What do you think about the one year audition for KO?

[BlueMAB]

You don't think that if they do a national search, almost everyone they talk to will be a better candidate - at least on paper - than Kevin Ollie?

 

[johnhuskies95]

"That program is DONE. They're completely finished."-IthacaMatt circa September 2010 after Majok left.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I have little patience for saracuse fans, their feigned concern over our program, and their idiotic questions.

You're a complete waste of human matter if you think a guy with zero head coaching experience wouldn't welcome a hall of fame, 3 time national champion, with about 17 big east championships into the gym to help coach once in awhile.

Imagine this is business (which it is). And you replace someone who retired. And they still keep coming in to work every so often, to check how you are doing things. And inevitably, there are going to be differences. And the person who held the job for 25 or 30 years is probably pretty set in their ways, and have strong opinions about how things should be done. Why is the retired person still coming to work, to look over the shoulder of his replacement? It's just not how things are done. I mean, give me a single example of something like this that worked out well - in any industry.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Oh, OK. Tell me why Kevin is a better candidate than Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart, then. Tell me why Manuel didn't offer Kevin more than a 1 year deal if he wasn't almost certain he could find a better candidate. You should be face-palming yourself for not getting this.

 

[IthacaMatt]

He retired in the middle of September. The full process would take at least a couple weeks. Who is gonna jump ship for what this team faces this year a few weeks before their own season starts?

Are you really this naive to believe that Manuel had a lot of choice in the matter?

No, I understand that JC stuck Manuel with Ollie on purpose. Do you dispute that the whole press conference could have painted Ollie as the actual coach, and not just some young guy who is getting a year long audition? When was the last time you heard any new coach get that kind of treatment at the press conference to announce his hiring?

That's the point. When has ANY presser to announce a new coach - even an interim one - been handled so poorly? The Knicks, maybe, with their Isiah Thomas infatuation? We're talking that kind of clusterflock at that press conf.

 

[johnhuskies95]

No, I understand that JC stuck Manuel with Ollie on purpose. Do you dispute that the whole press conference could have painted Ollie as the actual coach, and not just some young guy who is getting a year long audition? When was the last time you heard any new coach get that kind of treatment at the press conference to announce his hiring?

That's the point. When has ANY presser to announce a new coach - even an interim one - been handled so poorly? The Knicks, maybe, with their Isiah Thomas infatuation? We're talking that kind of clusterflock at that press conf.

How many press conferences in college sports have there been to announce a new coach a month and a half before the season starts?

 

[IthacaMatt]

How many press conferences in college sports have there been to announce a new coach a month and a half before the season starts?

I grant you that there aren't that many jobs changing right before the start of the season, but people like Dean Smith and Larry Brown have done this before. The more common scenario is to think of it like a press conference after a coach gets fired during the season. You may name an interim coach. But even when you get an interim coach, and even when the GM says, "he can win the job if the team plays well", you still don't see the old coach hanging around - unless you're the Knicks and the ex-coach is Isiah Thomas, and we know how well Dolan has done managing people over the last 10-15 years, haven't we?

 

[DogMania]

No disrespect to your position but I'd like to get a raw deal for $$350k+. This was orchestrated by Calhoun as the master that he is - Hebst gave Manual a little respect back.

KO will do fine in the end. He can't lose unless he totally implodes (which after watching the support (love) he got today - I don't see happening).

My dimes worth...

I'm probably repeating myself, but the issue is not KO getting a good or raw deal. He is very excited about the opportunity he's been given and getting nicely rewarded for it, though I'm sure he doesn't really need the money due to the millions he made in the NBA. Not saying he doesn't have the right to get paid whatever the market offers. With that said, it's his first head coaching opportunity, but I doubt you'd find any first time head coach offered a one year contract. I realize the circumstances are unique, but come on, Herbst and Manual, put the big picture and what's best for UConn over your egos. I can't think of any reason other than some hard feelings they weren't the ones to choose JC's successor that motivated them to give KO a 7 month deal. Now if we find out that they just didn't have enough time to put together a multi-year deal and do so soon, I'll take a different position. It just seems petty to me and not the best business model due to the impact this might have on recruiting, which is the life blood of successful programs. The day I see a program that doesn't have some elite talent win an NC, I might change my mind on this.

