Thursday, September 13, 2012

Farewell Coach Jim Calhoun

by Patrick Dunne
Jim Calhoun was the head basketball coach for the UConn Huskies for the past 26 years. The 70 year old coach has 3 National Championships, 7 Big East Championships, has reached 4 Final Fours and is 3rd among active coaches with a record of (873-380). Coach Calhoun has molded top quality NBA players over the years, such as: Cliff Robinson, Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, and Ben Gordon, to name a few.

The UConn Huskies have had their share of trials and tribulations, with coach Calhoun cited by the NCAA in February 2011 for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance within his program and he was suspended for 3 Big East games in the 2011-2012 season. The NCAA also handed down scholarship reductions for 3 academic years, recruiting restrictions, permanent disassociation of a booster and 3 years probation. Also, due to the past academic performances of Calhoun's players, UConn is not eligible for the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Jim Calhoun was inducted into The Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and The College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. There is no doubt that he is one of the best to ever coach the game of college basketball. His recent NCAA title in the 2011 season made Calhoun the oldest coach to win a NCAA Nation Championship.

Good luck out there, Coach. You will be missed.

1 comment:

  1. Jim Calhoun changed more than just a team, an athletics program, or a university. Jim Calhoun changed an entire state. Connecticut finally had a team that we could be proud of, even after the one professional sports team CT had, left. People didn't think of us as the University of Connecticut anymore, we were UConn, a national basketball powerhouse.

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