Did we get the assist coach slot filled yet?

[Paesano]

No he didn't. Calipari was at Memphis when Killings was at UMass.

Calipari coached at UMass from 1988-1996.
Killings was at UMass from 2000-2002 and played for Bruiser Flint.

And you think other people have a John Calipari obsession.

Ok, relax Francis. I read that somewhere and didn't check the years. You are right. Happy?

He does seem to be a good recruiter so, hopefully, he will keep doing whatever it is that has worked for him.

 

[tcf15]

Ok, relax Francis. I read that somewhere and didn't check the years. You are right. Happy?

Sure.

 

[UChusky916]

Love it:

- An outside perspective, not prone to an echo chamber in the coaches' office
- Stud local recruiter
- Experience with player development

Really shores up 3 key aspects of the bench.

Exceptional post... So true on filling the 3 big bench needs that many of us have been calling for on this board.

 

[6thBoroBro]

Really like this hire seems like he could really help us lockdown New England as UConn recruiting country. Only thing that is bothering me is that he's a guard, still need that big man coach on the bench. They need an experienced post player on the bench sooner rather than later.

 

[David 76]

UMASS. Transferred to Hampton after 2 years.

Shot 50% (well, it was 1 for 2)

 

[Dove]

 

[aceboon]

Really like this hire seems like he could really help us lockdown New England as UConn recruiting country. Only thing that is bothering me is that he's a guard, still need that big man coach on the bench. They need an experienced post player on the bench sooner rather than later.

Duke seems to have done fine without one. I think the fact that the collection of bigmen the last few years has been mostly raw, inexperienced, and/or lowly ranked has been the bigger issue. Still amazes me that there are folks who think you have to had been George Mikan in the post to be able to coach big men.

 

[superjohn]

Really like this hire seems like he could really help us lockdown New England as UConn recruiting country. Only thing that is bothering me is that he's a guard, still need that big man coach on the bench. They need an experienced post player on the bench sooner rather than later.

He was responsible for player development with Emeka and Sean May in Charlotte. You don't have to be a 7 footer to develop and coach big men.

 

[6thBoroBro]

Duke seems to have done fine without one. I think the fact that the collection of bigmen the last few years has been mostly raw, inexperienced, and/or lowly ranked has been the bigger issue. Still amazes me that there are folks who think you have to had been George Mikan in the post to be able to coach big men.

I think there's an art to playing the post, its like first base, its hard to know what actually is involved if you have never played it before. A lot of it has to do with feel and instinct and if you don't have the experience how can you teach that. If its true he help develop Omeka then some of my worries are diminished, only time will tell, should be a fun season

 

[intlzncster]

I think there's an art to playing the post, its like first base, its hard to know what actually is involved if you have never played it before. A lot of it has to do with feel and instinct and if you don't have the experience how can you teach that. If its true he help develop Omeka then some of my worries are diminished, only time will tell, should be a fun season

I think it's an overrated perception though. Think Quarterback coaches in the NFL. It's not a requirement that any of them have ever played. You've just got to have an analytical mind to be able to break the game down, and an ability to communicate that and reach a player. It's more about this last sentence than anything.

You can't teach feel and instinct anyway. You can only try to instill a bit of that through repetition, repetition, repetition.

 

[intlzncster]

I really like what I hear from the guy. Just seems like a good, genuine dude, which mirrors Ollie's character, and is something that resonates with players.

"Probably my background speaks to Coach Ollie a little bit because we’ve kind of crossed the same paths --- his career is so unique because he’s had to grind it out for everything he got, especially in NBA. And for me, having not been a heralded basketball player who never scored a meaningful bucket in college, I’ve had to go through it in kind of a different way for my professional career.

“But it was very similar to how he worked and worked and people valued who he was as a person just as much as who he was as a player. During my time at UConn, I hope people value me both as a person as well as a professional.”