Ashiru

[RedStickHusky]

I read it the same way HS... kid is getting challenged for playing time and the coaches are telling him it's about commitment. with all the baggage of the last couple of years, it's not hard to imagine approaching breaking points.

 

[Hoophound]

I think Ashiru may have been being pushed hard and became over sensitive and misunderstood the staff's intent.

On the other hand, it may be easy to misunderstand a mad man. Coach needs to reel it in and get down to basics. Teach, condition, strategize, compete. Enough psychobabble and double talk.

We'll know a lot more once we see who leaves in the offseason. I suspect there will be a handful.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I don't take everything stated by his dad as gospel, and I think the writer is a hack for taking everything said to him at face value. But if you don't see anything troubling about this, after all of Diaco's talk about not screaming and showing love and care, well, we just have a difference of opinion.

 

[huskysupporter]

I don't take everything stated by his dad as gospel, and I think the writer is a hack for taking everything said to him at face value. But if you don't see anything troubling about this, after all of Diaco's talk about not screaming and showing love and care, well, we just have a difference of opinion.

What it tells me Diaco breaks one of the cardinal rules of being an effective leader: Mean what you say. He spouts off on the "Peace and Love. Peace and Love" routine, and is in fact doing something completely opposite. How can we believe anything that comes out of his mouth?

I actually have no problem with the yelling in practice when things are not being done correctly. Save peace and love for basket weaving.

 

[huskymedic]

Ahhhh screw it - the writer is a Cuse grad!

(I kid, I kid... partly - I'd be pissed if it was my son).

 

[huskysupporter]

Ahhhh screw it - the writer is a Cuse grad!

(I kid, I kid... partly - I'd be pissed if it was my son).

The writer comes off as a complete hack too. Terribly written article.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Love can be tough, especially at practice. I think hoop has a key point though, you gotta know where the limits of 'pushing' are, especially when the team is fragile to begin with.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think, this is probably the best indication I've had all season long, that we actually have a chance of building a winner.

Jefferson should have communicated with somebody, anybody - a teammate, a coach, a friend, his parents - before letting them fly all the way to CT thinking he was still playing - if I read that right, and if he did, somebody would have told him, to go talk to his coaches, and that if the coaches really wanted you gone, you'd already be gone and have your scholarship pulled.

Sounds to me like everybody got mentally tested, and if one broke, you know more did too. Everybody is going to respond in their own way, and Ashiru did not respond well, there others, that most likely did respond very well. You feel down, you feel like you're screwing up, you may have actually made a big mistake, what do you do? Stay in the dumps? Boo hoo.....or do you learn from it, get yourself up, and go?

You hope, that he learns from it, and Daddy gets out of the way to let him learn, if he can't help him learn from it. WTF is going to the Athletic Director for an explanation going to do?

WTF has yet another idiot CT sports reporter published such damaging words to a young man? Where is Mike Enright? He handles communications right?

Best of luck to Jefferson Ashiru, and I hope he truly learns from this, and finds his way. We have a football program to build back into a champion.

 

[RedStickHusky]

pretty much every hall of fame bio includes the paragraph where the kid called home from college to say he was quitting only to get talked off the ledge by his parents...

 

[metsfan2323]

The article doesn't refute what Diaco said about the Ashiru situation at all. Diaco said he didn't want to play anymore which probably means play for UCONN.

No doubt Diaco pushed him hard and that is why he quit, but the coaches are supposed to push the players hard no? Do Jim and Geno push their players hard? Just ask Alex Ohriaki and Roscoe Smith and Geno has had a number of players leave for other less demanding programs. Jake Voskhul called his dad after a grueling 2:0o am practice his freshman year wanting to quit because Calhoun was a crazy man.

 

[metsfan2323]

Reading this again here is the worst thing said about Diaco:

""He said Diaco and the coaches were coming up to him at practice, yelling at him, and asking him, `Do you love football?! Do you love football?"

WTF, That's it? That's what Diaco is guilty of? That's the smoking gun?

Reading that makes me think Diaco is too soft.

 

[CTMike]

"Do you love football?!" is not a berating... Is it? Surely P and co said worse?

1) there are facts missing here
2) that said, it sounds like a misunderstanding, and I would hope Diaco takes it on himself to clear it up... Give Ashiru a chance to learn from it.

 

[Stainmaster]

I thought people hated HCBD's "kumbaya" shtick and wanted him to be more like this? Tough crowd.

 

[huskysupporter]

I thought people hated HCBD's "kumbaya" shtick and wanted him to be more like this? Tough crowd.

I loathe his Peace and Love talk at press conferences. If he is getting fired up at practices, I am happy. But as I said earlier, why does he say one thing and do the opposite?

 

[UConnJim]

During games, Diaco has been very encouraging to a fault. He never seems to get upset at all. He is the anti-Jim Calhoun on the sideline. I don't think Diaco has ever lashed out at players in full view of the public unlike virtually all FBS head coaches. Have you ever watched Brian Kelly, Rich Rod, ...?

Diaco has talked repeatedly about the lack of mental toughness, changing the culture and installing a winning attitude in the program. None of us know what happened with Ashiru and like Diaco said, he is a great kid. Coaches being tough on players and driving them to be their best is what competitive sports is all about. Unfortunately, not all kids respond to tough love. Heck, listen to all the stories about Calhoun, but his players responded and seem to love him.

