On Monday UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun will undergo surgery for spinal stenosis, the cause for his medical leave of absence this season.
The surgery will require Calhoun to remain hospitalized for up to two nights after the medical procedure. He will then return home for more recovery time. His coaching status will be evaluated day-to-day during the recovery process. No timetable on his return has been released.
“I’m glad we have finally determined the best course of treatment to deal with the problem,” Calhoun said. “I’m looking forward to having the procedure done, hopefully recovering as quickly as possible, and putting it all in the past.”
Calhoun will not be able to coach this Saturday against Syracuse or this Tuesday at Providence, making it eight games the Hall of Fame Coach will miss due to his medical leave of absence. During the six games that Calhoun has missed, the Huskies have gone 3-3 under associate head coach George Blaney.
Blaney’s first game was a 69-46 home victory against Seton Hall. The Huskies would drop their next two games by a combined differential of 39 points losing 80-59 at Louisville and falling to the Orange 85-67 at the Carrier Dome. The Huskies would return home for two games, beating DePaul 80-54 at Gampel Pavilion and losing 79-64 to Marquette at the XL Center. On Tuesday the Huskies pulled off a 73-70 overtime victory at Villanova as point guard Shabazz Napier hit a 29-foot shot with 0.6 seconds left to win the game. Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb set a new career-high with 32 points in the game.
The Huskies are 17-10 this season entering Saturday’s game against the Orange, the second and final time these teams will play in the regular season. The Huskies are 10th in the Big East standings with a 7-8 record in conference play. The Orange is first in the rankings with an 11-3 record, clinching a bye to the Big East quarterfinals.
Blaney will resume his duties as associate head coach during Calhoun’s absence with assistant coaches Kevin Ollie, Karl Hobbs and Glen Miller.