Warde Manual ... this ain't UBuffalo

[Pudge]

I know you said some very politic things to Desmond Conner in the airport whilst passing each other.

You have some tough decisions. But ... as a stakeholder (and amongst my many fellow alums/state residents/fans) let me state emphatically: YOU need to keep the momentum going. We are flatlining here in Football ... in attendance & enthusiasm. In Men's Basketball, the Ride has been less in this Fanbase for awhile; we need to get back our Love. We have become the Cash Cow there & we need to find (and I do think Kevin Ollie is a unique opportunity ... lets fully back him). And there is a critical moment coming in WBB.

At UB ... you were striving just to get in the Buffalo News. We are beyond that. You got a huge opportunity when you walked into this position. You have a critical time & year in this Academic Year.

Conference Realignment? We are what we are. We are only going to achieve more by proving our major sports are in the top 25 at the University level.

 

[ZooCougar]

This is a great post. Paul Pasqualoni is probably not the guy that will break the cycle. But as long as he is here, his boss should be exhorting him to do so.

 

[uchusky32]

Backing Ollie says we are confident and had a plan to replace one of the greatest coaches ever. And by the way all the great Husky veterans will return to campus every summer to support one if their own.

Football, the mistake was Hathaway and the administration not understanding that you have to spend money to make money. Not wanting to pay for a big time young up and comer with the idea of taking the program to the next level was a mistake. Everything about realignment is about football. HCPP is a bridge. Problem is, bridge to what?

 

[Pudge]

If you use HCPP well ... Mr Manual ... he can set a structure to take us to the next guy.

Lord knows, we have had lots of Football Coaching Talent come through New England. Chip Kelly & even Steve Addazio. Don Brown - I like. But, I think Pasqualoni loves Connecticut & Football. Use him. But, I really do not see him as a 5-8 year fixture.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Problem is, bridge to what?

Given the past couple of years at Iowa, would it be irrational to start hoping that PP is a bridge to Kirk Ferentz?!

Just a couple of years ago Ferentz was supposedly turning down NFL head coaching offers. Now, he is in a bit of a downturn at Iowa. Maybe a change would do him good and he could come back home to Storrs?!

 

[uconNYC]

Given the past couple of years at Iowa, would it be irrational to start hoping that PP is a bridge to Kirk Ferentz?!

Just a couple of years ago Ferentz was supposedly turning down NFL head coaching offers. Now, he is in a bit of a downturn at Iowa. Maybe a change would do him good and he could come back home to Storrs?!

Been thinking the same thing

 

[Srqhusky]

If you guys don't think pasqualoni is exciting I don't think you are going to find ferentz exciting. They are of the same mold.

 

[Dann]

no to kirk as a HC, and do u have any idea about the rb curse in iowa. i dont want that in my state.

 

[whaler11]

When the disease if you can't beat Western Michigan, I don't think the cure is a guy who can't beat Central Michigan.

 

[Adios]

Gus Malzahn! Hire him away from Arkansas State! An issue with him might be recruiting locally but he would be a good hire if we get into the Big 12.

 

[huskymedic]

Gus Malzahn! Hire him away from Arkansas State! An issue with him might be recruiting locally but he would be a good hire if we get into the Big 12.

Sure.. His wife will fit right in up here??

 

[Adios]

Sure.. His wife will fit right in up here??

Headline: "Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn’s Wife: Auburn Players' Aren’t The Most Intelligent People'".

http://www.imagecpr.com/?p=10129

She'll fit right in! She just needs Gus to tell her to be quiet more.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think we have to look at what Cincy is doing and emulate that. They go to the Big 10 for a seasoned coordinator with Head Coaching prospects or to the MAC for an young ambitous hard charger.

I would rather be a stepping stone than be Kentucky or Indiana.

We paid a search firm 50k to find Pasqualoni and Whipple. UConn could find Pasqualoni and Whipple blindfolded and handcuffed.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I think we have to look at what Cincy is doing and emulate that. They go to the Big 10 for a seasoned coordinator with Head Coaching prospects or to the MAC for an young ambitous hard charger.