 

[DogMania]

The people who think JC hurt the program by not letting Warde Manuel pick his own guy are out of their freaking mind. Why would you have more faith in a football guy over our hall of fame basketball coach? Why do you automatically assume Warde would have picked a superstar? What happens when JC and the extended UCONN family he brings gets pushed aside and Warde hires a dud?

What happened to Indiana when they pushed Knight out? Did they hire a superstar? They are Indiana, they must have hired the right guy. Kentucky has had coaching failures, UCLA has gone through a number of failed coaches.

How do we know Warde is any better then the BC AD?

The smart move is to do it JC's way first, if it doesn't work out at least they tried. We are one year removed from being national champions, we should be thankful that JC wants to stay involved. Look at the bench coaches JC has assembled, we have the most experienced staff in the country.

Excellent points here. The fact is there are only a handful of available perceived superstar coaches out there. There has been many so called up-and-coming mid-major head coaches that flopped at the higher level. Some have succeeded. There have been some assistants who were promoted to the top spot and have succeeded. Painter is one that comes to mind that has done a nice job and I'm sure someone can rattle off a list of others.

Again, my concern was not with fairness here. I understand that Manuel and Herbst likely feel they didn't get to plan the menu and shop for the groceries, but professionals have to overcome that and make decisions in the best interest of the institution they serve. I don't feel they did that. They could have offered KO a multi-year contract with a reasonable buy-out and if they felt he wasn't the guy...though hard to give someone just 7 months while not allowed to go to the post season, plus with a depleated team due to defections...they could still buy KO out and conduct a national search.

Some might think they can still keep KO but include him in a national search next spring, but come on!!! How do you think KO would see this. As much as someone might love the institution, that person would have to rise above the lack of confidence his employers showed in him. If there was such a guy, KO is him, but if it came down to that, he'd likely jump at an NBA assistant position than to work for Herbst and Manuel. The more I think about this, the more I think they need to grow a set and do the right thing and offer him a multi-year contract tomorrow. I think one of them or both or someone else that has a hand in this is being petty because they don't want JC to get his way. Not sure we'll ever know if JC planned it this way, but even so, I would expect anyone in a position of authority to put their pride in check and make a decision in the best interest of the institution.

 

[cohenzone]

I thought Manuel didn't handle the press conference that well, er, he was too honest. But who says JC is better than Manuel on picking a successor? Coach is very loyal to "his guys" but that might make him less objective rather than more. The timing really begged for an interim coach to be real about it. I know the whole deal about recruits love Ollie, but this is a long term situation, we hope. We all want Ollie to do well, but this is a big time business, and was handled fairly small time in all quarters. And that gives JC the benefit of the doubt that he really didn't decide until after his hip injury. I really thought that, given his nature, he wouldn't have wanted to leave during, to use his terminology, a bumpy period.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Cheap shots show your class. I was keeping this nice and polite. Jim Calhoun shows up at practice. Does he go out on the floor during drills? Does he talk to the kids? I have to think so, it's Jim freaking Calhoun. OK, so who do the kids listen to? How involved does JC get? What does Ollie do while JC is teaching or yelling at kids? If you don't get how this really undermines Ollie's authority, well, I'm sorry that you just don't seem to get it.

Maybe Matt. And can you perhaps also see that this only happens with Ollie or Hobbs as coach? That an outsider probably avoids this scenario. It really will be up to Jim not to screw this up. To help or appear only when Ollie asks. Following a legend is harder when the legend doesn't let go.

 

[DogMania]

And you're certain JC wasn't coming back to coach before he broke his hip?

That's a great question that we'll never know the answer to. As I've been saying over and over again, what does it matter. JC stepped down and Herbst and Manuel had a decision to make and many of us don't see the one they did was in the best interest of UConn by not offering KO a multi-year contract. They could still choose their man at the end of this season via buy-out, if they wanted to go in a different direction. The choice they made will likely impact 2012 and 14 recruit confidence in UConn since the fact is that UConn does not have a head coach under contract for 2013/14 season.

