Jim Calhoun Returns

From a press release from the University of Connecticut:

February 11, 2010 (Storrs, Conn.)– University of Connecticut Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun has returned to his position following a medical leave of absence.

Coach Calhoun returned to the office this morning and has assumed his complete coaching responsibilities with no restrictions.

“I am excited to return to the team and my coaching staff,” said Calhoun. “I appreciate the hard work by the staff and team in my absence and am looking forward to being back on the court for practice this afternoon and moving forward. I am especially thankful to people for their support during the past three weeks, but also for the respect and privacy that everyone has provided me during this time. Dr. Schulman, my primary care physician, and I both felt that the time away was important for my personal and professional well-being and that I am ready to move ahead from this point at full speed.”

Coach Calhoun went on a temporary medical leave on January 19. He missed seven games during that time, during which the Huskies went 3-4.
The Huskies host Cincinnati on Saturday.

What Will Happen Will Jim Calhoun Returns? Palestra.net Video

When UConn takes on Louisville tonight, Jim Calhoun will be missing from the side line for the fifth straight game. Earlier this week, I sat down with Ryan Grace of UCTV, to discuss what Calhoun’s return will do for the team.

Debate Over Student Ticket Lottery For UConn Basketball Games

Back in September I wrote a post on how I disagree with the current lottery system that is used to distribute student section tickets here at UConn. It was one of my most popular posts, as it was even picked up by the Hartford Courant.

Justin Mintzes, a former co-worker of mine at UC Sports, who now works at ESPN, did a nice package on the debate. Take a look.

UConn Looks to Rebound Against Louisville

The UConn Huskies continue to struggle this season, and are once again faced with a losing streak. After beating the number one team in the nation on January 23, UConn has lost two straight. First, the Huskies lost to unranked Providence by 14 points, then this past Saturday they were unable to overcome a slow start to Marquette and lost on a last second shot.

Problems with turnovers, inconsistent play from Kemba Walker, Jerome Dyson, and Alex Oriakhi, and no team chemistry on the court, are just a few of the issues that the team has been dealing with over the last two games.

The Huskies hope to end the losing streak at two, when they travel to Louisville on Monday to take on the Cardinals. The Huskies have yet to win a true road game, and are only 3-5 in Big East games. Head Coach Jim Calhoun will miss his fifth consecutive game due to a medical leave of absence. The Huskies are 2-2 since he left the team.

UConn Takes Down #1 Texas, 88-74

For the first time all year the UConn men’s basketball team defeated a ranked opponent. Funny thing about that, is that it happened to be the number one team in the nation.

Overcoming a 10-point second half deficit, UConn fought back and took the lead with a little over 12 minutes left in the game. They wouldn’t look back. Behind the spectacular performance of senior Jerome Dyson, who had a career high 32 points, the Huskies were able to hold off the Texas Longhorns for their first big victory of the season.

The Huskies were once again without Hall of Fame head coach Jim Calhoun, who is still on a medical leave of absence. Associate Head Coach George Blaney has stepped in and has led the Huskies to, two straight victories. This win was big for UConn, but the players made it clear they wanted this one for Coach Calhoun.

“We’ve got to play for him,” said Dyson, who said Calhoun was proud and excited on the phone after the game. “We know these wins will help him get better, because it will take some of the stress off him having to worry about us, and he can focus on getting himself better.”

Along with Dyson’s strong performance, Kemba Walker and Stanley Robinson also had big games, finishing with 19 and 17 points respectfully. The supporting cast of Gavin Edwards, Donnell Beverly, and Ater Majok also played a prominent role in the big win.

The Huskies played well on the court, but they received a lot of help from the sell-out crowd at Gampel Pavillion. The student section was at an all time best, and gave the team and the rest of the crowd energy. The students were able to celebrate the win with the Huskies, as they rushed the court once the game ended.

The win gives the Huskies confidence heading forward, and Blaney realizes how big of a win this is for the team.

“Now you know you’re good, you know you can play,” said George Blaney. “You just beat the number-one team in the country, so that should tell you that you’re good.”

Student Reaction Video To Jim Calhoun Taking A Medical Leave of Absence

ESPNU Campus Connection video:

UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun is taking a medical leave of absence from the team. His doctor is worried about his health and wants to make sure Calhoun is healthy before he coaches again. Marcus Lynam has more from Storrs, CT.

