UPDATE: Ryan Boatright did return to Aurora, Ill., to be with family and friends after the death of his cousin. UConn coach Kevin Ollie told reporters Monday that Boatright could be back for Tuesday’s game against Temple, but Ollie isn’t planning on that. If Boatright isn’t back, that could mean more minutes for freshman guard Terrence Samuel.
STORRS, Conn. – When last week began, the Connecticut Huskies had a considerable amount of bounce in their step. With consecutive victories over Harvard and UCF, the Huskies had regained the confidence they lost during a Texas road trip that produced conference losses to Houston and SMU.
And with a road game at Memphis and a home game against Louisville, the Huskies knew they had an enormous opportunity ahead of them. They could make up ground in the American Athletic Conference standings and possibly return to the national polls with a 2-0 week.
Junior guard Ryan Boatright, like his UConn teammates, was focused on the challenge ahead. Life was good, and normal, until Boatright received a text Monday night that his cousin, Arin Williams, had been shot and killed in a restaurant in Aurora, Ill.
“He’s my cousin,” Boatright told reporters after UConn’s 83-73 win at Memphis Thursday night. “But, really, he’s my brother.” For all the background of that story, click here to read the terrific column by Jeff Jacobs of The Hartford Courant.
By late Saturday night, following UConn’s 76-64 loss to Louisville at Gampel Pavilion, Boatright was drained and emotionally spent from a demanding week he never could have expected.
“It’s just been rough, man,” Boatright said. “I haven’t really had any sleep. No sleep. He’s constantly on my mind. I’m just trying to focus on basketball, when it’s time for basketball.
“When you lose somebody that close to you, it’s natural for [thoughts] to pop up every once in a while. It’s been tough for me, but I’m not holding that as an excuse. I’ve got a job to do. I try to go out there and do my best.”
UConn coach Kevin Ollie said Saturday night that Boatright would be headed home to Aurora to be with family and friends as they mourn Williams together. Asked if his plans were set, Boatright told reporters he was still “contemplating” whether or not he wanted to miss Tuesday’s game against Temple.
Boatright’s plans were still unclear on Sunday. UConn officials have tried to protect Boatright’s privacy through this stressful and emotional time. That’s fine and exactly the way the situation should be handled. Boatright has decided to share a great deal of information, primarily so people can get to know his young cousin and how much they cared for one another.
Whether or not Boatright misses Tuesday’s game isn’t the important thing. If Boatright goes home, UConn must make certain the details are monitored and arranged by the book. In this case, that means the NCAA manual. That’s an unfortunate truth. The NCAA may say everything it does is for the welfare of the student-athletes, but this is one of those areas where the organization fails.
There should be built-in rules for these situations, allowing schools to make arrangements and pay for certain benefits – especially in times of grief. If there are any of those stipulations in place, they don’t go far enough. At a time when play-for-pay is being discussed, this would be a great first step. It’s long overdue.
And you can be sure someone, from the NCAA or from another school, is watching. Boatright was suspended twice during his freshman season for an infraction that involved accepting a plane ticket while he was playing AAU ball. Reportedly, Boatright’s mother accepted for a plane ticket from Ryan’s former AAU coach, who also was a family friend. It all happened before he was in college.
Boatright had nothing to do with those decisions, but he paid the price for what others did. And it seemed the NCAA enjoyed using him as an example.
I respect Boatright for the way he has handled all this adversity during his career. He has always faced the media, been upfront and honest. It would have been easier to hide and not answer questions. But Boatright is mature and confident beyond his years. He has learned from some difficult situations.
But he truly is Chicago tough.
Boatright scored eight of his 10 points in the second half Saturday night. After missing all four shots he took in the first half, he was 4-for-8 in the second half. When the Huskies needed someone to drive the ball, get in the lane and attack the basket against Louisville’s matchup zone, it was Boatright who stepped up and took that on.
Largely unnoticed was Boatright’s defensive effort against All-American guard Russ Smith. Smith scored 23 points but was 5-for-13 from the field. Twelve of those points came from the free throw line. Smith had two assists and four turnovers in 34 minutes.
“Ryan stood in front of him, was getting over screens,” Ollie said. “It was hard for [Smith] to even make a dribble move on Ryan.
“Ryan played great. I know he has a heavy heart. Hopefully God is going to be there with them and his family and give them peace in this tough situation. Then we’ll get him back and he’ll be better than ever.”
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