I would rather be a stepping stone than be Kentucky or Indiana.

We paid a search firm 50k to find Pasqualoni and Whipple. UConn could find Pasqualoni and Whipple blindfolded and handcuffed.

To be more accurate we paid a search firm (I thought it was a good amount more that $50k but could well be wrong), discarded their recommendations and continued to look only at Whipple & Pasqualoni.

 

[noeynox]

Given the past couple of years at Iowa, would it be irrational to start hoping that PP is a bridge to Kirk Ferentz?!

Just a couple of years ago Ferentz was supposedly turning down NFL head coaching offers. Now, he is in a bit of a downturn at Iowa. Maybe a change would do him good and he could come back home to Storrs?!

I always thought UConn could get him after he flamed out in the NFL as most college coaches do, however recent events may change that. I really like Ferentz.

 

[freescooter]

Pudge,
I think you hit some interesting points here. I agree with the overall conclusion but I'm not sure that I agree with how you got there, or for that matter with the idea that Manuel somehow doesn't get it. I htink we both agree that it was pretty unlikely that the AD would make any comments other than what he did at a chance interview while changing planes. We have no idea what he really thinks about where Pasqualoni is going. But I'm pretty sure that another 5-7 year won't cut it. Worse than that, and there surely will be a hiring sign in front of Burton.

On the basketball side, I am very concerned, a view very few seem to share. I agree that the Ride as you call it has been less over the past few years, but I see that as the result of a program which has been in almost constant turmoil since 2005-06. While things like Drummond coming despite having no scholarship to the chagrin of the NCAA fire up the base as they say in politics, among the casual fan, who make the difference between a sellout and 8500 at Gampel or 12,000 at XL, it was just another case of UConn playing fast and lose with the rules. I honestly believe that the period beginning with the Williams/Price laptop affair, followed by the loss to George Mason followed by Nate Miles, NCAA investigations, and on and on have created a sense of being just another sleazy program among those who don't view the world as blue and white. The 2011 upset championship could have turned that image around except it was followed up by the Drummond matter, the Boatright matter, very mediocre play, a team in turmoil and ultimately an NCAA ban for poor academic performance. One can argue the details, the value of the APR but those are like arguing over a footnote in a financial report. They only matter to the "insiders". Most people look stop reading at the bottom line. So I get the sense that much of what has happened was to at least some extent self inflicted over the years. On the hiring of Kevin Ollie, I sincerely hope you are right. But I, and I think Manuel, sees it as a highly risky proposition. If it turns out to be wrong, given everything else that is going on in the conference shuffle, it could well doom UConn to the wilderness for 2 decades or more. While you are right that Calhoun has made many sound decisions, he isn't infallible (see recruitiment of Miles, Nate) and his assistants have been at best modest successes as head coaches. Picking assistants is different from picking a head coach. Likwise, naming a recruiter as head coach has been at best a qualified success in college basketball. the skill sets are very different. To me the jury is out, and likely will be for 2-3 years unfortunately. The risk is that if it is a poor selection the impact will be severe. I truly hope that Ollie over achieves big time this year, but if he doesn't,I hope he is a total train wreck and we go 5-25. We can't risk having a personable, but very average coach. We also can't afford to have one with a huge learning curve. By the way, since you mention Womens basketball, what happens if Geno wants to name his replacement in a couple of years?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

One thing that all of us must accept is that we have no clue as to what exactly Manuel happens to be thinking about Ollie, Pasqualoni or the athletic department as a whole.

I happen to be very confident in my belief that his thought process will be much more thorough and of far greater depth than that of his predecessor but this is still merely a guess on my part.

It is my estimation that Pasqualoni is privately on a far shorter leash than anyone will publicly disclose. I also fully believe that our current AD is better suited to determine if sufficient progress ahs been made and acceptable success can be expected than any one of us. We cannot take public comments as gospel as there is quite a bit of diplomacy necessary to do that job effectively.

