Episode 133: A New Book from Coach Calhoun

Former UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun won three national championships for the Huskies, but the relationship he has with players goes well beyond in the court. Calhoun has recently finished his third book – “More Than a Game: How the UConn Dynasty Was Built on a Culture of Caring” – which he co-authored with sportswriter Dom Amore. The book takes a look at Calhoun’s relationships with a number of former players from all his various coaching stops with many of them former Huskies. Amore joins us on the latest episode of the UConn 360 podcast to talk about how the book came about, when people will be able to get a copy, some insight about its content, and a little bit about his career as well.

Listen to Episode 133 at Podbeam

Mike: Well, hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the UConn 360 podcast. I’m Mike Enright from University Communications, along with Izzy Harris from University Communications. Hi, Izzy.

Izzy: Good morning, Mike.

Mike: It’s March Madness time. Can you believe it?

Izzy: No, I can’t. I’m just picturing how busy everything’s about to get. It’s the busiest time of the year but also the most fun, so I’m really looking forward to it.

Mike: Especially here at UConn. We’re all getting ready to see how Coach Auriemma and Coach Hurley’s teams do. But today, we’re going back in time just a little bit. Our guest is Dom Amore. You may recognize his name as a sportswriter from The Hartford Courant, but he has just completed work on a new book with UConn basketball legend Jim Calhoun called More Than a Game: How the UConn Dynasty Was Built on a Culture of Caring.

Dom has been writing sports since 1982. He’s been at The Courant since 1988 and has covered everything from UConn sports to the New York Yankees, the Giants, and high school sports—he’s been everywhere. His first book, which might interest Yankees fans, was called The Franchise on the Rise: The First 20 Years of the New York Yankees.

He’s been State Sportswriter of the Year four times and has won more than 30 national and regional journalism awards. And now he’s written this book with Coach Calhoun, and he’s here to talk to us about it today. Dom, thanks for joining us.

Dom: Mike, Izzy, how are you?

Mike: We’re great.

Izzy: We are great. We’re always great, right, Mike?

Mike: We always have a good time here. So, Dom, Coach Calhoun—this would be the third book he’s written during his career. The first one was after the National Championship in ’99. He did another one on leadership. How did this book come about, and what makes it different?

Dom: Well, Jim wanted to do another book.

I think he felt that with UConn’s two recent National Championships, there would be interest in how things started at UConn—how the program was built. He originally got the idea after reading a book. As you know, Jim reads just about everything he can get his hands on. He read a book called The Wax Pack, which was about a baseball fan who opened an old, unopened pack of baseball cards from the ’80s and tracked down all 15 obscure players from that pack to write about where they are now.

Jim thought it would be interesting to track down and reflect on his relationships with 10 players and people in his life.

As you mentioned, his book Dare to Dream was a memoir of his life. He didn’t feel the need to do that again. His leadership book—like many coaches write—was about philosophies and the pillars of leadership. But for this book, he wanted to focus on the people he coached, the people he helped, and how they helped him.

So, we identified a group of players—some familiar names, some not as well known—from all the different places he coached, and we told their stories through his eyes. I think people are really going to like it. If you’re a UConn fan, it’s a must-read. If you’re a basketball fan, I think you’ll enjoy it. And if you’re just a fan of people and coaching, you’re really going to enjoy these stories.

Izzy: I’m really looking forward to learning more about the book throughout our podcast. I can’t wait to read it one day. I’m curious about what goes on behind the scenes of writing a book.

It’s easy to come up with great ideas, but it must be a ton of hard work to turn those plans into reality.

Dom: Well, you know, every book is different in terms of how it’s written and what it covers. My first book was basically just research.

I went through old newspapers from 1903 to 1923, trying to find things I didn’t know about the Yankees of that era, and then I wrote about it. There weren’t really any interviews—it was straightforward and relatively easy.

At The Courant, what I usually do is interview people and write stories based on those interviews. I cover events and write stories about them.

But this book was different—it was a collaborative effort, an as-told-to book. The challenge was to interview Jim and get his stories about different people, then talk to those people as well, and ultimately write it in Jim’s voice.

That was the real challenge—it’s not written in my voice, except for one chapter. Everything else is written in Jim’s voice. As Mike knows, Jim has a very unique way of speaking, so I had to capture that. I wanted the book to sound like him.

