Calhoun to Have Cancer Surgery

Connecticut men’s Coach Jim Calhoun has prostate cancer and is leaving the team for up to a month for surgery and treatment.

“I want to attack this thing,” Calhoun said Monday at practice. “I want to get it out of my system, and I want to fight this like I’ve fought everything else in my life. I’ll win this battle, and with my family and the love and prayers of everybody, be back on the sidelines soon.”

The 60-year-old coach will take a three- to four-week medical leave, with assistant George Blaney taking over on an interim basis. Surgery is scheduled for Thursday.

Calhoun’s doctor, UConn Health Center urologist Peter Albertsen, said the cancer was detected early and was “relatively low-grade.”

“Coach Calhoun’s condition appears to be very treatable, and we anticipate his return to normal job-related activities within three or four weeks,” said Albertsen, who will do the surgery.

Now in his 17th season at Connecticut, Calhoun has led the Huskies to national prominence, peaking with the 1999 NCAA title. With a career record of 637-290, including 14 seasons at Northeastern, Calhoun is eighth among active Division I coaches.

The 18th-ranked Huskies (13-4, 4-2 Big East) play Wednesday night at Virginia Tech. They’re coming off a 95-71 loss to Boston College on Saturday, their worst loss ever at Gampel Pavilion.

Calhoun learned he had cancer Friday and told the team shortly before meeting with reporters Monday.

“My mouth just dropped,” said guard Taliek Brown. “All my prayers are with him. Everybody will just play his hardest for him.”