it's time

[Marty Jackson]

The time has come. I hate to say it, but I think it is time for Coach Calhoun to hang them up. this situation is begining to feel very much like lots of others when the legendary head coach hangs around too long. Arizona in Lute's final couple of seasons. Florida State football during Bowdens last few years. the list just goes on and on. And while I agree that he has earned the right to decide when he will leave, it would be in the best interest of the program for him to do it sooner rather than later. Next year will be a disaster. And it will be tough to recover from that and tough to recruit as players start questioning how long he'll remain. Not to mention the recent Emmerett comments praising schools forfiring coaches who had off field/court issues. While I don't think the NCAA necessarily has a vindetta aginst UCONN, they are less likely to give us a break if we screw something up than with a whole new coaching staff. The chance to bring in a great young coach (I love Smart) or even an established name is there. it will be otugher to do if we're stuck at 15-17 or an NIT contender or worse for a few years. And the "new" Big East isn't going to make it any easier. the chance for Calhoun to preserve what he has built, in an odd sort of way, is best if he retires now.

Whiel I'd love to think that people who disagree with my view will provide arguments for their position, I know that won't happen. So fire away.

Calhoun has built this program into what it is today. I think Calhoun has done everything for us to expect that he will leave this program in the best possible position. Calhoun's legacy and the foundation he built at Uconn will be judged in part by how well we do after the transition. Because of that, I think Calhoun wants to see this through. There is nobody I would want to see us through this next year or two other than Calhoun, and that includes Smart or Stevens.
If Calhoun wants to use these next two years as a transition, in order to ease the recruiting issues and give some clarity to who is the successor, I'm fine with that.
But until he retires, or a coach in waiting is named, Calhoun is the best option for Uconn.

 

[DogMania]

I'm beyond tired of these types of post. As some have pointed out JC has the right to leave on his own terms. There's little doubt that he can still coach based on the fact that he just won an NC about 13 months ago.

What might help with the transition is the program to bump Ollie up to Associate Head Coach and announce him as JC's successor. Now by doing so a few things can still happen:

First off, it doesn't mean the program can't change their mind when JC hangs 'em up, by having a nation wide coaching search and giving Ollie chance to interview for the Head Coaching job. I've seen this done before where in the end an assistant coach ends up getting the job. I'm not saying they should not just go with Ollie. I'm clearly on the fence about that.​

​

By making this announcement, it might help with recruiting. Recruits that want to play for JC but are also okay with playing for Ollie when coach hangs 'em up, might be more likely to sign here, compared to leaving the future with such uncertainty by not charting some sort of future plan.​

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If JC falls ill again during the season or decides at some point during the season he's had enough, he can hand the HC reigns to Ollie with less of a chance of the recruits bailing compared to what might happen if the future HC was up in the air.​

For JC to announce now that he's not coming back could hurt the program more than help. Other than JC deciding on his own to retire over a month ago and at that time the program conducting a coaching search, where they either choose Ollie or some other young up-and-coming coach, the above is the best case scenario. One could argue the above scenario might still be the better of the two considering the mess the program is in right now.

The NCAA Tourney ban as it stands now is going to hurt our 2012 recruiting no matter what they do. I would think by making the future a little less uncertain could only help us on many levels.

 

[upstater]

We won a national championship in 2004. The laptop story broke in th esummer of 2005 and hung over the team all year. The 2006 team collapsed. then came Nate Miles and his eligibility issues. the Wiggins situation. Wiggins' 'birthday" that resulted in a suspention for failing a drug test for another player, Nate volume II and his expulsion...APR issues, loss of scholarships, Nate Part the Third and the NCAA penalties...NCAA probation...NCAA post season ban...and tose are just the ones I can think of...the major ones. Calhoun has largely avoided criticism because he has won. But I'm not sure that is going to hold if we have a few losing seasons.

And upstater, in hindsight do you think Penn State wishes they had asked Paterno to leave sooner than they did? It would have been a much better outcome for both parties I suspect.

Sandusky happened in 1998 and 2002. Paterno was in his early 70s already but he had a couple top 5 years right in the middle of the last decade. So, what's your point exactly? The first Sandusky incident on campus happened a year before Penn State was ranked #1 in the country.

Laptops, marijuana, please, come on. You can do better than that. If you think this isn't going on at every single university, you're out of your mind.

 

[Excalibur]

Excalibur, Denny Crum is a great example.