I don't understand why this isn't obvious to everyone, regardless if you think KO will be a good HC or not. It's simply a sound business model when it comes to high major college sports. It's fricken hard enough to recruit the players you want when have all your ducks in a row. With each reason you give a recruit pause about your program the harder you make it to secure his commitment.

I'm not saying that KO and UConn can't get some good recruits, but it's no fabrication that the level of recruits showing interest in UConn and keeping us on their short lists has dropped the past few years. To JC's and his staff's credit they pulled some late rabbits out of the hat with AD (who was from our state) and Daniels. Boatright was a nice catch as well, thanks to Huggins thinking he could get both him and Hinds. And of course landing Omar was impressive as well. So far they have two top 100 kids in the higher range. I hope XRM is okay with this and picks UConn, but some of the latest things he's been saying concerns many of us. Regardless to all this, why would you want to put yourself in a disadvantaged position. Herbst and Manuel could have put us in a stronger recruiting position while still allowing them options next spring. I just think egos got in the way here.

 

[zls44]

I grant you that there aren't that many jobs changing right before the start of the season, but people like Dean Smith and Larry Brown have done this before. The more common scenario is to think of it like a press conference after a coach gets fired during the season. You may name an interim coach. But even when you get an interim coach, and even when the GM says, "he can win the job if the team plays well", you still don't see the old coach hanging around - unless you're the Knicks and the ex-coach is Isiah Thomas, and we know how well Dolan has done managing people over the last 10-15 years, haven't we?

Matt,

I asked this on the SU board, but it fits better here. I'd agree with your points in theory, except that every single report I have read- national and local- has been fawning over how good Kevin Ollie's press conference was yesterday. I think calling the PC "Isiah-esque" is a complete mis-read of what happened.

 

[huskymedic]

7 months or 1 year or 2 years don't make a difference in recruiting. Outside the few one and done kids, other recruits are looking for the same coach/style of play/level of competition for ALL 4 years. Hell, other schools have been using the JC isn't going to be there anymore for many years (every cancer scare). There was no way they were going to give an unproven head coach in a major college program an initial 5 year contract. I'm behind Kevin O 100% but these "I know what Herbst, Manuel, Calhoun were thinking convo's" are getting tiresome..

 

[Taco]

UConn will achieve what in the next year in recruits' eyes?

What are recruits going to see. It's February 15th. What are they seeing?

Just that KO isn't a disaster... I think that if he shows what I and many of us hope/suspect - that he's a promising coach - the university will extend him b/f the year is up and for a good amount of time. If however, it doesn't work (too big a stage at the moment), the university will launch a search to get a bigger name coach. Again, I really like the KO move - so I think the former is what's going to happen. As far as record, near .500 give or take a game or two, is what I consider a success next year.

 

[DogMania]

I'm not that worried about recruiting and here's why. 1. If Ollie is not up to the job he isn't going to be getting recruits anyway. it is that simple. going forward UConn needs to up its game anyway if it wants to remain an elite program. the world has changed, not for the better in my estimation with Kentucky's win, but it is what it is. We need to keep up. 2. if Ollie does enough to get an extension, if we miss one year of high level recruits, its disappointing, but not the end of the world. In this era of 1 and done players, it isn't like you build a team for the long term figuring they'll take their lumps as frosh then improve each year until you have a senior laden team that can compete. Today, if you have a team with lots of seniors it probably means your players aren't that good. If they were really good they'd have left already. You are essentially re-creating your team each season anyway, and not by adding one or two guys, but often you can bring in 3,4 or even 5 guys the following year and be competitive once again. So if he misses out on a couple of guys for next season, just get comparable ones for the following year and go on from there. I read a comment from I think Tom Crean, who said that you don't so much build teams anymore, you assemble them for a season. bottom line is if Ollie is the right guy, even if we lose 1 season, it should pick up very quickly the next year.

