Will Jim Calhoun retire? The reasons to stay

Yesterday I took a look at some of the reasons Jim Calhoun may retire, but there are just as many if not more reasons for the man to stay at UConn. The same caveats apply here: I don't know how Calhoun will weigh the different factors that go in to his retirement, and this isn't a complete list. Add your additions in the comments.

Reasons to stay:

No clear replacement: It's pretty clear that Calhoun cares about UConn after he's gone. The Huskies are his life's work and I'm sure he wants to see their success maintained. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be anyone around to maintain it. Tom Moore, long considered a favorite to step into the coaching role post-Calhoun was tarnished pretty badly by the Nate Miles scandal, and, just as importantly, hasn't lit the world on fire down at Quinnipiac. Other Calhoun assistants who have gone on to be head coaches aren't up to snuff either. The trendy pick of the moment is Kevin Ollie, who is young and reportedly popular with players and recruits, but has less than one year of coaching experience. I've said before that if things work out I like the idea of Ollie as the next head coach.... after 2013 or so.

Don't expect UConn to go outside of the Calhoun tree either. Calhoun exerts too much influence for this to happen, the state is in a budget crisis that means a big money hire is unlikely, the athletic department just splurged on a new football coach, and worst of all, that would likely mean Jeff Hathaway would get an extra helping of control over the hiring process. I don't want that. You don't want that and I doubt Calhoun does either.

Why else should Calhoun stay? There are 2.7 million reasons after the jump.

$2.7 million: That's how much money Jim Calhoun will earn if he coaches UConn next season. I mentioned in the reasons to go post that Calhoun has the option for a five-year consulting contract, but that pays $2.4 million less than his coaching gig and he'd still have the option to take that next year (or the year after for that matter). There may be a lot of good reasons to walk away, but that is a lot of money to turn down.

He loves this team: You can tell when Calhoun loves a team. In 2004 and 2007-09 he did. In 2006 and 2010, he didn't. In 2011? Oh yeah, he loved that team big time. Sure, Kemba's gone now but the young kids he loved coaching so much will still be around for the next two or three years. In 2010 the 67-year-old Calhoun seemed about 75 years old. This year it felt like he was around 50. Coaching is in his blood, he loves the kids and that might be enough to keep him around.

This team could be very, very good: No one expected the 2011 national championship. We're happy to have it but it kind of broke the mold because before and during the season it looked like we weren't watching a championship-caliber team, but rather the formation of one. We tossed around the year 2013 a lot for a reason. A team that has a junior Napier running the show with Jeremy Lamb at the wing (I think his size means he stays in Storrs until he's at least a junior, barring a lot of weight-gain) and a senior Oriakhi in the post could be incredibly formidable. Throw in the next element and things get even better. (One thing to keep in mind though, NCAA basketball is crazy, UConn could have the most formidable looking team in the world and still get bounced in the Sweet 16, don't think Calhoun doesn't know this.)

Andre Drummond: Some big caveats up front: No, we don't know if Drummond is coming to UConn and no, we have no guarantees that he'll be as good as everyone hopes (there is a long, long list of teenage big men that get salivated for only to disappoint as freshmen. The clearest recent example is Fab Melo.). But, well, things look promising:

Again, every caveat in the world applies here, but if you throw Drummond onto that 2013 team it doesn't look worse.

Special Andre Drummond eligibility caveat: Beyond Drummond's chances of going to UConn there are all sorts of crazy eligibility issues with him. He is now in his eight semester of high school. The NCAA has a rule that says you have to graduate in eight semesters to be eligible. That means one of three things: 1) Drummond could wind up finishing up this year and play in college in the fall or 2) he could graduate, take a post-grad year and play in college after that or 3) and this is the worst option for UConn fans, he could graduate, take a post-grad year and then just declare for the NBA draft because current draft rules just say you need to wait a year after graduating before you declare, not spend a year any place in particular.

Retirement just might not be in Calhoun's nature: I really wish I could remember the columnist but a few days after the championship someone wrote that Calhoun couldn't retire because he's just not meant to go out on top. He's a fighter that is at his best when he's backed into a corner. A lot of people might see the three national titles, consider the company that puts Calhoun in and call it a day, but I suspect a part of Calhoun sees three titles, feels disrespected for not already being in that elite coaches discussion and wants a fourth. After all, four ties him with Coach K, beats Bobby Knight, gives him some breathing room and crushes his enemies even worse.