SI.com's Luke Winn has reported that a source close to the UConn program has said head coach Jim Calhoun's leave of absence is stress-related and will likely not keep the Hall of Fame coach away from the sidelines for long. (However SI.com's news arm still has the standard AP line of unannounced health issue.) Winn:
A program source told SI.com that Calhoun's issue, this time, is stress-related, and that he needed time away from basketball for his health to stabilize. He'll miss Wednesday's game against St. John's, with associate head coach George Blaney taking over the team and the source said it was likely, but not yet certain, that Calhoun wouldn't be on the sidelines for Saturday's home game against No. 1 Texas, either.
This should certainly come as welcome news to UConn fans, though, as I noted earlier, this issue does raise a lot of questions about the future of the program, especially with regard to Calhoun's contract situation.
Today has certainly not been a fun one for UConn fans, and at least for me, it has forced me to face the unpleasant reality that Calhoun is getting old. ESPN.com had a stat up earlier today that I had never seen before: Jim Calhoun has coached more basketball games than any other active D1 coach. That fact should not surprise me, but seeing it still shocked me. Jim Calhoun has been coaching UConn since before I was alive. I do not like having to contemplate UConn's future without him. I know one day I will, I just hope that day is not as close as today made it seem.