Tag Archives: Jim Calhoun

Apr 5 2011

Willwerth: Calhoun Ends Tumultuous Year On Top

By Brian Willwerth

Jim Calhoun has seen a lot of college basketball in his 39 years as a head coach – the last 25 coming at the University of Connecticut.

It’s safe to say, he’s probably never experienced a season quite like this.

With Connecticut’s 53-41 victory over Butler Monday night, Calhoun won his third national championship, all of them coming in the past 12 years.  UConn was also the last team standing in 1999 and 2004.  This year’s title matchup was a game that will be remembered more for Butler’s inability to put the ball in the basket than anything else. But for Calhoun, a win is a win. And he has over 800 of them in his career.

But this season may have been his best coaching job ever.  Sure, the Huskies got off to a 10-0 start, highlighted by an impressive run in the Maui Invitational Tournament in which they knocked off the likes of Michigan State and Kentucky.  UConn rose in the polls, and rightfully so.

But then came February. The NCAA came down hard on Calhoun for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance within the program.  As a result, he will be suspended for the first three games of the conference play in 2012. The program was also hit with scholarship reductions.  UConn went on to lose seven of its last eleven regular-season games. The Huskies were the #9 seed in the Big East Tournament. How much of a distraction would it be heading into Madison Square Garden?

The answer would be a resounding “not at all.”

After losing the regular season finale to Notre Dame, Calhoun did not taste defeat the rest of the way.  Five Big East Tournament games, five wins.  Would they feel the effects of winning five games in five days?  The answer: six NCAA tournament games later, Calhoun and his players were cutting down the nets at Reliant Stadium in Houston.  It didn’t matter how many obstacles he had to overcome.  Hall of Fame coaches know how to do that.

At the age of 68, Calhoun is the oldest coach ever to win the national championship.  Don’t be surprised if he has another one left in him.

Apr 1 2011

Willwerth: Just a few thoughts on the UConn Huskies

By Brian Willwerth

Talk about Husky Hysteria.

Over the next few days, the University of Connecticut has the chance to celebrate not one, but two national championships in basketball. The men’s and women’s teams are both getting ready for the Final Four in their respective tournaments.

Take your pick for National Player of the Year candidate: Kemba Walker or Maya Moore. Both were chosen this week for the John R. Wooden All-American team.

Let’s start with Walker. The All-American has put the Huskies on his back during the team’s run to Houston, averaging more than 26 points a game in the postseason. Connecticut won nine games over a span of 19 days: five in the Big East Tournament, four more on the road to the Final Four. The Huskies won the West Regional as a #3 seed. UConn is the highest seed remaining in the tournament. Does this make them the favorite to cut down the nets on Monday night?

The way this tournament has gone, I wouldn’t bet on anything at this point.

But I digress.  For the Lady Huskies, look no further than Maya Moore. For the second time in her career, she’s been honored as the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year. Who can argue with that selection? The senior forward is averaging 22 points a game this season. In the regional final against Duke, she became just the seventh player in NCAA history to score 3,000 points in a career.

Consider this: in the last three seasons, the lady Huskies have lost one game. ONE. On December 12th, Stanford ended their NCAA-record 90-game winning streak. Since that lone loss, UConn has not tasted defeat again. The Lady Huskies are once again the overall #1 seed in the tournament.  A rematch with the Cardinal is possible in the NCAA championship game in Indianapolis, if both teams advance.

And then, there are the coaches: Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma. Both are the College Basketball Hall of Fame. They’ve won nine national championships between them: two for Calhoun, seven for Auriemma. Those numbers speak for themselves.

If Connecticut pulls off dual national titles, it won’t even be the first time a Division I school has accomplished such a feat. It happened back in 2004 as well.

The school that did it? UConn.

**information from uconnhuskies.com was used in this report.**

Mar 26 2011

Don’t Count Out UConn

Jim Calhoun's squad has been rather impressive thus far, but do they have what it takes to win?

By Brian Willwerth

At first glance, it may not seem all that surprising that the Connecticut Huskies are back in the Elite Eight for the tenth time in school history.

UConn has been ranked for much of the season.  The Huskies have a candidate for national player of the year, not to mention a hall of fame coach.  They have a history of coming through in big games.

But until now, all has not been rosy in Storrs during the 2010-11 campaign.

Flash back to earlier this year.  The NCAA came down hard on Jim Calhoun, citing the head coach’s failure to create an atmosphere of compliance within the program.  As a result, he will serve a three-game suspension at the start of conference play next year.  UConn has also been placed on three years’ probation, but is not banned from appearing in the postseason.

The sanctions coincided with the team’s struggles down the stretch.  The Huskies lost four of their last five regular-season games, and seven of eleven overall.  That’s not exactly confidence-inspiring basketball to a legion of fans in a state where college basketball is king.  The Huskies were the #9 seed entering the Big East Tournament.

