1/20/10
Jim Calhoun will take a medical leave of absence effective immediately, it was announced Tuesday. Details are mostly unavailable.
Uconn Health Center physician Peter Schulman, M.D., Calhoun's primary care physician, said, "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."
UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey A. Hathaway, offered, "Our primary concern is Coach Calhoun's health and his complete recovery. We will do everything possible to support Coach during this time. Jim and I both know that the men's basketball program is in very capable hands under the leadership of Associate Head Coach George Blaney."
Coach Calhoun was not available for comment. Later reports do seem to suggest that the problem is stress related and that he should be back with the program in about 10 days. It's been a tough couple of years for the 67 year old coach health wise, ESPN.com has chronicled his issues:
- Jan. 8, 2008: Calhoun leaves game with dehydration. UConn beat St. John's 81-65. Calhoun later explained he was emotionally drained from his brother-in-law's funeral and run down by other minor ailments.
- Jan. 12, 2008: Calhoun doesn't coach a game at Georgetown due to illness. UConn lost 72-69. Calhoun was at the game and watched it from the locker room. Returning home from D.C. that night, Calhoun was admitted to the UConn Health Center's John Dempsey Hospital for precautionary reasons.
- April 24, 2008: Calhoun goes to UConn Health Center with an enlarging mass in his right upper neck near the jaw line. A needle biopsy reveals squamous cell cancer, which was likely related to Calhoun's prior skin cancer. (Calhoun was successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer in 2007.)
- May 6, 2008: Calhoun undergoes surgery at the UConn Health Center to remove cancerous mass on his neck, along with 37 lymph nodes that were found to be cancer-free and part of a salivary gland.
- June 24, 2008: Calhoun begins six weeks of radiation to minimize the chance of cancer recurrence.
- Jan. 3, 2009: At halftime of a game against Rutgers, Calhoun leaves with an illness. UConn won 80-49.
- March 19, 2009: Calhoun misses first-round NCAA tournament game against Chattanooga. He spends Thursday night in the hospital due to dehydration. UConn won 103-47 and Calhoun is released on March 20.
- June 13, 2009: While taking part in a charity bike ride, Calhoun's bicycle hits a pot hole and the coach tumbles over the handle bars and breaks five ribs. He got back up and completed the race, but fainted due to hydration upon crossing the finish line. Calhoun spent the night at the UConn Health Center.
- Jan. 19, 2010: Calhoun takes a medical leave of absence, effective immediately. According to UConn, Calhoun’s leave is not related to his heart nor his previous bouts with cancer.
-- Get well soon coach.