Best coached game by Calhoun

[OkaForPrez]

not his best coached game but at the end of the Pitt BET game in 2011. Literally the whole team is looking at JC, he calls AO over for the pick creating the mismatch with mcgary on kemba. Kemba dribbles the ball and waits for jc to tell him when to go with like 5.5 seconds left jc says "go go go now".....

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel set the screen. And it's my belief that Ollie drew that play up, maybe not in the moment but possibly in the pre-game plan. Call it revisionist history, but one of the angles of that play you can get on youtube shows ollie extending his forearm back towards mid court like he's conducting Kemba's step back.

Also, on topic, Duke 04 has to be in the conversation because its the exhibit A for sitting a player with 2 fouls. Randolph Williams and Horvath all fouled out of that game. We closed the gap with 'Mek on the floor. Do the damn thing that's whatsup.

 

[Pudge]

I think this is all crazy.

He was a far better COACH making moves when he had zero Rips, Okafors, Kembas. Try beating Big East teams with Steve Pikiell and Greg Economou. We developed into the Tiger we became. I think it was much more coaching when we won a game or 5 back before We WERE JC's UConn.

 

[Chief00]

Best Coached game by Jim - there ain't any.
LOL
As I told him - He coached Championships - lots of them!

 

[geordi]

Can't believe you don't think he was a good game coach. Jim was the best game coach I ever saw. He consistently controlled games better than other coaches. Krzyzewski is not half the game coach Calhoun is, and he's proved it time and again against Dook. The 99 Championship was a masterpiece, even to the point where he put Klaiber in for a couple of minutes in the first half to make the point that we weren't afraid of them. Doubling down on Brand totally controlled the paint. And Ricky and Khalid were just quicker and better and he exploited that. With Calhoun's ability to flat out coach, it he were getting the quality of players that K keeps getting, we'd have 8 championships right now.

 

[elduderino]

Chronologically

1988 NIT final vs Ohio St
1990 BET semifinal & final
1992 NCAA vs LSU
1999 vs Duke
2004 vs Duke
2010 (10-11) Maui - entire tournament
2011 BET
2011 NCAAs

Love the list, but gotta disagree w/ 2011 BET. Unless, JC gets credit for handing the team over to Coach Kemba, in which case Henry Winkler from the Waterboy could have won that game.

I had the luxury of being at the Syracuse and Pitt games and it was absolutely unbelievable to watch what Kemba was doing. No doubt, no question, no hesitation, he was going to win that tourney. I don't expect to see any individual performance like that again in my life. Unbelievable!

 

[rw005]

Duke 99 and Duke 04.

 

[intlzncster]

With Calhoun's ability to flat out coach, it he were getting the quality of players that K keeps getting, we'd have 8 championships right now.

I get why you say that, but I'd still take our guys over the last 20 years over Duke's guys.

 

[CTBasketball]

Duke 99'
Indiana 08'
LSU 92'

 

[Buzzyboy]

Can't believe you don't think he was a good game coach. Jim was the best game coach I ever saw. He consistently controlled games better than other coaches. Krzyzewski is not half the game coach Calhoun is, and he's proved it time and again against Dook. The 99 Championship was a masterpiece, even to the point where he put Klaiber in for a couple of minutes in the first half to make the point that we weren't afraid of them. Doubling down on Brand totally controlled the paint. And Ricky and Khalid were just quicker and better and he exploited that. With Calhoun's ability to flat out coach, it he were getting the quality of players that K keeps getting, we'd have 8 championships right now.

I don't agree at all. He developed wonderful game plans and most of them worked to perfection but he is far from a great game coach, making adjustments on the fly. It wasn't a part of his DNA. There was also his Irish stubbornness when he often refused to bend. Maybe that has more to do with my and other's impressions that he wasn't a good game coach. He stayed locked into his pregame mindset and that was it, win or lose! Not to say he would lose gracefully because he's always had a lot of passion.

 

[RichZ]

1999 vs Duke -- The double bigs was crucial, but switching Ricky between Langdon and Avery on a per posession, situational basis late in the game was stunning.

1992 vs LSU -- Totally nullifying Shaq.

