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

[aceboon]

Folks on here have been begging for staff changes and that we needed non "UConn Family" guys on the staff, that's happened and now the capes come out for Miller?

 

[Chief00]

It's probably more that people believe MAL opted out because Coach Family axed the guy who was his main recruiter, and instead of creating a spot for Waters to then come in it's left us even more in the hole. Having said that, if the staff pulls a five star rabbit out of its ass this weekend this thread may as well be locked.

With MAL it's was more about a disgruntled employee and a tapering coach.

 

[8893]

The good news for all of us is that recognition of problems is the first stop to solving them. It sounds like the people who needed to recognize the problems have done so. They will now be given a chance to solve them. And by "they," I primarily mean KO.

I'm not as mystified by the Miller comments as many here seem to be. It sounds like KO would have preferred to keep him on, but he knows he is under the gun to turn things around and, rightly or wrongly, he has determined that he needs more help on the recruiting front, even if it is at the expense of Miller's Xs and Os, solely because Miller's salary was the only one that was big enough to make enough room to pay Chillious if it was eliminated.

Calhoun's support of Miller is the least-shocking thing in the article, and his comments about KO aren't far behind. He's always been loyal to a fault to his people, especially when they are in need. KO has a job--for now--and Miller does not. Calhoun wants Miller to have another good job. Calhoun also treasures the legacy he built here more than anything other than his own family, and I'm sure he feels responsible for and invested in the decision to have KO succeed him. And, he loves KO and wants him to succeed. But he also knows that KO needs to be pushed and has responded to challenges time and again throughout his life. Calhoun was never easy on KO as a player and I don't expect him to be now. He's a big boy, and he and everyone else is on notice now that it is on him to start solving these problems.

Not gonna lie: It's a tall task, and it ain't getting any easier. Nonetheless, I still believe in KO and look forward to seeing how he responds.

 

[Walker11]

Come on, how am I making this stuff up? This is not a strawman, the poster I responded to did indeed cite all three of those names. Is this link not working for other people? Durham transferring

It's not my fault that some of Ollie's critics' positions are so absurd you think I'm making them up on the spot.

OK, I didn't realize someone actually suggested those coaches replacing KO. That is my fault. I still think you are overly eager to defend KO and the program when your view is the minority view. The board could probably use views from both sides, though.

 

[Chief00]

Yeah, long live the guy who gives 100% of the credit for every recruit we landed in the 2016 cycle to Sam Cassell's buddy from Baltimore. Long live the guy who thinks that KO's biggest sin isn't lack of player development, inconsistent recruiting, or shoddy gameplanning, but not calling Jim Calhoun on the phone as often as he should.

Bunkey was fun and that is better than reviewing the thick class catalog on a visit - and when guys enjoy themselves they are less likely to transfer. The evidence is in and you lose.

 

[Stainmaster]

I still maintain that those are good coaches, certainly trending in a better position than Ollie at the moment. I like Ollie and would like to see him have another 2 years to pull this around, but to think that there are no other coaches that are either capable of doing a better job at this moment or wouldn't come here is ridiculous in my opinion.

I'm sure that you would've laughed off Mike White 2 years ago and now he's coming off of an elite 8 appearance and a top 5 KenPom season.

King Rice has schools like Canisius and Niagara on his conference schedule and he hasn't managed to make the tournament once in six years. Dooley and Forbes are coaching in a conference that is a literal stepping stone for schools transitioning from DII to DI - see Northern Kentucky. Trending in a better position than Ollie my rear end. These guys haven't come close to achieving anything a school of UConn's status should be looking for in a prospective head basketball coach.

One of the most common critiques of Ollie (and one I actually sympathize with more than one would think) is his lack of experience upon being hired. If that's part of the reason we're in the mess we're in right now, wouldn't reaching down and plucking someone with even less familiarity with how a high-major program should be run make things worse?

Mike White was a great hire, but there was no empirical evidence to suggest that he would be able to take the leap that he did. For every guy like him, there's a Darrin Horn (who made the same conference leap as White and blew it at a school where his replacement took them to their first Final Four). I also don't think White is that comparable to those guys; in my opinion at least, CUSA is miles ahead of both the MAAC and the ASUN. The one year LA Tech overlapped with schools currently in our conference (2013-14), he beat two out of the three (Tulsa and Tulane). None of the mid/low-major guys you mentioned have a similar pedigree excluding a couple of non-conference upsets.