That’s where everything changed.  UConn went on to win the conference tournament, winning five games in five days.  The Huskies earned the #3 seed in the West Regional.  A lot of the pundits wondered, would they be tired after playing five spirited games in a row at Madison Square Garden?

Answer:  no way.

They started their tourney journey in Washington, D.C., knocking off Bucknell and Big East foe Cincinnati.  They stayed alive by knocking off #2 seed San Diego State Thursday night in front of a pro-Aztec crowd in Anaheim.

To study UConn’s success, you don’t have to look much further than Kemba Walker, who has practically single-handedly put his team on his back during the current eight-game winning streak.  He’s scored 33 and 36 points, respectively, in the last two NCAA games.  He has made one big shot after another; who could forget his buzzer-beating jumper against Pittsburgh in the Big East quarterfinals?

And so here are the Huskies, on the brink of their fourth trip to the Final Four.  The West Regional suits them just fine.  That’s the regional they came out of each of the three previous times.

In 1999 and 2004, they won the national championship.  The only standing in their way is an equally-hot Arizona team.  Don’t think for a moment the Wildcats didn’t raise a few eyebrows with their second half performance against Duke.  They emphatically made sure the Blue Devils would not repeat as national champions.

UConn is red-hot right now.  And in a tournament where two of the #1 seeds have fallen, the Huskies have as good a chance as anyone to cut down the nets in Houston.

Mar 26 2011

Don't Count Out UConn

Jim Calhoun's squad has been rather impressive thus far, but do they have what it takes to win?

By Brian Willwerth

At first glance, it may not seem all that surprising that the Connecticut Huskies are back in the Elite Eight for the tenth time in school history.

UConn has been ranked for much of the season.  The Huskies have a candidate for national player of the year, not to mention a hall of fame coach.  They have a history of coming through in big games.

But until now, all has not been rosy in Storrs during the 2010-11 campaign.

Flash back to earlier this year.  The NCAA came down hard on Jim Calhoun, citing the head coach’s failure to create an atmosphere of compliance within the program.  As a result, he will serve a three-game suspension at the start of conference play next year.  UConn has also been placed on three years’ probation, but is not banned from appearing in the postseason.

The sanctions coincided with the team’s struggles down the stretch.  The Huskies lost four of their last five regular-season games, and seven of eleven overall.  That’s not exactly confidence-inspiring basketball to a legion of fans in a state where college basketball is king.  The Huskies were the #9 seed entering the Big East Tournament.

That’s where everything changed.  UConn went on to win the conference tournament, winning five games in five days.  The Huskies earned the #3 seed in the West Regional.  A lot of the pundits wondered, would they be tired after playing five spirited games in a row at Madison Square Garden?

Answer:  no way.

They started their tourney journey in Washington, D.C., knocking off Bucknell and Big East foe Cincinnati.  They stayed alive by knocking off #2 seed San Diego State Thursday night in front of a pro-Aztec crowd in Anaheim.

To study UConn’s success, you don’t have to look much further than Kemba Walker, who has practically single-handedly put his team on his back during the current eight-game winning streak.  He’s scored 33 and 36 points, respectively, in the last two NCAA games.  He has made one big shot after another; who could forget his buzzer-beating jumper against Pittsburgh in the Big East quarterfinals?

And so here are the Huskies, on the brink of their fourth trip to the Final Four.  The West Regional suits them just fine.  That’s the regional they came out of each of the three previous times.

In 1999 and 2004, they won the national championship.  The only standing in their way is an equally-hot Arizona team.  Don’t think for a moment the Wildcats didn’t raise a few eyebrows with their second half performance against Duke.  They emphatically made sure the Blue Devils would not repeat as national champions.

UConn is red-hot right now.  And in a tournament where two of the #1 seeds have fallen, the Huskies have as good a chance as anyone to cut down the nets in Houston.

Mar 25 2011

Noonan: March Madness Bracket is Busted

Sadly, Duke fell short to Arizona, which most likely "busted" March Madness brackets!

By Matt Noonan

Take a look at your March Madness bracket, how does it look? Do you have a lot of teams, such as Duke, BYU and maybe San Diego State crossed off?

How about all those who picked Rick Pitino to lead Louisville to the “Sweet Sixteen” or “Final Four,” how do you feel today?

Also, I do need to spark some controversy, so how is everyone doing in Kentucky on this wonderful Friday morning? Are you excited for the Wildcats to take on Ohio State on Friday? Will John Calipari lead his group of young men onto the elite eight?

Well, allow me to be the first to admit that once again, my bracket is officially busted, again. I had Duke repeating their exciting run from last year, but now, my favorite piece of paper from the past few days has gone out with the kitchen trash and I have officially begun the countdown for the MLB season, yet, how much baseball can I endure during the first week?

What makes March Madness so enjoyable is that every year, millions of people, no matter whether they are college basketball die-hards, co-workers or friends and family, take just a few minutes or possibly, hours, to fill out a bracket.

