Calhoun Coaches Theater Group on Basketball Recruiting

UConn Today


Actor Sam Kebede went to rehearsal hoping to get some insights about what it’s like to be recruited by a big-time college basketball coach. Hall-of-Famer Jim Calhoun, the former Huskies men’s head coach, was happy to assist.
The coach who led UConn to three national championships before retiring in 2012 is serving as a technical adviser on the production of a new play, “Exposure,” which is being performed this weekend at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford.
Kebede portrays a player experiencing the world of AAU basketball and recruiting.
Playwright Steve DiUbaldo played Division I basketball at Winthrop under Gregg Marshall, now the coach at Wichita State. Director Wendy Goldberg grew up in Michigan and watched her friend, the now-retired NBA star Chris Webber, deal with choosing a college before he wound up at Michigan.
But both sat in rapt fascination with the cast and crew for well over an hour prior to rehearsal Tuesday, as Calhoun answered their questions and regaled them with stories, drawing on more than a half-century of experience in basketball. He offered insights and opinions on the NCAA, the recruiting process, shoe companies, players, parents, other coaches, and even fans (“They love you, win or win,” he joked).
“It made it all a lot more real,” said Kebede. “He just put me in those shoes. He gave me a fuller idea of what it means to be a recruit.”
Calhoun talked about forming personal relationships with recruits and their families, showing them the formula he used to help players like Ray Allen and Kemba Walker fulfill their dreams. But he also addressed the game’s flaws.
He talked about the struggles the NCAA has governing institutions as diverse as Harvard and Alabama. He told the ensemble about coaches who thought they were doing things the right way by only giving players “used ...

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