Calhoun: 2004 best team I ever coached

[tcf15]

A little break from the Tyrese Martin celebration

Jim Calhoun: 2004 UConn Huskies Best Team I Ever Coached

Calhoun has spent nearly a half century in coaching, and one of his teams stands above the rest

cbssportsradio.radio.com

“The 2004 team is the best team I’ve ever had, no question,” Calhoun said on The Zach Gelb Show. “Emeka Okafor was the second guy taken in the draft [that year]. He ended up being Rookie of the Year. Ben Gordon, who became Sixth Man of the Year, [played] 11 years [in the NBA and was the] third guy [taken] in [that] draft. Charlie Villanueva, Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong, Marcus Williams – six first-round draft choices over the next couple years. That was really, really a special, special team.”

 

[bendm]

going to the 2004 big east chip against pitt is a defining childhood memory. somehow my dad and i were staying in the same hotel as the team and i got the autographs of taliek, gordon, brown, anderson, boone, charlie, and okafor in the lobby before they left for MSG. a day doesnt get better than that for a kid.

 

[Travelman6]

2011 though!!!

 

[businesslawyer]

going to the 2004 big east chip against pitt is a defining childhood memory. somehow my dad and i were staying in the same hotel as the team and i got the autographs of taliek, gordon, brown, anderson, boone, charlie, and okafor in the lobby before they left for MSG. a day cant get any better for a kid.

I still remember, up 3 with a second or two left after two Ben Gordon free throws, the utter look of panic in Hilton's eyes when, as the last defender, he let the ball go over his head to a wide open Panther for a look at a tying 3. Fortunately, the pass drew the player inside the 3 point line but you could see Hilton's fear that Calhoun would never put him on the court again.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

I would agree, 2004 team was special.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

2011 though!!!

2004 team would beat 2011 team by 10.

 

[Hoophound]

99’ gives them all they can handle. However, it is hard to argue against 2004. I still like the ruthlessness of 99’ better. That team was 1 loss or less barring injuries.

2004 had a little soft spot mid season but then peaked at tourney time and as JC says, “they really kicked the window out, and played great, great basketball”. You could debate it all day but JC probably knows best.

 

[Fishy]

2004’s soft spot was Emeka Okafor’s back.

If that team is healthy, they’re too much for 1999.

Debating which of your title teams was better with two others in reserve is kind of a nice problem to have.

 

[Jaker]

the 99 team was mentally tough, the 04 team had the most talent.

 

[B1GEast]

The 2004 team was one of the best ever. That team was balanced, offense, defense, bench players.

I think they were good enough to beat the 90 UNLV squad

 

[metsfan2323]

2004 was the most talented team but the best team from my POV was 99, 2 losses all season and the epic upset of that powerful Duke team. The media was ready to crown that Duke team the best of all time until.....

 

[browndog319]

going to the 2004 big east chip against pitt is a defining childhood memory. somehow my dad and i were staying in the same hotel as the team and i got the autographs of taliek, gordon, brown, anderson, boone, charlie, and okafor in the lobby before they left for MSG. a day doesnt get better than that for a kid.

I was at the Final Four in San Antonio and that was an amazing couple of days.

 

[mauconnfan]

2004 was the most talented team but the best team from my POV was 99, 2 losses all season and the epic upset of that powerful Duke team. The media was ready to crown that Duke team the best of all time until.....

That's the argument '99 and '04. Tough one but I think Fishy said it all above. And crazy to hear this from me but Taliek would've taken some of KEAs mental toughness to task with his defense. But Ricky on the other hand may have given Ben all he could handle.

Fun one, '04 in a barn burner.

 

[Travelman6]

99 in a barn burner!

(all in good fun. If Jim says 2004 is the best, 2004 IS the best.)

 

[HuskyHawk]

That's the argument '99 and '04. Tough one but I think Fishy said it all above. And crazy to hear this from me but Taliek would've taken some of KEAs mental toughness to task with his defense. But Ricky on the other hand may have given Ben all he could handle.

Fun one, '04 in a barn burner.

I enjoyed the 99 team more. The 2004 squad was so good they could put it on cruise control on occasion and not quite bring everything. The 99 team was going all out all the time.

 

[CL82]

99 in a barn burner!

(all in good fun. If Jim says 2004 is the best, 2004 IS the best.)

Where did you sim this?

 

[HooperScooper]

I was at the Final Four in San Antonio and that was an amazing couple of days.

Yup. Loved walking out of the Alamodome after Saturday night's game and whooping it up in front of the Duke fans. Again.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

2004 team would beat 2011 team by 10.

