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Jim Calhoun's (above) Huskies lot to Syraucse in six OTs.
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images 

The name Jim Calhoun and phrase "good sport" are rarely, if ever, used in the same sentence. Does that make the UConn coach a bad guy? Of course not. But it makes him a bad loser.

With two national championships and more than 800 victories, Calhoun is one of the best coaches in college basketball. All that success has made him one of the worst losers in college basketball. This has been illustrated many times during his coaching career but never more so than after losing to Syracuse in six overtimes Thursday night in the Big East tournament. I'm sure there is a mutual respect between Calhoun and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. However, Calhoun chose not to show any after the loss.

The postgame handshake couldn't have been any more ungracious. Calhoun brushed past Boeheim in the same brusque manner that Bill Belichick has treated his one-time protégé Eric Mangini. In doing so, Calhoun displayed a lack of respect for his Hall of Fame coaching counterpart. Being frustrated and disappointed does not excuse a coach from treating another in a discourteous manner. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins did not treat Boeheim that way after the Mountaineers lost to the Orange in overtime Friday night.

Basketball coaches watch film to identify mistakes and fix them. The main objective is to teach players the proper way to execute. For someone who also claims to teach young men lessons about life off the court, Calhoun showed poor sportsmanship with his curt handshake. He should watch his handshake after the Syracuse loss, or any loss.

 

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