Published: March 26, 2009
I don’t remember the exact time the texts started to roll in, but I know that they were coming in a flurry.
“Did you hear?”
“I always knew this about them.”
“They’re a bunch of cheaters.”
Umm, guys? What are we talking about here?
Being that I would only get mocked for something like this when it pertains to sports, I opened up my web browser and there it was right in front of me – UConn was being investigated for recruiting violations.
Quickly I looked to see who, or whom, was involved. Once I sorted out the facts, or shall I say allegations, I tried to sort out how I felt about what I just read.
In an attempt to gather my thoughts, I concluded that there was nothing to these allegations. Every school cheats, right?
Most of the top programs in the nation have things like this going on. They have to. Don’t they?
Sports can certainly leave you with questions. And now I had a lot of them.
I didn’t attend Connecticut, but I’ve been a fan ever since I remember devoting my attention to one team.
In a show-and-tell type event in grammar school, I proudly displayed the autographs that were sent to my house by the Huskies.
Along with a signed letter from head coach Jim Calhoun were signed 8×10s of Ray Allen and Travis Knight.
I wore tearaway UConn pants that were roughly seven sizes too big along with a UConn hooded sweatshirt I still own today.
I sat kneeling over our family chair in 1999 when I was watching them, in Khalid El-Amin’s words, “shock the world” with a win over Duke. The score 77-74 still holds meaning to me roughly 10 years later.
I nearly broke my couch at college in 2004 after I was jumping up and down in celebration from their comeback win over Duke and their dismantling of Georgia Tech just two days later.
So, there I was on Wednesday afternoon reading about how they supposedly cheated.
“UConn is a bench of cheaters. Shocker!”
The texts just came coming.
I wasn’t mad or frustrated. But I was disappointed, which to some may be worse. I now know, to some degree, how my parents would always tell me, ‘Mike, I’m not mad at you. I’m just disappointed.’
Ouch.
The team I grew to root for over the course of my adolescence had just, in a way, let me down.
I made my way over to message boards and other programs’ fans were giving the Huskies the business. I guess when you’re at the top, people love to see you fall.
Still, a lot of UConn supporters were being positive and doing the best they could with what was slowly being reported.
Some outlets were wondering if Calhoun should retire. Combine these accusations with his age and health issues, some think the time is now.
I’ve never spoken with him, but I’m pretty sure Calhon will leave on his own terms and not be forced out by a report like this.
“They don’t deserve to win.”
That was one of the last texts that rolled through as the day was drawing to a close and the one that bothered me the most.
They don’t deserve to win? That is what is unfair about this story. On the eve of the Sweet 16, this current roster of players is having to deal with these questions about their recruitment and not the Purdue Boilermakers.
Anything this group – or past teams – have accomplished is now going to be put under the proverbial microscope. In their quest for a third national title, a group of 20-somethings are now having to deal with off-court questions instead of on-court situations and possible defenses they’ll see.
“How do you root for cheaters?!”
I don’t root for cheaters is my answer. I root for the Rickey Moore’s, the Jake Voskuhl’s, the Albert Mouring’s. I cheer for the Kevin Freeman’s, the Ben Gordon’s, the Ray Allen’s, the Donyell Marshall’s.
Calhoun’s former players love him and would do anything for him. It was Caron Butler and Allen who were on the court celebrating the ‘99 championship like it was their own. Former players keep coming back because they love the program and love their coach.
On the field, court or any other playing surface, you learn things like sportsmanship and the skills needed to perform at your highest level. Sports also teach you about loyalty to your school, teammates and coaches.
From a fan’s perspective, you learn that there are certainly the hard times and the joyous times for whichever team you root for. You can be in the street setting off fireworks and banging pots and pans one minute. Another minute you’re looking forward to next season.
I have no choice but to be loyal to a team that has given me some of my most memorable moments as a sports fan.
(Excuse me while I wipe the imaginary tear from my eye…)
From their comeback win over Duke in the 2004 Final Four, Ray Allen’s runner to win the 1996 Big East Championship, Richard Hamilton’s jumper to beat Washington in 1998, Rudy Gay’s staredown of Brandon Roy in 2006 and Taliek Brown’s desperation 3-pointer in the 2002 Big East Championship.
There was the obvious George Mason loss in the 2006 Elite Eight, the stolen laptops by A.J. Price and Marcus Williams, when they couldn’t stop Julius Hodge in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Price’s torn ACL in 2008 and Christian Laettner’s putback in 1990 to knock the Huskies out in the Elite Eight.
There are a lot more moments sprinkled in, but those are just some of them. This week is another chapter in their program’s history.
How can I root for ‘cheaters?’ Because they’re the team I’ve rooted for ever since I can remember and I won’t stop now.
And hopefully, the other UConn fans won’t either.
