A.J. Reeves | Page 4 | The Boneyard

A.J. Reeves

Palatine said:
What happened between Ollie and Calhoun? The Courant made it sound like they don't talk. This was JC's hand picked succesor. He talked about him like a son. Ollie talked about him like a father. And now they don't talk? Hello.
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Correct me if I am mistaken - but I don't believe Calhoun ever fired an assistant coach in his 25 years at UConn. So KO terminating Miller was not something he is going to be comfortable with. However, it started a long time before then as I believe Husky 99 indicated.
KO was also close to Calhoun's son - I don't know where that stands today? My guess is not close.
 
Robertelamin said:
Maybe I'm wrong but I thought Andre Lafluer got pushed out as well.
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Sorta, kinda. He was a good guy, just had a definite ceiling as a coach.

Calhoun had tried to get LaFleur a job elsewhere for a couple of years, but I heard he didn't interview that well. Providence did Calhoun a favor. (They were not heartbroken to see him move on, either.)
 
Fishy said:
Sorta, kinda. He was a good guy, just had a definite ceiling as a coach.

Calhoun had tried to get LaFleur a job elsewhere for a couple of years, but I heard he didn't interview that well. Providence did Calhoun a favor. (They were not heartbroken to see him move on, either.)
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True, PC liked the assistant with VA/NC roots better. Brian Blaney also a good fit there.
Pat and Beau, that was the school and the Nate's NCAA fallout. Calhoun helped Pat land a job in China.
Who knows, maybe that's what KO was trying to do - give Miller a chance to locate a job - by being publicly silent about it - but then of course it blew up and did not end well. The Oz stuff was very strange - calling Miller lazy. Complacent maybe, but lazy I don't see that. I sense too, unlike Calhoun's situations where he probably made calls to help Andre land a job and their was no active termination underway in Andrea's case. The Miller firing was a case study on how not to do a termination and let a disgruntled ex employee sabotage the program.
 
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gtcam said:
You are not going to get any specifics that are worth a crap unless they come from KO or JC directly
Anything from anyone from Chief00 to Fishy to Bunky to Oz is hearsay or personal speculation. No more no less
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Bunkey' s explanation on this coaching soap opera would be real interesting LOL! Seriously, he would have no clue. Put him back at Storrs and ask him about a player or recruit on campus - that's another story.
 
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Zionn said:
I wish I had decent news to share. Trust me. It is dire out there and staff still does not have a consistent message to regain/drive narrative. The brand has taken a big hit. That is the current reality.
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It still doesn't add up. Three years ago, we won a title, our fourth. For kids being recruited, they only know UConn as a brand. Up to a year ago, Ollie was getting praise from the likes of Durant, Lebron, even Iverson. This past season was difficult, but the record is easily justified by injury. Transfers are an epidemic, it's happening to almost very program. I can even buy Miller's departure causing Mal's decommit and maybe, but doubtfully, damaging our relationship's in the northeast. But I still don't buy it. Chillious was a great hire that should overcompensate Miller's departure. I don't get it. The narrative hasn't changed. UConn still should be able to recruit. This all leads me to believe it's far greater than narrative. I am fearful that it's much worse than narrative.
 
Chief00 said:
Correct me if I am mistaken - but I don't believe Calhoun ever fired an assistant coach in his 25 years at UConn. So KO terminating Miller was not something he is going to be comfortable with. However, it started a long time before then as I believe Husky 99 indicated.
KO was also close to Calhoun's son - I don't know where that stands today? My guess is not close.
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Just strange to see you writing about this firing considering you crapped all over Glen every chance you could?:rolleyes:
 
This is really bad. I hope Benedict isn't afraid to pull the trigger by March if we have another bad season and our 2018 recruiting class isn't looking good.
 
fatlucy said:
This thread sucks....
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I feel that way about almost all the threads the last few months. I guess it's to be expected after this past season. I still love any thread about Dave Wingett and the OT's about food, booze and music.
 
djct1999 said:
It still doesn't add up. Three years ago, we won a title, our fourth. For kids being recruited, they only know UConn as a brand. Up to a year ago, Ollie was getting praise from the likes of Durant, Lebron, even Iverson. This past season was difficult, but the record is easily justified by injury. Transfers are an epidemic, it's happening to almost very program. I can even buy Miller's departure causing Mal's decommit and maybe, but doubtfully, damaging our relationship's in the northeast. But I still don't buy it. Chillious was a great hire that should overcompensate Miller's departure. I don't get it. The narrative hasn't changed. UConn still should be able to recruit. This all leads me to believe it's far greater than narrative. I am fearful that it's much worse than narrative.
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When a big chunk of your fanbase and much of the basketball public thinks you're going to be fired next year, the narrative is pretty simple to see.

The kids who commit to UConn are going to be kids comfortable with the idea that they are committing to UConn and not necessarily to a team coached by Kevin Ollie.
 
