The single most important in-game coaching decision Jim Calhoun ever made

[Travelman6]

Basketball is a game of detail and Calhoun has made 1000s of decisions in his career and 100s of very important ones with tightly contested high stakes games hanging in the balance in the closing minutes.

But if you can pick just one decision to reference, one for fans to hang their hat on, what is it?

For me, point blank, the #1 Calhoun call of all time, and perhaps one of the best moves any baskeball coach has ever made is....

Sitting Okafor with 2 fouls vs Duke in the 2004 national semi-finals.

Many coaches might take the gamble and try to get him back out. I mean, he is a game changer after all, who wouldn't? But Calhoun stuck to his guns, yes It was a huge risk but it paid off as Okafor dominated the last quarter of the game or so. For me that one move is a microcosm of Calhoun as a person, he stubbornly sticks to what he believes in, most usually because he knows what the heck he is doing.

So BY, you get one pick and one pick only, what was Calhouns biggest in-game coaching decision of his career? (You have about 16500 minutes, give or take a hundred or so minutes, to pick from)

 

[Mike Honcho]

Basketball is a game of detail and Calhoun has made 1000s of decisions in his career and 100s of very important ones with tightly contested high stakes games.

But if you can pick just one decision to reference, one for fans to hang their hat on, what is it?

For me, point blank, the #1 Calhoun call of all time, and perhaps one of the best moves any baskeball coach has ever made is....

Sitting Oakfor with 2 fouls vs Duke in the 2004 national semi-finals.

Many coaches might take the gamble and try to get him back out. I mean, he is a game changer after all, who wouldn't? But Calhoun stuck to his guns, yes It was a huge risk but it paid off as Oakfor dominated the last quarter of the game or so. For me that one move is a microcosm of Calhoun as a person, he stubbornly sticks to his guns, most usually because he knows what the heck he is doing.

So BY, you get one pick and one pick only, what was Calhouns biggest in-game coaching decision of his career?

This is also the first thing that comes to mind. It was funny, I was listening to a college basketball podcast last week, and the podcast hosts were talking about how coaches adhere way too strictly to the 2-foul rule, and pointed to Coach K as the goat who didn't fully subscribe. Their takeaway -- if Coach K thinks it's stupid, you should too. Meanwhile I'm smirking because it was one of his all-time terrible coaching moves. He didn't adapt to how tightly that semifinal was being called and he got burned for it.

 

[NJHusky]

Letting Moore defend Langdon 1 v 1

 

[Askgreek]

Double team of Elton Brand in the 99 championship game against duke...

 

[HailUConn]

Au Contraire, I think it’s his decision to start Olander on 2011 NCAAT team on every game! It paid off handsomely and he either got the first bucket, rebound or foul. to this day, he still got two rings to prove it, which I may happily add, it’s twice as many as JB or Izzo has in their long coaching career!

 

[ninety-nine]

Having Burrell inbound the ball against Clemson in the Sweet 16.

 

[PAHusky]

Au Contraire, I think it’s his decision to start Olander on 2011 NCAAT team on every game! It paid off handsomely and he either got the first bucket, rebound or foul. to this day, he still got two rings to prove it, which I may happily add, it’s twice as many as JB or Izzo has in their long coaching career!

Olander starting really is sort of fascinating. He didn't play a ton of minutes but for whatever reason starting him was exactly the right thing to do. Sometimes the "feel" of the game in basketball is overlooked these days, but whatever indescribable thing that is Calhoun had it and then some.

 

[uconnfan68]

Having Burrell inbound the ball against Clemson in the Sweet 16.

Nothing like a 1st round MLB pitcher (and a possible 1st round NFL qb, if he wanted) toss that pass.

 

[Waquoit]

I disagree. It was going OK for awhile but Duke went on a rally late in the first half and we lost control of the game. Yes, Okafor didn't foul out but we were on the back foot and going to lose until Rashad got involved with just a few minutes left. And if one wants to make a call like that based on the outcome, then one must entertain the idea that JC blew it when he sat Caron Butler with two fouls. UConn was flying but once Caron sat, MD came all the back and took the lead on a killer 3 at the 1st half buzzer.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Sitting Okafor (and really, everyone) with 2 fouls in the first half was a generally bad strategy that happened to work out this high-profile time.

 

[Travelman6]

Sitting Okafor (and really, everyone) with 2 fouls in the first half was a generally bad strategy that happened to work out this high-profile time.

If things had gotten too out of hand Okafor was going back in, Calhoun was a master with substitutions that year. The game was within reach just enough, just barely, to keep Okafor on the bench.

