As bad as Uconn has been

[maineuconnfan]

This is not to say that UConn is great, but they have not lost to a team with an RPI rating worse than 28. Which means at the very least, they have not lost to a team yet this year, that they were expected to beat. At the beginning of the season, with Gilbert, I anticipated them being somewhere around 40 - 50 in the RPI ratings, borderline bubble team. They sure do need to beat a team in that class to be considered for the tournament(yes I am still and always hopefull) but those 6 loses were all against excellent to very good squads. They have lots of new moving parts....maybe they put it together at the end of the year and steal a couple of big ones and a least look a team on the rise...even if(I know this does not sound good) it means they would be only NIT bound. now go ahead and bash away at my analysis.

 

[Huskybass]

It's not just the 7-6 record. Its having to go to overtime against Columbia and Monmouth. Its being last in the nation in assists. Its having an average margin of defeat of 19 points in its 6 losses. Its a starting lineup in game 13 in which 3 of the 5 starters didnt score a single point! It's the fact that there is no real offense, only hero ball. It's the fact that there are only 4 guards on the roster; one of whom is out for the season.

So many things are out of whack with this team, which is a shame because there is plenty of talent if they were properly coached and developed.

 

[jibsey]

My original thought was by the time Dec 31 hit we would have had a reasonable sampling. We are 7-7 because I count The Providence thrashing. Above 300 rank in 3 point shooting and asssists. We will likely see some improvement in some players as we move on but there’s no evidence to think we sre even an NIT team. If I had to wager my own cash it would be us toward or near the conference bottom. As far as no really bad rpi losses, I think they’re coming.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

So many things are out of whack with this team, which is a shame because there is plenty of talent if they were properly coached and developed.

I'm firmly off the Ollie bandwagon but is this actually true? This is not a particularly talented bunch. Adams's lack of development is a travesty but beyond that this just strikes me as a not particularly talented team. There are a couple guys who would get spot minutes on a vintage UConn team - Adams, Larrier, and maybe Vital - but that's about it. If UConn has an Ivy transfer in its starting lineup historically you would have thought that it was because the kid was way too good for his prior league, but it's not like Onuorah was even a star at Cornell.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I'm firmly off the Ollie bandwagon but is this actually true? This is not a particularly talented bunch. Adams's lack of development is a travesty but beyond that this just strikes me as a not particularly talented team. There are a couple guys who would get spot minutes on a vintage UConn team - Adams, Larrier, and maybe Vital - but that's about it. If UConn has an Ivy transfer in its starting lineup historically you would have thought that it was because the kid was way too good for his prior league, but it's not like Onuorah was even a star at Cornell.

Perhaps, but if you consider the guys that transferred or decommitted because they wanted no part of KO, there was a good amount of talent in the fold as of March 2017.

We're 3 years removed from 2015 and the effect of sanctions. The lack of talent isn't something he inherited.

 

[Huskybass]

I'm firmly off the Ollie bandwagon but is this actually true? This is not a particularly talented bunch. Adams's lack of development is a travesty but beyond that this just strikes me as a not particularly talented team. There are a couple guys who would get spot minutes on a vintage UConn team - Adams, Larrier, and maybe Vital - but that's about it. If UConn has an Ivy transfer in its starting lineup historically you would have thought that it was because the kid was way too good for his prior league, but it's not like Onuorah was even a star at Cornell.

The only reason an Ivy league transfer was in the starting lineup is because after a dozen games Ollie still hasn't figured out a starting lineup. No other coach would start DO at all. Ever.

I believe that Adams, Larrier, Vital, Catlton, Polley, Diarra, Whaley and Cobb are all talented and have upside. Even Anderson is a decent player if the roster was properly constructed and he could be used as a 4th or 5th guard. The talent on the roster is decent. It's the use and development of that talent that is the bigger issue by far.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Perhaps, but if you consider the guys that transferred or decommitted because they wanted no part of KO, there was a good amount of talent in the fold as of March 2017.

We're 3 years removed from 2015 and the effect of sanctions. The lack of talent isn't something he inherited.

This all might be fair and accurate but it doesn't address the issue to which I was responding. We can stipulate that the lack of talent and the off-season exodus are both Ollie's responsibility.

 

[champs99and04]

I'm firmly off the Ollie bandwagon but is this actually true? This is not a particularly talented bunch. Adams's lack of development is a travesty but beyond that this just strikes me as a not particularly talented team. There are a couple guys who would get spot minutes on a vintage UConn team - Adams, Larrier, and maybe Vital - but that's about it. If UConn has an Ivy transfer in its starting lineup historically you would have thought that it was because the kid was way too good for his prior league, but it's not like Onuorah was even a star at Cornell.

The most jolting thing to me is how talented last years team now feels by comparison. And Ollie was defended far more on here last year than he has been this year.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I believe that Adams, Larrier, Vital, Catlton, Polley, Diarra, Whaley and Cobb are all talented and have upside. Even Anderson is a decent player if the roster was properly constructed and he could be used as a 4th or 5th guard. The talent on the roster is decent. It's the use and development of that talent that is the bigger issue by far.

