UConn coach Calhoun taking leave of absence because of spinal stenosis
Published: Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 - 12:00 am
STORRS, Conn. -- The UConn men's basketball team, which has struggled the past several weeks, will need to turn it around without their coach and the face of the program.
Jim Calhoun is suffering from a serious spinal condition and has taken an indefinite leave of absence. Associate head coach George Blaney will be in charge of the team for games againstSeton Hall at the XL Center on Saturday and at Louisville on Monday.
Calhoun, 69, has spinal stenosis, defined by the National Library of Medicine as "narrowing of the spinal column that causes pressure on the spinal cord, or narrowing of the openings (neural foramina) where spinal nerves leave the spinal column."
He has had severe lower back pain. Calhoun told the Associated Press he believes he will need surgery, which could mean his season is over. If so, it is possible the Hall of Fame coach with a 867-374 record has coached his last game for UConn.
"The bottom line is I'm going to need some work done," Calhoun told the AP from his home on Friday afternoon. "In January the shooting pains were getting worse and after one plane ride I couldn't even get up. I tried to hide it. I'm taking medicine right now for the pain and they are waiting for things to quiet down and I'll meet with the doctor next week."
The regular season ends on March 3, followed by the Big East tournament and the NCAA Tournament. Recovery from back surgery would likely take several weeks. Dr. Peter Schulman of the UConn Health Center, Calhoun's primary health care physician, said Calhoun was diagnosed with spinal stenosis over the summer.
"Last summer, Jim had some significant back pain and has seen two excellent back specialists," Schulman said. "The initial approach recommended to him was stretching, physical therapy and exercise, and that was successful for several months. It turns out that there is some degenerative problem in the lumbar vertebrae and it's impinging on the nerves. It has led to significant back pain and some symptoms in his lower extremities. ...Over the last several days, things have become worse and he is not able to deal with this on a day-to-day basis, so other options need to be considered. Right now, he is physically unable to coach."
Throughout last spring and summer, Calhoun left open the question of whether he would return to coach a 26th season at UConn. It was then he began feeling the pain in his lower back, and it was decided he could manage it with therapy and stretching exercises. In early September he told UConn President Susan Herbst he would return.
"I went for the physical therapy and it worked," Calhoun said, "but it started to lock up sometimes recently and it was worse."
When he returned from his NCAA-mandated suspension in January, he said a "major, major factor" in his decision to coach this season was that he felt the need to serve the suspension, and he passed up on the chance to retire on top, following his third national championship. Calhoun has two years remaining on his contract after this season. There is a strong possibility UConn will be ineligible for postseason play for 2013, when new NCAA rules regarding academics go into effect, which might prompt him to retire after this season, especially if his back problems cannot be fully corrected.
"I told (Herbst) about it and said I could make it through the season," Calhoun said. "But it's just so bad, even getting through practice. Now I'm going to see what the next step is. The bottom line is I'm hurting."
In UConn's recent games, Calhoun, who is usually animated at courtside, spent more time sitting, and he has been noticeably limping, especially after the Huskies' fourth loss in a row, at Georgetown.
Blaney said Calhoun's level of pain worsened when the team flew to Washington for the game at Georgetown, and became severe when the team landed in Hartford late Wednesday night.
"He told me he had trouble getting home (from the airport)," Blaney said, "and he couldn't get out of bed."
Calhoun was unable to come to the office Thursday morning, and on Friday the team learned that he would be out indefinitely
"He's a tough guy," freshman center Andre Drummond said. "I didn't even notice there was anything wrong."
Calhoun has overcome cancer three different times in his career, prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer on two occasions. He missed several weeks in 2010 with what was called a "stress related" issue, and other illnesses including pneumonia and broken ribs from a biking accident.
"He's the toughest guy I know," Blaney said. "He doesn't even Novocain when he goes to the dentist."
UConn (14-7) has nine games left in the regular season. Blaney, 72, who has 30 years experience as a head coach, has been Calhoun's top assistant for 11 years. He stood in as Calhoun served a three-game, NCAA-mandated suspension between Dec. 26 and Jan. 4, and on several other occasions. The Huskies went 2-1.
Calhoun has missed 27 games because of illness since 1990, and another because of a death in the family.
"Sometimes you have to go on a journey without your captain," said co-captain Shabazz Nappier. "We're going to try to make his dreams come true, and our at the same time."
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