WEST HARTFORD, Conn — The University of Saint Joseph men’s basketball head coach Jim Calhoun has stepped down from the program, effective immediately, the school announced Thursday.
Associated head coach Glen Miller will take over as acting coach.
Calhoun came out of retirement to coach the Blue Jays for the last three seasons. He led the team to a 47-17 record that included a 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in just the team’s second season ever.
"It's just the right time," stated Calhoun. "I'm healthy, my wife (Pat) is healthy, and the USJ men's basketball program is healthy."
He went on to say that the team is in a good place and that he plans 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," he said.
Before his three-year stint at the USJ, Calhoun was the head coach at the University of Connecticut from 1986-2012. He boasts a career record of 920-397 and ranks third all-time in career wins amongst head coaches with a minimum of 10 years at the NCAA Division I level.
"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," said Dr. Rhona Free, President of the University of Saint Joseph, in a statement. "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."
He continued: "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."
Calhoun said in a statement, "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."
The University will hold a press conference Friday to formally announce Calhoun's retirement.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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