Well that was a huge disaster for UConn Athletics...we might never recover

[freescooter]

I have a few thoughts on this. None of them positive I'm afraid.
1. Someone has to take the fall for this utter and complete miscalculation. Not sure he deserves it at this point, but if I were Ward Manuel Id be updating my resume. It won't be immediate, but he'll be gone in 6-12 months. He can't survive this and be effective in my estimation.
2. UConn basketball is now a mid-major. At the end of the day, they might as well give Ollie a 5 year deal. He's the perfect kind of coach for mid-major programs. Young, high potential. He'll lean the ropes here, make his mistakes and move on when a major program has an opening or become one of those guys like they have in the MAC who coach for 20 years and occasionally get to the NCAA and win a 5-12 game as the 12. National Championships are a thing of the past for UConn.
3. Expect to start playing money games in football in a year or two. And forget about 1-1s with majors. We'll be getting 2-1 deals lots of times. those of you who wanted to play anyone anywhere will get your wish, so maybe that's good.
4. Is it too late to reprogram some of the money from the basketball center to upgrade or replace the Ice Arena? At the end of the day, as a Hockey East member, UConn Hockey will be the only program that is part of a national power conference. Hard to believe, but true.
5. Expect attendance for football, basketball and ultimately womens basketball to take a huge hit. Good news is you'll be able to get day of the game tickets...Expect to see donations fall too.
6. Lastly, this played out exactly as I was told it would on Friday at a holiday gathering. Two old friends, on with Miami connections and one who once was on the BC Athletic Advisory Board, former Alumni Association president or some name like that, said a combination of football schools and southern schools who were upset about the northern direction of the league were combining forces to block UConn. At the time they said the two names out there were Louisville or South Florida. They ultimately coalesced around Louisville. I didn't believe it, but apparently it was right on.

 

[husky210]

I have a thought that you will totally regret this post soon...

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I have a thought that you will totally regret this post soon...

I hope you're right. But unfortunately, I agree with freescooter a lot more than I want to right now.

 

[freescooter]

I have a thought that you will totally regret this post soon...

I hope you are right too. But look at the conference home and tell me it is going to be "big time." And please don't bring up Georgetown and St Johns basketball. Georgetown has as many final fours as VCU since the middle of the Reagan Administration. St Johns has had 1 winning team in a decade.

 

[Dove]

duck* the ACC.

 

[husky210]

I hope you are right too. But look at the conference home and tell me it is going to be "big time." And please don't bring up Georgetown and St Johns basketball. Georgetown has as many final fours as VCU since the middle of the Reagan Administration. St Johns has had 1 winning team in a decade.

Oh the big east is toast most definitely. I just have this sense we will be fine.

 

[caw]

I have a few thoughts on this. None of them positive I'm afraid.
1. Someone has to take the fall for this utter and complete miscalculation. Not sure he deserves it at this point, but if I were Ward Manuel Id be updating my resume. It won't be immediate, but he'll be gone in 6-12 months. He can't survive this and be effective in my estimation.
2. UConn basketball is now a mid-major. At the end of the day, they might as well give Ollie a 5 year deal. He's the perfect kind of coach for mid-major programs. Young, high potential. He'll lean the ropes here, make his mistakes and move on when a major program has an opening or become one of those guys like they have in the MAC who coach for 20 years and occasionally get to the NCAA and win a 5-12 game as the 12. National Championships are a thing of the past for UConn.
3. Expect to start playing money games in football in a year or two. And forget about 1-1s with majors. We'll be getting 2-1 deals lots of times. those of you who wanted to play anyone anywhere will get your wish, so maybe that's good.
4. Is it too late to reprogram some of the money from the basketball center to upgrade or replace the Ice Arena? At the end of the day, as a Hockey East member, UConn Hockey will be the only program that is part of a national power conference. Hard to believe, but true.
5. Expect attendance for football, basketball and ultimately womens basketball to take a huge hit. Good news is you'll be able to get day of the game tickets...Expect to see donations fall too.
6. Lastly, this played out exactly as I was told it would on Friday at a holiday gathering. Two old friends, on with Miami connections and one who once was on the BC Athletic Advisory Board, former Alumni Association president or some name like that, said a combination of football schools and southern schools who were upset about the northern direction of the league were combining forces to block UConn. At the time they said the two names out there were Louisville or South Florida. They ultimately coalesced around Louisville. I didn't believe it, but apparently it was right on.