 

[Stainmaster]

Bunkey was fun and that is better than reviewing the thick class catalog on a visit - and when guys enjoy themselves they are less likely to transfer. The evidence is in and you lose.

You proclaiming "Bunkey was fun" isn't evidence. Sorry.

 

[Chief00]

When you combine that with Calhoun's comments, it sounds like Calhoun is having doubts and, possibly, expressing those to KO in private. To me, it sounded like Calhoun was more positive on Miller than Ollie. But, maybe he was just trying to sell his old assistant to anyone that might be listening.

I doubt he is expressing anything in private - since there appears to be very little if any communication.

 

[Stainmaster]

It's probably more that people believe MAL opted out because Coach Family axed the guy who was his main recruiter, and instead of creating a spot for Waters to then come in it's left us even more in the hole. Having said that, if the staff pulls a five star rabbit out of its ass this weekend this thread may as well be locked.

If Miller were that big of a deal in MAL's recruitment, don't you think there would be a long line of teams looking to make room for him on their staffs? The only scuttlebutt about Miller's professional future are a few tweets about how he's potentially interested in a D3 head coaching job. The fact that MAL signed very quickly with PC and Ollie made some very pointed comments about other coaches recruiting players who were already locked up tells me all I need to know.

 

[superjohn]

Folks on here have been begging for staff changes and that we needed non "UConn Family" guys on the staff, that's happened and now the capes come out for Miller?

Where is all the capes coming out for Glen Miller stuff you and Stainmaster are alluding to? I know Chief loves Miller but I have never gotten the impression most of the board or even more than 10% of the board is going crazy about Miller being gone and Chillious coming in.

 

[Stainmaster]

OK, I didn't realize someone actually suggested those coaches replacing KO. That is my fault. I still think you are overly eager to defend KO and the program when your view is the minority view. The board could probably use views from both sides, though.

I think plenty of people who criticize KO are not only overeager, but irrational and reactive in their doing so. I'm trying to add a little balance to the overwhelming tide.

 

[Stainmaster]

Where is all the capes coming out for Glen Miller stuff you and Stainmaster are alluding to? I know Chief loves Miller but I have never gotten the impression most of the board or even more than 10% of the board is going crazy about Miller being gone and Chillious coming in.

After reading Calhoun's quote on Glen Miller, I'm convinced Ollie is losing his mind. We're in deep , how can anyone deny it after reading that article?

Read Miller's quote. He thanks Calhoun and was "shocked" Ollie let him go.

"...I can't let what didn't work out, steal my sense of value." There's more to this than what Ollie told Jacobs.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Good read, when it wasn't crashing my computer. That website's a mess.

Shut mine down too.

 

[aceboon]

JC thinks Miller is great at x and o's, but KO didn't want to run that type of stuff. You've seen our attempt at an NBA offense. We don't even have an inbounds play anymore. So goodbye to institutional knowledge and hello to guys known for recruiting. Again, anyone who thinks there was a master plan letting 4 guys walk because Chillious was coming in along with a bunch of talent were reading it wrong. My guess is 2 more years of seeing this through.

The last two years of Calhoun's tenure when Miller was on the staff I didn't see any intricate offensive sets being run, it was high ball screen stuff, pick and roll, and then screening action for Lamb, Kemba(when offf the ball) and the same for the other guards(Boat/Bazz) when they weren't the primary ballhandler. JC is gonna pump up Miller cuz that's his guy and he wants to see him get another job but he wasn't running some high-end motion offense while Miller was here.

 

[HuskyHawk]

JC thinks Miller is great at x and o's, but KO didn't want to run that type of stuff. You've seen our attempt at an NBA offense. We don't even have an inbounds play anymore. So goodbye to institutional knowledge and hello to guys known for recruiting. Again, anyone who thinks there was a master plan letting 4 guys walk because Chillious was coming in along with a bunch of talent were reading it wrong. My guess is 2 more years of seeing this through.

This is the one big negative I take away from the article. Kevin's NBA offense isn't even a modern NBA offense, it's the NBA offense of a decade ago that has been abandoned by most everyone in the NBA in favor of offenses....that look a lot like Glen Miller's offense. If Kevin is doubling down on that offense, then UConn better have the best defense in the history of college basketball.

On the other hand, I am encouraged by the shift in emphasis on player type and fit with the program and culture. That seems to be an overdue change.