Once that was done, Jim would read it, make corrections, revise things, and ensure it truly reflected him. I’m really proud of how we achieved that. When you read this book, it sounds like Jim.

Jim is a great storyteller. The only real challenge as his collaborator was reigning in the tangents he might go on. But honestly, I probably have an hour of Jim talking about each player on tape, plus another 45 minutes to an hour of each player talking.

Sometimes, players told me stories that I would then go back to Jim with and ask, “Hey, do you remember this? Can you tell it in your words?”

So, I would take all of that—interviews, counter-interviews, and counter-counter-interviews—and craft three to four thousand words in Jim’s voice about each player and their story.

Mike: Dom, who are some of the UConn players you talked to that people might recognize? I know it’s a long list and tough to go through all of them, but who are some of the UConn players you interviewed?

Dom: Well, of course, Ray Allen. We figured you couldn’t do this book without Ray Allen and Jim’s relationship with him.

Rip Hamilton, obviously, another one. Kemba Walker—the guys you would expect. Also, guys with really compelling stories like Caron Butler and Khalid El-Amin. Those are probably the more familiar names that people would recognize.

But then there are also players who aren’t as well known. For example, one man Jim coached in high school at Dedham High School in 1972 went on to MIT and became a big shot at NASA—John Kowalowski.

Then there’s another kid who came from the wrong side of the tracks in Dedham. He was kind of an outcast at school, but he could play a little basketball. Jim got him on the team, and he ended up being one of the top players. Later, he had a 40-year career as an educator in Massachusetts—very successful. Jim is, of course, very proud of stories like that.

Then there are people from Northeastern and St. Joe’s. So, we tried to cover all of Jim’s career. But obviously, the bulk of his career was at UConn, and there’s a lot of that in the book.

Izzy:
I’m not asking you to give any spoilers away, but do you have a favorite story you can share from the book about one of the players you interviewed?

Dom:
Well, one of my favorites is about Rip Hamilton. Unlike a lot of the other players, Rip didn’t necessarily need a father figure in his life.

Many of the stories in the book involve players who needed guidance beyond basketball. We were very mindful that we didn’t want to write the same story 13 or 14 times. We wanted to showcase different people with different backgrounds.

Rip Hamilton was interesting because he was just a really, really good player. But he didn’t need a father figure, and he wasn’t the type of guy who yelled, screamed, or threw things. It took Jim a while to understand that Rip’s way of competing looked different.

Rip cared just as much as anybody else. He wanted to be great just as much as anybody else. He worked just as hard as anybody else. But he didn’t show it in the same outwardly fiery way as some other players.

It took Jim a while to recognize and adjust to that. Interestingly, Jim and Rip became closer after Rip left UConn—when their conversations were more about life. They talked about being a father, a husband, raising kids, business, and life in general.

They accomplished the ultimate goal together—winning UConn’s first National Championship—but their relationship deepened in a different way later on.

Mike: It’s hard for me to believe that there’s now a younger generation of fans who don’t remember Jim Calhoun coaching basketball at UConn. Or if they do, they were infants or very young at the time.

It’s kind of like how some people don’t remember Bill Clinton being president—it’s that kind of generational gap.

For fans who lived through the dream season and those National Championships, they’ll experience the book one way. But it seems like younger readers will have a completely different experience and learn things they never knew.

Dom: That’s what we’re hoping.

We hope that this book will be picked up by people who might donate it to schools. We want as many young people as possible to read it because I think there are valuable life lessons in it.

This book isn’t filled with a lot of details about free throws, rebounds, turnovers, or games—that’s all been written before.

This book is about people.

One thing I’ve always believed—and I’ve probably written this a time or two—is that Jim could have picked a sport he knew nothing about, read a book about it cover to cover, and then gone out and coached it successfully.

Because Jim doesn’t just coach a sport—he coaches people.

That’s what the title of the book reflects. That’s what we tried to get across: this is a book about relationships.

We hope young people read it and take something from it. You don’t have to be a basketball fan to get something out of this book.

Izzy: Earlier, you brought up a culture of caring. Why do you think having a strong relationship with his former players is so important to Coach Calhoun?

Dom: Jim’s life experiences shaped who he is. For those who know his story, you’ve probably read about it or heard him talk about it.