You are utterly wrong about point #2 for a few reasons:

1. Ollie isn't going anywhere if UConn wants him.
2. College basketball is all about coaching
3. If Ollie is a good coach, UConn can still win National Championships or at least have a shot at them.
4. The past four national championship games have involved 3 mid-majors (Memphis once and Butler twice). Memphis and Butler were both literally a shot away in two of the three games. Last year did have two majors, but last year also was a bit odd due to the previous NBA lockout situation.
5. If you are talking about recruiting, PC just landed 3 McDonald All-American type guards in a span of two years. PC!!! are you saying UConn doesn't have that ability regardless of conference? Memphis just picked up 4 top 100 guys this year as a mid-major.
6. Now Ollie may not be the right coach, or a good coach, that is still an unknown, but you are seriously overreacting.
7. Assuming the facilities get built and Ollie is a good coach UConn will be a mid-major on steroids, and will be a top 25 team yearly, regardless of conference.

 

[NHUConnfan]

I have a thought that you will totally regret this post soon...

Hasn't that been every freescooter post?

Let's be honest - of the pessimists on this board, he's in the 1%.

 

[Jimdish255]

6. Lastly, this played out exactly as I was told it would on Friday at a holiday gathering. Two old friends, on with Miami connections and one who once was on the BC Athletic Advisory Board, former Alumni Association president or some name like that, said a combination of football schools and southern schools who were upset about the northern direction of the league were combining forces to block UConn. At the time they said the two names out there were Louisville or South Florida. They ultimately coalesced around Louisville. I didn't believe it, but apparently it was right on.

Did our people miss this completely or just felt powerless to respond? Either scenario bothers me.

 

[Waquoit]

I hope you're right. But unfortunately, I agree with freescooter a lot more than I want to right now.

I don't "like" his post, but he's right.

 

[Rondogg]

When will we get good news. Seems like we have had crushing blows for years now.

People on this board think we have so much to offer. Our national perception is horrible. Read other boards, we are an afterthought. The Fiesta Bowl, to me, was the worst thing to happen to us. We were the center of a national discussion, proving to the "playoff proponents" that the Big East (UConn) was a joke. Riding that wave of negative press led to a crushing defeat to OU and PROOF that our program was anemic. Then our coach left, then our WL record dropped while RU and UL had a quick unsustainable rise.

We hired Herbst because of her connections...where are they?

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I hope you're right. But unfortunately, I agree with freescooter a lot more than I want to right now.

For a conservative you sure aren't very good at pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

 

[freescooter]

You are utterly wrong about point #2 for a few reasons:

1. Ollie isn't going anywhere if UConn wants him.
2. College basketball is all about coaching
3. If Ollie is a good coach, UConn can still win National Championships or at least have a shot at them.
4. The past four national championship games have involved 3 mid-majors (Memphis once and Butler twice). Memphis and Butler were both literally a shot away in two of the three games. Last year did have two majors, but last year also was a bit odd due to the previous NBA lockout situation.
5. If you are talking about recruiting, PC just landed 3 McDonald All-American type guards in a span of two years. PC!!! are you saying UConn doesn't have that ability regardless of conference? Memphis just picked up 4 top 100 guys this year as a mid-major.
6. Now Ollie may not be the right coach, or a good coach, that is still an unknown, but you are seriously overreacting.
7. Assuming the facilities get built and Ollie is a good coach UConn will be a mid-major on steroids, and will be a top 25 team yearly, regardless of conference.

t.
Sure. No doubt. The last time the national championship was won by a team without BCS football was UConn in 1999. We began the upgrade process the following season. Before that, you have to go back to UNLV. And if Ollie is good, he'll go somewhere that can pay more. if he's mediocre, he'll probably stay. If he's bad, he'll be gone and replaced by some other untested guy. With $6 million you can't compete with the 17-30 million guys. Just can not.