 

[aceboon]

Where is all the capes coming out for Glen Miller stuff you and Stainmaster are alluding to? I know Chief loves Miller but I have never gotten the impression most of the board or even more than 10% of the board is going crazy about Miller being gone and Chillious coming in.

Try reading the thread and turning the passive, aggresive schtick off and you might see the freshly ironed capes.

 

[tjc1888]

I think plenty of people who criticize KO are not only overeager, but irrational and reactive in their doing so. I'm trying to add a little balance to the overwhelming tide.

There are a ton of posters on this board that speak out of both sides of their mouths to drive the bus over KO and then back it up and drive over him again.

 

[joober jones]

I hope when next year's APR report comes out we'll find that Enoch was more dedicated to his studies than he was to the team.

 

[johnhuskies95]

King Rice has schools like Canisius and Niagara on his conference schedule and he hasn't managed to make the tournament once in six years. Dooley and Forbes are coaching in a conference that is a literal stepping stone for schools transitioning from DII to DI - see Northern Kentucky. Trending in a better position than Ollie my rear end. These guys haven't come close to achieving anything a school of UConn's status should be looking for in a prospective head basketball coach.

One of the most common critiques of Ollie (and one I actually sympathize with more than one would think) is his lack of experience upon being hired. If that's part of the reason we're in the mess we're in right now, wouldn't reaching down and plucking someone with even less familiarity with how a high-major program should be run make things worse?

Mike White was a great hire, but there was no empirical evidence to suggest that he would be able to take the leap that he did. For every guy like him, there's a Darrin Horn (who made the same conference leap as White and blew it at a school where his replacement took them to their first Final Four). I also don't think White is that comparable to those guys; in my opinion at least, CUSA is miles ahead of both the MAAC and the ASUN. The one year LA Tech overlapped with schools currently in our conference (2013-14), he beat two out of the three (Tulsa and Tulane). None of the mid/low-major guys you mentioned have a similar pedigree excluding a couple of non-conference upsets.

Its really hard though to make the tourney in 1 bid leagues. You can have a great regular season and not make it cause you slip up once in the conference tournament. I'd argue it's harder to be successful in jobs like those than at a run of the mill mid major school where you might luck into a great recruit or 2 and have success that way. Monmouth's gone 35-5 in their league the last 2 years. That's difficult in any league. Maybe Rice isn't the right guy, but to completely write off people of his profile if Ollie continues to have disappointing seasons would be a mistake in my opinion.

Any hire UConn makes is going to have a certain degree of uncertainty to it. We're not getting Tom Izzo. I just think to have a belief that we're resigned to the performances we've had over the last few years is wrong.

 

[Chief00]

If Miller were that big of a deal in MAL's recruitment, don't you think there would be a long line of teams looking to make room for him on their staffs? The only scuttlebutt about Miller's professional future are a few tweets about how he's potentially interested in a D3 head coaching job. The fact that MAL signed very quickly with PC and Ollie made some very pointed comments about other coaches recruiting players who were already locked up tells me all I need to know.

I think this is your first post I agree with; congratulations!

 

[8893]

I think this is your first post I agree with; congratulations!

Throw him a like then bro.

 

[superjohn]

Try reading the thread and turning the passive, aggresive schtick off and you might see the freshly ironed capes.

So three posters have their panties in a bunch over Miller being gone. In Stainmaster and your world that's most of the board and the capes coming out.

 

[the Q]

This is the one big negative I take away from the article. Kevin's NBA offense isn't even a modern NBA offense, it's the NBA offense of a decade ago that has been abandoned by most everyone in the NBA in favor of offenses....that look a lot like Glen Miller's offense. If Kevin is doubling down on that offense, then UConn better have the best defense in the history of college basketball.

On the other hand, I am encouraged by the shift in emphasis on player type and fit with the program and culture. That seems to be an overdue change.

They also look more like geno's.

 

[the Q]

JC thinks Miller is great at x and o's, but KO didn't want to run that type of stuff. You've seen our attempt at an NBA offense. We don't even have an inbounds play anymore. So goodbye to institutional knowledge and hello to guys known for recruiting. Again, anyone who thinks there was a master plan letting 4 guys walk because Chillious was coming in along with a bunch of talent were reading it wrong. My guess is 2 more years of seeing this through.

I can't remember the last time we had a real inbounds play. But we didn't have one during the 2011 or 2014 runs either. That was one of the more frustrating parts of those teams.

 

[RipCity]

This thread is hysteria. I can't believe we still have 7 months to go before these kids even get the opportunity to make people shut #%^ up.