No, it's a lousy one, because the cause is not the same. Anyway, good luck finding an able coach that will take the job right now.

 

[UConn Esq]

No.

He won a championship LAST YEAR.

 

[msgordon]

He can stay until he's 90 as far as I'm concerned

 

[UChusky916]

Go ahead, keep doubting him and pushing him out.

That's when Jimmy C is at his best.

 

[Danzz]

No.

Calhoun rides out the remaining 2 years of his contract, where UConn puts the APR/NCAA junk of the past few years behind them, opens up a brand new state-of-the-art practice facility, and guides a team that most thought was dead in the water to one last successful season while setting it up for the future.

Why are we acting like this program has been in decline under Calhoun's watch for the last 5+ years? We are one year removed from a national championship. We are also one year away from putting all this drama behind us.

Your suggestion makes a lot more sense. Let JC run the program through this difficult time until his contract is up and I'm sure this is what he wants to do. In two years the same posters will be longing for the Calhoun years.

 

[djct1999]

i still dont understand or heard 1 quality response on how people think uconn and coach calhoun will land any impact recruits knowing that they are banned from the tourney next year and he is finished coaching after the following year.....so in two years, without napier and presumably boatright, no coach, a diluted big east and as it appears now, no tourney appearances,and a marginal roster, do these same people think at that point we will be able to land a top notch coach? i totally get the emotional attachment to coach calhoun but i dont get the fact that no one has been able to give concrete, realistic solutions to the real problems of where the program is today and how we expect to move forward....... i dont want to hear about the past, i want to hear how everyone thinks coach is going to navigate us through this and have the program be in a better state a year from now. as it stands, todays reality is that we are losing second tier recruits to cincy, st johns and perhaps, oregon. losing recruits to cincy, st. johns or oregon???? when in calhoun's recent past has that happened?

 

[djct1999]

A family is in a major crisis and some fans want to replace the experienced and good father with some other unknown man to head the 'reeling' household. The only coach in the world that is capable of keeping this program on the highest level and manage the turmoil that we are in, is Jim Calhoun, no one else.

Bringing anyone else into this mess is asking for failure and regression. We don't need Championships right now we need stability and a game plan for the future. We are on shaky ground and do not need to start an earthquake in Storrs.

ok, but how? still havent heard an answer on how coach calhoun in the next 2 years will keep the program on the highest level... seems to the outside world that the earthquake began with the scoe defection.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think the analogy is poor. Many of us rightly fear us becoming Louisville at the end of the Denny Crum era, this has much more to do with the postseason ban than uncertainty about Calhoun's future. Was he any more certain to return last year, when we scored what we considered at the time to be three very good recruits (Boatright, Daniels, and Drummond at the end)?

The potential postseason ban and lack of a practice facility will also hinder the search for a replacement.

I think the problem is the combination of the post-season ban and the fact that JC is here for no more than 2 seasons max. If he was 60 and healthy, the ban would mean very little to current players or recruits. If he was leaving in two years and there was no ban, it would certainly have an effect, but it would be one we could manage with a good new coach. It's the fact that no only can't they play in the post-season next year, but on top of that, nobody knows who the coach will be this year or next year that scares away players. The timing of the ban could not be worse, as it hinders what would already be a tough transition.

So what's the answer? I don't know. If I thought JC could really stay healthy and do the job for 3-4 years, and if he pre-announced that, the ban would not be so important. If we hired Stevens or Smart next week, I think the ban would be unimportant. But uncertainty at the coaching position, plus a ban, is a killer. Roscoe leaving was the kiss of death in my mind. That really hurt any chance that next year's team would have an upside suprise.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

ok, but how? still havent heard an answer on how coach calhoun in the next 2 years will keep the program on the highest level... seems to the outside world that the earthquake began with the scoe defection.

1) Convince Napier and Boatright to stick around for their senior and junior seasons, respectively. If this happens, we'll have one of the best backcourts in the country in 2013-2014.

2) Recruit bigs for the class of 2013 and beyond. Calhoun's pending retirement will make this difficult, but how long have we been saying this now? We were able to get Napier, Lamb, Smith, etc despite everyone saying that Calhoun was going to retire at any moment. We were able to get Boatright, Daniels, Drummond despite the fact that Calhoun hadn't even announced that he would be back yet. Same for Omar.

Bottom line is, unless you can say with certainty that the 2013 recruiting class will not be good, how can you be so sure that we won't be fine after the NCAA ban is behind us?