Promoting Ollie under the one year contract may during a very narrow window hurt our recruiting but on all other levels was the best move possible. If the reality is that Ollie would have been his first choice as well, there is nothing that he could have said or done that would have given anyone any impression other than that he was left powerless in this decision and was toeing the company line, claiming that a decision that was made without his input was in fact his decision.

I am operating under the belief that KO will get the extension that mose here feel he should already have and I personally have quite a bit of confidence in KO's abilities. I also believe that every strength that Shaka Smart (the most logical proven commodity) has, Ollie can equal or exceed.

I do take some issue with Scooter as it appears to me that in his view, Ollie needs to be automatically considered a bad hire until he proves that he can succeed here while any of a number of outside candidates would automatically be considered a good hire until he proves that he cannot succeed here.

 

[Pudge]

Promoting Ollie under the one year contract may during a very narrow window hurt our recruiting but on all other levels was the best move possible. If the reality is that Ollie would have been his first choice as well, there is nothing that he could have said or done that would have given anyone any impression other than that he was left powerless in this decision and was toeing the company line, claiming that a decision that was made without his input was in fact his decision.

I am operating under the belief that KO will get the extension that mose here feel he should already have and I personally have quite a bit of confidence in KO's abilities. I also believe that every strength that Shaka Smart (the most logical proven commodity) has, Ollie can equal or exceed.

I do take some issue with Scooter as it appears to me that in his view, Ollie needs to be automatically considered a bad hire until he proves that he can succeed here while any of a number of outside candidates would automatically be considered a good hire until he proves that he cannot succeed here.

I agree.

Smart would come with risks too. We have seen ... MANY ... guys come to the BE with sterling accomplishment at the Mid-major level & not succeed. Ollie knows the landscape & I have some comfort that he is surrounded by Hobbs & Miller ... with Calhoun playing consigliere like Brando to Michael.

This is NOT easy for any of these Programs. I have far more confidence that Ollie will WIN ... and develop than I would feel about Hopkins at Syracuse. And I can absolutely categorically state that Ollie won't be Guthridge. That simply is NOT what we have here.

As for Pasqualoni? I am turning the corner to thinking that Manual better be thinking of the next move. We simply cannot afford ... at this crucial time ... to go from 39,000 attendance to 34,000 to 28,000. And I am worried that Manual has no institutional history to tell him the danger at this school.

We are not well-prepared for the next stage of UConn athletics. We need this Fanbase/State re-energized.

 

[Nostical]

While none of us has any proof, I remain convinced that neither Manuel nor Herbst wanted to promote Ollie. They simply decided to be deferential to Calhoun for the obvious legacy reasons-- but only for a year, and an NCAA imposed, limited year at that. The opportunity to change horses mid stream is very real and I suspect there is a folder with the top candidates already being filled. I hope he's another legendary coach, but there are too many UConn players and assistants with similar promise and marginal results (Perno, Hobbs, Dickenman, Moore, Leiteo). I sense a one year HC career with the Huskies for KO.

 

[freescooter]

FCF,
I think you mis-read my view of the Ollie hiring to a degree. I am an agnostic on whether it is a good hire or not. I don't assume it is a bad one. It is a blank slate. Unlike most major program hires, even unlike the Pasqualoni hire in football, we know nothing about him as a head coach. He is a virtual cipher as a coach. Saying Calhoun selected him proves zero. Calhoun clearly likes Ollie. He was a tough player for UConn and in the NBA. But here's the thing, nobody knows what he'll do as a head coach. And anyone who says different is either lying or engaging in wishful thinking or guessing. What I do hope though, is that he doesn't just "meet expectations" this season. Because this is a bad season during which to evaluate anyone. the team is a mess. No post season. I like you think he'll get an extension unless he falls flat on his face and we lose 20-25 games and/or the team is in shambles. But I hope that happens if the alternative is a guy who will go 20-12, 8-8 for the next 5 years. or worse, 17-13 7-9. If that happens it will be 2 decades before UConn recovers. because in the Brave New World of conference expansion, we won't have the same resources at $8 million a year that Syracuse will have or that Carolina or Kansas will have at $14-20 million. And we won't be a destination school for a basketball coach. And in many respects, this is my biggest problem of all with the Ollie hire. I think at this point, UConn could have had a shot at all but a handful of coaches. If Manuel called, all but maybe 5 (you can name the five) would have at least been willing to listen. Instead we gave it to a ghost.

