ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Jim Calhoun is watching the Connecticut Huskies at this Final Four, not coaching them. That’s a little bit of a problem.
“My wife said, ’You don’t cheer during games,’” Calhoun said on the eve of Connecticut’s national semifinal against Florida. “I said, ’I’m not a cheerleader. I’m a coach.’”
Calhoun won three national titles in four trips to the Final Four, the last coming in 2011. He retired before the start of the 2012-13 season and is now a special assistant to athletic director Warde Manual.
He won’t be on the bench - that job belongs to Kevin Ollie now - but it won’t make much difference to Calhoun’s insides.
“Do I get nervous before games? My stomach will be flopping,” Calhoun said. “Before the game, somewhere around 4 o’clock, I’ll get that coach’s look, which means miserable, grumpy, whatever word you want.”
Calhoun seemed to enjoy his new role, though, stopping for interviews several times and never being at a loss for words. He described his hands as “soaking wet” during the regional final victory against Michigan State last weekend.
“A good line I heard one time is by Bill Parcells,” Calhoun said. “I see too much, meaning I can see the play coming, I can see the sub coming. I see too much sometimes.”
- Schuyler Dixon - https://twitter.com/apschuyler
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NCAA Finals Watch follows the Final Four games and all the activities surrounding the event as seen by journalists from The Associated Press in North Texas - from the big stadium in Arlington where the games will be played to downtown Dallas. It will be updated throughout the day with breaking news and other items of interest. Follow AP reporters on Twitter where available.
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