drawn the NCAA’s attention.

On Thursday, Jeff Jacobs of Hearst Media Connecticut reported the NCAA has launched an investigation into the UConn men’s basketball program. Friday morning, the school confirmed the investigation via a statement

"We are working closely with the NCAA’s enforcement division as they conduct this inquiry,” the statement said.“UConn is absolutely committed to a culture of compliance and intends to fully cooperate, as always, with the NCAA. We will do so in a thorough and transparent manner reflective of the model athletic and academic institution we continually strive to be,” school president Susan Herbst said in the statement."

The NCAA probe is reportedly not related to the wide-ranging FBI investigation into college basketball programs across the country. The UConn program, and head coach Kevin Ollie, is under scrutiny for recruiting violations.

The Huskies had their first losing season in three decades last year, with a 16-17 record, and they are just 11-9 (4-3 in AAC play) so far this season. Ollie signed a five-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season in November of 2016, with news surfacing publicly a few months later as the team was struggling. If he is found to be involved in alleged recruiting violations, a clause in Ollie’s contract allows the school to void it with “just cause.” After securing a top-10 recruiting class nationally in 2016, it’s easy to see Ollie as the focus of the NCAA investigation.

Related Story: 5 candidates to replace Jason Kidd as Bucks head coach

Ollie has been courted for NBA head coaching jobs, though his candidacy to make that jump has obviously taken a hit lately. An NCAA investigation and the possibility of sanctions on UConn men’s basketball is an opportunity to make an exit, as rotten as it would be to leave the program in that condition (see Pete Carroll and USC football). But that stain would not follow Ollie to the NBA if there’s a new opportunity there.