"The thing that stands out to me is it's one thing to take over a Duke or a Kentucky and build it and win games and win championships," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who went into the Hall of Fame with Calhoun in 2005. He's one of the most special men in my life."Ĭalhoun also will be remembered for turning a regional program into a national power - winning an NIT championship in 1988, national titles in 1999, 20, 10 Big East regular-season championships and seven Big East Tournament titles. "He's pushed me to be the best player and person I could be.
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"He's showed us how to work," Walker said. Walker, who attended the news conference, said that will be a big part of Calhoun's legacy. Ollie is one of more than two dozen players whom Calhoun sent to the NBA, a list includes everyone from Reggie Lewis at Northeastern, to Cliff Robinson, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor, Rudy Gay, Ray Allen and Kemba Walker. "I wouldn't rather have nobody else than KO." "He's a great person, and he loves us," Boatright said. Guard Ryan Boatright said the team didn't want to play for anyone other than Ollie, and will take it upon themselves to make sure his new coach gets to keep the job. Ollie takes over a team that returns only five players who saw significant playing time a year ago and failed to qualify academically for the 2013 NCAA tournament. "My first six years in the NBA, I didn't have no guaranteed contract. Ollie, who played his way from the USBL to a 13-year NBA career, said he's not afraid of the challenge. This is a commitment to him to see what he is like as a head coach." He instead offered Ollie a contract that runs only through next April 4, with a pro-rated value of $384,615. Assistant coach Kevin Ollie, who played point guard for Calhoun from 1991-95, but has never been a head coach at any level, will be the Huskies' new coach.Īthletic director Warde Manual, who had balked at Calhoun's suggestions earlier this year to name Ollie as a coach in waiting, decided not to tag him with an "acting coach" label. With just a month to go before the start of practice, there also was no time for a national search for a replacement.
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So many things are in place for us to even go farther that we have already," he said. He said the injury didn't cause him to retire, but gave him time to reflect on whether this would be a good time to leave.
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When fully retired, he will become head coach emeritus.Ĭalhoun has been slowed repeatedly by illness and accidents in recent years, including the fractured hip. "But we are headed in the right direction."Ĭalhoun will take a transition appointment through next spring as a special assistant to athletic director Warde Manuel. "There have been some bumps in the road," he said. He thanked everyone associated with the Huskies program - administrators, players, fans and his family - for his team's success, and played down both his health problems and troubles with the NCAA. The 70-year-old Hall of Famer, on crutches after breaking a hip last month, made the announcement on the court in Storrs where he racked up many of his 873 total wins.
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It didn't always work that way, but I was always trying to do the right thing." "But I was always trying to do the right thing. "I never, ever, ever said that I was mistake free," Calhoun said. He came back again to finish last season after another absence, this one for spinal surgery.īut on Thursday he finally retired - on his own terms, with a hand-picked successor and no apologies. He refused to retire after winning a third national championship in 2011 because he didn't want a new coach to serve his NCAA suspension. As Jim Calhoun stood in his office at Gampel Pavilion, waiting for his final news conference as Connecticut's basketball coach, Pat Calhoun turned to her husband and gave him one final piece of advice.Ĭalhoun had stayed on at UConn through cancer and a recruiting scandal.