It's been almost two weeks since Jim Calhoun fractured his hip in a cycling accident and just like every obstacle he's faced before, it won't stop him from doing what he does. Which means that, barring the unforeseen, he will again coach the Huskies this fall. Calhoun won't be fully recovered from the hip surgery for a while but that's not so much a setback as a minor annoyance for the 70-year-old hall of fame coach.
"If it's possible, I want to be there on the first day of school," Calhoun told ESPN's Andy Katz recently. "I'm fighting my way through it. I'll find a way."
Those aren't hollow promises. When Calhoun says he's going to do something, that's exactly what happens. At the very least, it serves as an example for his players who are roughly a half-century younger than he is.
Calhoun told Katz that the pain has subsided since his surgery although he currently needs a walker to get around. He's rehabbing, however, and admits that "I would love to be back up there a week from Monday."
Doesn't sound like a man who's contemplating retirement, does it? Of course, Calhoun hasn't said definitively one way or the other what his plans are but Katz -- like the rest of us -- feel pretty confident reading between the lines.
Calhoun doesn't have to scream that he's coming back this season. He has said nothing, nor is he showing any signs that retirement is close. Could he change his mind in the fall? Of course. But he could have done that after the 2011 national title, too. The bike accident was a freak occurrence and the latest hurdle he's had to clear.
Calhoun is recruiting. He's plotting a rotation for this season's team. And he's fully engaged in planning the two significant trips in November -- Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Nov. 9 versus Michigan State and the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam.
"I'm trying to get back as quick as I can," he said.
And, really, there's absolutely no reason not to believe him.