 

[bendm]

Sitting Okafor with 2 fouls vs Duke in the 2004 national semi-finals.

but okafor finished the game with only 3 fouls... he coulda shoulda played more in the first half.

calhoun was way too conservative when it come to playing guys with fouls imo.

conservsely, larranega played omier almost the enitre second half with 4 because they dont win otherwise.

 

[Tenspro2002]

If things had gotten too out of hand Okafor was going back in, Calhoun was a master with substitutions that year. The game was within reach just enough, just barely, to keep Okafor on the bench.

If Rashad Anderson's 3 at the 3-minute mark (down 8) rattled out, or Reddick's 3 was 6 inches longer, it would have been a disastrous move to handcuff ourselves with Okafor on the bench.

 

[businesslawyer]

Basketball is a game of detail and Calhoun has made 1000s of decisions in his career and 100s of very important ones with tightly contested high stakes games hanging in the balance in the closing minutes.

But if you can pick just one decision to reference, one for fans to hang their hat on, what is it?

For me, point blank, the #1 Calhoun call of all time, and perhaps one of the best moves any baskeball coach has ever made is....

Sitting Okafor with 2 fouls vs Duke in the 2004 national semi-finals.

Many coaches might take the gamble and try to get him back out. I mean, he is a game changer after all, who wouldn't? But Calhoun stuck to his guns, yes It was a huge risk but it paid off as Okafor dominated the last quarter of the game or so. For me that one move is a microcosm of Calhoun as a person, he stubbornly sticks to what he believes in, most usually because he knows what the heck he is doing.

So BY, you get one pick and one pick only, what was Calhouns biggest in-game coaching decision of his career? (You have about 16500 minutes, give or take a hundred or so minutes, to pick from)

Important, yes, but it was hardly a decision. Calhoun sat players with two fouls in the first half close to 100% of the time, and when he didn't it was because injuries or suspensions left him no options, not because he decided to take a risk. Do you remember the '11 championship game against Butler? IIRC, we finished the 1st half falling some points behind because he was sitting something like 5 of his 6 best players with two fouls.

 

[Travelman6]

If Rashad Anderson's 3 at the 3-minute mark (down 8) rattled out, or Reddick's 3 was 6 inches longer, it would have been a disastrous move to handcuff ourselves with Okafor on the bench.

There are two times when I think Calhoun was at a loss regarding his teams, 2006 and, I think it was 2012 with Drummond.
Even the greatest sometimes struggle and he just couldn't (quite) reach them.

But he knew this specific 2004 team, like Anderson, would step up. Rattle in or rattle out on one particular shot, he had an incredible amount of confidence that even if one shot missed, something else would happen, defense or otherwise, that would turn the tide. There was something special about 04 (which was missing from 06 or 12 or a few others). The players knew they were trusted 100% which I think is part of it.

 

[businesslawyer]

There are two times when I think Calhoun was at a loss regarding his teams, 2006 and, I think it was 2012 with Drummond.
Even the greatest sometimes struggle and he just couldn't (quite) reach them.

But he knew this specific 2004 team, like Anderson, would step up. Rattle in or rattle out on one particular shot, he had an incredible amount of confidence that even if one shot missed, something else would happen, defense or otherwise, that would turn the tide. There was something special about 04 (which was missing from 06 or 12 or a few others). The players knew they were trusted 100% which I think is part of it.

The '06 team earned itself a #1 seed. National Championship contenders often DO NOT make the final four. See, e.g., THIS YEAR! In '12, we didn't beat a good team all season and underperformed our talent level (Shabazz, Lamb, Drummond, Oriakhi, Roscoe, Daniels, Giffey, Boat) by an unbelievably staggering amount. I do not understand comparing the two seasons.

 

[FatElvis]

If Rashad Anderson's 3 at the 3-minute mark (down 8) rattled out, or Reddick's 3 was 6 inches longer, it would have been a disastrous move to handcuff ourselves with Okafor on the bench.

Not to mention the fact that Okafor ended up with only 3 fouls the whole game. Winning is a panacea.

 

[nomar]

Basketball is a game of detail and Calhoun has made 1000s of decisions in his career and 100s of very important ones with tightly contested high stakes games hanging in the balance in the closing minutes.

But if you can pick just one decision to reference, one for fans to hang their hat on, what is it?

For me, point blank, the #1 Calhoun call of all time, and perhaps one of the best moves any baskeball coach has ever made is....

Sitting Okafor with 2 fouls vs Duke in the 2004 national semi-finals.

Many coaches might take the gamble and try to get him back out. I mean, he is a game changer after all, who wouldn't? But Calhoun stuck to his guns, yes It was a huge risk but it paid off as Okafor dominated the last quarter of the game or so. For me that one move is a microcosm of Calhoun as a person, he stubbornly sticks to what he believes in, most usually because he knows what the heck he is doing.