I agree with that but the 1999 team vs 2004 would be a heck of a game.
How well Jake defends Emeka or really what Calhoun ( sounds strange ) does defensively to negate the obvious mismatch is the kind of stuff I love. Or how JC stops RiP’s midrange game. The 1999 team beat “the greatest college basketball team in history” so you never know. In retrospect JC was a better defensive coach than offensive coach. So what he comes up with either way would be cool to analyze.
i think evaluating JC 1999 vs JC 2004 the former was probably his best coached team ever.
The 1999 team was interesting because you could sit anyone for an extended period and the drop-Off was small. In 2004 if you sit Emeka it’s not the same team.
Fun stuff to think about .

 

[Lefty2one]

No surprise that Calhoun feels that way. That team was absolutely loaded.

They faced a lot of turmoil throughout the season.
- Villanueva wasn't ruled eligible until 5-6 games into the season.
- Okafor's on and off back problems.
- Marcus Williams getting himself ruled ineligible for the spring semester.
- Ben broke his nose in January and it affected his play.

At its peak, I think 2004 is our best team ever by a fairly wide margin. It just wasn't at its peak all that often for a variety of reasons. The overall talent and depth were insane. Rashad and Charlie came off the bench FFS. There were so many future NBA guys. The team had everything: shooting, size, athleticism, rebounding, shot-blocking, defense, etc.

 

[browndog319]

Yup. Loved walking out of the Alamodome after Saturday night's game and whooping it up in front of the Duke fans. Again.

That whole weekend was so fun. Realizing that we were doing to beat Duke in the Final Four game was amazing. And you’re right, walking out of the Alamodome and then onto the Riverwalk was amazing. So fun.

 

[gsmooth]

The 2004 team was one of the best ever. That team was balanced, offense, defense, bench players.

I think they were good enough to beat the 90 UNLV squad

interesting you say that. the 2004 during the season, before Okafor's back injury was occurring, was being compared to that 1990 UNLV team. When the NCAA tournament was announced, most fans, and I am not talking UConn fans, didn't fill out the brackets progressing from one round to the next like most people do. People penciled in UConn winning it all and then proceeded pick the other games.

 

[gsmooth]

I agree with that but the 1999 team vs 2004 would be a heck of a game.
How well Jake defends Emeka or really what Calhoun ( sounds strange ) does defensively to negate the obvious mismatch is the kind of stuff I love. Or how JC stops RiP’s midrange game. The 1999 team beat “the greatest college basketball team in history” so you never know. In retrospect JC was a better defensive coach than offensive coach. So what he comes up with either way would be cool to analyze.
i think evaluating JC 1999 vs JC 2004 the former was probably his best coached team ever.
The 1999 team was interesting because you could sit anyone for an extended period and the drop-Off was small. In 2004 if you sit Emeka it’s not the same team.
Fun stuff to think about .

"In 2004 if you sit Emeka it’s not the same team."
true, but they still kicked ass. Remember the Alabama game in the Elite 8, Okafor didn't play the second half and they still cruised to victory.

 

[gsmooth]

No surprise that Calhoun feels that way. That team was absolutely loaded.

They faced a lot of turmoil throughout the season.
- Villanueva wasn't ruled eligible until 5-6 games into the season.
- Okafor's on and off back problems.
- Marcus Williams getting himself ruled ineligible for the spring semester.
- Ben broke his nose in January and it affected his play.

At its peak, I think 2004 is our best team ever by a fairly wide margin. It just wasn't at its peak all that often for a variety of reasons. The overall talent and depth were insane. Rashad and Charlie came off the bench FFS. There were so many future NBA guys. The team had everything: shooting, size, athleticism, rebounding, shot-blocking, defense, etc.

yeah if Marcus Williams was eligible he would've been perfect for coming off the bench for Taliek (think Eddie House and Rondo on Celtics 2008 team). The lineup with Gordon, Anderson, Denham, Boone or Villanueva, and Okafor was effective, too, when Taliek needed a break.
The 99 and 04 teams would do well in any year against other NCAA champs, even with the new analytics fueled game plans that call for more 3pt shooting and court spacing. They played against those teams in the NCAA tourney. That is what made Gonzaga in 99 so tough, even their center was shooting 3s. In 2004, Vanderbilt was built that way.

 

[Travelman6]

Would UConn 2004 beat Duke 1999?
How about Uconn 1999 vs Duke 2004?

 

[huskyinfl]

99 did something everyone thought was impossible but was bubbling since the 80s. Now I can't imagine what it's like to not have won. I do know it must suck.