STORRS, Conn. – A college basketball season yet to begin, and already James Bouknight is making headlines at UConn.
Unfortunately, it is for off-the-court actives. On Tuesday, the school sent out a press release stating Bouknight was facing multiple charges from an incident that took place Sept. 27 – one day before the Huskies began team practices for the upcoming season.
Bouknight is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday after being charged by campus police with evading responsibility, interfering with a police officer, traveling too fast for conditions and operation of a motor vehicle without a license. Bouknight is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 29.
While Bouknight did not speak with the media, he did release a statement through the school.
“I was irresponsible and made some foolish choices that I regret,” Bouknight said. “I want to apologize to my family, my coaches, and my teammates for this situation and for creating an unnecessary distraction as we get ready for the upcoming season.
“But I intend to use this experience to learn from my mistakes and make better life decisions going forward.”
The team has yet to take any disciplinary action against Bouknight, who has been practicing with the team since the incident and took part in last week’s First Night.
“This something we have been dealing with since really the day after,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said, in a post-practice meeting with the media on Tuesday. “After the incident we’ve been working on it with him and aware of it since.”
Bouknight’s status for opening night, which is Nov. 8, against Sacred Heart, and going forward has yet to be determined.
“Every player that you deal with you handle it individually,” Hurley said. “Based on your level of trust in that individual, track record and their history.
“Obviously, there’s internal punishments and discipline that have been ongoing since we learned of it, and that’s something we will keep in house,
“In terms of suspension, we’ll let the process kind of play out.”
One of the factors that will go into Hurley’s decision on a punishment will be Bouknight’s actions since the incident.
“I have extreme confidence from here on our everything attached to James Bouknight going to be really positive,” Hurley said.
So far, Bouknight has cooperated with authorities and has retained a lawyer for the upcoming court appearance.
“In the end the biggest punishment or he biggest fallout from this thing is going to be the damage to his reputation,” Hurley said. “The shame, the embarrassment that he’s cost himself and his family, he’s cost the program and his teams, the university, all of us here.
"He’s going to have to live with this thing – it’s going to be attached to his career for the next couple of years minimum.”
Bouknight is part of a talented freshman class that is expected to help flip a struggling UConn program back in the right direction this season. The Huskies have suffered three straight losing seasons, including last year, Hurley’s first at the school.
Hurley admitted things have not been made easy for Bouknight being around the program right now, but they continue to support him.
“It’s been extremely uncomfortable for him to be around the program but what I’m not going to do is isolate him based on this situation,” Hurley said.
