CINCINNATI — Jerrod Calhoun grinned ear to ear as Bob Huggins playfully wrapped his right arm around him Wednesday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena.
The new University of Cincinnati men’s basketball coach braced the moment by pressing his right hand onto his red tie, balancing his notes and an Aquafina bottle with his left hand, as cameras zoomed in to capture the moment.
Suddenly, Jerrod was 22 again.
“Just a little, ‘Go get ‘em,’” Huggins said later.
As Calhoun was introduced as the 29th head coach in UC men’s basketball history, fans, media and university officials couldn’t help but notice the significance of the Bearcats’ lineage.
Calhoun, the former Utah State coach, is a 2004 UC graduate. He started his coaching career as a student assistant under Huggins during the 2003-04 season when the Bearcats went 25-7 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s a good feeling right now,” said UC Hall of Famer Corie Blount, whose lengthy NBA career concluded in 2004. “Just the fact that we have someone from our bloodline — Jerrod coming back is a good feeling. I think the last time we hired a coach, a lot of guys were wondering why and what was the connection. Now, we have a connection. So everybody’s excited.”
Calhoun never forgot what the Fifth Third Arena atmosphere was like during Huggins' time as the UC coach. The Northeast Ohio native said he's grateful to have started his college coaching career with the Bearcats.
"It started at Cincinnati, learning from Coach Huggins, I think the best college basketball coach of all time," Calhoun said.
Later, Calhoun was an assistant coach at Walsh University in Stark County from 2004-07.
After that, he reconnected with Huggins at West Virginia. The two met at a Burger King in Youngstown to discuss Calhoun's position on the Mountaineers' staff.
"He said, 'Do you want a job?'" Calhoun said. "I said, 'Sure, Huggs, I'd love to work with you again.'"
Calhoun spent five years on Huggins’ staff at West Virginia from 2007-12, including four as director of operations and the final season as assistant coach. The Mountaineers went 120-36 with five NCAA Tournament appearances — including the 2010 Final Four and 2008 Sweet 16 — in his five seasons.
“He was in my office pretty much every day,” Huggins said. “He studies film. He’s just done a great job all the way around. He goes and finds players. That’s hard to do, really. It’s much harder than what a lot of people think it is.”
When UC parted ways with former head coach Wes Miller earlier this month, Huggins knew Calhoun would be at the forefront of consideration.
“I knew he was the guy,” Huggins said. “This is perfect for him. He’s an Ohio guy.”
After West Virginia, Calhoun, 44, became a successful head coach at Fairmont State, Youngstown State and Utah State. He said he's grateful for the impact that the 72-year-old Huggins — a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer — has made on his life.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Huggs,” Calhoun told WCPO 9 Sports. “He gave me my start in collegiate coaching. He just said he’s proud. I think you’ll see more and more of him around the program. He’s a big part of the chapters of this storied program.”
Next season, Calhoun will be tasked with trying to earn the Bearcats an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2019.
Calhoun was peppered with questions in the news conference and one-on-one interviews.
“I’m not an ego guy," Calhoun said. "I don’t need this attention. I understand it’s a big obligation, the head coach of the University of Cincinnati in basketball. People really care. What I’m looking forward to is getting to work — going into the office, taking this suit off and meeting with our players — getting on the basketball court.”
Huggins said he believes Calhoun is the correct hire for the Bearcats.
“He’s a good coach,” said Huggins. “I’ve been around him for a long, long time. He understands that’s important, but I think he’s a guy who tries to learn everything that he can learn. I’ve spent a lot of time with him. A lot of guys have spent a lot of time with him because he wants to be one of the good ones. He may end up being one of the great ones.”
