We are less than 3 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun, who talked about his birthday plans and his expectations for this season.
You played basketball at Cleveland State for Rollie Massimino and were a student assistant at Cincinnati under Bob Huggins: what was the most important thing you learned from either of those 2 Hall of Famers? I learned a lot of lessons from both. Rollie was incredible at having the players spend a ton of time around his wife/children: he created an unbelievable family atmosphere. He also gave his assistants great ownership of the program. Bob was the best practice coach that I had ever seen: those 3-hour practices were so beneficial that we always thought when we showed up for a game that we would win the fight.
You won the 2005 NAIA title as an assistant at Walsh University in 2005, made the Final 4 as an assistant to Huggins at West Virginia in 2010, and were D-2 national runner-up at Fairmount State in 2017: what is the secret to winning games in March? Role identity is very critical: 1 through 15 must understand their roles. You must be connected both on and off the court and be playing for a bigger purpose than yourself. You must also be balanced: rotating/finishing on defense and creating advantages on offense. Every game is so close that it often comes down to the final possession.
In 2023 as head coach at Youngstown State you tied a school record with 24 wins and were named Horizon League COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? I think the Horizon is 1 of the most underrated leagues in the country. Greg Kampe is still a great coach at Oakland, and we also have guys like Jon Coffman/Darrin Horn. That award is due to a great effort on the part of the players/assistants, so it was very neat.
You were hired as head coach at Utah State last year and won 26 games in your 1st season: how were you able to come in and be so successful in Year #1? We identified some very good players and have 1 of the best home atmospheres in all of college basketball due to our student section (“The Herd”). We were #20 in offensive efficiency due to our unselfishness and our ability to create advantages. We had outstanding chemistry due to our belief in “we over me” and putting the team 1st.
Last December you had a 1-PT win at San Diego State, which was the school’s 1st road win over a top-25 team since 1991: do you view it as just another win on your schedule, or a program-altering win that people will be talking about for years to come, or other? I do not think it was “program-altering” because every win is big. Viejas Arena is 1 of the toughest venues in the country, which helps make the MWC so great. This has been a great program for a long time, so I consider it more of a “momentum-changer”: it gave us a lot of confidence as a group.
In the 2025 NCAA tourney you lost to UCLA: what did your team learn from that game that you think will help them this season? You learn from every experience: you must handle success when you win and self-reflect on your losses. The last loss of a season is always the hardest, but it taught me that we need more positional size, which we addressed in the offseason. Bruins coach Mick Cronin is a good friend of mine and 1 of my favorite quotes is from him: “You must win the fight before you win the game”.
You were rumored to be in the mix for the West Virginia head coaching job last March before signing an extension that made you the 2nd-highest paid coach in the MWC: how easy was your decision to stay put? It really was easy. When jobs come open there is so much talk on Twitter, which is why I no longer have social media. When I was younger I that that if I could ever get good enough then I wanted to be in a place that made my family and I extremely happy. Every coach wants their sport to be important to the entire community, and this is by far 1 of the best jobs on the West Coast, if not the entire country. I think we can really grow this program and still think we can eventually reach the Final 4. I love living out here: every day that I wake up it looks like a postcard because the mountains are just mesmerizing. When we move to the Pac-12 next year we will be entering a league with teams like Gonzaga/Oregon State so we must be ready.
Your only returning double-digit scorer from last year is Mason Falslev: what makes him such a great player, and do you think he can increase his FG%/FT% after both decreased last year (although his 3P% increased dramatically)? I compare Mason to Joe Mazzulla. There are certain guys who have the “it” factor: they want to win every single drill due to their competitive spirit. Mason’s confidence level is at an all-time high and he is a more vocal leader now. He will get to the FT line more this year since he has improved different areas of his game, and I think it will be a natural progression for him to make that jump with his shooting percentages.
You have a birthday today: besides talking with me, how will you celebrate the big day? I am going to watch the Aggies play San Jose State tonight in football: hopefully it is a sellout!
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The goal is to win the MWC. I think Brian Dutcher’s San Diego State team is in a league of its own on paper, but I also respect the heck out of coaches like Bryce Drew/Josh Pastner/Leon Rice: the list goes on and on. We have won regular season/tourney titles in the past, but every year you try to win the league title, make the NCAA tourney, and advance. I am driven by the process/details on both sides of the ball and have built our roster depth, which hopefully will pay big dividends.