Jim lost his father when he was 15. That changed everything for him. He suddenly had to become the man of the house at a young age. He had to take care of his mother, his sisters, and his younger brother.

Because of that responsibility, he wasn’t able to go to college when he wanted to. He had to turn down scholarship offers and work in various blue-collar jobs around Braintree, Massachusetts.

During that time, there were people in his life—his high school coach, mentors in town, and others—who didn’t owe him anything but still stepped in to help. They guided him, advised him, and gave him opportunities.

Eventually, Jim was able to attend American International College, play basketball, and find his way into coaching.

So, he tries to pay that forward. If you know Jim, you know that he is literally addicted to helping people.

He doesn’t wait for someone to bring a problem to him—he seeks it out. If he senses something is wrong with someone, he picks up on it. He’ll try to advise them, help them, or make a phone call if needed.

Even today, at age 82, if you’re in his office, his phone is constantly ringing with calls from former players and people in his life. They’re reaching out to him for guidance, advice, or just to talk.

Jim cares about people in the same way most people breathe, eat, or sleep. It’s just part of who he is.

That’s what he wanted to get across in this book—the culture of UConn basketball is built on caring.

And that culture has survived through different eras and continues today because Dan Hurley coaches in a very similar way.

Jim has always said, “You can say anything to a player. You can call them any name in the book, swear at them, yell at them, holler at them—as long as they know you care about them. If they know you care, they’ll listen. If they don’t, it’s a different dynamic.”

And I think Dan Hurley coaches in that same way. He coaches players hard because they know he cares about them.

That’s really what UConn’s culture is about. It’s not just about height, speed, jumping ability, or shooting skills. The culture is built on caring.

Mike: Dom, you kind of jumped into my next question there.

Dan Hurley wrote the foreword for the book, and a few months ago, at the beginning of the basketball season, we had Tom Moore as a guest on the podcast.

I think Tom was probably the most qualified person to answer this question, but I’d say you’re in the top 10 of people who could answer it, too.

So, compare and contrast Jim Calhoun and Dan Hurley. Obviously, Tom coached for both of them, so he had firsthand experience. But I’d put you on the Mount Rushmore of people who have insight into this.

Dom: Well, yeah, you know, I became the UConn beat writer during Jim’s last year coaching. But that season, he missed a lot of time due to back problems, so I didn’t cover him daily in the way I did with other coaches earlier in my career.

But of course, I was in Connecticut and covered a lot of his career, so I remember a lot of his ways.

Jim and Dan definitely have similarities in their personalities.

But there are also differences.

For example, Jim was very well-rounded. He was a renaissance guy. He read everything. He played golf. He had a million different interests.

Dan, on the other hand, is all basketball, all the time. He doesn’t have many outside interests.

That’s one difference.

But in terms of how they relate to players, they’re very similar.

Both of them coach very hard.

Both of them are often more determined to get players to reach their potential than the players themselves are.

Dan, for example, is sometimes more determined to get his players to the NBA than the players themselves. Jim was the same way—he pushed players because he saw their potential before they did.

So, in that way, they’re alike.

They’re also both very intense.

Jim used to say something—and I don’t know if Dan has ever put it this way—but both of them are so judged by those two and a half hours on the court.

During those two and a half hours, they pour their heart and soul into the game.

Sometimes, when Dan Hurley has an intense moment with a referee or an official, he doesn’t even remember what he said later because he’s so locked in on the game.

Jim was the same way.

Afterward, they both cool down, and they’re fine.

But in those two and a half hours, they are completely immersed in the game.

That’s very similar between the two of them.

One difference is in their coaching techniques.

Jim was not a real “technique” guy. He’d say, “This is what you need to do—I don’t really care how you do it, but this is what needs to happen.”

Dan is a little more technical. He’ll say, “Your feet need to be here, your hands need to do this, you need to execute it this way.”

Both styles work. But that’s a slight difference.

In terms of relating to people, though? They are very, very similar.

Izzy: I don’t know if you saw me cracking up a little over here, but I was just thinking—it’s almost that time of year when my social media feed is going to be filled with Dan Hurley’s crazy facial expressions during games.

And I was just imagining—if social media had been around during Jim Calhoun’s time, would it have been the same thing?

Dom: Oh, absolutely.

