Amore: Crumbling Connecticut Foundation? Kevin Ollie Under Scrutiny With UConn Men | The Boneyard

Amore: Crumbling Connecticut Foundation? Kevin Ollie Under Scrutiny With UConn Men

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UChusky916

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Links not working but I found it from Courant's twitter feed:


This is certainly interesting:

"As described by several sources close to the program, who spoke to the Courant on condition of anonymity, Ollie, always businesslike and close-to-the-vest, had become resistant to "letting people in," less communicative, more determined to distance himself from the Calhoun era."


I seriously wonder if his divorce has really affected him on a deeper level.
 

Penfield

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This is probably the deepest look into the state of the UConn program since the season ended. Isn't a very rosy picture, but not completely doom & gloom either.

I think it's safe to consider next year a season on the brink.

Sounds like Ollie might be in a dark place. Hope he finds the light.
 

Banta55

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Links not working but I found it from Courant's twitter feed:


This is certainly interesting:

"As described by several sources close to the program, who spoke to the Courant on condition of anonymity, Ollie, always businesslike and close-to-the-vest, had become resistant to "letting people in," less communicative, more determined to distance himself from the Calhoun era."


I seriously wonder if his divorce has really affected him on a deeper level.

That is absolutely a product of the divorce, at least that's how ive become..
 
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A very fair assessment of the program there, well written with ample quotes from all sides. It's fair to say there's things that needed serious addressing, and as Calhoun himself said, KO has done that, and that leads to turmoil in the interim. It remains to be seen whether KO can steady the ship, fill the gaps where they exist, and move it onto the right track.
 
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In fact, Enoch had been considering leaving since November, during the tournament in Hawaii, but had been talked into staying for the second semester.

Had to be talked out of quitting on your teammates in the middle of the season? That tells me all I need to know about Enoch. Good riddance.
 

BaZZnBOAT

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In fact, Enoch had been considering leaving since November, during the tournament in Hawaii, but had been talked into staying for the second semester.

Had to be talked out of quitting on your teammates in the middle of the season? That tells me all I need to know about Enoch. Good riddance.

Seriously. That shocked me. Which makes me ask that if this was the case, why? What exactly was going so wrong?
 
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Would love to know more about UConn "not being the right fit" for Durham, and how it's "hard to describe." None of the guys leaving seemed to have the mental makeup necessary to succeed at UConn, and that shows more and more with every piece that comes out about the situation. They'll get some hard-nosed dudes who want to compete. And hopefully we don't lose 2 of our 3 best players for the season again for a long time.
 

CL82

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I feel like AD Dave is doing his job, setting guidelines and holding people accountable without micromanaging.

I agree that Ollie's divorce seemed to have impacted him.

I feel like KO is a guy who can succeed with his back to a wall. I'm not saying that that is the case here, but the notion that he didn't meet expectations and needs to is the kind of challenge that KO is built for.
 

BaZZnBOAT

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Would love to know more about UConn "not being the right fit" for Durham, and how it's "hard to describe." None of the guys leaving seemed to have the mental makeup necessary to succeed at UConn, and that shows more and more with every piece that comes out about the situation. They'll get some hard-nosed dudes who want to compete. And hopefully we don't lose 2 of our 3 best players for the season again for a long time.

I mean, personally from what we have heard from those players I can't fault Ollie, other than the fact that he brought them there, you know? The mindsets of these players did not fit the expectation of the program. It's best that they go separate ways.
 
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The part I found most fascinating is that Benedict has taken it upon himself to interview every single player to understand what's going on. He's obviously not content to sit back and let KO try to fix things on his own, and is alarmed by the current state of the program.

This suggests KO may be on a hotter seat than some realize.

It's also interesting, but not surprising, that people in the athletic department were unsatisfied with the physical development of our frontcourt. Maybe @Chief00 was onto something after all?
 
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The part I found most fascinating is that Benedict has taken it upon himself to interview every single player to understand what's going on. He's obviously not content to sit back and let KO try to fix things on his own, and is alarmed by the current state of the program.

This suggests KO may be on a hotter seat than some realize.

It's also interesting, but not surprising, that people in the athletic department were unsatisfied with the physical development of our frontcourt. Maybe @Chief00 was onto something after all?

I don't think exit interviews and discussions with players have anything to do with how hot Ollie's seat is. All it means is that Benedict is a good leader and manager. We should take that as a good sign for UConn athletics as a whole
 
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In fact, Enoch had been considering leaving since November, during the tournament in Hawaii, but had been talked into staying for the second semester.

Had to be talked out of quitting on your teammates in the middle of the season? That tells me all I need to know about Enoch. Good riddance.
I think it's hilarious that Enoch was clamoring then considering he was working on a 30% FG% and like 6 TO per 40, all while being an absolute matador on defense. Hard to not shoulder a lot of the blame on yourself at that point, but apparently Enoch managed to convince himself otherwise.
 
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CL82

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The part I found most fascinating is that Benedict has taken it upon himself to interview every single player to understand what's going on. He's obviously not content to sit back and let KO try to fix things on his own, and is alarmed by the current state of the program.

This suggests KO may be on a hotter seat than some realize.

It's also interesting, but not surprising, that people in the athletic department were unsatisfied with the physical development of our frontcourt. Maybe @Chief00 was onto something after all?
Not sure that that means he's on the hot seat. AD Dave feels competent. Holding people accountable is a big part of his job. A sub standard season is reason to take a long look at a program. An usual string of serious injuries is another. Departures of students, yet another. Those are all things that is reasonable to take a look at. That doesn't mean that a head coach change is needed.
 

BUConn10

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Everything is perfectly fine with UConn men's basketball. Dom Amore is pathetic for writing this article and should find a new school to cover.
Seriously, how has this guy been hiding as a covert UConn fan for so long, and a beat writer no less!
 
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The part I found most fascinating is that Benedict has taken it upon himself to interview every single player to understand what's going on. He's obviously not content to sit back and let KO try to fix things on his own, and is alarmed by the current state of the program.

This suggests KO may be on a hotter seat than some realize.

It's also interesting, but not surprising, that people in the athletic department were unsatisfied with the physical development of our frontcourt. Maybe @Chief00 was onto something after all?
Lies, Ollie will be UConn's coach for life no matter how he performs. Benedict knows Uconn can never do any better than KO.
 
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Insightful piece. I was surprised to hear Calhoun's commentary, I didn't think he would be so candid.

Does anyone know what role he still has within the program? It said he still has an office in the Werth Center. I'm curious to know more about his current relationship with KO .
 
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I don't think exit interviews and discussions with players have anything to do with how hot Ollie's seat is. All it means is that Benedict is a good leader and manager. We should take that as a good sign for UConn athletics as a whole

Agreed strongly on Benedict. He's a winner.

But I think this dispels the notion that Benedict is content to sit back and let KO handle things himself. It gives the impression that Benedict would have few qualms about making a change at the top.
 
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It's also interesting, but not surprising, that people in the athletic department were unsatisfied with the physical development of our frontcourt. Maybe @Chief00 was onto something after all?
Not gonna lie, I was surprised to the flexibility argument pop up in the article:

There was disenchantment throughout the athletic department in the way the Huskies' front-court players were developing, slow in putting on weight, more flexibility than strength.
 
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Stainmaster

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It gives the impression that Benedict would have few qualms about making a change at the top.

Well of course that's what you read from it, because it confirms what your own personal preference is.
 
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