 

[caw]

t.
Sure. No doubt. The last time the national championship was won by a team without BCS football was UConn in 1999. We began the upgrade process the following season. Before that, you have to go back to UNLV. And if Ollie is good, he'll go somewhere that can pay more. if he's mediocre, he'll probably stay. If he's bad, he'll be gone and replaced by some other untested guy. With $6 million you can't compete with the 17-30 million guys. Just can not.

Well technically that's not true, because the BCS is fairly new, but to your point it is.

Sure and the last time a school from the Pac-12 won was in 1997 (if you count Zona) then 1995 (UCLA) then 1975 (UCLA). The last Big 10 team to win a National Championship was in 2000 (MSU) and before that 1989 (UM). Maybe all Pac-12 and Big Ten teams should give up also.

You have no clue what you are talking about in regards to Ollie possibly leaving. If he is great, mediocre or horrible, if UConn wants him and pays him decently (not even top money), he is staying.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

For a conservative you sure aren't very good at pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

I know you are joking....but there isn't much more any of us can do at this point. I don't have the financial means to give to the school any more than I currently do. I purchase season tickets. Go to games. Travel to the occassional road game. Raising my kids to idolize UConn. Recruit new people to take in a game or 2 a year. What more can we do?

 

[Excalibur]

I hope you're right. But unfortunately, I agree with freescooter a lot more than I want to right now.

That's because he is right.

At least my son is young enough that if I cut him off from UConn sports now he should move on to other interests.

 

[Jimdish255]

I have a thought that you will totally regret this post soon...

Care to share the source of your feelings? Will Susan and Ward be redeemed? When?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

That's because he is right.

At least my son is young enough that if I cut him off from UConn sports now he should move on to other interests.

Bring him to Yale games and root for them. At that level it's about the love of the game and you don't have to deal with the greed that this realignment nonsense brings with it.

 

[freescooter]

Hey, I've gone to a few D-3 games over the past few years. Wesleyan, Colby-Bowdoin, Willaims-Amherst. The games are lots of fun. Admission is free. The kids play hard. And some of them have been playing each other every year since the 1890s, so conference switching isn't part of the deal. I might just make that my football from now on.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I know you are joking....but there isn't much more any of us can do at this point. I don't have the financial means to give to the school any more than I currently do. I purchase season tickets. Go to games. Travel to the occassional road game. Raising my kids to idolize UConn. Recruit new people to take in a game or 2 a year. What more can we do?

Not much. Just keep trying to recruit more people into the UConn Family.

I don't mean to harp on us, really -- we're the die hard fans. It's the casuals that are the problem.

 

[Doggie Style]

Not much. Just keep trying to recruit more people into the UConn Family.

I don't mean to harp on us, really -- we're the die hard fans. It's the casuals that are the problem.

Which unfortunately for us, is about 65% of our fan base! We are a "bandwagon" fan base state, period! Everyone loves you when you're hot but when the tide shifts well......
I never understood it growing up a Whalers fan, but now it just pisses me off!!

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Not much. Just keep trying to recruit more people into the UConn Family.

I don't mean to harp on us, really -- we're the die hard fans. It's the casuals that are the problem.

I wish I had more to give financially. But Malloy and your buddy Dems in the state legislature have soaked me dry in the last 2 years. (there's your political payback joke....but it's not really all that much of a joke)

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I wish I had more to give financially. But Malloy and your buddy Dems in the state legislature have soaked me dry in the last 2 years. (there's your political payback joke....but it's not really all that much of a joke)

Ha. I understand the desire. Didn't you see he just promised 150 mil in cuts? Surely that puts a warm feeling in your tummy.