SEEN, HEARD & NOTED IN HARTFORD

By Zach Smart


There's been a number of wild encounters between the media and UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun. Most remember his "I f****d up" rant. This profanity-laced tirade emerged after New Haven Register columnist Dave Solomon questioned him about his recruitment of Waterbury, Conn. forward Ryan Gomes. Gomes starred at Providence and currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Coach Calhoun on Gomes Recruitment

Calhoun's penchant for four-letter words has been notable in press conferences. Most recently, we remember the Hall of Famer lashed out on the media over the way they jumped on the Doug Wiggins-Jerome Dyson arrests story.

“I'd like to have you working hard on the team and do your (blanking) job instead of trying to hurt younger people because you feel someone's pressuring you. It's really unfortunate, it really is,” said Calhoun, following the Huskies' 68-63 victory over then no.7 Indiana on Jan. 26, 2008.

"You've done your job, things were reported, and you'll know the information as soon as it comes out. I told you they would not be playing tonight or the next game and I told you this week that something would come out but that's not good enough for you, you've got to go into P.I. (private investigator) mode. If that's what you want, go ahead. Just make sure when you make that call and it doesn't get answered, that you're fooling with my kids. Fool with me now, say I'm a bad coach, I shouldn't discipline. OK? Just so we understand that, just so we all understand each other," said Calhoun.

In his 23rd year as the Huskies head coach, Calhoun demands his respect. The legendary coach who's scored 999 wins has fielded trillions of questions from a number of journalistsas. Some of these guys are as vindictive as the reporter played by Al Bundy in the 1994 film, "Blue Chips." As the aforementioned youtube material and rant at Indiana last year indicates, Calhoun has been in a barrage of heated arguments and put a number of individuals on blast.

Nothing, however, was more whacky than Calhoun's sudden spat with a political activist/freelance journalist following UConn's 64-50 victory over South Florida at the XL Center.

Ken Krayeske, who is currently enrolled as a UConn law student, spoke out for himself and was owned by Calhoun, who had been very calm throughout the press conference.

"Considering you're the highest paid state employee in a $2 billion budget deficit," Krayeske asked before Calhoun abruptly interrupted him.

"Not a dime back," said Calhoun, instigating laughter throughout a press conference that's garnered national news and has made waves on YouTube and ESPN.

"Not a dime back, I'd like to be able to retire someday."

When Krayeske asked Calhoun about his contract with Comcast, indicating that his salary is affecting the state’s economic quagmire, Calhoun gave a terse response.

"You're not really that stupid, are you?"

But when Krayeske interjected by saying "yes, I am," Calhoun thoroughly walloped the magazine writer.

"My best advice to you: shut up...Quite frankly, we bring in $12 million to the university, nothing to do with state funds. We make $12 million a year for this university. Get some facts and come back and see me!''

It made for a pretty awkward moment.

Krayeske, a Syracuse graduate, operates a blog, www.the40yearplan.com.

Krayeske has written for High Times, the notorious marijuana monthly and admits to “dropping LSD and smoking copious amounts of marijuana” during his Syracuse days.