On Wednesday, Connecticut Huskies men's head basketball coach Jim Calhoun reportedly decided to retire. With the official announcement expected on Thursday, UConn had a very coveted opening ... for a few hours.
The university has hired Calhoun assistant Kevin Ollie to lead the Huskies for the 2012-13 season, according to Jeff Goodman of CBS, with a decision on whether Ollie should continue in the top spot expected to come following a postseason evaluation.
The 39-year-old Ollie played for Calhoun from 1991 through 1995, then spent 13 years with a dozen different NBA teams before retiring after the 2009-10 season to join his Calhoun on the UConn bench. Now, he'll take over for his former coach, who took UConn's reins in 1986 and held them for 27 years, turning the Huskies into a national force within a few short seasons. The feisty coach won three titles during his time at UConn, in 1999, 2004 and 2011, made a school-record four Final Four appearances and won seven Big East tournaments.
Goodman has also reported that Karl Hobbs, who has a reputation as an excellent recruiter, will be promoted to a full-time assistant under Ollie.
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