 

[djct1999]

1) Convince Napier and Boatright to stick around for their senior and junior seasons, respectively. If this happens, we'll have one of the best backcourts in the country in 2013-2014.

2) Recruit bigs for the class of 2013 and beyond. Calhoun's pending retirement will make this difficult, but how long have we been saying this now? We were able to get Napier, Lamb, Smith, etc despite everyone saying that Calhoun was going to retire at any moment. We were able to get Boatright, Daniels, Drummond despite the fact that Calhoun hadn't even announced that he would be back yet. Same for Omar.

Bottom line is, unless you can say with certainty that the 2013 recruiting class will not be good, how can you be so sure that we won't be fine after the NCAA ban is behind us?

you can use your logic and argue the complete opposite side as well. the key is in fact calhoun's ability to recruit impact players for 2013-14. if he succeeds, then you are right. if he doesn't, the doomsayers may be right. that being said, typically it is very difficult for a retiring coach to do, especially with no clarity on who will follow. so calhoun's back is against the wall. can he succeed? sure. but if he doesnt, this could have far longer implications on the future of uconn basketball. to draw comparisons to past seasons is simply idiotic due to his age and circumstance....this situation is like no other.

 

[Excalibur]

i want to hear how everyone thinks coach is going to navigate us through this and have the program be in a better state a year from now.

Wrong inquiry. Compare where the program will be one year from now with Calhoun staying vs. how it will be under some nameless second rate coach. That's what we're going to get if we have to hire someone now. Nobody is taking the job in late Spring, with a postseason ban looming, players running out the door (and more leaving if there's a coaching change) and no practice facility.


I'm yet to hear a legitimate response to this.

 

[upstater]

i still dont understand or heard 1 quality response on how people think uconn and coach calhoun will land any impact recruits knowing that they are banned from the tourney next year and he is finished coaching after the following year.....so in two years, without napier and presumably boatright, no coach, a diluted big east and as it appears now, no tourney appearances,and a marginal roster, do these same people think at that point we will be able to land a top notch coach? i totally get the emotional attachment to coach calhoun but i dont get the fact that no one has been able to give concrete, realistic solutions to the real problems of where the program is today and how we expect to move forward....... i dont want to hear about the past, i want to hear how everyone thinks coach is going to navigate us through this and have the program be in a better state a year from now. as it stands, todays reality is that we are losing second tier recruits to cincy, st johns and perhaps, oregon. losing recruits to cincy, st. johns or oregon???? when in calhoun's recent past has that happened?

How is the current situation any different than last year when he landed Daniels, Drummond, etc?

 

[mcs333]

Don't confuse him with logic. He has an agenda.

 

[Chief00]

Quite frankly, our luck is about to change.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

The time has come. I hate to say it, but I think it is time for Coach Calhoun to hang them up. this situation is begining to feel very much like lots of others when the legendary head coach hangs around too long. Arizona in Lute's final couple of seasons. Florida State football during Bowdens last few years. the list just goes on and on. And while I agree that he has earned the right to decide when he will leave, it would be in the best interest of the program for him to do it sooner rather than later. Next year will be a disaster. And it will be tough to recover from that and tough to recruit as players start questioning how long he'll remain. Not to mention the recent Emmerett comments praising schools forfiring coaches who had off field/court issues. While I don't think the NCAA necessarily has a vindetta aginst UCONN, they are less likely to give us a break if we screw something up than with a whole new coaching staff. The chance to bring in a great young coach (I love Smart) or even an established name is there. it will be otugher to do if we're stuck at 15-17 or an NIT contender or worse for a few years. And the "new" Big East isn't going to make it any easier. the chance for Calhoun to preserve what he has built, in an odd sort of way, is best if he retires now.

Whiel I'd love to think that people who disagree with my view will provide arguments for their position, I know that won't happen. So fire away.

This should teach me a lesson. I come out and agree with you on another post and then you immediately come out with this. Perhaps Jim Calhoun will decide to read The Boneyard and see the wisdom of freescooter and call it a career. The point to me is who makes the decision. I think that Jim Calhoun makes the decision of when he retires unless he becomes incapable of performing his job due to health problems or goes off the deep end and sticks a basketball up some NCAA executive's tush. I think that Jim Calhoun deserves the right to make that call and who knows, maybe he will say enough is enough. The fact that he is flying around watching recruits suggests that he's not done fighting for his team.

