Jim Calhoun Quotes (424 Quotes)

It was like that scene in 'Good Will Hunting' when Ben Affleck tells Matt Damon that one day he wants to ring the bell and not have anyone answer it, ... My coach told me my friends just wanted me to stay there and that if I succeeded it would make their failures worse. He asked me if I really wanted to play in the Eastern League for 30 a game for the rest of my life.

Our fans couldn't wait to get back to seeing the pretty plays. They were few and far between.

I can feel the emotions start to build, ... I've had conversations with my first recruit at Northeastern, with eight kids from my Dedham High School team that won 21 straight games, a lot of phone calls from my former players ... it's an exciting time for me.

Marcus made a mistake, like every other student on this campus. I don't feel there's any question that Marcus has profited. Some people miss shots and continue to miss shots because they don't learn. Marcus has learned a great deal.

Both of our NCAA Championships (1999, 2004) came in years where we won the Big East Tournament. Time will tell if that's an automatic correlation. There are no good losses. No moral victories. But I do know this team is one to be reckoned with at the NCAA tourney.

Obviously they're a tournament team. I thought they were a tournament team yesterday.

We'll start Craig. Marcus Williams really likes having Craig in the game. It's almost like Khalid El-Amin always wanting Rip Richard Hamilton in the game - it's someone to take the burden of ball handling off him.

Ricky wasn't as good a shooter though he was a great defender as Craig is. And Marcus is a good shooter but he's not the scorer that Khalid was. But it's still two guys that can both score, both pass. We know we're going to need that lineup at certain times.

It certainly was one of the more disappointing losses we've had in an awful long time. I'm proud of the way the kids came back. But I'm incredibly, incredibly disappointed in the loss and incredibly disappointed in myself.

It's both being fortunate and having the basketball gods smiling on you a little bit because quite frankly they had every right to win that game as much as we did. We took our foot off the pedal and we can't do that.

There's no one in the country that has guard play like them and they're a very difficult team to stop.

There's got to be an adjustment on that. I don't think it's as productive as it should be, in a true sense of competitiveness ... just because of the time aspect about it.

Our inside power is very difficult for most teams to handle. Today, we were able to get inside better than we did on Monday.

All of a sudden the game changed when Jeff came in. When he got a rebound, nobody was going to try to grab it away from him. For a freshman to come in and make that kind of stand, I think is very significant. It won't show up in the statistics. It does show up in nine rebounds. But I think it was very significant down the stretch that Jeff could come in and impose his will.

He plays a great game with great enthusiasm. He's dedicated himself the past year to be a starter this year. He was the difference maker today. He cleaned up the middle by blocking shots and obviously scored a few baskets for us.

What really hurt us a lot of times is another team playing well and us not playing so well.

Its not Rashads fault, trust me. Whatever we ask our kids to do, its our responsibility. We make the choice of who plays who. ... Im incredibly, incredibly disappointed in the loss, incredibly disappointed in myself. I would have changed a couple of things probably the last two, three minutes of the game and into overtime.

Obviously, we are disappointed that Jeff will miss the game at Providence, but the rule as stated in the rule book is very clear. Other players will have to step up and make up for his absence and I have complete confidence that will happen.

I'll remember Marcus' smile from the office in the mornings. I'll remember his loyalty I'll remember how hard he has worked on becoming a terrific basketball player that is, in my opinion capable of stepping into the NBA and starting for someone next year.

We went to see 'Glory Road' the other night and it was a great film.

They run very good offense. If you're not on top of your game, they've got guys on this year's team that can make plays. I think our kids are going to have to pick it up a level.

It was their spread and ability to shoot 3s and our power on the inside. I think we eventually got the power inside and the balance of transition and hitting open shots. But they would not quit.

He learned at the feet of the master, ... To have someone full-time for basketball issues is a great, great situation.

He's improving every game. He's getting tougher every game. He's a kid who's just turned 20 and he's getting better right before our eyes. Rudy is starting to understand there are some great gifts he has and he has gotten to showcase them as he has gotten better.

