So long Scottie

I'll never forget one of the first times I watched Scottie Haralson play. It was November 28, 2008 and the Huskies were playing Bryant University at the XL Center.

The game was a blowout and, with only a few minutes left in the second half, coach Jim Calhoun started putting in the reserves. Haralson was one of them.

In the previous two games, Haralson had taken five three-pointers and missed just as many. As the minutes went by in the Bryant game, Haralson threw up two more threes, missing both of them - badly.

Fast forward to the final seconds of the game. Senior walk-on Johnnie Bird was dribbling out the clock ball like any team up 30 points would do at the end of a blowout.

But with less than five seconds to go, Bird passed the ball to Haralson, who fired up a three-pointer from the corner. It all happened so quickly.

Ball. Hoop. Swish. Buzzer. Loud cheers from the crowd. Calhoun shakes head. Haralson celebrates. Calhoun gives death stare. Haralson, team walk off court.

In his defense, he was a freshman. We all make mistakes, right?

But in reality, Haralson was supposed to save UConn basketball from its three-point shooting woes. He was talked up as the next great UConn three-point specialist. He was compared to the likes of sharpshooter Rashad Anderson who ended his career with 276 threes, the most in UConn history.

It seemed like the 6-foot-4 guard from Jackson, Miss., had a promising future with coach Jim Calhoun and the Huskies.

But as the Huskies slowly worked toward their most successful season since 2004, Haralson got lost in the shuffle.

In total, Haralson saw 50 minutes of playing time.

In practices, he shot the lights out.

In games, he shot 30 percent.

But now, Haralson doesn't have to live up to the expectations. Now, he isn't the next Rashad Anderson. Now, it doesn't matter how well he shoots in practice, or how terribly he shoots in games.

None of this matters because Haralson is gone. Earlier this month, Haralson announced he was transferring to the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma - a Husky turned Golden Hurricane.

It was a move that seemed unexpected to many UConn fans. But when you break it down, it's the only thing Haralson should have done.

I want to applaud his efforts to go out and start over. Here, you have a kid who was the 2008 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and he comes to one of the best basketball schools in the country and doesn't get his playing time.

So instead of sitting around dejectedly, he still has enough swagger and confidence to think that if he isn't going to play for UConn, then he's going to play for someone else.

In many ways, it wouldn't have been right if Haralson spent four years playing limited minutes at a high caliber program that was only destined to compare him to figureheads of the past.

Now, as it should be, Haralson can go out and make a name for himself at a school that is on the upswing. Last season, Tulsa finished second behind Memphis in the Conference USA and advanced to the second round of the NIT.

In accordance with NCAA rules, Haralson will sit out the 2009-2010 season and will then have three years of eligibility.

But what exactly does his departure mean for UConn next season? Even though I was a Haralson supporter and stubbornly believed that he was going to be a great player, his departure from UConn was for the best.

First of all, UConn has three incoming recruits in Darius Smith, Jamaal Trice and Jamal Combs-McDaniel who all play the wing, the same position Haralson played.

And perhaps most importantly, with Haralson gone, Calhoun now has another open scholarship that, in my opinion, should be invested in another big man to try and replace some guy by the name of Hasheem Thabeet.

Then again, if UConn is forced to give up any number of scholarships as a result of the alleged recruiting violations dealing with Nate Miles, this open scholarship will certainly come in handy.

Either way, UConn is better off without Haralson, and Haralson is better off without UConn.