George Blaney Retires after 43 years of Coaching

He was always there, quietly whispering words of wisdom into Jim Calhoun’s ear. George Blaney was the opposite of Calhoun’s blusterous side. Rarely did you see him animated on the sidelines, even when Jim had pushed the referees a little too far and was ejected. His calming assurance to a young player being pulled from a game after a mental error or a bad shot can not be overlooked. He was the soft landing to what sometimes looked like a heavy hand from Calhoun.

So after decades of coaching Blaney is saying farewell to the sidelines. There is no denying his loyalty to this program. He sat through the very highs and lows, transitioning the coaching staffs behind the scenes and is leaving UConn on stable ground. He’ll definitely still be involved in other aspects of the game, from practices to attending games and recruiting, but the coaching staff is embracing a new regime of UConn Alumni. There will definitely be a void of experience during the games though and it will be interesting to see if it effects the in-game decisions.

George Blaney is leaving basketball like he has been coaching it, quietly.