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Alex Officially Transferring

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I think everyone should calm down until we hear it from Alex. His Dad has already proven that he has too big of a mouth.

Alex had a rough year but so did the whole team.

Think everyone should stop the bad-mouthing and let things play out. You can't win em all.
 
johnhuskies95 said:
Clearly his dad is a very emotional guy. It's just weird because he was the one who wanted AO to play for UConn and Jim Calhoun in the first place.
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Because he thought AO would be another EO, his pops needs to realize he doesn't have it in him to be on that level.
 
Kevin Duffy has been very good on the beat all season long, but you'd think he'd get a corroborating source first before he went through with the story.
 
champs99and04 said:
This is a very sad situation. As another poster mentioned, this isn't some kid transferring because he couldn't hack it or because he hated Calhoun. Alex Oriakhi is a kid who loved UConn, loved his teammates, and played a crucial role in bringing national title #3 to Storrs. It's very sad that he couldn't have been a Husky for life. Of course I wish him all the best going forward, and I will remember his career in a positive light. However, this does leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. You would hope that a three year starter and national champion would feel a little more loyalty toward Calhoun and the program. You would have hoped that he would have stuck it out through the APR fiasco, and that he would respond a little bit better to Calhoun's coaching. It's disappointing that he never learned how to play with Drummond. Best of luck AO, but I think you're making a big mistake.
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Good post.

Really weird situation. I'm appreciative for what Alex did and wished he would've finished his career at UConn. He obviously showed flashes of being a great player but couldn't sustain it over the course of a season ( and really never more than the 11 game run last year ). Always seemed to me like he couldn't deal with adversity as well as some of the other guys we had. For instance, he'd come out play hard and tough, then get a cheapo foul and it would just seem to ruin all of his momentum for literally the rest of the game.

Oh well. Hopefully he finishes up the spring semester in good standing and finds success at a different school.
 
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johnhuskies95 said:
Kevin Duffy has been very good on the beat all season long, but you'd think he'd get a corroborating source first before he went through with the story.
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When the source is the kid's Dad what more do you want?

To add to that, Kevin Duffy has been great all season long. You guys definitely need to follow him on twitter for good UConn news/post game quotes. Believe it is @KevinRDuffy
 
ConnHuskBask said:
When the source is the kid's Dad what more do you want?

To add to that, Kevin Duffy has been great all season long. You guys definitely need to follow him on twitter for good UConn news/post game quotes. Believe it is @KevinRDuffy
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Even if it's his dad, I think he should go and ask UConn. He's a very good reporter, so he clearly has sources on UConn's end that he could go to in order to confirm.
 
johnhuskies95 said:
Kevin Duffy has been very good on the beat all season long, but you'd think he'd get a corroborating source first before he went through with the story.
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You would think the kids' father would be all the source he would need....but damn....something very wrong with that father.

I take back everything negative I have ever posted about AO.....if this "parent" has been in his ear all year, it is EASY to see the reason he struggled this year.
 
johnhuskies95 said:
Even if it's his dad, I think he should go and ask UConn. He's a very good reporter, so he clearly has sources on UConn's end that he could go to in order to confirm.
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Probably right. I'm sure UConn officials will hear about it soon enough.
 
champs99and04 said:
This is a very sad situation. As another poster mentioned, this isn't some kid transferring because he couldn't hack it or because he hated Calhoun. Alex Oriakhi is a kid who loved UConn, loved his teammates, and played a crucial role in bringing national title #3 to Storrs. It's very sad that he couldn't have been a Husky for life. Of course I wish him all the best going forward, and I will remember his career in a positive light. However, this does leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. You would hope that a three year starter and national champion would feel a little more loyalty toward Calhoun and the program. You would have hoped that he would have stuck it out through the APR fiasco, and that he would respond a little bit better to Calhoun's coaching. It's disappointing that he never learned how to play with Drummond. Best of luck AO, but I think you're making a big mistake.
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I have zero problem with Alex leaving IF the NCAA ban is in effect, the kid should have a chance to play in the NCAAT again before he graduates. It does seem a bit odd that he would transfer even if he had to sit out a year.

I like AO and wish him the best. I hope he gets good enough to make the NBA and have a long career. He may not have been Adrien here at UConn but just because he didn't fit*, doesn't mean he's a bad kid.

I don't want to be rude but are his parents divorced? Nothing wrong with it, but it seems like his mom has been either out of the loop or his dad is out of the loop. Why would you tell this to a journalist before letting your wife know? Or why would you let your dad tell the press without telling your mother? Just very perplexing.

*Edit: fit is the wrong word. I should have said just because he had a down year.
 
There's just no way I can see this as anything but awful news. He had a down year? So did everyone. I want him back for his senior year.
 
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caw said:
I have zero problem with Alex leaving IF the NCAA ban is in effect, the kid should have a chance to play in the NCAAT again before he graduates. It does seem a bit odd that he would transfer even if he had to sit out a year.

I like AO and wish him the best. I hope he gets good enough to make the NBA and have a long career. He may not have been Adrien here at UConn but just because he didn't fit, doesn't mean he's a bad kid.

I don't want to be rude but are his parents divorced? Nothing wrong with it, but it seems like his mom has been either out of the loop or his dad is out of the loop. Why would you tell this to a journalist before letting your wife know? Or why would you let your dad tell the press without telling your mother? Just very perplexing.
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Why would you let your dad open his mouth, before letting Uconn know....

I have no problem being rude, especially when somebody continually shoots off from the mouth publicly.....they are fair game. He needs to stfu, and stop trying to be a damn glory hound. His son is the talent. Not him.
 
jorge34 said:
Why would you let your dad open his mouth, before letting Uconn know....

