Calhoun retiring?

[Pakuni]

http://m.nbcconnecticut.com/nbcconnecticut/pm_107802/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=v6obSyph&rwthr=0

UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun's retirement is imminent, according to a source close to the coach.

Calhoun, 70, has coached the Huskies to three national championships in his 26-year-tenure as head coach. His last title came in 2011. UConn won national championships in 1999 and 2004 as well.

Calhoun told NBC Connecticut's Kevin Nathan Wednesday that nothing official has been finalized.

"Don't be surprised by anything, even this week," Calhoun said.

It is a matter of Calhoun and his agent "dotting the 'i's' and crossing the 't's'," according to the source.

A second source said Calhoun wants to meet with his players in person before any announcement is made.

UConn faces a postseason ban for the 2012-2013 season for failing to maintain an NCAA academic requirement for the 2007-2010 seasons. Calhoun's plans for the future became more uncertain after coach fractured his hip when he fell during a bike ride in August.

In addition to his three national titles, Calhoun has seven Big East Tournament titles, four Final Four appearances and has won more than 600 games at UConn.

[Otule's Glass Eye]

Just saw this in a link on an ESPN post on the Notre Dame to ACC page, you beat me to it Pakuni.

[chren21]

From mike n mike this morning.   I could imagine that if someone looked hard enough they could find some ND fans that will tell you he made this decision because nd is leaving the conference. 

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

More from this morning's New Haven Register. http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/09/13/sports/doc50510a7b7bfbc412899002.txt

UCONN MEN: Jim Calhoun to announce retirement Thursday

By David Borges, Register Staff
dborges@nhregister.com / Twitter: @DaveBorges

Jim Calhoun, who 26 years ago took over perhaps the weakest program in the Big East and transformed it into one of the most prominent in the nation, is retiring.

As first reported by NBC Connecticut, Calhoun is expected to formally announce his retirement after 40 years of coaching at a press conference on Thursday.

Assistant coach Kevin Ollie will take over the head coaching reins, at least for the interim.

Calhoun has waffled on his decision since March, saying he intended to coach out the final two years of his contract, but reserved the right to change his mind. A broken hip suffered in a bike accident in early August may have been the final straw in determining that, at age 70, it was time.

"He went back and forth on it," said a source close to Calhoun, "but I think he's comfortable with (the decision)."

Calhoun won three national titles at UConn and took the team to four Final Fours. He finishes with 873 career wins (sixth on the all-time list) — 625 of them at UConn. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Huskies won the national championship in 2011 behind a miraculous performance by Kemba Walker, but have otherwise been hit with plenty of controversy in recent years. Low Academic Progress Rate scores will keep UConn out of the postseason in 2013. A few years ago, the program was also docked scholarships due to recruiting violations.

Calhoun has also battled numerous health problems in recent years, from cancer (prostate and skin) to broken ribs and a broken hip from separate bike accidents.

"He was always one of the fiercest competitors from afar," said former Providence coach Tim Welsh. "When you were toe-to-toe against him, he was not only one of the top coaches but one of the toughest guys on the sidelines. You always knew when you played his team, it was going to be a streetfight. And with his players, it was going to be a track meet, as well."

As he has indicated in the past, Calhoun is expected to remain with the program in some capacity. According to a source, Calhoun will serve as a "special assistant," at least for this coming season. In the terms of his 2010 contract extension, he was due to receive either a one-time payment of $1 million or secure employment in a full-time position in the athletics department for a maximum of five years at an annual salary of $300,000.

Contacted by phone Wednesday night, Ollie didn't want to comment on the situation, preferring to let Calhoun explain everything at Thursday's 2 p.m. press conference.

Ollie has never been a head coach at any level and has only been a UConn assistant for two seasons since retiring from a nomadic, 13-year NBA career. However, Calhoun has been privately lobbying for Ollie to be named as his successor, though first-year athletic director Warde Manuel has balked about naming Ollie a "coach-in-waiting."

According to reports, Ollie will be given a one-year contract but will not be labeled an "interim" head coach. Associate head coach George Blaney will remain on the staff, as well as assistant Glen Miller. Director of basketball operations Karl Hobbs will be bumped up to assistant status.

Ollie has drawn rave reviews among recruits. Contacted Wednesday evening, Kareem Memminger, the AAU coach of recent UConn commit Kentan Facey, said: "If Kevin takes over, we will still honor the commitment. Anybody else, we've got to look at it."

Ollie has huge shoes to fill. Calhoun is one of only five college basketball coaches in NCAA history to win three national titles (1999, 2004, 2011).

Calhoun began his collegiate coaching career at Northeastern in 1972 and took that program to the NCAA tournament five times before taking over the reins at Storrs in 1986.

After a 9-19 inaugural season, Calhoun's UConn teams never finished below .500 again over the next 25 years. They won the National Invitation Tournament in 1988, and two years later won their first Big East tournament title while riding a "dream season" to the Elite Eight. Current Quinnipiac assistant coach Scott Burrell was a star on that team.

"It's a sad day for UConn basketball, but he built a great legacy at UConn," Burrell said. "I'm sure he's happy with what he's accomplished. I know his hip's a little sore but I know deep down, he's happy."

UConn won seven more Big East tourney titles under Calhoun and 10 regular-season championships. The program reached 13 Sweet 16's under Calhoun and got to the Elite Eight nine times. Continued...

"The game will thoroughly miss him," said Welsh. "He was one of the personalities of the game you don't see a lot anymore. A lot of the great personalities are out of the game, and the coaches are more robotic. He had that Boston streetfighter mentality, 'I'm the underdog.'"

After the Huskies' national title win over Butler in 2011, Welsh saw Calhoun at the after-party. The UConn coach was still angry at certain media types who hadn't picked his team to win.

"That irked him," Welsh recalled. "That's why he was so successful."

To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhsports to 22700. *Msg & Data Rates May Apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.

[Niv Berkowitz]

Caught one minute of Mike/Mike gushing over Calhoun and ESPN's "home" team this a.m. Needless to say, it was very glossy. My guess is they aren't going to be too critcial of the guy.
Unlike, say, every other publication not tied in w/the university...like Yahoo Sports for instance.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaab--jim-calhoun-s-conflicted-legacy-at-uconn-includes-plenty-of-wins--controversy.html;_ylt=Aq8KOnJnzuzUepRmtY_Vp3w5nYcB;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0OThkOW91BG1pdANGRUFUVVJFRCBNZWdhdHJvbiBTUE9SVFMgRlAEcGtnAzUyMmIwNmE3LWFhZmQtMzNjMC04N2ZkLTk1MTFmODk2MmFhOQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDbWVnYXRyb24EdmVyAzFhYzdiZWIzLWZkNzMtMTFlMS1iZmJmLWY1OGM4OTlkZjQ0MQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

[LAMUfan]

mentioned on mike and mike this morning that he was going to announce today as well

[Spotcheck Billy]

maybe Ollie will do things the right way now at UConn

[4everwarriors]

Maybe Larry can get Calhoun after Buzz bolts.