So BY, you get one pick and one pick only, what was Calhouns biggest in-game coaching decision of his career? (You have about 16500 minutes, give or take a hundred or so minutes, to pick from)

I'd argue that it really wasn't really an active decision on JC's part. Sitting a player with 2 fouls was something JC ALWAYS did. There were always debates here about the wisdom of that strategy. (A lot of people questioned it after the 2002 loss to Maryland, in which Caron sat for the last chunk of the first half.) The Duke game ended that debate.

I believe JC has said that he considered breaking his own rule and putting Emeka back in, depending on how big a lead Duke opened. But we kept it close enough to allow him to keep Emeka on the bench. Meanwhile, K was greedy and played Williams with 2 fouls to try to stretch the lead. Oops.

 

[Travelman6]

The '06 team earned itself a #1 seed. National Championship contenders often DO NOT make the final four. See, e.g., THIS YEAR! In '12, we didn't beat a good team all season and underperformed our talent level (Shabazz, Lamb, Drummond, Oriakhi, Roscoe, Daniels, Giffey, Boat) by an unbelievably staggering amount. I do not understand comparing the two seasons.

I am not comparing them even if it seems like it, I am just saying he did not quite get through to each team, just for different reasons. 06 coasted to that 1 seed and there are times in Uconn history where teams worked much harder only to get lower seeds. 06 was talented but they were just too complacent and I will never change my mind about that because if the opposite was true there never woud have neen an issue with Vermont or Washngton and GMason would have been put away well before any chance of OT.

 

[Deepster]

I'm going to go with the UConn/Duke and how Calhoun doubled Elton Brand. His choice of doubling completely took the player of the year out of the game, especially in the first half. He was 5 for 8 on the game, ended with 15 pts (5 of 8 from the FT line as well) but he really was a complete non-factor.

 

[ucp990411]

If Rashad Anderson's 3 at the 3-minute mark (down 8) rattled out, or Reddick's 3 was 6 inches longer, it would have been a disastrous move to handcuff ourselves with Okafor on the bench.

If is a big word

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I'd argue that it really wasn't really an active decision on JC's part. Sitting a player with 2 fouls was something JC ALWAYS did. There were always debates here about the wisdom of that strategy. (A lot of people questioned it after the 2002 loss to Maryland, in which Caron sat for the last chunk of the first half.) The Duke game ended that debate.

I believe JC has said that he considered breaking his own rule and putting Emeka back in, depending on how big a lead Duke opened. But we kept it close enough to allow him to keep Emeka on the bench. Meanwhile, K was greedy and played Williams with 2 fouls to try to stretch the lead. Oops.

It wasn't that easy a decision. Okafor was the best player in college basketball, and this was the national semifinals with Georgia Tech waiting for the winner. Okafor only played 22 minutes in the game.

There were other adjustments given how tight the refs were calling the game. Coach K refused to adjust to the officiating, and ended up with his entire front court, including backups, fouled out of the game. I am not sure it was a coaching masterpiece by Calhoun so much as gross stupidity by Krzyzewski. I guess when your opponent wants to light himself on fire, don't hand him a bucket of water.

I think I am going to watch a replay since you brought it up.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Listening to Packer call a game was like a sandpaper Q-Tip in the ears. Why did CBS let such a miserable person call their big games?

Okafor's second foul was a really bad call, and would probably be an offensive foul today. Calhoun had the benefit of having 4 future NBA players in the frontcourt in Okafor, Boone, Villanueva and Armstrong.

 

[ctchamps]

Allowing Khalid to be JC's floor general while relaxing slightly his in game control. It allowed that team's player to have some fun during the game. I remember the big debate in this forum regarding the Rip and Kfree bowing in which some posters were strongly opposed to that behavior.

This was a big change way!

 

[nomar]

It wasn't that easy a decision. Okafor was the best player in college basketball, and this was the national semifinals with Georgia Tech waiting for the winner. Okafor only played 22 minutes in the game.

There were other adjustments given how tight the refs were calling the game. Coach K refused to adjust to the officiating, and ended up with his entire front court, including backups, fouled out of the game. I am not sure it was a coaching masterpiece by Calhoun so much as gross stupidity by Krzyzewski. I guess when your opponent wants to light himself on fire, don't hand him a bucket of water.

I think I am going to watch a replay since you brought it up.

I agree with all of that (although I think Okafor and the Duke players had more to do with them fouling out than K did), but given that you think my takes are stupid...

Okafor vs Shav and especially Horvath was a mismatch.