If you look at it now, there are still so many social media accounts that use Jim’s game faces as their profile pictures.

Izzy: Yeah, his expressions were so intense.

Dom: For sure. But I will say, Jim had a little more control over himself on the sidelines.

If you watch old clips, you’ll see moments where Jim is jumping up and down, really going crazy—like when Tate George hit The Shot.

But as soon as he saw the other coach, Cliff Ellis, walking toward him, he just stopped on a dime and shook his hand.

Izzy: That’s impressive. That’s a hard thing to do.

Dom: It really is.

Jim was always locked into the moment, but he had just enough awareness of everything going on around him.

Dan is just so into the moment that sometimes, he might not even realize what’s happening around him.

But that might just be a difference in generations and personalities.

Mike: Dom, give us the brass tacks on the book. Who’s the publisher? When’s it going to come out? How can people get it? Will there be book signings? Now that the hard work is over, what’s next?

Dom:Yeah, the hard work is done.

The book is being published by Woodhall Press, which is based right here in Connecticut. A lot of UConn people are involved in the editing and publishing process.

For those who are familiar, they’ve done a lot of Regina Barreca’s books—she’s a UConn professor and a very popular author.

Right now, they’re in the process of laying out the book. I hope that within the next couple of weeks, we’ll have a cover that we can release.

I’m also hoping we’ll have pre-sale options available within the next month or so.

As for physical copies, we expect to have some available in the spring for special events, book signings, and charity events.

The full release will probably happen in the fall.

But ideally, by April, people will be able to pre-order the book.

Mike: At UConn 360, we cover a little bit of everything—we’ve done a lot of academic-focused podcasts, too.

You yourself are an academic. You teach down at Southern Connecticut. Can you talk a little bit about that part of your life?

Dom: Yeah, that’s something I always wanted to do.

Back when I was covering the Yankees, I was traveling too much to make it work. But my alma mater, Southern Connecticut, reached out to see if I was interested in teaching. At the time, I couldn’t commit to it.

But once The Courant stopped covering the Yankees and I knew I’d be based in Connecticut full-time, I called them back and said, “Hey, if you’re still looking for someone, I’d love to do it.”

And they said, “Actually, we never filled the position. If you want it, it’s yours.”

So, I’ve been teaching for 18 years now.

I’ve taught at Southern Connecticut, Central Connecticut, and Iona. I primarily teach sports reporting.

I try to pass on my experiences and the core principles I’ve followed throughout my career.

The journalism business has changed a lot, and I make sure to teach how it has evolved. But I also try to instill those core values that remain important no matter how the industry shifts.

Izzy: Okay, silly question to wrap things up. If you were to write a book about something not related to sports, what would it be?

Dom: Oh, definitely something involving U.S. history. I’m a history buff.

I think I’d probably write about U.S. presidents—especially the 19th-century ones who aren’t as well known. Or maybe early 20th-century presidents and the parts of their administrations that aren’t widely covered.

Of course, there are millions of books on those topics, so I’d have to find a fresh angle.

One idea I’ve thought about is writing a book about the year 1942—what a pivotal year that was in the 20th century.

It was the turning point of World War II, but beyond that, there were so many significant political, cultural, and social events happening.

I’d love to write a book that breaks down each month of 1942—covering the war, politics, the home front, Casablanca coming out, the World Series and how baseball continued, Roosevelt’s “green light” letter to keep baseball going, and everything else happening at that time.

I think you could also write a book like that about 1968—another year where the world seemed to be changing every single day.

Izzy: Got it—so, a sports enthusiast, but a history nerd at heart.

Dom: That’s exactly it.

Mike: Dom, thanks so much for joining us today.

Good luck with the book—I’m really looking forward to reading it, and I think all Husky fans will love it, too.

Dom: I know you’re going to enjoy it, Mike, because it’s right in your wheelhouse. You lived a lot of this history.

Mike:
Yeah, I really did live a lot of these stories.

But I think younger fans—those who didn’t grow up watching Jim Calhoun—are going to see some real connections between what we’ve seen in the last couple of years and what Jim originally built here at UConn.s

Mike:
Dom, thanks again. And Izzy, enjoy March Madness!

Izzy:
Oh, you know I will.

Mike: And thanks to everyone for listening—we’ll talk to you next time on the UConn 360 podcast!