Omar Calhoun, Sr.: Omar 'Will Be Even Better Than He Was' Before Surgery

Although Omar Calhoun averaged 11.1 points per game and earned Big East all-rookie team recognition this past season, his father says fans never truly got to see the “real Omar.”

That’s because Calhoun was bothered by hip soreness throughout his freshman campaign. Over the past six weeks, Calhoun had surgeryon both of his hips (on March 26 for his left hip and about a month later on his right hip) that will keep him sidelined for about 3-4 months.

The surgery was performed by UConn team physician Dr. Michael Joyce.

“He played through it,” Omar Calhoun, Sr., said of his sone. “He had a little pain and discomfort, and he played through it and still had a solid freshman year. We’ve got a lot of faith in Dr. Joyce and the UConn training staff. They’re saying he will be even better than he was (before the surgery).”

Calhoun was treated for femoral acetabular impingement (FAI), which is a fairly common condition in athletes. The procedure essentially shaves bone to alleviate discomfort and potentially avoid future problems.

Calhoun, Sr. said his son’s struggles with his hip issues manifested themselves most with his ballhandling.

“He struggled with his handle, that’s where you saw the difference the most,” he said. “He was in pain. To have good handle, you’ve got to get down low. He was in pain at times doing that. He’s a lot more explosiveness (than what he showed).”

Calhoun was also hampered by a sprained wrist, causing him to miss UConn’s season finale March 9 against Providence, but that is now 100 percent.

Calhoun will be on crutches for the next 3-4 weeks, his father said. He’ll stay at UConn to begin summer courses on Monday and rehab with the Huskies’ training staff, and should be ready to resume basketball activities by mid-August.

And it looks like Calhoun will have company on campus from a guy he never got a chance to play with.
Andre Drummond is planning on returning to UConn this summer to continue working on his degree, he told a Detroit sports talk radio station on Wednesday.