UConn star El-Amin busted for possession of marijuana

The Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. -- Khalid El-Amin, who helped Connecticut win its first national championship just 15 days ago, was arrested yesterday and charged with possession of marijuana. The sophomore point guard was in a car when he was arrested and charged with possession of less than four ounces of marijuana, police said. He was also charged with a minor traffic infraction. Another UConn star, junior Richard Hamilton, was with El-Amin when he was arrested, according to Lt. Mike Manzi, a police spokesperson. Hamilton, a first-team All-American, was not charged. But members of the Statewide Narcotics Task Force, who made the arrest, impounded the late-model red Cadillac the players were in. Police would not say to whom the car is registered. El-Amin was hustled out of a police substation in the city's North End around 6 p.m. and taken to the main police station, where he was booked and released on a written promise to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Thursday. About a dozen teenagers had gathered at the substation on news of the arrest. They cheered as El-Amin eluded reporters and dived into the backseat of the waiting cruiser. Richard Johnson, an attorney who represented El-Amin yesterday said the player would have no comment. Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun issued a statement late yesterday 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.'' El-Amin, a 5'10" point guard, led the Huskies (36-2) to a 77-74 victory over top-ranked Duke in the national championship game on March 29. It was the school's first trip to the Final Four. El-Amin announced last week that he would return to UConn for his junior season rather than make himself eligible for the NBA draft. He started 71 games and became the third UConn player to score 1,000 points as a sophomore. For the past two seasons, he has averaged 14.9 points and 4.1 assists. He finished second on the team in scoring this season with 13.8 points per game and led the team in assists with 140. El-Amin was voted to the Final Four all-tournament team after scoring 30 points and handing out 10 assists in the wins over Ohio State and Duke. El-Amin's arrest came one day after Minneapolis North High School in Minnesota retired his jersey. El-Amin graduated from North in 1997 after leading the Polars to three consecutive state championships.

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