Huggins and Jim Calhoun dreaming of new BE

[Scott Atkinson]

> From the HARTFORD COURANT...

Jim Calhoun got word of the day's events while at his summer home in Hilton Head, S.C.

The UConn men's basketball coach said he felt bad for what happened as far as football is concerned but was excited about what the future could bring in his sport.

"Twenty-five years ago, even with the Big East, no one could have envisioned what happened," Calhoun said. "Granted, Miami is perennially a good football team, but I think right now, the good thing is that we've maintained basketball. Our football conference has lost its two best programs, but we will clearly replace them very quickly with some of the names they are floating around.

"If we get to the 16-team conference [eight football and eight basketball], it would be incredible basketball-wise. It means you could add, hypothetically, a Marquette, or a DePaul. You would virtually control from Boston, New York, New Jersey, D.C., Chicago ... you would have incredible media control.

"I have spoken to [Cincinnati coach] Bobby Huggins and some other people and I think a lot of people are very excited about the idea of this being the best basketball conference in America. And we still could have a terrific football conference. It may not be what we want initially, but I don't know why people would think it couldn't grow." 


link...

http://www.ctnow.com/sports/college/hc-uconn0701.artjul01,0,5328127.story?coll=hc-headlines-sports-college