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Message: [QUOTE="Towney007, post: 2578551, member: 5832"] I dunno I guess one of the bigger problems I observe among the UConn 'community' so to speak is just a really confused sense of what we are and what we're capable of being vs. what we should be. Yeah, I'm in the camp its time for a change at the top of men's hoops, but what I think should be made readily apparent is that firing Ollie isn't a good thing and that the replacement could very well be worse. I think its a chance worth taking at this point... .... because a lot of people are still really convinced our road map out of this is football, which I just categorically disagree with at this point. I think the worst thing UConn can do right now is NOT separate out the prospects for football from men's basketball. There was a time where tying them together was the right thing to do. Indisputably so. But the conference we're in - we're in it *because of the goal of succeeding in football to the degree that we get a P5 invite*. Nothing more, nothing less. That football is the only way out an the only pathway to success and that any future prospects for basketball MUST be tied to football and while that end goal is probably the best all around outcome - I just don't see realistically how that plays out. I don't see that road map anymore. We're getting murdered in recruiting in our own conference. Because we're trying to build the football program, we're saddling the basketball program in a conference where they have no margin for error. The history and psychology behind the match ups isn't there - so when you lose - the normal revenue/attendance issues you're facing are compounded because there's no interest in say - seeing if we can just put the screws to a Syracuse or a Villanova.. or a Georgetown or Providence. Even when we're good - we need to be dominant to get the kinds of seedings that are favorable or simply just to get in. We were a top 30 team in KenPom when we won the conference tournament and still only ended up as an 8 seed. Our eventual national championship team - which was leagues better than our last tournament team - was seeded *seventh*. So while people say winning cures all - it really doesn't. It just presents a whole swath of other problems - better problems mind you - but problems nonetheless - problems we're not dealing with if we are in a situation like the Big East. And even winning, our attendance and revenues are STILL down. It's NOT going to solve the problem on its own. So yeah - the conference at the end of the day - almost no matter the outcome record-wise - is a huge problem. And we're in that predicament because we're putting so much behind a long shot bet on football and to me - to sacrifice your school's 'front porch', it's identity and source of institutional pride for a long shot at something is just a wildly insane bet given the totality of the situation and the cards that are on the table. To me it's a matter of survival at this point - like we're down 0-3 in a 7 game series and there aren't ideal options on the table. So we've gotta throw everything at our best possible shot now and worry about the pitfalls of tomorrow when we've actually got a tomorrow to look at them. So regardless of where either program ends up in the long run - I think we at least need to be at a point as an institution where we separate the two out. As to Ollie - all of these things have played a role in his downfall. In the big picture - his recruiting has been fine. But even had it all worked out, are we in a demonstrably better position? I mean I dunno if we are. And even recruiting is becoming harder because Ollie's kind of soiled the program's reputation in a conference where you really can't afford to do that anymore. There's only so much we can do here, and that's the frustrating part. The Big East doesn't solve the program's troubles on its own - but it does lead to better revenue for hoops by a lot. It gives us a better package to sell. It gives us more interesting opponents and more traditional, competitive rivals. And even if the program continues to head south - at least you've given yourself a real shot at righting the ship. From there, things fall where they fall. So for me this coach or any coach isn't a panacea even though Ollie needs to go. And the conference relocation doesn't solve the problems the program has either. But the two combined I think - gives you the best shot. That's why I'm for both. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach

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