What I highlighted in red above seem completely rediculous. The majority of the 2013 class will have made up their mind before KO coaches a single game. Many of the 2014 recruits will be deciding what programs they like and don't like and forming their lists likely well before this adminstration decides who's under contract for 2013/14 and beyond. Regardless to how well Ollie does, which by the way he doesn't exactly have a full plate to deal with this upcoming season (though they might surprise a lot of folks and compete well), most of the recruits will have already decided where they are going. You obviously just don't get it.

Now if he ends up doing well and gets that multi-year contract, his recruiting might really spike in the right direction. The problem with that it will probably be realized with the 2015 class with some success with the 2014. If they go in another direction, depending who they get for the head coach and when, the recruiting might go down the tter for a year or so. There's a lot to say when it comes to continuity as long as it's a string of success.

 

[freescooter]

DM, the only ego tha tgot in the way here was Calhoun's. He knew he wasn't getting his way on Ollie as a successor, so he rigged the bid. I think Manuel played it the only way he could without risking losing control entirely. He clearly wanted to pick the next coach, not have it forced on him. And he didn't I don't believe, really want Ollie for the job. When you listen to what he says, it truly sounds to me that he while he likes the guy, he doesn't think in his heart of hearts that Ollie is up to the job. But this solution is what it is. If he's stuck with Kevin,he will take him on his, Manuel's, terms. 1 year deal to show us what you can do. the team is terrible, you're gone. if it is just so-so we'll look at other factors. if its above expectations you get an extension. Worst case scenario, he goes in march, and we hire the next hot young coach or maybe even an established coach to rebuild from the wreckage.

 

[caw]

You don't think that if they do a national search, almost everyone they talk to will be a better candidate - at least on paper - than Kevin Ollie?

Depends on what aspects are on that paper, doesn't it.

No, I understand that JC stuck Manuel with Ollie on purpose. Do you dispute that the whole press conference could have painted Ollie as the actual coach, and not just some young guy who is getting a year long audition? When was the last time you heard any new coach get that kind of treatment at the press conference to announce his hiring?

That's the point. When has ANY presser to announce a new coach - even an interim one - been handled so poorly? The Knicks, maybe, with their Isiah Thomas infatuation? We're talking that kind of clusterflock at that press conf.

I think the press conference went off very well. You are vastly overstating your perception of it being negative. Most UConn fans, those who matter, thought it went swimmingly.

 

[caw]

I think there's a difference. Hopkins has been the next-head-coach-in-waiting for nearly 10 years now. He has been our lead recruiter for that long, and was a grunt assistant for several years before that. He has been sharing duties on the local TV shows, running the Elite Camp, working with Team USA, for years.

Ollie may be a great guy, and there is risk to both hires, but the SU transition has been well planned and won't be sprung on anybody a month before practice starts. So to answer your question, no, we don't see it as a power play by the coach. This arrangement has been working well for us for a long time, and our recruiting and on-court performance are as high right now as they have been at any time in Boeheim's tenure.

Possibly but you have a ton of flawed logic in your second paragraph. UConn's transition has been known for month's, if not year, it just wasn't official. Do you see anyone being shocked on Ollie being the head coach? The only news is the length of the contract, of which you know nothing of Hopkins' HC contract.

Second, SU's is as big a power play as Calhoun's, he just has more in-roads with the AD at SU.

Third, recruiting at SU has nothing to do with the "CIW" moniker. There aren't persistent rumors (for years mind you, since 2003 at least with Calhoun) that SU's head coach is going to retire next year. You will see how good recruiting goes once rumors start about Jim B retiring next year (once that happens).

 

[freescooter]

What I highlighted in red above seem completely rediculous. The majority of the 2013 class will have made up their mind before KO coaches a single game. Many of the 2014 recruits will be deciding what programs they like and don't like and forming their lists likely well before this adminstration decides who's under contract for 2013/14 and beyond. Regardless to how well Ollie does, which by the way he doesn't exactly have a full plate to deal with this upcoming season (though they might surprise a lot of folks and compete well), most of the recruits will have already decided where they are going. You obviously just don't get it.

Now if he ends up doing well and gets that multi-year contract, his recruiting might really spike in the right direction. The problem with that it will probably be realized with the 2015 class with some success with the 2014. If they go in another direction, depending who they get for the head coach and when, the recruiting might go down the tter for a year or so. There's a lot to say when it comes to continuity as long as it's a string of success.