2012 vs Warde Manuel -- not only picked the right man to replace himself, by the timing of his retirement, he pretty much forced Manuel to go with his choice. One little bit of strategy that has won, and will win us, who knows how many more games (and chamionships).

 

[intlzncster]

2012 vs Warde Manuel -- not only picked the right man to replace himself, by the timing of his retirement, he pretty much forced Manuel to go with his choice. One little bit of strategy that has won, and will win us, who knows how many more games (and chamionships).

Love it. One of JC's greatest skills: talent evaluation. His last big home run.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

1999 vs Duke -- The double bigs was crucial, but switching Ricky between Langdon and Avery on a per posession, situational basis late in the game was stunning.

1992 vs LSU -- Totally nullifying Shaq.

Those would be my two.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

For those who do not believe that JC was a great game coach, which coach from the past 35+ years would you put ahead of him?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

For those who do not believe that JC was a great game coach, which coach from the past 35+ years would you put ahead of him?

Pete Gaudet?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Calhoun coached the Kentucky 2014 game?

RIF

 

[nelsonmuntz]

1999 Duke. Elton Brand looked like he had no idea that a big to big double was even legal.

Calhoun won that game with the backcourt. Moore and El Amin attacked, attacked, and attacked some more. Avery probably thought he was pretty quick until Moore spent the first half of that game b slapping him. Langdon looked like he was carrying someone on his back he was so slow.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

For those who do not believe that JC was a great game coach, which coach from the past 35+ years would you put ahead of him?

If Calhoun was the greatest coach in coaching history at everything, he would have been undefeated. Can we have a thread on this board where someone makes an honest criticism of something UConn and people don't feel the need to have a "who is the greatest UConn fan" contest?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Dook 2004 Tourney game required intensive player management with Okafor in foul trouble. The comeback was marvelous!

Agree, although ratface lost that game as much as Calhoun won it. I believe Duke had two players with 3 fouls in the first half, right? Idiot.

 

[intlzncster]

If Calhoun was the greatest coach in coaching history at everything, he would have been undefeated. Can we have a thread on this board where someone makes an honest criticism of something UConn and people don't feel the need to have a "who is the greatest UConn fan" contest?

While I don't think he was the "greatest coach in coaching history at everything", the above doesn't make any sense. That's perfect, not best. And obviously players are a massive part of the equation.

He's a top 5 All time coach. Tough to think he'd not be a great game coach and achieve that level.

I thought his question was valid. Who would you put ahead of him?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Call me crazy, but I think Jim Calhoun was a great game coach.

He knew how to make adjustments, how to fire up his players, and how to work the refs. We were always a good second-half team.

Nobody's perfect for chrissakes.

He didn't just "develop players" and throw them out there.

I think he overdid it with the refs, a lot. I am not comparing him to spaz's like Buzz Williams or chumps like everyone that has coached at SHU and Rutgers for the last 15 years. Calhoun was good at making adjustments, but compared to the Rick Pitinos and Tom Izzos, there are coaches that are better.

Personally, I think basketball relies much less on coaching X's and O's in game situations than football. Every play in basketball has second and third options, and most basketball coaching occurs in practice, in getting players to recognize situations and react accordingly more than calling the right play at the right time, like football. This is why UConn PG's always make big jumps between their sophomore and junior years. That big list of reads on top of the big list of plays takes a long time to internalize, but when they get it, UConn PG's are tough to stop. Development is teaching athletes how to be basketball players, and goes far beyond just skills.

Jackasses like Rick Barnes call every play. Most good coaches teach an offense and then let their players improvise within the structure of that offense, but those players need to know what they are doing for that to work and not degenerate into a pickup game. Likewise, UConn runs an aggressive help defense that looks terrible if the players are not making correct split second decisions on when to help and when to stay home. That is all player development.

What makes Ollie's run this year so amazing is that most game coaches take time to develop. Calhoun used to get used by Carnesecca when he first got to UConn. He took 10 years at the highest level to become a coach that could consistently beat top teams without a significant talent advantage. Ollie outcoached Wright, Hoiberg, Izzo, Donovan and Calipari in a row, in his second year. Only Martelli got the better of him, but Brimah bailed us out there. Pretty impressive run by Ollie.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Chronologically

1988 NIT final vs Ohio St
1990 BET semifinal & final
1992 NCAA vs LSU
1999 vs Duke
2004 vs Duke
2010 (10-11) Maui - entire tournament
2011 BET
2011 NCAAs

Good call on the LSU game. I had forgotten that.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

If Calhoun was the greatest coach in coaching history at everything, he would have been undefeated. Can we have a thread on this board where someone makes an honest criticism of something UConn and people don't feel the need to have a "who is the greatest UConn fan" contest?

