NCAA suspends UConn's Calhoun

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The NCAA Tuesday ordered a three-game suspension for Connecticut men's basketball Coach Jim Calhoun and three years probation for violating NCAA rules.

In addition to suspending Calhoun for three games in the 2011-12 Big East Conference season, the NCAA called for a one-scholarship reduction for each of the next three academic years, recruiting restrictions, permanent disassociation of a booster and three years probation.

However, the committee didn't bar the Huskies from post-season appearances.

Among the infractions are more than $6,000 in improper recruiting inducements, impermissible phone calls and text messages to prospective student-athletes, failure to monitor and promote an atmosphere for compliance by the head coach, failure to monitor by the university and unethical conduct by the former operations director. In all, eight violations were investigated.

"While we may have made some mistakes in the recruiting process, UConn has never wavered in terms of its fostering and maintaining a strong culture of compliance and has always striven to meet the high standards expected of us," Calhoun said in a statement issued in May when the investigation was first revealed.

UConn is currently ranked 15th.

The case centered on what the NCAA called the "extraordinary steps" taken by the university to recruit a top prospective student-athlete -- Nate Miles -- to its men's basketball program. Former UConn student and NBA agent Josh Nochimson was involved in the recruitment process, providing Miles with impermissible inducements, including the payment of at least a portion of the expenses for foot surgery, the cost of his enrollment at a basketball academy, the registration fee for college boards and strength, conditioning and basketball training, the NCAA investigation found.

In addition, members of the men's basketball staff exchanged 150 impermissible phone calls and sent 190 impermissible text messages with prospective student-athletes, the NCAA said.

The committee's sanctions are harsher than what Connecticut imposed on itself. The school ordered the basketball program to cut back one scholarship for two seasons and put itself on probation for two years.

Connecticut officials have 15 days to appeal the NCAA ruling.