UCONN'S EL-AMIN FACES MARIJUANA CHARGE

UConn men's basketball star Khalid El-Amin, two weeks removed from
leading the Huskies to their first national championship, was arrested
Tuesday in Hartford on a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.

El-Amin and teammate Richard Hamilton, an All-American, were pulled
over about 5:30 p.m. on Vine Street in the North End by detectives of
the Statewide Narcotics Task Force, a regional group of state and area
police department officers.

El-Amin, who was driving a red luxury car, allegedly failed to observe
a traffic light, city police Lt. Michael Manzi said. While being
patted down, El-Amin was found with a packet -- or "nickel" bag -- of
what was suspected to be marijuana, Manzi said.

Hamilton was not arrested and was free to leave. Onlookers at the
scene of the arrest recognized the UConn stars, and one allowed
Hamilton into a home to use a telephone, Manzi said.

El-Amin, 19, was charged with possession of less than four ounces of a
controlled substance. He was released on a promise to appear in
Hartford Superior Court Thursday.

El-Amin told police "he has never been arrested before," Manzi
said.

If that is the case, El-Amin may only face a fine if convicted of the
traffic violation. The misdemeanor possession charge would likely be
referred to Hartford Community Court, where a conviction would call
for community service. Such a scenario, assuming the case involves a
first-time offense, generally would involve eight hours of community
service, law enforcement sources said.

El-Amin also said the car belonged to a fellow [UConn] student," Manzi
said.

About a dozen teenagers gathered at the Albany Avenue police
substation after hearing that El-Amin was detained there. They cheered
as El-Amin eluded reporters and was ushered into a police cruiser for
booking at Hartford police headquarters.

El-Amin was released less than 90 minutes after his
arrest.

UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun issued a statement late Tuesday
saying he will ''deal with the matter within our program.''

''We are in the business of educating and that is an on-going
process,'' he said. ''I'll stand by Khalid's side as this matter is
resolved to help insure that he fully understands his position as a
highly visible student-athlete and role model.''

A parade to celebrate UConn's NCAA championship is scheduled to wind
through downtown Hartford Saturday morning. Mayor Michael P. Peters
has said he expects more than 200,000 fans to line the streets.

There is no word on whether El-Amin will participate in the
parade.

The next question that begs: Will this impact El-Amin's recent
decision to play at least another season at UConn? Given that
El-Amin's NBA draft status still needs enhancing, the arrest will
likely have little impact on his plans.

What the arrest did impact was the close of a post-tournament
whirlwind for El-Amin.

Last Wednesday, El-Amin ended speculation about a possible jump to the
NBA when he announced he would return to Storrs for his junior year.

"After winning the national championship, I think doing it a second
time would be even better," El-Amin had said in a statement. "I want
to come back and try to relive the great memories and experiences we
all shared in winning the recent NCAA championship."

A day later, El-Amin was in New York to tape an interview on the "Late
Show with David Letterman" Friday night.

On Monday, El-Amin returned to his alma mater, Minneapolis North High
School, where his No. 42 jersey was retired in a schoolwide ceremony.

El-Amin is the most celebrated scholastic star in Minnesota history.
His statewide fame is as far-reaching as that of another Minnesotan,
former Celtics great Kevin McHale.

The last UConn player to be arrested was senior forward Antric
Klaiber, one of El-Amin's good friends. Klaiber was charged with
driving under the influence of alcohol Jan. 21, 1998, after the car he
was driving struck a concrete barrier on I-84 in East Hartford.

Klaiber was also cited for failure to wear a seat belt. At the time
Klaiber was a 21-year-old junior.

Klaiber was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to attend
alcohol education classes.

Calhoun suspended Klaiber from practice for one week. Klaiber was held
out of four games over a two-week span.

El-Amin, a former Big East Conference rookie of the year, has scored
1,090 points in 73 career games -- only the third UConn player to
score 1,000 in just two seasons.

An honorable menion All-American, he was named to the Final Four
all-tournament team, the NABC District I All-Star team and the All-Big
East second team.

El-Amin averaged 13.8 points and 3.8 assists as a sophomore. He shot
41.2 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three-point range.
Those numbers were down from his freshman year.

El-Amin and his wife, Jessica, live in Storrs with their 4-month-old
infant, Ishmael. El-Amin also has a son Tezzaree, 2, from a previous
relationship.