Yeah at this point we're basically just disagreeing on the talent. I blame Ollie for the roster as it currently stands but it feels like a bridge too far to say that Whaley, Polley and Carlton - who are a couple years away from being a couple years away - would be crushing it with another coach or would have been more adequately "developed" at this point in their freshman season.

 

[superjohn]

I'm firmly off the Ollie bandwagon but is this actually true? This is not a particularly talented bunch. Adams's lack of development is a travesty but beyond that this just strikes me as a not particularly talented team. There are a couple guys who would get spot minutes on a vintage UConn team - Adams, Larrier, and maybe Vital - but that's about it. If UConn has an Ivy transfer in its starting lineup historically you would have thought that it was because the kid was way too good for his prior league, but it's not like Onuorah was even a star at Cornell.

Ollie starting Onuorah is just another indictment on his coaching.

 

[Huskybass]

Yeah at this point we're basically just disagreeing on the talent. I blame Ollie for the roster as it currently stands but it feels like a bridge too far to say that Whaley, Polley and Carlton - who are a couple years away from being a couple years away - would be crushing it with another coach or would have been more adequately "developed" at this point in their freshman season.

I didn't mean to imply that those guys should be impact players right away but I do believe that they all have talent and will eventually be able to contribute. What I meant to say was that there's plenty of talent on the roster to not have to go to overtime against the likes of Monmouth and Columbia.

 

[Huskygamble19]

why he starts Onourah is beyond me. He is a statue except he comes alive when there is a foul to be given. It s also very disturbing that 3 players transferred this year that could have made a difference in the makeup of the team. a little experience in his system might have put his team in the middle of the pack, but all we see is passing around the perimeter until a guard decides to drive into the defense and either turns it over or is called for a charge. I watched the girls yesterday and they share the ball with unbelievable speed leading to a wide open shot. Ollie doesn't seem have any set plays he uses for specific teams.

 

[upstater]

Perhaps, but if you consider the guys that transferred or decommitted because they wanted no part of KO, there was a good amount of talent in the fold as of March 2017.

We're 3 years removed from 2015 and the effect of sanctions. The lack of talent isn't something he inherited.

Alterique is not on the floor and he was a McD kid, but as for the transfers, you had one kid coming off an ACL who came here by default (i.e. we were one of the clubs that stuck by him), another local kid who was roundly criticized on this board by people who had watched him play in HS (in other words, his high ranking was overblown), and then the 3rd transfer, Vance, dropped like a stone in the rankings his senior year as clubs stayed away.

These were not the prototypical kids UConn used to recruit, even if they were ranked in similar spots.

UConn wanted Jeremy Lamb badly, and they scouted him well. He committed early. He didn't come to UConn for lack of anyone else wanting him. Same with Napier. These were kids UConn was high on.

Enoch and Vance were more Scott Hazelton than anything else.

I guess it remains to be seen, but I don't think 3 talented kids transferred out of the program.

The biggest problem is the lack of development of Jalen, but also the lack of a point guard.

 

[UofCT]

Scott Hazelton or Scottie Harralson?

 

[Stainmaster]

Alterique is not on the floor and he was a McD kid, but as for the transfers, you had one kid coming off an ACL who came here by default (i.e. we were one of the clubs that stuck by him), another local kid who was roundly criticized on this board by people who had watched him play in HS (in other words, his high ranking was overblown), and then the 3rd transfer, Vance, dropped like a stone in the rankings his senior year as clubs stayed away.

These were not the prototypical kids UConn used to recruit, even if they were ranked in similar spots.

UConn wanted Jeremy Lamb badly, and they scouted him well. He committed early. He didn't come to UConn for lack of anyone else wanting him. Same with Napier. These were kids UConn was high on.

Enoch and Vance were more Scott Hazelton than anything else.

I guess it remains to be seen, but I don't think 3 talented kids transferred out of the program.

The biggest problem is the lack of development of Jalen, but also the lack of a point guard.

Why is it that is has to be seen as a zero-sum game when it comes to these transfers? Perhaps it wasn't solely how KO treated them or their own individual attitudes/commitments to working on their games, but a combination of both?

FWIW, I have been on record describing Vance's difficulty in grasping defensive schemes throughout the entirety of last year, to the point where CV had to be directing him on where to go towards the second half of the year. Listen, I get it if you're so mad at the coach you don't want to do anything, but you at least owe it to yourself to look good on tape for coaches at your potential future school. One of our players clearly did not do that. I wouldn't be surprised if that played a role in why he landed at UNM while the other two transfers are now at ACC programs with far more cred.

 

[upstater]

Why is it that is has to be seen as a zero-sum game when it comes to these transfers? Perhaps it wasn't solely how KO treated them or their own individual attitudes/commitments to working on their games, but a combination of both?

