UConn accused of recruiting violations

The Connecticut men’s basketball program may have violated NCAA rules in its 2008 recruitment of highly talented guard Nate Miles, officials said.

After a six-month investigation, Yahoo! Sports said Miles was provided with lodging, meals and transportation by Josh Nochimson — a professional agent and a former UConn student manager.

The Yahoo! report also said former UConn assistant coach Tom Moore made 27 calls to people close to Miles in December 2006.

NCAA regulations permit just one call per month to prospective recruits in a player’s junior year of high school.

In late September 2008, Miles was arrested by university police after a restraining order said a female student alleged she was physically and sexually assaulted by him.

He later allegedly contacted the woman and felony charges of violating the restraining order followed.

In October 2008, he was expelled before basketball practice began and never played for Big East Conference school and eventually he enrolled at the College of Southern Idaho.

The Huskies are in Arizona to play in the West Region semifinals of the NCAA Tournament Thursday against Purdue, and released a statement on the allegations.

When the university began its recruitment of (Miles) … it utilized the university’s outside counsel on NCAA related matters who worked collaboratively with the NCAA staff to examine all aspects of his amateur status, as is expected under NCAA rules, the statement read. The NCAA’s Eligibility Center reviewed all information that it had concerning the student-athlete’s eligibility status and determined that he was eligible for his freshman year. (Miles) departed from the university before ever participating in athletics competition.

While saying no UConn student-athletes were named in the story, the statement said the university takes very seriously its responsibilities of NCAA membership and will do all that is expected to follow up on any information related to possible NCAA rules violations.