The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Calhoun hints at a return to coaching
UConn legend says idea is an intriguing one
Working on his sixth straight day of golf on Monday, Jim Calhoun was ready to talk about a sport a little more close to his heart.
Calhoun is contemplating a return to the sidelines as a basketball coach. He wouldn’t offer specifics, but apparently it would be as a head coach at a local Division 3 program.
“I’m intrigued by that,” Calhoun said before teeing off at the annual Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic at Avon Country Club. “Every time I talk to somebody, one of our kids, I realize how much I miss the kids.”
Interesting that Calhoun still refers to UConn players as “our” kids, as he is still employed by UConn as special assistant to athletic director David Benedict and has an office in the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center practice facility. A move to another school as head coach might force him to leave the position, though Calhoun hinted that his role would be more of starting up a program.
With that in mind, it would seem the school in mind is the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, which recently voted to begin admitting male students in the fall of 2018 and will be starting up men’s soccer and basketball programs.
“I’m not sure what I want to do yet,” said Calhoun. “I would like to do some basketball stuff, if I could. If I can’t, that’s fine.”
Calhoun added that he will still likely do some college basketball television work this winter, as well.
“I know he’s always a coach at heart,” said current UConn head coach Kevin Ollie. “I know he wants to get back on the sidelines. Whatever he chooses to do, I know some kids are gonna really benefit from his presence on a day-today basis. And if he decides to just be with his grandkids, they’ll benefit, too. Whatever
Coach wants to do, I’m gonna support him. I just love him for his energy each and every day, and all the life lessons that he taught me throughout the years.”
No Pain in Spain
Redshirt freshman Mamadou Diarra, who sat out all of last season with knee problems, is currently playing in Spain as part of the Global Sports Academy’s foreign tour. It’s a group of college players competing in three games against Spanish teams.
“Hopefully, he comes back with a renewed sense of energy,” said Ollie. “Just being out on the basketball court, playing against other competition, playing with refs ... I think that’s real key for him, just getting basketball experience.”
Schedule situations
It’s not official yet, but UConn has finalized its 2017-18 schedule with a home game against Stony Brook on either Nov. 14 or 15. It’s not known whether the game will be at Gampel Pavilion or the XL Center.
Stony Brook went 1814 overall and 12-4 in the America East last year and played in the College Basketball Invitational, losing its first game to UIC.
Meanwhile, Southern Connecticut State will have a common opponent with the Huskies this season: Syracuse. The Owls will head up to the Carrier Dome for a Nov. 6 exhibition against the Orange. UConn will renew its rivalry against its former Big East foes on Dec. 5 at Madison Square Garden.
Star-studded event
Calhoun’s annual tournament, which had its first outing on Sunday at Mohegan Sun Golf Club and concluded at the John Mellencamp concert that night, attracted numerous sports celebrities. Among those playing on Monday were: Ray Allen, Sterling Sharpe, Billy Packer, Trey Wingo, Scott Burrell, Donny Marshall, Mike Gorman, Karl Hobbs, Tom Moore, Calhoun and Ollie.