By Dom Amore, Hartford Courant
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Jim Calhoun was described as having “significant interest” in the vacant head coaching position at Boston College, according to an ESPN report..
After the report surfaced, Calhoun told The Courant on Friday, “I have not talked to any school, and I don’t plan on talking to any other school. … I never say never, but I am not trying to get a job.”
Calhoun, who turns 72 in May, retired Sept. 13, 2012 after 26 seasons at UConn, where he won three national championships. He is from the Boston area, coached at Northeastern from 1972-86 and has always had a rivalry of sorts with Boston College. When BC left the Big East, Calhoun vowed he would never play them again and UConn did not schedule the Eagles during his remaining years.
Last week in Memphis, Calhoun told ESPN much the same thing about coming out of retirement, that he doesn’t rule anything out. He was beset with several health problems when he retired and he does feel much better today, he says. Calhoun works for UConn in as an adviser to AD Warde Manuel, a role in which he makes appearances and helps in fundraising. He has been more visible since returning from a vacation in February, attending UConn games in Louisville, Memphis and Buffalo.
Larry Brown’s success at age 73 since taking over at Southern Methodist has put the spotlight on the possibility of coaches working into their 70s. However, Calhoun’s ties to UConn remain strong — last September the school renamed the road outsideGampel Pavilion “Jim Calhoun Way” — and it would be hard to imagine him severing those ties.
“I told [ESPN’s Jeff Goodman] when he asked me [Thursday] that I wouldn’t rule out talking to anybody about basketball,” Calhoun said.
Calhoun, a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, has an overall college record of 873-380 and he is one of eight Division I coaches in NCAA history with 800 wins. He went 625-243 at UConn and won national championships in 1999, 2004 and 2011.
Boston College fired Steve Donahue earlier in the week after he went 54-76 mark in four seasons. The Eagles were 8-24 this past season and 4-14 in the ACC.