No, I do get that. I'm talking about 2014 and beyond. But it doesn't matter. if Ollie isn't getting it done, th eteam is a mess, he is clearly getting schoolled by more experienced coaches, or maybe even worse, he is just deferring to Blaney or Hobbs or Miller or someone on the bench and Calhoun in the practice gym, it isn't going to matter anyway. We'll bring in a new guy for 2014 and see recruiting pick up again in 2015...maybe even steal a few late deciders with the right guy. For all the talk about recruits loving Ollie, he hasn't landed anything special with Calhoun, unless you consider top 100 type players special. What will he do without him anyway? I mean now that he'll be the head coach and someone else will do the lead recruiting?

 

[DogMania]

Oh, OK. Tell me why Kevin is a better candidate than Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart, then. Tell me why Manuel didn't offer Kevin more than a 1 year deal if he wasn't almost certain he could find a better candidate. You should be face-palming yourself for not getting this.

What do you think the chances that Smart or Stevens would even take the job if offered. many think Stevens is a midwest guy who won't come east and leave that region. As for Shaka, some wonder if his style of play (similar to JC's pressure you full court for 40 minutes we saw back in the early 90s) won't work well in a major conference. I happen to like both coaches, but you don't know how well they'll recruit at the high major level and how well they do coaching up a roster of higher ranked recruits.

You don't have to look very far to see program after program that wanted to hire the next Shaka or Stevens and ended up with some re-tred or some less heralded wunderkind that simply wasn't ready or as good as they thought.

All great coaches were in KO's shoes at one point in time. The benefit you have with KO is he's got a boat load of experience, granted as an NBA player and assistant college coach. One thing people might be feeling to realize is he's a player who's played in and learn many different systems, which is a rare thing. Many coaches learn under just a handful of coaches who don't vary much with their style of play. Also, the reason why KO kept on getting contracts might give us all an insight to why he might be a very successful head coach. Teams simply loved how good a mentor on and off the court he was to the younger players...hum, sound a lot like a trait you'd want with your head coach.

To simplify this what does a guy need to do to be a great head coach:

1. Motivate players to give a plus effort
2. Develop individual hoops skills and lead a staff that as well
3. Develop a group of individuals to play as a team
4. Teach a their players to execute their offense and defense at an optimal level
5. Make the right decisions as to which players to play and develop (Some coaches don't know how to stick with a player who has potential but simply needs PT to develope. This is something that few have done as well as JC. J Lamb is a perfect example of this. There's a long list of others. Some coaches can't help themselves to play the hot hand dejour. The problem with that is the players who are doing more in November often don't have the upside of others that need to learn through their mistakes and who will produce more for you in March.)
6. Recruit, recruit and recruit the best players possible that fit their system and program culture.
7. Make positive adjustments throughout a game
8. Instill emotional and mental toughness because there are going to be many games where things are not going to go the players way that can still be had by toughing it out and winning it late. (Case in point, 11 Ws in 11 games in 2011.)

I'm sure others can grow this list. I don't see anything on this list that KO won't be able to do and grow in if given a chance. I realize until we see it we just won't know for sure. But if he can get his players to conduct themselves the way he has throughout his career, I feel pretty good about #s 1-7 & *. Number 7 is one of the hardest to master for all coaches. It's often the difference the defines the good coaches that haven't won NCs from the great ones who have. We'll just have to see how he does. He certainly played and coached under a lot of great coaches who were pretty damn good at that. Let's hope some of it has rubbed off.

 

[caw]

Aren't you a little concerned with Calhoun's talk about hanging around to oversee things, and the whole "Coach Emeritus" status? When Boeheim goes, I want him on the golf course or doing charity work, not coming to practice a couple times a week to check up on his successor and "make sure things are going well". The head coach has no authority in the kind of situation you guys are setting up for yourselves.

Coach Emeritus is not some newfangled concept UConn came up with, it has been done at other schools successfully. UNC to an extent. Georgetown to a larger extent. Tennessee women's will do it.

