STORRS, Conn. – South Carolina, which two years ago wooed
away Connecticut's head football coach, attempted last week to do
the same to Huskies basketball coach Jim Calhoun, a newspaper
reported Monday.
Calhoun, who has a 349-142 record in 15 years at Connecticut,
was hotly pursued by South Carolina athletic director Mike McGee,
the Journal Inquirer of Manchester said.
It wasn't until Sunday afternoon – after turning the Gamecocks
down once and receiving a lucrative second offer – that Calhoun
definitively decided to stay in Storrs, the newspaper said.
"I have nothing but the highest regard for Mike McGee and the
people at South Carolina," Calhoun said Monday, "but it came down
to a personal decision for (wife) Pat and myself.
"Connecticut is our home, Connecticut is who we are,
Connecticut is where we want to be. We truly love it here."
South Carolina is looking for a replacement for Eddie Fogler,
who resigned last month after a 15-15 season.
UConn's football coach, Skip Holtz, left to become the offensive
coordinator under his father, Lou, who had taken over the
Gamecocks' football program.
The Journal Inquirer, citing sources in South Carolina, said the
Holtzes encouraged the idea of courting Calhoun.
Calhoun, who will turn 59 next month, said there were times over
the weekend that he thought he would go.
"I've often said that my plan was to retire from UConn, but
this gave it as stern a test as I've had," Calhoun said. "But in
the end, Connecticut won for us. UConn is where I want to win
another national championship, that's what we're aspiring to.
"There are things in life that you can't replace, like friends.
And those are the things that are most important to us."
Calhoun, who led UConn to a national championship in 1999, owns
a residence in Hilton Head, S.C.
Calhoun is 599-279 (.682) in 29 years of coaching. At UConn, he
has led teams to 14 consecutive postseason appearances, including
nine NCAA berths. The Huskies (20-12) appeared in the NIT this
season, losing in the second round to Detroit.
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