"That’s why I coach the game": When Jim Calhoun spoke out on returning to college basketball at DIII level after three D1 national championships
Former UConn coach Jim Calhoun became renowned for his stellar 26-year stint in charge of the Huskies, during which he won three national championships. Calhoun retired in 2012, one year after winning a national championship.
After his retirement, Calhoun acted as a consultant to UConn while balancing a role as an ESPN analyst. In 2018, he came out of retirement to become the coach of the St. Joseph's Hawks, a DIII program that did not have a men's team.
He recruited all the players, and during his introductory news conference, he spoke about taking a DIII job after the highs of winning the national title thrice with the DI Huskies.
“Whether it’s Division I or Division III, the kids are the kids and the game is the game and I’m looking forward to getting back out on the court and teaching these young men each and every day,” Calhoun said. “I really missed being a part of a team, and we’re preparing for a great first season at USJ.”
The St. Joseph's Hawks' first game in their history was against the William Paterson Pioneers. Despite his six-year absence from the game, Jim Calhoun was his usual boisterous self on the sideline and got his first technical foul just 16 minutes into the game.
The Hawks trailed the Pioneers 41-30 at halftime, and the often-candid Calhoun barred the ESPN team documenting his incredible return to coaching from the dressing room for his team talk. His team mounted a stunning comeback to win 79-74.
During his postgame news conference, Jim Calhoun expressed his pride at the way that his newly assembled team rallied to win the game.
“These are my guys. This is my team,” Jim Calhoun said. “I told them, ‘I take this stuff seriously.’ The way they came back was really special to me. Sometimes you wonder why you coach the game. That’s why I coach the game. When you see a group of people kind of bond together, that’s pretty special. It’s what I missed.”
Jim Calhoun's memorable time in charge of the Hawks
The Hawks finished with a 16-12 record during Jim Calhoun's first year in charge of the team in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The next season, they finished first and reached the conference title game.
Calhoun retired in 2021 with a 47-17 record at St. Joseph's. While Calhoun had a legendary career with the UConn Huskies, his stint with the St. Joseph's Hawks became memorable. He started a program from scratch and made it relevant in the college basketball picture.