FWIW, I have been on record describing Vance's difficulty in grasping defensive schemes throughout the entirety of last year, to the point where CV had to be directing him on where to go towards the second half of the year. Listen, I get it if you're so mad at the coach you don't want to do anything, but you at least owe it to yourself to look good on tape for coaches at your potential future school. One of our players clearly did not do that. I wouldn't be surprised if that played a role in why he landed at UNM while the other two transfers are now at ACC programs with far more cred.

I wasn't commenting on Ollie's ability to coach them. I was simply referring to their recruitment. The top 100 players UConn landed were not exactly the most sought after recruits.

 

[Athlete94]

This is not to say that UConn is great, but they have not lost to a team with an RPI rating worse than 28. Which means at the very least, they have not lost to a team yet this year, that they were expected to beat. At the beginning of the season, with Gilbert, I anticipated them being somewhere around 40 - 50 in the RPI ratings, borderline bubble team. They sure do need to beat a team in that class to be considered for the tournament(yes I am still and always hopefull) but those 6 loses were all against excellent to very good squads. They have lots of new moving parts....maybe they put it together at the end of the year and steal a couple of big ones and a least look a team on the rise...even if(I know this does not sound good) it means they would be only NIT bound. now go ahead and bash away at my analysis.

Here we go with the moral victory speech again, stop already..

 

[HuskyHawk]

Yeah at this point we're basically just disagreeing on the talent. I blame Ollie for the roster as it currently stands but it feels like a bridge too far to say that Whaley, Polley and Carlton - who are a couple years away from being a couple years away - would be crushing it with another coach or would have been more adequately "developed" at this point in their freshman season.

Here's the problem with the "no talent" argument in my opinion. When they played tough defense, and put forth an effort, they were competitive for a half with MSU, which is easily a top 5 team, played Arizona tough on the road and were tied/leading late against a strong WSU team. That shows me that if properly motivated, and given a more appropriate offensive approach, this is easily a 20+ win team. Certainly we've seen that when they put forth zero effort and come into a game acting like its a scrimmage, they get blown out by good teams (Auburn, Arkansas) and struggle against bad ones. But none of those four horrible games were due to any lack of talent, they were due to lack of effort, will, toughness and intensity.

 

[Pudge]

Do not throw Polley, Whaley and Carlton in any dumpster.

They have been, as expected, following a normal development arc. I see enough in each to be enthused to continue significant investment in energy and teaching.

All 3 look teachable. I didn’t feel like Durham or Enoch played like they wanted to be tough team contributors; they just never looked ready for key minutes.

In normal talent development, this years three may show more over the next 7 Weeks. They simply didn’t arrive with the makeup to Play day one - like Michigan States Jackson or Arkansas Gabbard or Arizona’s Ayton.

 

[Waquoit]

Alterique is not on the floor and he was a McD kid,

Seeing stuff like this still lead off pro-Ollie posts makes me think that Gilbert not playing does more for Ollie than his playing would.

 

[PAHusky]

Seeing stuff like this still lead off pro-Ollie posts makes me think that Gilbert not playing does more for Ollie than his playing would.

I agree. It's another 'what if' that KO can use as an excuse when in actuality it's a huge indictment of his coaching.

Let me start by saying that I like Gilbert, and I think that if he could get healthy at some point in the future he'd be a great piece for us. Adding a burger boy to your lineup is a no brainer improvement. However, he would not have solved this team's shooting woes - he's an ok not great shooter himself, and his ability to break his man down is useless if he's met by three guys at the rim every time because we have no outside threats. He alone wasn't making this team watchable.

KO knew before the season that he had an injury history. If he had followed through and landed MAL, maybe it's a moot point. He didn't. Our roster, for the third time in as many years, has huge holes in it. It's on KO to put the team together. Constantly relying on grad transfers who don't have high D1 talent, having a bunch of potentially key players transfer without filling the holes with any talent, not recruiting with a pg with a recurring injury in mind.....these all fall on KO. He's not an NBA coach, he can't blame the GM for roster construction.

As far as I can tell this year, KO has been thoroughly out coached in game. Does it help that we don't have the talent we've had in years past due to recruiting and transfers? Yes, but who controls most of that? KO. I like our recruits for next year, but can anyone honestly say that that is a class so talented that it's going to right this ship? No chance.

 

[upstater]

Seeing stuff like this still lead off pro-Ollie posts makes me think that Gilbert not playing does more for Ollie than his playing would.

Mine wasn't a pro-Ollie post.

I was making the point that Gilbert is his lone McD recruit. In other words, he was a big get.

He's unlike the others, who were not much sought after.

You missed the point.

 

[upstater]

Scott Hazelton or Scottie Harralson?

I'm referring to much touted recruits who were clearly overhyped and out of their depth. So--Hazelton.

 

[J187Money]

Perhaps, but if you consider the guys that transferred or decommitted because they wanted no part of KO, there was a good amount of talent in the fold as of March 2017.

We're 3 years removed from 2015 and the effect of sanctions. The lack of talent isn't something he inherited.

None of them could shoot either. Roster is on him, but kills me watching all of these other teams - even teams we beat - have better shooters.