I thought we would eventually take control of the game, and Kentucky kept fighting back. That was not in the game plan.

It was everything you could ask for in a college game. You had a special environment, passion on both teams and with both coaches ... I would have been disappointed if we had lost. We did enough things to win this game.

I don't think we shot well (38.7 percent), but I think we played well and yet it took us 30 minutes to shake them, maybe 35 minutes to shake them. That's just by their tenacity and how hard they played. Providence has a young team. The three guys who I think played really well for us happened to be seniors and that makes a difference in college basketball.

They're faster, quicker. Are they better It's hard to convince me of that after the way Padgett played against us.

Well, 1,100 basketball games I've been fortunate to be involved with (and) I've never been quite involved with something like that. It was just an incredible game fought by two teams who gave it everything they possibly have. And I don't know if the teams could have gone another minute. I thought it was an incredible display of what competition is all about.

We've got to take away 3-point shooting and not get fatigued by the shot clock. They make as many shots under 12 seconds as any team you're going to play.

All those numbers would tell you that we did not do the things we're capable of doing at all times. We didn't do some of the things I know we're capable of. We had moments, but not enough.

We've been to nine of 12 Sweet 16s and that's a good achievement, but nine straight is incredible. Mike has had terrific players.

It's a contrast of styles.

It's an important game for them and for us it's an important game, too. You've got to make sure you take care of the home court and stay aggressive.

I see nothing but greatness ahead for him and therefore it made sense for all of us. There's no question that Rudy will fulfill the promise of those people who draft him. He's got every attribute. He's bright, he's a wonderful person, incredibly well raised and he's just a tremendously, tremendously talented young guy.

We were living on an 11-0 season that meant absolutely nothing. We took a 15-8 lead and from then, didn't play an ounce of basketball.

I don't know if there is another player as complete or as poised all the time with the basketball. Bottom line is that he's a terrific basketball player.

We just didn't have any idea who each other was or how to attack this zone. In the past two years we've had six games with Syracuse. And we've had moderate success in that time.

So the trip to Springfield comes at a good time to escape the uncertainty at home. Former players will be all around to thank him. Hall of Famers will be there to welcome him. I'll come back Sunday ready to do what I need to do to make this team as good as it can be, ... The problems will be there when I get back.

I think kids are going to have to pick it up a level. I don't want them thinking about Marquette and LSU Jan. 7 next week. Quinnipiac has always been a team right on the edge, a team that has given us tough games at times.

He's really becoming an incredible player. I think he's been overshadowed. He can rebound, he can defend and he's strong. I think when he gets away from a team that has so many wings he'll be a terrific two guard, and I think he can play at the next level

Well, to state the obvious, we're happy to be here today. We survived an incredible basketball game between two incredibly competitive teams. I think that game could go up as Exhibition A of what this tournament has been.

The heart of Denham, the will of Denham ...

We are lucky to have him as a part of our staff and this promotion is a well-deserved acknowledgment of the part that he has played in the phenomenal success of our basketball program.

We revised our scouting report on Kentucky because of the way Perry played. This will be one of the few times where we face a team that has the size up front that we do.

Let me give you an example with our kids. I think we could play the Celtics probably for a half.

We caught them when they were playing terrific basketball. And we caught them off guard. I could see it on tape that they just didn't expect us to be as good as we were. That may have been, at particular points, as good as we've played offensively. We really, really played well.

You have living proof of his maturity. There are so many times when guys feel like lashing back out at people. Since he felt he was the one who made the mistake, there was no sense lashing out at anybody. ... How he handled it showed me that he was more than ready.

The national championship in 1999 took me back to my career at UConn. This has taken me back to my life, to where it began, my brother and four sisters and how meaningful they have been, to my family, my parents, my friends, my players, my assistant coaches. It's pretty deep.

This proves that you can't just show up in postseason play, because instead of going to practice and preparing for a game tomorrow, we have to wait a week. Next time we lose, we're going home.