 

[djct1999]

Don't confuse him with logic. He has an agenda.

oh yeah, whats my agenda?

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Quite frankly, our luck is about to change.

Oooooh, an obscure prediction that Chief can refer back to with a new "I told you so" for years to come whenever some better thing happens.

Chief, be more specific if you want to demonstrate the amazing insider connectedness that you possess. I, for one, would love to hear some good news.

 

[djct1999]

How is the current situation any different than last year when he landed Daniels, Drummond, etc?

my bad.....this year is exactly like last.

 

[upstater]

my bad.....this year is exactly like last.

Let me remind you: there were questions about Calhoun leaving over the summer. The recruits who came spoke of their connections to the staff, wanting to play under Ollie and the other coaches, the privilege of playing at UConn. Heck, Daniels was convinced even though he ad offers from Kansas or Texas.

 

[djct1999]

Let me remind you: there were questions about Calhoun leaving over the summer. The recruits who came spoke of their connections to the staff, wanting to play under Ollie and the other coaches, the privilege of playing at UConn. Heck, Daniels was convinced even though he ad offers from Kansas or Texas.

or drummond was going to prep school until kriss dunn decided not to. boatright was going to wvu until huggy bear signed jabari hinds as well. daniels shocked the world by committing without ever coming for a visit. i believe his dad was quoted as saying they saw what jeremy lamb did and he believed daniels could do more. was it a stellar recruiting class? sure. but it was far from conventional. one that sort of fell into uconn's lap. do you really think that will happen again?

and this year is very different. 1. an aging coach who missed 10 games for health related issues. 2. a 2013 tourney and big east tourney ban. 3. 3 transfers 4. no frontcourt 5. a program getting slammed nationally.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

or drummond was going to prep school until kriss dunn decided not to. boatright was going to wvu until huggy bear signed jabari hinds as well. daniels shocked the world by committing without ever coming for a visit. i believe his dad was quoted as saying they saw what jeremy lamb did and he believed daniels could do more. was it a stellar recruiting class? sure. but it was far from conventional. one that sort of fell into uconn's lap. do you really think that will happen again?

and this year is very different. 1. an aging coach who missed 10 games for health related issues. 2. a 2013 tourney and big east tourney ban. 3. 3 transfers 4. no frontcourt 5. a program getting slammed nationally.

Yes, a lot of things fell into place to allow the 2011 class to be as good as it was. But what about the 2010 class? There were even more questions about Calhoun - he didn't even have a signed contract extension, we were still waiting to hear about the NCAA sanctions and recruits didn't even know if a postseason ban was coming, and we were coming off a terrible season. We struck out on Knight, Doron Lamb, Selby, and Joseph and everyone said Uconn couldn't recruit anymore. We had to settle for Napier, Lamb, Roscoe, etc and all those guys did was win a championship.

Point being, it's easy to talk about why Uconn can't recruit with the current coaching situation - people have only been saying it for the last three years (at least). It hasn't actually been that much of a problem - with the exception of what the post season ban is doing to the 2012 class. But that post season ban doesn't last forever.

 

[djct1999]

Yes, a lot of things fell into place to allow the 2011 class to be as good as it was. But what about the 2010 class? There were even more questions about Calhoun - he didn't even have a signed contract extension, we were still waiting to hear about the NCAA sanctions and recruits didn't even know if a postseason ban was coming, and we were coming off a terrible season. We struck out on Knight, Doron Lamb, Selby, and Joseph and everyone said Uconn couldn't recruit anymore. We had to settle for Napier, Lamb, Roscoe, etc and all those guys did was win a championship.

Point being, it's easy to talk about why Uconn can't recruit with the current coaching situation - people have only been saying it for the last three years (at least). It hasn't actually been that much of a problem - with the exception of what the post season ban is doing to the 2012 class. But that post season ban doesn't last forever.

This isnt an attack on Calhoun or whether he can recruit or not. Its a realistic assessment of where we are. The ban is less important than the fact that Coach has 2 years left and no real indication on who will follow him. Its called negative recruiting and I personally believe it has already had an impact on who really is considering UConn and the talent that coincides. Do you for one minute think that other coaches are telling kids, aau coaches, mentors etc....that uconn is a mess, that calhoun is done after this year or next, that starters from the championship team couldnt wait to get out of there. true or not, that has impact and it has and will continue to hurt UConn until clarity on the program's future is provided.