Bouknight Faces Charges After Incident
The Story: Freshman James Bouknight is facing several charges after police say the guard crashed a car and ran away from an officer at the scene late last month.
THE DETAILS: According to police, Bouknight was speeding when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a street sign at the Storrs Center development on Sept. 27. An officer responding to the crash asked Bouknight for identification, and after he said he didn’t have any, he ran to a residence hall, where he was later found.
Bouknight faces charges of evading responsibility, interfering with a police officer, traveling too fast for conditions and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He turned himself in on an outstanding warrant yesterday and was released on $1,500 bond with a court date set for Oct. 29.
WHAT DID DAN HURLEY SAY? “In the end, the biggest fallout is gonna be the damage to his reputation. The shame, the embarrassment that he’s caused himself, his family, the program, his teammates — all of us here. James comes from a great family — two great parents that have raised him to make much better choices than he made that night. This is gonna be attached to him in his career for the next several years, minimum. That’s a hard thing. He’s struggling, and he should be. He made some bad choices that night. Thankfully, no one was injured.”
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? First, Bouknight and everyone else is fortunate that nobody was injured, and it’s also good news that there is no record of Bouknight having been under the influence that night. It’s both a seemingly minor incident yet one that could still have significant consequences. From a basketball aspect, Hurley said he still has not determined a suitable punishment — Bouknight did participate during the First Night event on Friday — and it’s plausible he will miss the season opener against Sacred Heart on Nov. 8.
Edsall: You Kids Get Off My Lawn
The Story: With the football team 1-6 for the second consecutive season, Randy Edsall bemoaned the lack of accountability college players face in the modern world and said part of the responsibility for their development as adults falls upon his coaching staff.
BOYS TO MEN: Edsall has always been particular about enforcing discipline — many years ago, he half-jokingly, mostly seriously needled one of us for wearing a baseball cap in the Burton Complex, which was prohibited for players — and doing the right thing. He has been adamant that college is a place where teenagers become adults and part of the responsibility of being an athlete is going to class and working toward graduation. He’s certainly not the disciplinarian Jim Calhoun was, but he runs a tight ship, and having players buy into his philosophy is something he believes is crucial to the program’s success. (Case in point: Those who have missed class were forced to take part in an additional workout yesterday.)
WHAT DID EDSALL SAY? “It’s today’s generation. It’s frustrating. There’s been no accountability in a lot of households and there’s been no accountability with these kids growing up. They’ve never had it tough. They’ve never known how to work. They’ve never known how to sacrifice and be disciplined. That’s the tough thing. We’re trying to change all of those things.”
KRAJEWSKI RETURNS TO PRACTICE: Just three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken collarbone, quarterback Steven Krajewski took part in some drills. Krajewski offered the best flash of any quarterback on the roster when he entered in place of Jack Zergiotis against UCF, and it was later determined that he was injured on one of the hits he took in the game. There’s no timetable for his full clearance.
Morning Reads
MAKING A LEGEND: As the Celtics open their season, take a look at Kemba Walker through the eyes of those who know him — including several players on UConn’s title team in 2011. (The Athletic)
BUBBLE WATCH: Based upon one preseason ranking of the nation’s top teams, the men’s basketball team is probably going to be in the NCAA tournament conversation this season. (CBS Sports)
ONE GOAL IN MIND: With his future still uncertain, Alterique Gilbert is hoping to at least be able to lead UConn to the NCAA tournament this season. (Andy Katz on Twitter)
WHERE’S THE WAIVER? There’s still no clarity on the eligibility of Tennessee transfer Evina Westbrook, who has not yet been cleared by the NCAA to play this season. (The UConn Blog)
SOX TURN TO UCONN: The Red Sox named former UConn outfielder Peter Fatse as an assistant hitting coach. (WEEI.com)
