‘A different kind of sadness.’ Men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun discusses retirement

By Kaitlyn Naples, Shawnte Passmore, Christian Colón

Click here for updates on this story

    WEST HARTFORD, Connecticut (WFSB) — Men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun announced his retirement from the head coaching position at the University of Saint Joseph.

Calhoun participated in a virtual news conference on Friday morning.

“The sadness is a different kind of sadness,” Calhoun said. “I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish, proud of the facilities, enrollment, enthusiasm on campus and obviously the basketball team. A lot of the kids have been here for all four years we have been here.”

The university posted the announcement on its website Thursday.

“It’s just the right time,” Calhoun said in a statement. “I’m healthy, my wife (Pat) is healthy, and the USJ men’s basketball program is healthy. We built this program starting from scratch about five years ago, and now the team is in a good place. We’ve got a great new facility and accomplished a lot on the court the past few seasons. I plan to be involved with the University, but there are a lot of things that I would like to do, and it’s time to spend more time with my wife and family.”

Before his post at the university, Calhoun spent many years as head men’s basketball coach at the University of Connecticut.

In three-plus seasons at the school, Calhoun finishes his tenure at USJ with a “record of 47-17 (.734), leading the Blue Jays to the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in just the team’s second-ever season,” according to the school.

Between UConn and St. Joseph’s, he accumulated 920 wins. Two hundred of those came at UConn, where he won three NCAA Tournament titles in 1999, 2004, and 2011.

“Coach Calhoun has stayed longer and done more for USJ than I could ever have hoped when we first talked to him about launching our men’s basketball team and with it, the transition to coeducation almost five years ago,” stated Dr. Rhona Free, President of the University of Saint Joseph. “No student-athlete could have a better coach and advocate—he monitors and cares about their performance and success in every aspect of their lives. While nobody can replace Coach Calhoun, we’re fortunate that Glen Miller has been here throughout and can continue to build the program and lead this team to another successful season.”

“Coach Calhoun’s immense legacy has impacted our campus community in so many ways,” stated USJ Director of Athletics Amanda Devitt. “More importantly, his big personality, his wonderful wit, and his deep love for our student-athletes have changed countless lives. We are forever grateful for his influential work at USJ.”

The Hall of Famer brought his training, energy and drive to the college despite retiring from UConn’s men’s basketball team.

Former NBA player and current broadcaster Donny Marshall played under the legend.

He said Calhoun explained why he decided now is the time to step back.

“Life is short and that’s what coach said. ‘I’ve done everything I came to do and it’s time for me to enjoy Pat,’ his wife,” Marshall said.

Free thanked the coach for his commitment to the men’s team, saying in part “no student-athlete could have a better coach and advocate. He monitors and cares about their performance and success in every aspect of their lives.”

Glen Miller, an assistant under Calhoun, is slated to lead the Blue Jays.

Calhoun said he still plans to help out with both the St. Joseph and UConn basketball programs when possible.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.