Prank callers disrupt conference call with Big East coaches

[MarquetteVol]

By Shannon Ryan | Tribune reporter
    1:14 PM CST, January 24, 2008

Several Big East men's basketball coaches were asked lewd questions by prank callers who broke into the weekly teleconference with media on Thursday by posing as legitimate reporters from across the country.

The Southeastern Conference women's basketball teleconference received similar calls on its Tuesday call.

Most questions from the pranksters were cut off at the first hint of vulgarity and most are not suitable for pint. The tamest question asked was whether a coach watched his players in the showers.

Big East associate commissioner John Paquette said the calls would be investigated.

"We obviously will investigate what we can do here with the crank calls," Paquette said. "It sounds like a lot of the same stuff [from the SEC call]."

The callers were introduced under names of journalists from around the country. The pranksters managed to ask at least six questions to the eight conference coaches before Paquette began rejecting calls from reporters' names or papers he did not recognize.

Paquette said another phone number would be used for next week's calls and that the replay of Thursday's call probably would not be made available.

Most coaches who heard the questions, including Marquette's Tom Crean, St. John's Norm Roberts, West Virginia's Bob Huggins and South Florida's Stan Heath, did not respond. Crean laughed and wished the rest of the coaches on the line luck dealing with the callers.

Connecticut coach John Calhoun had some advice for the callers.

"I wish some people would get a life," he said.

sryan@tribune.com

[Dish]

I wonder if these are the same guys who posed as the Presidents back on the Rivals site like two years ago.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I think that's hilarious. I'd love to hear a tape.

[Dish]

Here's a little bit more insight...

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/01/telepranksters_hit_the_big_eas.html

Telepranksters Hit the Big East

For once, Georgetown fans can stand in solidarity with Jim Calhoun. (AP Photo)Already this week, we were forced to read this shocking headline and others like it:

Prank callers join SEC coaches' teleconference
POSING AS REPORTERS, THEY ASK VULGAR QUESTIONS

!!!!!!!!!

"The questions were graphic in nature and included inquiries about coaches having sexual relations with players and players' performances based on their menstrual cycles."

!!!!!!

Well, today the band of sexual teleconferencing miscreants, which probably includes at least one godless blogger, has viciously attacked the Big East, where the questions to Bob Huggins included "Are you still [edited edited edited]?" and something about whether Roy Hibbert's play "was affecting the [edited edited edited]." Jim Calhoun then got on the call and said "I wish people would get some lives," whereupon a caller buzzed in and asked him whether one of the call's operators has "a big rig." Norm Roberts was also, we believe, asked about masturbation.

The moderators eventually attempted to limit the questions to reporters they actually know by name, but someone posting as ESPN.com's Heather Dinich (formerly of The Post and the Baltimore Sun] was let through and said something about how the operator person sounded hot before she was bounced.

Clearly, our sporting security has been breached this week in a manner the most alarmist DHS staffers never saw coming. Ring up Code Red, buy some extra toilet paper and keep Jim Calhoun in your thoughts, if you would.

By Dan Steinberg |  January 24, 2008

[77ncaachamps]

Why did Crean laugh? Does he?

[NateDoggMarq]

I think that's hilarious. I'd love to hear a tape.

I totally agree.  Their is nothing funnier than a good prank call.

I have a tape of Captain Janks from the howard stern show pranking all sorts of famous syndicated news shows.

[77fan88warrior]

I remember a classmate who used to harass Majerus  after bad losses over his home phone line. I never understood it but I don't mind a radio prank call here and there.

[MUFanInGreenBay]

The local Fox t.v. station here in Green Bay always has a postgame show after almost all the Packer games during the season. They've been doing it now ever since the early 90's. Well, I remember back during Gilbert Brown's last season as a Packer the show taking a call from a fan after one game that turned out to be a prank. The fan called in and asked the show's host if he knew "how Gilbert Brown's jockstrap smelled after a game". Man, it was so dam funny I'll never forget it.    

[muhoosier260]

funny stuff. the best prank calls i've ever seen is the following link to youtube, a c-span compilation. i think the best part of this (other than these guys audacity to do this stuff on cable tv) is the fact that the guests are laughing at some of this stuff

http://youtube.com/watch?v=52zSRV_Kgfw

"boy the callers are really fired up today!!!!"

priceless stuff, extremely immature, but hey so am i

[chapman]

Hilarious.  But really, who thinks up the idea to prank call a coaches teleconference, and has the balls (and the lack of anything better to do) to carry their plan out?

[NateDoggMarq]

Captain Jenks is a genius!!!


"Am I on the air....FUK"

"My name is  Balsa Teabagger from Pakistan"