In his fifth season at the helm at Fairmont State, Calhoun directed the Falcons to a 27-1 overall record and its first league championship in men's basketball in 21 years with a conference mark of 21-1. He also led FSU to a No. 1 National Ranking for the first time in NCAA Division II.
Prior to this season, Fairmont's last No. 1 ranking came in the final week of the 1976 season when FSU was a member of NAIA.
For his efforts, Calhoun was voted the 2017 Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year, the first FSU coach to earn league coach of the year honors since Butch Haswell back in 1998.
In addition to earning coach of the year honors, Fairmont's Matt Bingaya was named the MEC Player of the Year, Thomas Wimbush garnered first team All-MEC honors and Shammgod Wells earned MEC honorable mention.
Prior to moving into the top spot in the NABC National Rankings on Feb. 21, FSU was ranked No. 2 in eight of the previous nine polls.
FSU has also extended its streak of being ranked in 29-consecutive NABC regular season polls, including 26 weeks in the top 10 in the country. The Falcons have also ranked in the top five of the rankings for the 12-straight poll releases.
Fairmont State was ranked for 15 consecutive weeks in the national rankings during the 2015-16 season, including 14-straight weeks in the top 10 in the country. The Falcons also earned their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in Calhoun's four years at the helm of the program.
The Falcons wrapped up the 2015-16 regular season with a record of 25-3, which was the best finish since the 1999-00 regular season.
In his third season (2014-15) at the head of the FSU bench, Calhoun led the Falcons to a 22-11 record and the fourth-seed at the NCAA Atlantic Regional. Calhoun's squad was ranked as high as second in the NCAA Regional Rankings late in the season.
FSU also finished as the runner-up in both the MEC Regular Season standings and at the 2015 MEC Basketball Tournament. The Falcons finished MEC play with a 16-6 mark. FSU defeated Mercyhurst in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Falcons started the 2014-15 season with a 5-5 record, before reeling-off victories in 12 of the next 13 games to begin the spring of 2015 semester.
Senior Nick Harney earned first team All-Atlantic Region and All-MEC honors after leading the team in both points (18.6) and rebounds (6.9) last season. Jamel Morris earned second team All-MEC honors following the 2014-15 season as the second-leading scorer for FSU, averaging 17.5 points per game. After earned MEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2013-14, Thomas Wimbush earned MEC honorable mention last season.
In 2013-14, the Falcons finished fourth in the MEC standings with a record of 20-10 overall and went 14-8 during the inaugural MEC season. The Falcons picked up wins over a pair of top-25 teams and appeared in each of the Regional Rankings down the stretch. Wimbush earned MEC Freshman of the Year honors and was joined on the MEC second team by Stevie Browning and Brendan Cooper.
In his first season (2012-13) in Fairmont, Calhoun led the Falcons to their largest turnaround in program history (15-win improvement). That season four players received All-WVIAC honors, including first-team honoree Isaac Thornton. Malik Stith, Isaiah Hill and Cooper each received second-team honors in the final year of the WVIAC.
The Falcons ended the 2012-13 regular season with a 17-5 conference record and received the second-seed in the WVIAC Tournament. Calhoun’s squad made an appearance in the WVIAC Tournament Championship Game for the first time since 1985 and the Falcons defeated Livingstone in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Calhoun’s success has re-energized the Fairmont State basketball program. Calhoun not only has a vision of where he wants to take the Falcon basketball program, but also the determination and energy to make sure that it comes to fruition.
Calhoun hit the ground running since being tabbed as the program’s 11th head coach in school history. Calhoun has brought in four highly regarded recruiting class and has aggressively fundraised to help secure several improvements for the program, namely a brand new locker room for the men’s program that will be the envy of any Division II program in the country. During the summer, the men’s basketball program also completed work on a brand-new film room that will be ready to use during the 2013-14 season. Last season, the Fairmont State athletic department completed a $1.2 million renovation project to Joe Retton Arena that ensures that Falcon basketball players are playing in one of the premiere venues in NCAA Division II.
Over the past three and a half years, Calhoun has embraced the culture, the history and the community of Fairmont. He has actively sought the counsel of legendary FSU coach Joe Retton and made sure that his team has a visible presence at civic and campus organizations. He is keenly aware that Fairmont loves a winner, but knows that his players must connect with the people to truly gain the support from fans.
A Cleveland, Ohio native, Calhoun has been a successful assistant coach at Walsh (NAIA) and most recently at West Virginia University under Bob Huggins. At Walsh, the Cavaliers posted an 82-21 record during his three seasons there, including the 2005 NAIA national championship, 2006 NAIA “Elite Eight” and 2007 NAIA “Sweet 16.” He spent four years at WVU as the director of basketball operations before serving last season on the bench as an assistant coach under Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers went 19-14 during Calhoun’s last season there and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Calhoun began his coaching career at Cincinnati in 2003-04, where he served as a student assistant under Bob Huggins. That year, the Bearcats were 25-7 overall and advanced to the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Calhoun played two years of college basketball at Cleveland State for Rollie Massimino. While at CSU, he was a member of the Dean’s List as well as the Student-Athlete Advisory Board.
Calhoun attended Villa Angela-St. Joseph High in Cleveland, earning four basketball letters and was team captain his senior year. He averaged 19.0 points per game his senior year and graduated as the school record holder for free throw percentage. Calhoun was also tabbed Lake County News Herald Player of the Year.
Calhoun coached AAU basketball for three years in the Cleveland Basketball Club and worked the USA Developmental Festival in Colorado Springs in 2001. He has also served as a coach and counselor at the Rollie Massimino Basketball Camp, Five-Star Basketball Camp, Walsh Basketball Camp and the Bob Huggins Basketball Camp.
Calhoun graduated in 2004 from Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in communications.
Calhoun married the former Sarah McKenna in May 2011. He has a son, Jordan (16) and two daughters, Kennedy (2) and Kendall (9 months).
| Season |
Overall Record |
Conference Record |
Notes |
| 2012-13 |
23-9 |
17-5 |
NCAA Tournament, WVIAC Finals |
| 2013-14 |
20-10 |
14-8 |
MEC Semifinals |
| 2014-15 |
22-11 |
16-6 |
NCAA Tournament, MEC Finals |
| 2015-16 |
25-5 |
19-3 |
NCAA Tournament |
| 2016-17* |
27-1 |
21-1 |
MEC Regular Season Championship |
| Total |
117-36 (.765) |
87-23 (.791) |
|
*as of 2/28/17
