New book on Jim Calhoun details relationships with players

A new book on the life of legendary UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun will be released Tuesday.

The book, written by Calhoun with Hartford Courant columnist Dom Amore, is titled More Than A Game: How the UConn Dynasty Was Built on a Culture of Caring.

In it, Calhoun details his relationships with players at UConn, and his other coaching stops, exploring what they gave him, and what he hoped to give back to them.

From Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen, NBA stars Caron Butler, Kemba Walker and Rip Hamilton, to players he coached at the high school level and in his last coaching role at Division III Saint Joe’s in West Hartford, the lives Calhoun touched paint a vivid picture of his passion for “paying it forward” to those who helped him.

Calhoun also details his history, from losing his father, his idol and best friend, at age 15, and the struggles that followed.

Dan Hurley wrote the Forward, and Mark Daignault, coach of the NBA champion Thunder, the afterward, both detailing the impact Calhoun had on their careers.

The book is published by Connecticut-based Woodhall Press.

It is available on Woodhallpress.com, and the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. Amore and Calhoun are planning several signing events in the area in the coming weeks.

You can read excerpts from the book here.

Originally Published: October 6, 2025 at 3:51 PM EDT