Calhoun Question Answered By Legislative Office
by Christine Stuart | April 1, 2009 5:56 PM
Posted to General News
Questions about the exchange between University of Connecticut men’s basketball Coach Jim Calhoun and reporter Ken Krayeske over the coach’s $1.6 million state salary have been answered by the Office of Legislative Research.
To recap, Calhoun said he wouldn’t give back a “dime” to the state as it weathers a budget deficit of more than $8 billion. Calhoun said the basketball program brings in much more than his salary.
“We bring in $12 million to the university every year,” Calhoun said back in February. “Get some facts and come back and see me then.”
As a result, the Office of Legislative Research was asked by a legislator to do just that.
An OLR report found that the men’s basketball program brought in more than $14 million in 2008 and spent about $ 7.8 million for net revenues of about $6.27 million. The report also mentions that the graduation rate of players is about 33 percent.
Click here to read the report. And here to read the latest from Ken Krayeske’s blog.
Comments (3)
Posted by: City Hall Watch | April 2, 2009 11:49 AM
The numbers make sense. It would have been nice if Calhoun had noted the difference between gross vs. net income for the university. It is more than likely he knew that when he threw the number out. As a final note, the graduation rate of his players is beyond pitiful. It sure looks like the coach and UCONN uses these players to make money and leaves them with no marketable skills or eduation. This is a university, no? That's just wrong.
Posted by: donna | April 2, 2009 1:07 PM
I would like to know the graduation rate when you remove all players who leave school early for lucrative careers in the NBA. What is the graduation rate for players who DON'T move on to pro ball? That's the statistic that speaks to what kind if education they are giving these kids, not the overall graduation rate. If a kid can make millions leaving for the NBA after his junior year, who can blame him--or the school? We'd all do the same thing.
Posted by: Ken Krayeske | April 2, 2009 5:30 PM
Donna -
UConn currently has 13 players in the NBA, the second highest total of any undergraduate institution. Of those 13, some like Emeka Okafor, graduated (meaning they count towards Calhoun's graduation rate). Others are 10 year veterans, meaning that they are not in the range contemplated by the current rate (which I believe is a seven year period).
I think there have been five early-departure NBA draft picks from UConn in the past four or five years. This might bump his graduation rate up to 45 percent or so.
Supposing that each recruiting class for the basketball team is four students, like the current class of 2009 - which in 2005-06 was Marcus Robinson, Craig Austrie, Jeff Adrien and Rob Garrison. Garrison and Robinson transferred out of UConn after a year or two. But like any good minor league franchise, Calhoun replaces his lost talent. Now has six seniors, meaning he lost two, but gained four (Johnnie Bird, John Lindner, A.J. Price and Jim Veronick).
As statistics go, it means either only two of those six will graduate.
Transfers like Robinson and Garrison count against Calhoun's graduation rate, and I think the four incoming transfers count for his rate. The NCAA's site is confusing at best.
By NCAA average, 25 percent of all Div. I hoops players transfer, so this is not an uncommon hurdle to graduation rates.
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida indicates that only 22 percent of Calhoun's African-American players graduate. If anyone looks at the team, most of his players are African-American.
For Calhoun's $1.6 million a year salary, figuring that two players graduate a year, we're paying $800,000 per diploma.