If you have a legend like Calhoun and a new coach who was trained by him, it's not a problem at all. You make it seem like Ollie and Calhoun will be telling the kids different things.

Calhoun is part of the group (Manuel, Herbst) that will be evaluating Ollie, this season. At the end of the year one of two things will happen: Ollie will be hired or someone else will. If it's the later, I doubt Calhoun is at practice without the new coaches consent. If it's the former then it means Ollie and Calhoun are on the same page and if Calhoun shows up, that's fine.

Now let me be like your fellow Cuse fans and tell you to take your "negativity" to the Cuse board.

Most sensible fans are excited for the future of UConn hoops, stop trying to drag us down.

 

[DogMania]

7 months or 1 year or 2 years don't make a difference in recruiting. Outside the few one and done kids, other recruits are looking for the same coach/style of play/level of competition for ALL 4 years. Hell, other schools have been using the JC isn't going to be there anymore for many years (every cancer scare). There was no way they were going to give an unproven head coach in a major college program an initial 5 year contract. I'm behind Kevin O 100% but these "I know what Herbst, Manuel, Calhoun were thinking convo's" are getting tiresome..

Who's saying a 5 year deal? I've been saying at least a 3 year one with a reasonable buy-out. Granted that type of contract has some window dressing to it, but perception wise with recruits, IMO, would go a long way. Compare that to being a recruit looking at a program that doesn't have a head coach under contract for the year that you'll be arriving. hum...if that doesn't give every recruit pause, I don't know what would. If KO lands some very good recruits between now and the spring signing period, it will be because he has won them over due to who he is. Granted the Husky brand has been strong for over a decade, but a lot of it is tied to JC. Add that to the devaluation of the Big East brand that has been taking a hit the past few years. There is that dynamic when some recruits fell in love in a program that had success when they were young teens. Let's hope there are a lot out there who witness KO keeping the level of success strong and keeping our bandwagon full. We keep on hearing nice things that recruits are saying about KO. I certainly don't know many better men. Let's hope that goes a long way.

 

[DogMania]

DM, the only ego tha tgot in the way here was Calhoun's. He knew he wasn't getting his way on Ollie as a successor, so he rigged the bid. I think Manuel played it the only way he could without risking losing control entirely. He clearly wanted to pick the next coach, not have it forced on him. And he didn't I don't believe, really want Ollie for the job. When you listen to what he says, it truly sounds to me that he while he likes the guy, he doesn't think in his heart of hearts that Ollie is up to the job. But this solution is what it is. If he's stuck with Kevin,he will take him on his, Manuel's, terms. 1 year deal to show us what you can do. the team is terrible, you're gone. if it is just so-so we'll look at other factors. if its above expectations you get an extension. Worst case scenario, he goes in march, and we hire the next hot young coach or maybe even an established coach to rebuild from the wreckage.

Manuel could still have accomplished pretty much the same thing, plus improved our recruiting position, if he put his ego aside and gave KO a 3 year deal w/ a reasonable buy-out. Like many men, he let his alpha male thing get in the way of doing what is best for UConn. Taking this position has nothing to do with how well or how bad KO will do. In fact, he might end up having a tough season due to things that he can't control, end up not being extended and turning out to be an excellent head coach that will never return here as long as Herbst and Manuel are at the helm. Oh, and end up with a worse coach than KO as his successor. Now would that be a good thing?

 

[zls44]

Manuel could still have accomplished pretty much the same thing, plus improved our recruiting position, if he put his ego aside and gave KO a 3 year deal w/ a reasonable buy-out. Like many men, he let his alpha male thing get in the way of doing what is best for UConn. Taking this position has nothing to do with how well or how bad KO will do. In fact, he might end up having a tough season due to things that he can't control, end up not being extended and turning out to be an excellent head coach that will never return here as long as Herbst and Manuel are at the helm. Oh, and end up with a worse coach than KO as his successor. Now would that be a good thing?

If they did that, the negative recruiting would just go from "He only has a 1-year deal, the AD wants someone else, how do you know you will even play for him?" to "His deal has a buyout after a year, the AD wants someone else, how do you know you will even play for him?". It's just moving goalposts.