Jim Calhoun Taking Medical Leave of Absence

From UConn spokesman Kyle Muncy:

University of Connecticut Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun will take a medical leave of absence from his head coach position, effective immediately, it was announced Tuesday.

The following is a statement from University of Connecticut Health Center physician Peter Schulman, M.D., Jim Calhoun’s primary care physician:
“It is my recommendation that Coach Calhoun take a medical leave from his coaching position to address some temporary medical issues, none of which involve any previous medical conditions that he has dealt with.”

The following is a statement from UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey A. Hathaway:
“Our primary concern is Coach Calhoun’s health and his complete recovery. We will do everything possible to support Coach during this time. Jim and I both know that the men’s basketball program is in very capable hands under the leadership of Associate Head Coach George Blaney.”

UConn Basketball Still Struggling

Courtesy of the Hartford Courant

For the first time since the end of the 2006-2007 season, the UConn men’s basketball team has lost three games in a row. Sunday’s loss to unranked Michigan droped the Huskies record to 11-6 on the season. That’s right, UConn already has 6 losses. They had 4 all of last year. The losses to Pittsburgh and Michigan have led to the Huskies being unranked in this weeks AP Top 25 Basketball Poll. It’s the first time all season the Huskies haven’t been ranked.

The Huskies’ six losses have all been close games(expect for the Duke game), but UConn puts themselves in a hole that they can never get out of. The same things keep hindering the team: poor free-throw shooting(especially at the end of games), lack of execution in the halfcourt offense, lack of rebounding, and the lack of scoring from the frontcourt players(with the exception of Gavin Edwards).

Courtesy of the Hartford Courant

“We’ll play anybody tough,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “We’ve won close games, and now we’ve lost some close games. We’ll compete with anybody in America. I said [last week] I have no question about the heart of my team. None. I have at times, questions, about if they truly understand some of the ways in which we need to change.”

The Huskies need to change, and they need to change fast. With only 14 games remaining on the year, UConn needs to start picking up wins just to secure a NCAA Tournament berth.

“There’s a chance that we could not make it into the [NCAA] Tournament,” Gavin Edwards said. “The team has to regroup and refocus. Everybody has to figure out what they have to do to get the team to win. It’s not even just the players. It’s the coaches, everybody. It’s a joint effort.”

UConn hopes to figure stuff out this week with two big games on the schedule. On Wednesday, St.Johns comes to the XL Center in a Big East Conference game, then on Saturday the number one team in the nation, the Texas Longhorns, comes to Gampel for a nationaly televised game. The Huskies need two wins this week with each game becoming more important.

Easley, Dixon, and Witten Invited to NFL Draft Combine

UConn Seniors Marcus Easley, Andre Dixon, and Lindsey Witten have been invited to participate in this year’s NFL Draft Combine. The combine runs from February 24 to March 2 in Indianapolis. The list of players invited has yet to be finalized, meaning other UConn Seniors might get a chance.

The combine gives players a chance to showcase their skills against elite talent from all around the country. Events at the combine include the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, position workouts, bench press, and interview. At last year’s combine, former UConn Huskies Donald Brown, Darius Butler, William Beatty, and Cody Brown all made a name for themselves at the event, which helped their draft stock.

Easley, Dixon, and Witten will be working out until the combine preparing for the different events.

One of the biggest events is the 40-yard dash:

UConn Football Already Getting Some Love For 2010 Season

Football season just ended a week ago, but the excitement surrounding the UConn football program is continuing. Heading into next fall, many Husky fans feel that the team has a chance to be really special. Possibly the best team in UConn history. Well we’re still 8 1/2 months away from the September 4th season opener against Michigan, but it’s not only UConn fans who are excited about next fall.

Rivals.com has come out with an early(REALLY EARLY) look at the preseason top-25 for the 2010 season. The experts at Rivals.com have the Huskies ranked 19th. Thats a major step for this program, due to the fact UConn never really gets any hype in the preseason, and have never been in the preseason top-25 rankings.

Rivals had this to say about the Huskies:

“The Huskies finished 8-5 for the second consecutive season, but they were awfully close to a major breakthrough. None of the losses were by more than four points. If the Huskies can turn those close losses into narrow victories, as they did over the last month of the season, Connecticut could contend for the Big East title in 2010. The Huskies must replace leading receiver Marcus Easley, Big East sack leader Lindsey Witten and two starting defensive backs.”

It’s a while till the season begins, and it’s only a really early look at next season, but it just shows that the Huskies have something to be excited about, and national media agrees.

Here is the link to the article!