After 12 years as an assistant at UCONN and 43 (HOLY SHIT!) years as a college basketball coach, George Blaney announced his retirement yesterday at 73 years young.
We cannot thank George enough for bringing a wealth of experience to our coaching crew over the years and being critical in the transition from Calhoun to Ollie- serving as a mentor to the first year head coach. Blaney also took over head coaching responsibilities on an interim basis when Jimmy had health issues, a random suspension, etc. and (I heard) often ran practices.
Blaney played ball at The College of the Holy Cross and was drafted in the 4th round of the NBA Draft. His coaching career started in 1967 with short stints as head coach at Stonehill and Dartmouth before going to his alma mater where he was head coach for 22 years. After stops at Seton Hall and Rhode Island, he joined the UCONN staff in 2001.
Something that I always noticed when players spoke of him was how much he was loved by the players. If I were a real journalist I would fill this space with text conversations I had with former players to confirm this Stephen A. Smith style.
During his time at UConn the Huskies made 10 NCAA tournament appearances, winning 2 national championships.