Shocking: Calhoun gets on another writer

More on some issues I have with Connecticut basketball coming later…

The Big Lead, whose never-ending hate for UCONN leads me to believe someone over there may have gone to a former Big East power school that has since been replaced by the Huskies (IE: St. John’s), ripped Jim Calhoun yesterday for verbally attacking yet another state writer.

After the Huskies were exposed over the weekend at West Virginia, Calhoun didn’t like a question New Haven Register beat writer Brett Orzechowski asked about A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien disappearing at certain points in the game.

From TBL via the Hartford Courant.

“Talk about leadership, Coach,” Brett Orzechowski of the New Haven Register said. “A.J. and Jeff disappeared at certain times during the game.”

“That’s your expression,” Calhoun said. “If you think they disappeared, that’s fine. But A.J. took tough, tough shots … bad shots. I thought Jeff hid. I don’t say disappearing, [rather] trying to find ways to score without appearing, all without jumping. … He’s going to actually have to jump. I told him that all year. He doesn’t believe it. That’s OK. I love Jeff to death. He played lousy today. I don’t know if he disappeared. That’s your interpretation.

“You must think you know them very well. I read some of your columns. Some are good. Some you must have disappeared.”

But when Orzechowski interjected that he didn’t write columns, well, it’s a fact, but it’s also a little like waving the red flag in front of an angry bull.

“No, you don’t write columns. … You write [crap],” Calhoun snapped. “You want to start with me? You’ll lose. The next phone call won’t be answered. You want to start all that stuff? See how well it works for you. I’m not upset because we lost. I’m upset because you’re a smartass. Telling me my kids disappeared, so the word quitter or something of the nature comes to mind.”

Coincidentally, the guy that wrote about this altercation (Jeff Jacobs) was on the receiving end of a Calhoun tirade last year following a piece questioning the decision to suspend Marcus Williams a few games and Price the whole season.

Here’s the thing with Calhoun. You know how guys on ESPN will say there are a lot of other coaches who act just as bad as Bob Knight, but they don’t ever catch the same heat as he does?

Well, that other coach is Calhoun.

He has to be one of the hardest guys in college basketball to deal with. He can be downright nasty to his players and like Knight, if he thinks someone in the media is asking a stupid question, he’s going to let them know.

What I can’t see is why he’s wrong. If anyone with a computer can call out a coach for a bad game plan or scheduling cupcakes, why aren’t coaches allowed to voice their disapproval of a writer?

Emeka, Nadav and Corny - Here’s a link to Orzechowski’s blog. Unfortunately he didn’t address any of this.