Even President Barack Obama has continuously shown his support for the tournament, both the men’s and women’s might I add, by filling out a bracket and allowing ESPN an all-access pass into the white house to hear what the chief and commander of America has to say about the tournament.

People like myself, Obama and even, Snoop Dogg, may not always enjoy watching our picks or predictions slip away, but what we do enjoy the most is a great game of basketball. So far, a majority of the games have been enthralling.

Who doesn’t enjoy a late three-pointer to win the game? Aren’t you a fan of a Matt Howard rebound and layup for Butler? Don’t you want to see free throws down the stretch win games?

Besides, we all know that sports fans, especially college basketball followers live for these exciting and exuberant moments.

All in all, while my bracket is indeed busted, there is always hope that one-day, I, along with all of those who picked the various games wrong, will be able to stand up and cheer after the championship is complete and say, “My bracket didn’t get busted!”

Until that day comes, I might as well sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of this college tournament.

Also, since Duke has officially been eliminated, I’ll be rooting for Jim Calhoun’s bunch, the University of Connecticut Huskies to win another NCAA Division I championship.

Mar 16 2011

Willwerth: March Madness Predictions

Coach K led Duke to an exciting National Championship in 2010, but can the Blue Devils repeat in 2011?

By Brian Willwerth

With the March Madness tournament slowly approaching, our very own Brian Willwerth has decided to provide fans with some intriguing predictions, so let’s see if his ideas or thoughts actually come true.

The NCAA tournament kicked off on Wednesday with the newly-created “First Four match ups” in Dayton, Ohio.  The march to the Final Four in Houston begins at 6:40 p.m when UNC-Asheville takes on Arkansas-Little Rock.  Since there are four extra teams in this year’s tourney, here are four random things worth looking out for over the next few weeks.

Will there be a repeat national championship?

You don’t have to go back very far to find the last time this happened – Florida won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.  This year, all eyes will be on Duke, the #1 seed in the West Region.  If the higher seeds all hold serve in that bracket – and that’s a big if – the Blue Devils face a potential matchup with Connecticut or San Diego State in the regional final.  Still, with Mike Krzyzewski at the helm, Duke will be a contender to cut down the nets in Houston.

Who will be this year’s Cinderella?

Everyone loves a Cinderella – a lesser-known school that makes a bold run in the tournament.  Remember George Mason’s run to the Final Four in 2006?  The Patriots beat teams coached by Roy Williams, Tom Izzo and Jim Calhoun to get there.  Butler’s run to the national championship game last year was magical, but I cringe at those who called Butler a Cinderella. The Bulldogs were ranked for much of the year. Butler and George Mason are both in the field again this year. Brad Stevens and Jim Larranaga know what it takes to get to Houston.  Do they have more magic in them to make a run?

Will a #16 finally beat a #1?

Full disclosure: I am Boston University alum.  I am thrilled to see the Terriers in the tournament, even as a #16 seed.  For a team out of the America East, just earning a spot in the Big Dance is cause for celebration.  But BU has a history of getting blown-out big time in the tournament, as is the case with many #16 seeds.  The same daunting task awaits teams like Texas-San Antonio, Alabama State, Hampton, UNC-Asheville and Arkansas-Little Rock (two of those teams will advance from Dayton to play the top seeds.)

How long will it take for Gus Johnson to “lose it?”

My guess: not very long.  If the Pac-10 Tournament Final is any indication, Johnson is already in March Madness form.  He’ll call the second set of “First Four” games in Dayton on Wednesday, and then it’s off to Cleveland for games on Friday/Sunday.  And with the new TV format – all of the games will be televised live over four networks – there are no limits for fans that just can’t get enough Gus Johnson in March.

Feb 23 2011

Daily Noontime – February 23, 2011

Good morning, hello and welcome to the Daily Noontime for Wednesday February 23, 2011. Here are the days biggest stories, headlines and of course, video of the day!

Headlines:

* Sure, Derek Jeter may have a gigantic mansion, but he’s not letting Hank Steinbrenner‘s comments get him down.

* Former New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey has been released, could he possibly return to the New York Giants in 2011?

* The NFL has summoned coaches, General Managers and one high rank official to Indianapolis for an important meeting to discuss the entire labor issues.

* According to sources, the Boston Red Sox played the role of “Big Brother” before signing outfielder Carl Crawford.

* It is certainly possible that YouTube could be the next broadcaster partner for the NBA and NHL.

* The NHL trading deadline is vastly approaching, but apparently, teams have already made their moves.

* The NCAA may have been a tad bit nice to only suspend UConn head coach Jim Calhoun just three Big East games in the 2011-2012 season, due to recruiting violations

Games to Watch:

* Oklahoma City at San Antonio (NBA) – 7:00pm eastern

* Atlanta at Buffalo (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern

* Milwaukee at New York Knicks (NBA) – 7:30pm eastern

* Utah at Dallas (NBA) – 8:30pm eastern

Video of the Day:

That is right, Carmelo Anthony is a New York Knickerbocker!