Jim Calhoun - Immediate leave of absence

[arydolphin]

Press release from UConn here: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m...011910aab.html

No specifics given in that release about what the medical issues are, but best wishes to Calhoun for a speedy recovery.

[SCMatt33]

Press release from UConn here: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m...011910aab.html

No specifics given in that release about what the medical issues are, but best wishes to Calhoun for a speedy recovery.

I seem to remember him having medical issues last year as well. I certainly hope he is okay, but one must wonder about the timing with him leaving with his team struggling mightily if he already knew he had problems. Of coarse, it is also possible that he was already having issues that caused him to not coach as well which could have contributed to the struggles.

Again, hopefully this is only a precautionary measure. Hate to see anything more serious.

[NYDukie]

Press release from UConn here: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m...011910aab.html

No specifics given in that release about what the medical issues are, but best wishes to Calhoun for a speedy recovery.

Just heard on ESPN Radio that it had nothing to do with his cancer scare last year but they did not elaborate any further.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

He had cancer (skin?) a few years back. Other than that, I don't know of anything. Get well Jim Calhoun! He is one of my favorite coaches outside of Coach K.

[Taco]

I certainly hope he is okay, but one must wonder about the timing with him leaving with his team struggling mightily if he already knew he had problems.

I've got no love for Jim Calhoun and the teams he produces, but is this the kind of baseless accusation you want to be throwing around on this particular messageboard?

[DukieInKansas]

Best wishes to Coach Calhoun. I hope his health issues are resolved quickly and positively.

[ArtVandelay]

I seem to remember him having medical issues last year as well. I certainly hope he is okay, but one must wonder about the timing with him leaving with his team struggling mightily if he already knew he had problems. Of coarse, it is also possible that he was already having issues that caused him to not coach as well which could have contributed to the struggles.

I don't think you have to wonder this at all. In fact, I think it's pretty unfair to assume that Calhoun's absence is anything other than an illness, especially given his medical history. This sounds a lot like Tar Heel fans who claim that Coach K's leave of absence in '95 was due to the team not performing well. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of UConn as a program and Calhoun has made some questionable decisions, but you do have to admire him coming back to coaching as a cancer survivor.

I also doubt their team's struggles have had much to do with his health, although I suppose it's possible. It seems to me that their struggles come from a lack of perimeter shooting and the fact that their team has a lot of guys with considerable talent who tend to make questionable decisions on the floor.

[SCMatt33]

I'm not trying to accuse anyone of anything. I just saw that he was taking a medical leave, and giving all possible thoughts. Obviously, if it is true that this has nothing to do with past medical issues, then there's no reason to think anything of it. I just thought that it was possible that he had never really gotten over his past health problems and had been trying to coach through it and had decided that he wasn't able to perform his duties properly, and that it was detrimental to both himself and his team. I certainly didn't think that he was trying to cut and run because his team was doing poorly.

[calltheobvious]

I'm not trying to accuse anyone of anything. I just saw that he was taking a medical leave, and giving all possible thoughts. Obviously, if it is true that this has nothing to do with past medical issues, then there's no reason to think anything of it. I just thought that it was possible that he had never really gotten over his past health problems and had been trying to coach through it and had decided that he wasn't able to perform his duties properly, and that it was detrimental to both himself and his team. I certainly didn't think that he was trying to cut and run because his team was doing poorly.

I fail to see how the possibility you claim to have been contemplating is substantively different from a 'cut and run.'

[Duvall]

I seem to remember him having medical issues last year as well. I certainly hope he is okay, but one must wonder about the timing with him leaving with his team struggling mightily if he already knew he had problems. Of coarse, it is also possible that he was already having issues that caused him to not coach as well which could have contributed to the struggles.

Jim Calhoun is a 67-year-old man in an exceptionally high-stress career with a history of serious illness. I really don't think we have to wonder about this.

[uh_no]

Coach Calhoun has had his share of medical problems, and as someone who follows the CT program closely, i'm gonna guess this is something on the lines of dehydration...he has had a couple issues like this before, including last year. I think sometimes he gets so invested in the team that he fails to take care of himself.

To the people who accuse calhoun of recruiting shady players: there's no doubt the character standards are higher here than they are anywhere else...but how many uconn players have issues when they are upper classmen? how may have issues in the league? say what you want about Jim, but he straightens kids out, and I have no doubt in my mind that they leave uconn better than they did when they came in

That said, I was not happy when the story broke about the recruiting violations...i don't know what went on, it was a shady situation, and it saddens me that no resolution ever came from the NCAA (given it also saddens me that john calipari put two schools on probation and is still coaching...spot on bobby knight)

[RelativeWays]

Maybe he's coming down with sanctionitis. Pete Carroll came down with a nasty case of that and had to leave USC. Poor trojans.

[sagegrouse]

Jim Calhoun's medical history included squamous cell cancer, a form of skin cancer that "usually" does not spread (unlike melanoma). The issue was that the size of the cancer was a little bit scary. The presser, however, ruled out previous medical conditions.

Last year, Calhoun was doing a bike-a-thon for a charity he leads and had a fainting spell and a wreck that led to his hospitalization for dehydration. For some reason, I think he got back on his bike and finished the race.

sagegrouse

[SCMatt33]

I fail to see how the possibility you claim to have been contemplating is substantively different from a 'cut and run.'

The difference is that "cut and run" would be getting out when he didn't need to, and what I thought is that he might have needed to do so all along but just realized it now. The point is moot, however, since the scenario's I was contemplating had to do with this being an extension of previous health problems, and not a new issue that just happened to come about now.

[striker219]

I don't much care for the man or the teams he coaches, but you hate to see anyone taken out of their game with health issues. I know that press releases of this sort are specifically worded to downplay whatever the issue may be, but it didn't make it sound too serious, so hopefully he'll be back court side soon.

Take care of yourself Coach Calhoun, and come back to lead your team to a National (Invitational Tournament) Championship!



(for his sake I hope it's something as simple as unrankeditis, but I really doubt it - I hear early symptoms include constipation...)

[SoCalDukeFan]

Calhoun had surgery for prostate cancer a few years ago. With cancer you are never out of the woods.

[uh_no]

Calhoun had surgery for prostate cancer a few years ago. With cancer you are never out of the woods.

its not cancer, nor is it cardiac related

[Indoor66]

its not cancer, nor is it cardiac related

That is a rather pregnant statement. Would you like to elaborate?

[Duvall]

That is a rather pregnant statement.

Not really, no.

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."

[JStuart]

OK, I'll up the ante: Who will get credit for his wins and losses?
(Someone was bound to ask...)