Jim Calhoun knows a thing or two about building something out of nothing, and it turns out that Steve Pikiell, now the Rutgers coach, was paying close attention all those years ago.
Over 26 seasons as Connecticut’s head coach, Calhoun turned a lousy, unknown program into a national brand, winning three national titles and 17 Big East championships — 10 regular-season and seven tournament titles — before retiring in September 2012.
In conference games, his Huskies typically dominated the perpetually struggling Scarlet Knights, but the trips to Piscataway, N.J., led Calhoun to believe Rutgers could build a powerhouse if it wanted.