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upstater said:
When a big chunk of your fanbase and much of the basketball public thinks you're going to be fired next year, the narrative is pretty simple to see.

The kids who commit to UConn are going to be kids comfortable with the idea that they are committing to UConn and not necessarily to a team coached by Kevin Ollie.
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I don't believe this whatsoever. He would have to strip naked on the sideline to get fired next year. Or watch another mass exodus of players after the season.
 
TRest said:
I don't believe this whatsoever. He would have to strip naked on the sideline to get fired next year. Or watch another mass exodus of players after the season.
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I'm talking about the narrative, what is being said about him.
 
upstater said:
I'm talking about the narrative, what is being said about him.
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Thats a weak narrative that any good coach could overcome. Ollie, can and should be able to lock down a top 15 class every year. I am not buying one bit this narrative that the brand is being tarnished by negative recruiting by other coaches. No way does Mick Cronin telling a kid Ollie may get fired next year cause this program to fall off the cliff as it has.
 
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upstater said:
You can bet anything that this is being said by people recruiting against UConn.
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And KO can say, look, I've won a national championship. The only modern-era coaches to win a national championship at a younger age than me are Bobby Knight and Jim Valvano - both legendary coaches. I just got a multi-year extension of my contract a few months ago. I'm a UConn guy through and through. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not getting fired. And, by the way, if you want to speak to the Athletic Director about it, I can arrange that.

When opposing coaches say things that are obviously wrong, they look silly as well as mean-spirited. KO can turn that negative recruiting against them.
 
djct1999 said:
I am sure it is. It still doesn't explain the current state of our program.
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Look at Indiana's class last year. The word gets out.

Indiana brought in four 2-star players in the last two years.
Worse, of the top 15 players in the state of Indiana (a state legendary for basketball, and home state rabid fans), not a single one committed to Indiana, even though they had a huge need.
 
upstater said:
Look at Indiana's class last year. The word gets out.

Indiana brought in four 2-star players in the last two years.
Worse, of the top 15 players in the state of Indiana (a state legendary for basketball, and home state rabid fans), not a single one committed to Indiana, even though they had a huge need.
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Yes, and that's why I hate all the negative nancies on this board who have no faith in KO. They create a negative aura that is damaging, even if baseless.
 
djct1999 said:
Thats a weak narrative that any good coach could overcome. Ollie, can and should be able to lock down a top 15 class every year. I am not buying one bit this narrative that the brand is being tarnished by negative recruiting by other coaches. No way does Mick Cronin telling a kid Ollie may get fired next year cause this program to fall off the cliff as it has.
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Not sure how you expect top 15 classes from AAC schools. We had our time at the top, but it may never come back. Big money ruined college sports.
 
TRest said:
I don't believe this whatsoever. He would have to strip naked on the sideline to get fired next year. Or watch another mass exodus of players after the season.
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I don't think it'll take that much. Things are trending down in the recruiting world for us, so another bad incoming freshman class in 2018 along with another NIT (or worse) season and I'd be willing to bet Ollie's gone, or at the very least it's strongly considered.
 
mauconnfan said:
Just strange to see you writing about this firing considering you crapped all over Glen every chance you could?:rolleyes:
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That's not a correct conclusion from my various posts. Repeatedly I have said Miller's termination was necessary but it was executed poorly. In other posts I went into detail how it could have been done better.
 
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Chief00 said:
That's not a correct conclusion from my various posts. Repeatedly I have said Miller's termination was necessary but it was executed poorly. In other posts I went into detail how it could have been done better.
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When you let go a colleague, friend and mentor I am sure at one point, its never done correctly how can it be? Take him out to dinner, his favorite restaurant and say "How was the meal? Great, oh yeah don't need you anymore but we can still come here together"
 
mauconnfan said:
When you let go a colleague, friend and mentor I am sure at one point, its never done correctly how can it be? Take him out to dinner, his favorite restaurant and say "How was the meal? Great, oh yeah don't need you anymore but we can still come here together"
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It goes better if Enya is played in the background and wine is served at the table.

Chief did want Miller to go. It's his opinion it wasn't handled well. I'm with you. No one who has been a long time employee takes a sudden dismissal well. And it's also possible several people in the program didn't either. Firings have negative consequences even when it's obvious someone should be dismissed. Miller was more in the gray zone of decision making. Who outside of chief agreed with chief on this matter? Certainly none of the people with connections indicated Miller was a problem.
 
fleudslipcon said:
It goes better if Enya is played in the background and wine is served at the table.

Chief did want Miller to go. It's his opinion it wasn't handled well. I'm with you. No one who has been a long time employee takes a sudden dismissal well. And it's also possible several people in the program didn't either. Firings have negative consequences even when it's obvious someone should be dismissed. Miller was more in the gray zone of decision making. Who outside of chief agreed with chief on this matter? Certainly none of the people with connections indicated Miller was a problem.
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I could correct you on this, but let me consider doing so first.
 
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