UConn had three major Men's BB "scandals": computergate, Miles and the APR.
If UConn was mediocre or sucked, no one would have noticed. If UConn was a longtime blueblood, with a national army of apologists, those scandals would have been marginalized or never gotten major attention.
Computergates happen at every university. Sometimes the offenses are worse. UConn isn't big enough and/or calculating enough to cover up those offenses. We don't have as much to lose as, say, Notre Dame, so we're probably quite a bit more transparent.
Nate Miles was a mistake from day 1. Almost from the beginning I said that Miles was Moby Dick to Calhoun's Ahab. Still, some of the "offenses" we were charged for are now acceptable under current NCAA guidelines IIRC and there were dozens, if not hundreds of Nate Miles situations at other institutions that somehow flew under the radar.
The APR thing hurts because although it was applied retroactively we were the only ones who failed the standard. Never mind the fact that the satndard is flawed. never mind the fact that our athletes don't take bogus basket weaving classes or are enrolled in an "African Studies" program that is completely bogus...we get nailed while more beloved programs get away with their offenses. We were hurt by the APR and it appears we've learned our lesson. UConn has instituted measures to ensure our student athletes maintain a high academic level. In the midst of this god forsaken Men's BB season we should be trumpeting our progress and trying to turn negative perception into positive.
I've had my criticisms of Calhoun but the reality is that he has been no more nefarious than any other high profile HC and that includes the allegedly squeaky clean Coach K. Calhoun reached the top of the mountain three times and that has raised the stakes of the program. However the higher stakes were not supported by the cachet of being a long time blueblood program and I think that has made us a convenient target. Big time programs ride the razor's edge all the time. Often times they cross the line and sometimes by a lot. Public opinion is shaped not by that fact...but whether you get "caught" with "caught" being a function of reputation as much as a function of the crime.