Jerrod Calhoun takes over as Cincinnati men's basketball coach
CINCINNATI (AP) — Jerrod Calhoun was introduced as Cincinnati's men's basketball coach Wednesday where he promised to restore the defensive identity the Bearcats had under his mentor Bob Huggins. “When you look at Cincinnati basketball, the best teams here, people feared us,” Calhoun said. “People feared coming into Fifth Third Arena.
You have to get the fear into your opponents by really getting after them. One thing we'll do is we're going to steal the ball. We want to have that style.
" Calhoun agreed to a six-year contract. He will earn $3. 7 million in the first year followed by annual raises of $100,000.
Calhoun — who led Utah State to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament — graduated from Cincinnati in 2004 and was a student assistant under Huggins during the 2003-04 season. He also spent five seasons on Huggins’ staff at West Virginia from 2007-12, including when the Mountaineers went to the Final Four in 2010. Huggins was in attendance on Wednesday and received a standing ovation when he was announced.
“Coach Huggins, I would say, is the best practice coach I've ever seen,” Calhoun said. Calhoun has been a head coach for 14 seasons and has a 297-159 record. He was at Division II Fairmont State in West Virginia for five seasons before getting his first Division I job at Youngstown State.