If anything, I have thought Diaco has not been tough enough.

 

[jackl]

There are two sides to most stories, and I will be fair, but the words of Mr. Ashiru are far, far more damaging than any of the nitpicking or second guessing criticism that we have been treated to since literally opening night on this board.

If this was HDBD's way of opening up a slot to rebuild, it is extremely troubling (and not something that, to me, is justified just by getting more wins).

Don't understand about the need to open up a slot, he had 24 slots open at the Cincinnati game. he must be planning on a large influx of juco players. As you said it is extremely troubling if this situation took place as presented in this column. Sad to say but this young man is owed more than that if he still loves football. This can't happen at UCONN. WE are Better than that.

 

[UConnJim]

Don't understand about the need to open up a slot, he had 24 slots open at the Cincinnati game. he must be planning on a large influx of juco players. As you said it is extremely troubling if this situation took place as presented in this column. Sad to say but this young man is owed more than that if he still loves football. This can't happen at UCONN. WE are Better than that.

Diaco said it was Ashiru's choice not his. Look, Ashiru is a good player and I don't think Diaco wants him to leave. As a 4th year player in the program, a losing program in recent years, if he is not 100% committed to self improvement and the team, it's probably really hard on him.

I would think Diaco would want Ashiru to have been a senior leader on the team next year, but he would have to be 100% committed. I don't think he tried to run him off the team.

 

[jdb50]

There are two sides to most stories, and I will be fair, but the words of Mr. Ashiru are far, far more damaging than any of the nitpicking or second guessing criticism that we have been treated to since literally opening night on this board.

If this was HDBD's way of opening up a slot to rebuild, it is extremely troubling (and not something that, to me, is justified just by getting more wins).

BL, if the numbers we have been presented are correct there are plenty of roster spots alread open to rebuild with. This does not pass the smell test that he doesn't want to play FB anymore. Even if he did not start he only has one year of eligibility left. We could use the experience he has as a sub which we do a lot of now on almost every down.

 

[buddy]

The article doesn't refute what Diaco said about the Ashiru situation at all. Diaco said he didn't want to play anymore which probably means play for UCONN.

No doubt Diaco pushed him hard and that is why he quit, but the coaches are supposed to push the players hard no? Do Jim and Geno push their players hard? Just ask Alex Ohriaki and Roscoe Smith and Geno has had a number of players leave for other less demanding programs. Jake Voskhul called his dad after a grueling 2:0o am practice his freshman year wanting to quit because Calhoun was a crazy man.

Calhoun was a winning coach and had more leeway. Diaco is a losing coach and lacks credibility at this time. There may be truth in this article. This kid was one of UConn's better players. Sometime the good ones have to take the most abuse, and he just cracked. UConn football is in deep trouble. I think it is hilarious that he sent an email to Warde and expected a reply. From his father's statement, maybe he will come back and it was all a misunderstanding. More likely, he will be a superstar elsewhere.

 

[Dizzy21]

So what that article is saying is that Ashiru is a good football player, good person off the field, good student, and had a year of eligibility left, but for some odd reason the coaches wanted their exact prototype of a player not to play there anymore? Seems a bit fishy on the part of the author of the article and Ashiru's dad, and possibly Ashiru. Why on earth would a coach want a player who meets all of his criteria off of the team? That's what makes no sense.

 

[SubbaBub]

I just hope BD isn't some bipolar lunatic, incapable of nuance or adaptation.

 

[jdb50]

Maybe buddy is right and Ashiru cracked. If the coaches are making him the focal point our our defensive lapses then we are in big trouble. There are 3 players that have more than underwhelmed on the field and 2 are LB's not named Ashiru.

 

[Srqhusky]

There are two sides to most stories, and I will be fair, but the words of Mr. Ashiru are far, far more damaging than any of the nitpicking or second guessing criticism that we have been treated to since literally opening night on this board.

If this was HDBD's way of opening up a slot to rebuild, it is extremely troubling (and not something that, to me, is justified just by getting more wins).

This is only a valid argument if he was not saying it to other players which I find hard to believe. he was recruited by a different coach and philosophies have changed greatly. If he feels the need to leave because philosophies have changed greatly since he started so be it. The linebackers at notre dame had no issues with diacos coaching and rose up to a national championship game defense.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I'm not going to make the effort to type it, as to why, but once again, this is the very first sign, that I think we are actually on the way to building a champion again. Best of luck to Jefferson, I hope he learns from this. Get yourself up and go, and communicate.

It's also a repeated and recurring sign, that the media that covers football, specifically college football in CT, has no idea WTF is involved in this sport, and I hope that Diaco learns from this.

Edsall actually made the effort to bring media people into a film room at one point not too long ago. You hear me Bobby? Media people don't know sh---t about this sport in this state.

 

[noeynox]

My two cents, going back to pre season camp, Ashiru kind of drew the ire of the staff. When someone mentioned Ashiru to Poindexter, his comment was he wished he would hit like Stewart. I don't think Ashiru's playing style was this staff's cup of tea from a physicality standpoint. Stewart will make a big hit from time to time, but from a playmaking standpoint I would take Ashiru all day, you are hard press to remember one big hit from Jeff Ashiru.

Wish this young man the best. I was a big fan of his ability and liked how he seemed to have good range and speed. I think in an ideal defense for us, Ashiru would be OLB in a 3-4, with Vann and Joseph playing ILBs.