I don't believe that he was the greatest at everything and yes, there were many instances where he could not get his players to respond well (2006 is glaring, especially when compared to some of his earlier accomplishments, such as the 1988 NIT where at times it appeared that the force of JC's will alone carried that team to the title).

He had many flaws as a head coach. The thing is, all of his contemporaries also had many flaws. When looking at his contemporaries, I cannot think of anyone who I can state was better in game than JC was. I may be overlooking someone but I can think of many current and future HOF coaches who have many flawed results on their resume, I cannot think one who I would put ahead of JC.

 

[pnete]

Corollary to the other thread. I think Calhoun was a good, not great game coach by top coach standards. Calhoun is in the Hall of Fame because he developed players better than any coach that has ever lived, but he has had some moments as a game coach.

1) Maryland 2002 - Yes, UConn lost, but I think Calhoun squeezed every ounce out of this team, and almost took down the eventual national champion. Every move he made was right in this game. I thought sitting Butler was the right move, and he dialed Okafor back enough on that tub of lard Baxter to compensate for the refs treating Baxter like he was Karl Malone. Blake misses that 3 with 25 seconds left and I think a team who's second best player is Johnnie Selvie goes to the Final Four.

2) San Diego State 2011 - one of the best coached basketball games by both coaches I think I had seen until Michigan State/UConn 2014.

3) Duke 1999 and Kentucky 2014 - I put these in the same bucket. For all the accolades of the big/big double teams on Brand, UConn won the 1999 game the same way it won the 2014 game, by dominating the other team's guards defensively. Calhoun had a huge speed advantage on the perimeter, and he stepped on the other teams' throat with it. I put the Langdon travel in the same category at the Harrison untouched backcourt. The other team was so intimidated by UConn's speed that skilled players made mistakes they would never have made otherwise.

Others?

I thought the entire Kemba run was great coaching. But someday, we might see Napier and Lamb starting for OKC.
Kemba an all star for Charlotte, Roscoe grabbing ten rebounds a night and wonder how he could have lost.

 

[pnete]

Corollary to the other thread. I think Calhoun was a good, not great game coach by top coach standards. Calhoun is in the Hall of Fame because he developed players better than any coach that has ever lived, but he has had some moments as a game coach.

1) Maryland 2002 - Yes, UConn lost, but I think Calhoun squeezed every ounce out of this team, and almost took down the eventual national champion. Every move he made was right in this game. I thought sitting Butler was the right move, and he dialed Okafor back enough on that tub of lard Baxter to compensate for the refs treating Baxter like he was Karl Malone. Blake misses that 3 with 25 seconds left and I think a team who's second best player is Johnnie Selvie goes to the Final Four.

2) San Diego State 2011 - one of the best coached basketball games by both coaches I think I had seen until Michigan State/UConn 2014.

3) Duke 1999 and Kentucky 2014 - I put these in the same bucket. For all the accolades of the big/big double teams on Brand, UConn won the 1999 game the same way it won the 2014 game, by dominating the other team's guards defensively. Calhoun had a huge speed advantage on the perimeter, and he stepped on the other teams' throat with it. I put the Langdon travel in the same category at the Harrison untouched backcourt. The other team was so intimidated by UConn's speed that skilled players made mistakes they would never have made otherwise.

Others?

I tended to agree with you but I was most probably wrong. Calhoun had a way of seeing the big picture in a game and some moves that seemed strange ended up with a win. We are not privy as to who may have a sore knee and its not talked about for obvious reasons.
A lot of decisions were made with info we did not have and he was not about to revel to his opponent.

 

[Brochacho]

I think the 09 Elite Eight game was some good coaching. That Mizzou team was fast and tough and being down Dyson it was good that JC allowed for Kemba to take over.