DeAndre Daniels to UConn Means Jim Calhoun Will Definitely Be Back Next Season

What better way to retire a 39 year career than after winning a third NCAA championship?

That was the speculation surrounding 69 year old coach of UConn Jim Calhoun this year. Calhoun was likely tempted especially with those pesky busy bodies of the NCAA breathing down your neck and the media whispering very bad words like: “recruiting violations”

But not cancer survivor Calhoun, he just received a verbal commitment from DeAndre Daniels the No. 10 ranked player in the 2011 class. Daniels must have been given assurance that Calhoun will be on the sidelines next season.

Daniels took his time choosing a school. One has to assume that he made a very calculated decision. UConn is a very good fit for him, that team was built for Kemba Walker. If Daniels, a guard/forward can replace Walker’s scoring ability then this very good defensive team will be equal to or better than the championship team.

Calhoun cannot walk away when he has a very good chance of winning back to back championships for the first time in his career. Then he can go out on the ultimate high.

He was meant to make an announcement this June regarding his retirement, but Daniel’s commitment is a resounding statement.

Having Calhoun continue coaching is great for basketball. He has made the Huskies a powerhouse and usually when a legend leaves, his team always takes a nose dive in prestige. Such as when Lute Olson left Arizona or UNLV after Gerry Tarkanian retired.

Schools can preach tradition until the sun sets but the real reason that they succeed is because of the man on the side lines. Calhoun has become a land mark in college basketball.

Coaches like Calhoun and Mike Krzyzewski have been in coaching for over 30 years and their teams are perennial contenders.

Of course there are no guarantees in coaching; Mike Krzyzewski had a great team on paper last season. He had just won his fourth NCAA championship, lost three seniors and added Kyrie Irving, the best point guard in the 2010 recruiting class, to the nucleus of a championship team. Sadly Irving only played 11 games due to a toe injury.

Duke’s bad luck does not mean Connecticut will suffer the same fate though.

College basketball will be very exciting with three very strong teams next season, UNC, Kentucky and now UConn.