The Jim Calhoun era of UConn basketball has now ended. That era included 26 seasons with three NCAA titles and four Final Four appearances. However Calhoun announced, “It’s time. It’s time to move forward. There’s been a lot of things swirling around for some time. It’s time to move forward.” Calhoun is currently on crutches after surgery for a fractured hip. The tenacious coach would love nothing more than to come back from the injury and stay with his athletes, but it is his time. Calhoun will be replaced by assistant coach Kevin Ollie. UConn hopes to keep Ollie long term, but only signed him for one year. Many of Calhoun’s colleagues came out to praise the work he accomplished over the years.
“The basketball speaks for itself,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. “People judge different things but I’m more impressed with how he had an impact on the campus. The special ones transform the campus. It was a crappy campus and now 25 years later it’s one of the nicest in the country. What happened to the campus, to the athletic department, that’s what he was able to do there. There’s no way that happens if he isn’t doing what he did in basketball there.”
“He’s an amazing competitor and clearly one of the best coaches ever,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “For 40 years as a college head coach, his teams played with his spirit and the results were unmistakable — championship-level performances. He is a true giant in our game and a dear friend. Certainly, he will be missed.” Calhoun leaves behind a legacy, but more importantly he made talented athletes even better and passed on his tenacity to them.
Better that he should retire under his own terms that being forced out .
See Billy Gillespie’s current situation as what can go wrong .