Jim Calhoun

• Laley23

  

  25 years
  23 NBA Players
  7 McDonalds AA
  
  ....That is quite impressive.
• wildcats20

  

  And underachieves the years when he is loaded.
  
  But only 7 Mickey D's in his tenure is really nuts.
• september63

  

  I like to take the cynical approach. This man from all indications is a stand up guy and great coach!! They did have an NCAA infraction though recently?
• Laley23

  

  wildcats20;673912 wrote:And underachieves the years when he is loaded.
  
  But only 7 Mickey D's in his tenure is really nuts.

  
  He has 2 titles. WTF are you talking about???
  
  I think its amazing how much he gets out of players. Just look at Duke, UNC, Kansas etc who have 2 or 3 a year!
  
  Sure UCONN has had more down years, but he has 2 titles and he is at UCONN. He built that program.
  
  
  Ethics on the man and program are for a different thread. I am stunned he has only had 7 McD AA and still produced 2 titles and 23 NBA players.
• wildcats20

  

  I was being a little sarcastic lol
  
  It seems as if you don't go undefeated or win a title, your season is considered underachieving on this board.
  
  But yeah, only having 7 AA's in his years at UConn and winning 2 titles is VERY impressive.
• Laley23

  

  wildcats20;673926 wrote:I was being a little sarcastic lol
  
  It seems as if you don't go undefeated or win a title, your season is considered underachieving on this board.
  
  But yeah, only having 7 AA's in his years at UConn and winning 2 titles is VERY impressive.

  
  haha, I was literally flabbergasted at the though he has underachieved with talent lol.
  
  Well played.
• sportswizuhrd

  Laley23;673911 wrote:25 years
  23 NBA Players
  7 McDonalds AA
  
  ....That is quite impressive.

  23 NBA Players thats it?
• wildcats20

  

  Laley23;673931 wrote:haha, I was literally flabbergasted at the though he has underachieved with talent lol.
  
  Well played.

  
  I mean 2 titles, that's nothing special.
• Big Gain

  Basketball's JoPa? Going on 70.
• wildcats20

  

  I still can't believe he's only had 7 Mickey D's guys. Wow.
• wildcats20

  

  Upon further review, he's had 9.
  

  McDonald's All-Americans since 1977
  
  2009 Alex Oriakhi
  2008 Kemba Walker
  2004 Rudy Gay
  2003 Charlie Villanueva
  2000 Taliek Brown
  2000 Scott Hazelton
  1997 Khalid El-Amin
  1996 Richard Hamilton
  1991 Donyell Marshall
  1978 Cornelius Thompson

  Jimmy took over in 86-87
• wildcats20

  

  Big Gain;673938 wrote:Basketball's JoPa? Going on 70.

  
  Yeah, I didn't realize til I looked it up that he was 68. I thought he was closer to 60.
• reclegend22

  

  I've never outwardly hated a team more than I did 2006 UConn during its run through the NCAAs (obviously this excludes Carolina). I actually wanted Josh Boone to die on the court. Anyhow, while Calhoun has generated really impressive numbers over his career at a program he built virtually from nothing -- whether it was all done while adhering to the rules, we'll just leave that out of this particular discussion -- his track record of inconsistency still keeps him from the first tier of modern college coaching greats. IMO.
  
  Consider this: Since pushing UConn through to the national stage with an Elite Eight appearance in 1990, and subsequently beginning an otherwise remarkable run of eight Elite Eights, three Final Fours and two national championships over the next 20 years, Jim Calhoun-coached teams have appeared in FOUR NITs (1993, 1997, 2001, 2010) and in 2006-07 participated in no post-season at a record of 17-14.
  
  I overtly hate Jim, though (1999 didn't help) so I had to write this. It's a compulsion. However, I think the vast unpredictability of his teams is an important distinction to make when evaluating his career. The same could even be said of Jim Boehiem, who has also experienced extreme highs and lows (even after the national title in '03), much more so than the upper echelon of greats over time.
• reclegend22

  

  I guess what I want to say is, OK, a really terrible, uncharacteristic season or two happens to even the best of coaches (Coach K's '96 and '07 clubs had to claw their way into the NCAAs, Roy Williams' 2010 NIT team), but four NIT births in addition to a no-post season qualifier team is not the resume of an all-time legend. Which I think Calhoun would probably be if not for living in relative mediocrity during the years his teams aren't "loaded."
• GOONx19

  

  Only seven McDonald's All-Americans is crazy. Cal has signed 4 to Kentucky in next year's class alone.
• Prescott

  Coaches win with talent. When Calhoun had the talent, he usually won.I do think he gets special kudos for building something out of nothing. Is there another coach who has done that?
• Laley23

  

  wildcats20;673950 wrote:Upon further review, he's had 9.
  
  
  
  Jimmy took over in 86-87

  Lol, leave it to Mike DeCourcy (Sporting News) to be wrong. Either way, 7 or 9 is incredible.
• Laley23

  

  reclegend22;673980 wrote:Which I think Calhoun would probably be if not for living in relative mediocrity during the years his teams aren't "loaded."

  
  Thats the thing though...who says his teams are loaded. This stat kind of shows his teams arent EVER loaded until he coaches the layers to greatness. 1999 had Rip and Kahlid, but 2002 only had Hazelton and Brown, who were probably the 5th and 6th best players on the team.
• Laley23

  

  sportswizuhrd;673932 wrote:23 NBA Players thats it?

  
  Kidding me? An NBA player a season is quite exceptional...not to mention hes taking non-McD AA to the NBA.
• Prescott

  23 NBA Players thats it?

  How many of these players were on the team that lost to George Mason??? Boone? Gay? Williams?Armstrong? Adrien?
• sportswizuhrd

  Laley23;674187 wrote:Kidding me? An NBA player a season is quite exceptional...not to mention hes taking non-McD AA to the NBA.

  Haha nah. As a UConn fan I thought it was more.
• sportswizuhrd

  Laley23;674186 wrote:Thats the thing though...who says his teams are loaded. This stat kind of shows his teams arent EVER loaded until he coaches the layers to greatness. 1999 had Rip and Kahlid, but 2002 only had Hazelton and Brown, who were probably the 5th and 6th best players on the team.

  Hazelton might have been gone by then. I think he transferred to Rhode Island or something.
• sportswizuhrd

  Prescott;674277 wrote:How many of these players were on the team that lost to George Mason??? Boone? Gay? Williams?Armstrong? Adrien?

  
  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=200603260129