I have no problem being rude, especially when somebody continually shoots off from the mouth publicly.....they are fair game. He needs to stfu, and stop trying to be a damn glory hound. His son is the talent. Not him.
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I have to wonder if he contacted the press or the press contacted him.

It's just odd all around.

His dad seems seriously pissed about something. Which is weird after seeing Kemba's mom still coming to games this year.
 
Just reading AO's father's Twitter feed. Some pretty bizarre posts and with a few open shots at Calhoun and others that could be seen as thinly veiled ones. Also looks like he preferred to give his buddy Kevin Duffy a good scoop rather than do this whole thing the responsible way.
 
AO will not announce if he transferring until we find out whats going on with us next postseason. If he transfer and we are eligible, he has to sit a year. If we are ineligible, he can play right away.
 
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I liked AO, and felt there was a double standard with Drummond and Oriakhi at times. Drummond was a mess defensively all year, and AO was just a very good position defender and fundamental rebounder (this means blocking out and not just hoping the ball comes to you). Yet AO was subjected to Calhoun's wrath a lot more than Drummond. I am sure there is a lot we didn't know, but it sure looked like star treatment for a 1 and done. I like Drummond, but I can see how AO might be a little steamed at that.

I can get his reluctance to play an exhibition season next year, and am 100% positive that some scumbag coaches have been telling AO and his dad that UConn has no chance of winning the appeal.
 
If his dad is going to act like this, it might be better off for Calhoun and the coaching staff if he transfers anyway.
 
If Alex leaves, that's bad news for next year if Drummond doesn't come back, but probably good (or at worst neutral) news if he does.

Either way, it doesn't affect a damn thing for 2014 or beyond.

We'll always appreciate Oriakhi's contributions last year, but the fact remains that he was never the tough, post stalwart that we've relied on over the last 15 years. The lack of a stout big-man is one of the factors that's led to our being a middle-of-the-pack Big East team during his career here.

If Alex does leave, that will close the book on an absolute abortion of a recruiting class. May our coaching staff never duck things up that badly again.
 
zls44 said:
You know, I held off on all the discussion because I'm not surprised he's doing it. But to have his dad go to the media- to not have either the decency to let the school announce it, or have the guts to go to the media yourself, tells us everything we need to know.

The Oriakhis think they know more about basketball than Jim Cahoun. Good luck with that.
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I totally agree. I won't lose even a millisecond of sleep over this one. It gets harder and harder to even remain a sports fan because literally every sport is overloaded with over-paid,egocentric, and, in many cases, underskilled prima donnas. As fans of the UConn program we have a virtual litany of classy, team first young men going back way before Jim Calhoun; and, it has only gotten better since his arrival. We simply don't need the Alex Oriakhis of this world and we never have. I can appreciate the positive sentiment toward this young man; BUT, he(and his father) have run off the rails with this decision. And, in view of the comments from Gavin Keefe at The Day I'm willing to "wait and see". However, UConn is bigger(and always will be) than any one player. Great school(both my kids are grads and doing quite well thank you very much!!), great basketball program, tremendous,Hall of Fame coach and I, as do all of you, have more great memories than I could ever count.

Whatever happens with the NCAA, with JC at the helm, we will survive and thrive. We are very,very fortunate to have a head coach and coaching staff as talented,committed,hard-working and devoted as they are. And, it would seem to me, that the selection of Susan Herbst as president of the university is just the icing on the cake. Let's get that basketball practice facility built, continue to scour the land for players who will bleed Husky blue and look forward to next season no matter what shape it takes. For anybody(fans,players,media) who thinks UConn is in some kind of death spiral, get a grip! We will still be there ready to kick Puke's whenever the opportunity presents itself. :)

GO HUSKIES!!!
 
Best of luck to Alex, he seems like a good kid.

A few thoughts though.
  • I think the real issue here is playing time, not the missing the tournament. Alex and his dad want Alex in the NBA, Alex lost a lot of minutes this year, and Alex's numbers thus aren't good enough to get serious NBA attention. I don't blame Alex and his dad for looking out for their own financial interests. I would do the same thing.
  • I don't like how Alex and his father have complained on twitter or the media this year. If you don't like things, fine, make a change. I don't see how complaining in public helps at all. Alex seems a little immature, though again, not a bad kid.
  • For what it's worth, I think Alex deserved to lose minutes this year. He's got a great basketball body, and simply regressed this year. His points per 40 minutes were down, his fg % was down, his ft % was down, and most importantly, his rebounds per 40 minutes were down. He simply got worse this year.
  • Alex is not particularly skilled, but he has the body to dominate down low in college. Some guys just can't get the polish other players have. My complaint with Alex is about effort. He's not a lazy player, but imagine if he had Jeff Adrien's motor! Unless Alex suddenly has a fire lit under his ass, he's looking like a second round pick at best. There's no reason, beside heart, that Alex shouldn't average 10 rebounds a game.
For me the bottom line is that Alex has potential, but the way he played this year, he's not much of a loss. If UConn can land Obekpa, he might actually be an upgrade over the way Alex played this year.
 
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butterfinger-bar.jpg
 
needless to say, im fine with this. looking forward to less dropped passes, and complaining.

best of luck
 
All he did on twitter was say that it was "bs" that he was benched for one game and call his coach a word that none of us seem to know the exact definition of in English.

He didn't complain at all after that.
 
jfuchs91 said:
I wish him the best of luck and thank him for his part in the 2011 NCAA title. He will always be remembered as an important part of the UConn program.
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I disagree. Players who transfer out or quit the team forfeit their claim to the Husky legacy. I always liked Toraino Walker too but like they say in mafia movies, "He's dead to me now."
 
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