Not surprisingly, the Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic has been canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

What might be surprising is that the event’s all-star basketball game, which regularly features numerous former UConn hoops greats, was scrapped long before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the sports world.

Event organizers decided months ago to discontinue the game, which has been held nine times, mostly on a biennial basis, at Mohegan Sun Arena since 1999.

The game still routinely drew decent crowds to see many former UConn players take the court. At the most recent event on Aug. 10, 2018, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Rudy Gay, Charlie Villanueva, Khalid El-Amin and Hilton Armstrong were among the participants (though not all of them played). The event, whose proceeds benefit the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center, even brought in former UConn women’s stars the past couple of times.

But the crowds were increasingly growing smaller each year, and it was getting harder to attract some of the big-name stars.

“It just became obvious to everybody that it was a lot for the few remaining (former UConn) NBA players to kind of carry it,” said Peter Gold, whose marketing firm, Gold, Orluk & Partners, helps coordinate the event. “Until the pump gets re-primed, the game has been set aside for the moment.”

And, let’s face it — some of the older stars were getting a bit ... well, old.

“Time doesn’t wait for anybody. I find that out when I try to ride my bike,” Calhoun said. “Some of the guys are getting older, they don’t play anymore. Everyone talks about having a great matchup between Ray and Rip ... yeah, maybe not. Maybe on the golf course.”

Gold and other event organizers are confident that Dan Hurley will help pump that new enthusiasm into the program to attract a new generation of players to attend the event. Until then, the game will be on hiatus.

“Hopefully, Danny can get some of the guys back and maybe do it again,” Calhoun said. “That era that we had with those players, it was great. There are other ways to get it done. The golf tournament was filling up again. We make the majority of our money at the golf tournament.”

Instead of a game this year, a special event celebrating UConn basketball with Kemba Walker, Allen and others had been planned. A Q&A session featuring Walker and Calhoun, a meet-and-greet and other interactive events were slated to occur at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center. Two celebrity golf events, which are held every year at Avon Gold Club and the Mohegan Sun Golf Club, were also scheduled.

However, all of those events have not been canceled, as well.

david.borges@hearstmediact.com