If we get left behind because Ollie is an ordinary coach or a terrible one, and I don't think he'll be a terrible one for the record, it could be for a long long time. Ollie needs to prove early that he indeed belongs. And while I do think that an established coach might get a little more benefit of the doubt, it won't be much.

 

[Pudge]

"If Manuel called, all but maybe 5 (you can name the five) would have at least been willing to listen. Instead we gave it to a ghost."

I simply don't believe this. At best ... we would hire a Fran Dunphy-type. Someone who could maintain some hold on our past. Ollie, I believe, is a wildcard. And ... frankly ... we are facing a very challenging year. Let's just see.

 

[Pudge]

While none of us has any proof, I remain convinced that neither Manuel nor Herbst wanted to promote Ollie. They simply decided to be deferential to Calhoun for the obvious legacy reasons-- but only for a year, and an NCAA imposed, limited year at that. The opportunity to change horses mid stream is very real and I suspect there is a folder with the top candidates already being filled. I hope he's another legendary coach, but there are too many UConn players and assistants with similar promise and marginal results (Perno, Hobbs, Dickenman, Moore, Leiteo). I sense a one year HC career with the Huskies for KO.

I think I perceive ... just my tin ear ... a little of what we see written in these boards. Ollie doesn't have full support for a few specific reasons; and some of that may be his verbal presentation. I hope he KNOCKS it out of the park ... and I think he has the capability.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

(Perno, Hobbs, Dickenman, Moore, Leiteo).

None of these coaches have the profile Ollie has of age, extensive NBA connections, a long NBA career, AND proven ability to relate to recruits and get them to play here. I don't know why Perno is on that list, that's so long ago it's not relevant here. The others were top assistants to Calhoun during the rise of the program, but none were really considered "hotshot" coaches except for maybe Hobbs. Leitao got shafted by stupidly walking into a terrible situation at UVA when he was beginning to turn around DePaul. Dickenman really wasn't all that good, and he left so early in UConn's rise for a really bad job, that he never had an opportunity to prove himself at any competitive level. Moore also left for a really low-level bad job that's tough to move up from, but even so, he's only been there for a few years. Most importantly, none of these guys played in the NBA, none of them have the connections with NBA clubs that Ollie does, and most importantly, none of them have the extensive respect of NBA organizations that Ollie does.

Does this mean he'll be successful? No. But those are the attributes you look for in a coach, in addition to prior head coaching experience, which is where he is lacking. But it is wholly incorrect to lump him in with the quoted list of coaches.

 

[Hoophound]

Honestly, if KO can recruit like a mofo, I am perfectly comfortable with Hobbs and Miller doing most of the coaching. They are completely capable of winning big with thoroughbreds. I think KO will prove to be a great hire, but we have the staff to teach him coaching if need be. Just get the horses KO!!!

 

[ZooCougar]

I think this is right on target.

While none of us has any proof, I remain convinced that neither Manuel nor Herbst wanted to promote Ollie. They simply decided to be deferential to Calhoun for the obvious legacy treasons-- but only for a year, and an NCAA imposed, limited year at that. The opportunity to change horses mid stream is very real and I suspect there is a folder with the top candidates already being filled. I hope he's another legendary coach, but there are too many UConn players and assistants with similar promise and marginal results (Perno, Hobbs, Dickenman, Moore, Leiteo). I sense a one year HC career with the Huskies for KO.