Kevin Ollie Attacks Glen Miller In Slander Suit … UConn Adds Ania Makurat From Poland

Ollie Goes Nuclear, Sues Miller for Slander

The Story: The ugly story of Kevin Ollie‘s departure from UConn turned even uglier this week as he is suing his former top assistant, Glen Miller, and Miller’s wife, Yvonne, for slander. Also, a hearing on Ollie suing UConn for his just cause firing and asking for $11 million will also be this week.

WHAT IS THE DEAL? Slander is defamation of the spoken word, and Ollie is accusing Miller of defaming him by telling the NCAA investigation that Stephanie Gilbert, the mother of former player Shonn Miller was paid $30,000 by Ollie. Yvonne Miller had relayed that info to her husband after befriending Shonn Miller’s mother. Ollie has vehemently denied the allegation, which was not used in the decision to fire him. Ollie is suing Miller for at least $15,000.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MILLER? Miller is a longtime UConn coach who had two tours in Storrs and was also a head coach at Connecticut College, Brown and Penn. He came back to UConn and was a part of two national title teams under Calhoun and Ollie, who fired Miller after the 2016-17 season. Ollie alleges that Miller showed “actual malice” in his slander because he told others that he was going to “get” Ollie. Since leaving UConn, Miller has been working with Jim Calhoun at St. Joseph.

MILLER WILL ASK FOR OLLIE RECORDS: Did Ollie pay players? Because of this lawsuit — and since truth is an absolute defense against libel and slander — Miller will subpoena Ollie’s bank records as well as those of Garrett and see if there is any evidence of payment. The bar on winning a case for libel or slander is a high one for public figures in the United States, as we learned in our UConn media law classes. Ollie has to not only prove that the slander is untrue, but that Miller showed “actual malice” and a “reckless disregard for the truth.” Again, the only absolute defense against this type of defamation is the truth. Who do we want to win this slander case?

OUR TAKE: This is an ugly and sordid affair and we are upset it has come to this. We aren’t taking sides but will only say that Ollie deserved to be fired after the 2017-18 season on performance alone. UConn missed two straight NCAA tournaments and the exodus of players was a problem. Why are we still talking about this? Because the UConn administration fired Ollie for “just cause.” That means Ollie doesn’t get any of the $11 million he was owed. Enter the lawyers.

Sure, UConn self-reported NCAA violations and lost a schollie, is $11 million richer and may even win the case and not have to pay Ollie. But at what cost? Ollie has accused the university of racism, has dragged lawyers into this and the media attention is a big negative for the school. Now, we have this slander battle. If Miller is telling the truth, UConn is headed to probation. If Miller is false, then Ollie can say that people in Storrs were out to get him.

If UConn pays Ollie the $11 million — even if it legally doesn’t have to — then he goes away and all this nonsense is a fantasy. Because “just cause” was cited in the dismissal, here we are. UConn has its good name to protect and the damage that has been done isn’t worth the $11 million, in our opinion. We don’t care if UConn is right — and it may well be on the legal front. We are worried about the real cost.

This has all the earmarks of a pyrrhic victory. Indeed, the flames are already fanning.

Polish Guard Commits to UConn

The Story: Polish shooting guard Ania Makurat shared her decision to join the women’s basketball team on Wednesday, making her the second player in UConn’s incoming recruiting class and, crucially, their ninth scholarship player for next season. She chose the Huskies over Oregon, USF, Ohio State and Utah.

WHO IS SHE? Makurat, who is 6 feet tall, is the second foreign player to decide to play for the Huskies in recent weeks after Croatia’s Nika Muhl offered her commitment as part of the class of 2020. Her sister, Ola, transferred to Utah from Liberty, and their mother, Magdalena, played basketball internationally for Poland.

She turned 19 in March and has been playing as an amateur the last two years for Arka Gydnia, which had New York Liberty guard Rebecca Allen and former Connecticut Sun forward Emma Cannon last season. Makurat averaged 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists across 32 games in the Polish league, playing 25.6 minutes per game for a team that finished third.

PAY OR PLAY: The difficulty with securing commitments from foreign players is that they can opt to go pro, and one of the Huskies’ biggest worries with Makurat is that she would enjoy playing for Arka Gydnia and accept a professional contract. Instead, she’ll delay that process by at least three years — she’ll be eligible for the WNBA Draft after her junior year, when she’ll be 22 — and cross the Atlantic to play for the Huskies.

“For sure, they wanted me to stay,” Makurat told Hearst Connecticut Media. “They were happy with how I played, how I performed. … When they heard that UConn [was interested], they didn’t have any problems and didn’t even offer me anything [financially] because they knew that I had already made my decision.”

NO LAUGHING MATTER: Makurat said she considers Diana Taurasi to be her favorite player, so when she received a text message from Chris Dailey shortly before Christmas, she thought it was a joke.

“I know it is not going to be easy at the beginning, but I want to chase my dreams,” Makurat told the Hartford Courant. “I am looking forward to meeting my teammates and my coaches and everybody there.”

WHAT DID GENO SAY? “We’re excited to have Ania on campus this season. She’s a versatile perimeter player and comes in with pro and international experience. Even though she’s a freshman, I think she’ll bring maturity to the team. We think she’s going to have an immediate impact on the roster.”

A BIG ADDITION: After Makurat’s commitment, the Huskies currently have nine players on their roster next season following the graduations of Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson and the transfer last week of Mikayla Coombs. She’ll join Aubrey Griffin, another shooting guard, as freshmen and the two appear likely to compete for a starting role.

Morning Reads

MAYALA TO THE CFL: Wide receiver Hergy Mayala is expected to be one of the top picks in the CFL Draft tonight. (Hearst Connecticut Media)

MAKE IT THREE: Center Ryan Crozier has become the third UConn player to get a professional opportunity this season, but unlike David Pindell and Kyle Buss, Crozier will not have to try out as he signed a contract with the Denver Broncos. (Ryan Crozier on Twitter)

OFFER MADE: The men’s basketball team has offered a scholarship to junior Josh Gray, a 6-foot-11, 205-pound center from The Knox School in St. James, New York. (Adam Zagoria on Twitter)

BOWLING IN BOSTON: The AAC and AAC will face off in a bowl game at Fenway Park beginning next season following the NCAA’s approval. (Stadium)

WICHITA STATE COMING TO TOWN: Wichita State will play UConn at Dunkin’ Donuts Park on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $10. UConn is 27-18 on the season after beating CCSU 9-1 on Monday. (UConnHuskies.com)