STORRS, Conn. – The fans in the student section at Gampel Pavilion began cheering “Jimmy! Jimmy! Jimmy!” until they got what they wanted yesterday.
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, who had surgery just 17 days ago to remove his cancerous prostate, strode purposely onto the court to a defeaning roar. The 60-year-old coach seemed stunned by the emotion of the moment.
“From walking into the building, the fans, it was an incredible feeling,” a drained Calhoun said after the 77-69 win over St. John’s “I certainly didn’t feel like Sally Field or anything, but it really was something to see.”
When Field won her Oscar, she exclaimed with glee that the voters really liked her. Calhoun waved his right hand. The ovation got louder.
Some two minutes later, after each St. John’s player showed exceptional class by walking to the Connecticut bench to shake Calhoun’s hand, the fans settled down. Calhoun didn’t.
When Marcus Hatten had his shot blocked with 23 seconds left in the first half, Calhoun popped off the bench to call a timeout and a set up a final play. He won his 641st game overall and his 393rd at Connecticut.
“Him at half of himself is still better than many other coaches,” UConn’s Ben Gordon of Mt. Vernon said with a smile. “It was great to have him back. It energized me.”
When the game ended, Calhoun walked off the court to another ovation. Once again he waved to the crowd. It took some 30 minutes after the game before Calhoun had collected himself enough to meet with the media.
“It was like riding a horse or a bike,” he said. “You get back on.”