As this program navigates a difficult stretch, I want to make one thing clear

[champs99and04]

Kevin Ollie is a hell of a basketball coach. I say that in the fullest of convictions even in the aftermath of what I deemed to be an abysmal coaching performance Tuesday night. I say that even as the program has stumbled into a groundswell of mediocrity that threatens the program's claim to being among the most consistently dominant in the nation.

I know what I saw two years ago and I know what I saw three years ago. You can attach all the disclaimers you want to his accomplishments ("they weren't a great team, they just got hot at the same time," "he did it with Calhoun's players," "the tournament is unpredictable...") but it does nothing to alter the fact that those six games in March represented a Utopian realization of team defense.

Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright were immensely gifted basketball players, and to the extent that their innately created identities as basketball savants aided his transition to head coach cannot be overstated.

But every coach needs great players. Right now, we don't have any. I don't know when that will change. It might change in March of this year, it might change in January of 2017. In either event, this is a guy who won 20 games when the Big East was at the peak of its power with Tyler Olander starting at center. He beat several loaded front lines in the 2014 tournament with Phil Nolan starting at the same position. This isn't meant to belittle Olander and Nolan - both of whom played their roles - as much as it is to re-enforce the fact that great players disguise flaws that no great coach ever could. That's why one wears a uniform and another wears a suit, even in sport like college basketball, where coaches are oftentimes the stars.

Even amidst infuriating spells of inconsistency, there is never anything wrong with extracting positive. Kevin Ollie's identity as a defensive mastermind is more warranted now than ever in the wake of holding four straight opponents to 40% or less from the field despite having to hide two minus defensive players and dealing without the services of a transformative shot blocker. The same defense that failed us with Brimah is the same one that now can take us over the top when he returns.

The offense sucks. But there are reasons for that, and they aren't irreversible. At another time, hopefully I will be able to demonstrate - with actual game content - how that can and will change.

For now, keep going with this guy. We're extremely fortunate to have him. This isn't a 'rah rah' post or an effort to rally the troops, it's just the truth. This is a guy that you bet your reputation and credibility on, and even if mine is worth no more than a couple cents, I'm more than willing to sink or swim with this guy directing y basketball program.

 

[UofCT]

I tend to disagree. He is an amida brimah missed free throw away from being on the hottest of hot seats.

 

[tcf15]

I tend to disagree. He is an amida brimah missed free throw away from being on the hottest of hot seats.

And two buzzer beaters/Ryan Boatright injury away from having back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tourney. It's easy to play that game.

 

[tykurez]

I tend to disagree. He is an amida brimah missed free throw away from being on the hottest of hot seats.

Just like Jim Calhoun was a couple El-Amin free throws away from potentially losing to a 10 seed in the Elite 8, a miraculous 12-0 run away from losing to Duke in the semifinal or a Jamelle Horne three ball, that to this day is still on it's way in the basket, away from being a loser also.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The simple reality is that this team has lost four games. None were blow-outs and some were against very strong opposition (three of the four by a combined 8 points, and the Maryland game inflated by late FTs and a score by a walk-on when it was over and any classy team would have dribbled it out). Mistakes were made by players and by Kevin Ollie. I don't think he'd say otherwise. But we are just a couple of close games from being 12-2 and very highly ranked.

Calhoun's teams routinely had clunker games or stretches. The test for Ollie and these players will be to see how they respond. If we can win 5 of the next 6, including Georgetown, we'll be in good shape. If they throw up another lackluster performance like we saw against Temple, the pressure will increase and it should. They need to learn how to win in crunch time in close games. That was ultimately what made Kemba and Bazz so valuable.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

They need to learn how to win in crunch time in close games.

I wonder if a team has to go through adversity to really become mentally tough enough to gut out the close games. It obviously depends on talent level, but with our championship teams, you can find the "tough times" that helped make them able to handle the pressure of the biggest of games. Like when you ban the Hungry Huskies, or when the '99 team faced and lost to a stacked UNC team at home (essentially). The '04 team had to weather EO's injury and BG had to come of age as a star while he was out. The '11 team was so young, but benefited from whatever things helped Kemba become Superman entering his junior year. I'm not suggesting that this year's team has the potential to win it all this year, but we could improve and become a much better team . We need Daniel and Rodney (and others) to get better at dealing with adversity by remaining calm and focused. It's amazing that we have been as close as we have been in some games with the number of missed bunnies and the panic-driven one-on-one play that we've seen when behind.

I liked hearing that Shonn Miller has become much more vocal and that Sterling was key in a couple of key wins. Now we need dham and Rodney to stay calm and have the game slow down when it's crunch-time. I'd also like KO to tell Jalen to go in and take over the game more often. He's playing too afraid to make mistakes, it seems to me.

This season is far from being over.

 

[KingOPancakes]

The simple reality is that this team has lost four games. None were blow-outs and some were against very strong opposition (three of the four by a combined 8 points, and the Maryland game inflated by late FTs and a score by a walk-on when it was over and any classy team would have dribbled it out). Mistakes were made by players and by Kevin Ollie. I don't think he'd say otherwise. But we are just a couple of close games from being 12-2 and very highly ranked.

Excellent point. We've spent the better part of 3 days pointing out countless ways this team can and should improve. And yet they are still top 25-30 in scoring margin, blocks, FG%, FG% defense and FT%. All 4 losses were within 1 possession late in the game. They are a good team even though everyone will agree they are playing nowhere near their ceiling. Even a marginal improvement will make this team very, very dangerous.

 

[UofCT]

And two buzzer beaters/Ryan Boatright injury away from having back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tourney. It's easy to play that game.

Good point. Good point. Said it twice.

 

[sammydabiz]

And two buzzer beaters/Ryan Boatright injury away from having back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tourney. It's easy to play that game.

Damn, I remember the days when making the NCAA tourney was the norm, rather than something to be celebrated.
Hopefully this next recruiting class brings the program back to brighter, more comfortable regular seasons. 09 was really the last good one we had.

Thank god we took home 2 chips! Program-savers for sure

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Kevin Ollie's identity as a defensive mastermind is more warranted now than ever in the wake of holding four straight opponents to 40% or less from the field

Lets relax on that, CCSU, Tulane, and Temple were 3 of those 4 opponents. Not exactly a murderer's row. Maryland, Gonzaga, Cuse all shot over 45% as a team, and UMass-Lowell shot 50% vs this "defensive mastermind".

 

[Tenspro2002]

Damn, I remember the days when making the NCAA tourney was the norm, rather than something to be celebrated.
Hopefully this next recruiting class brings the program back to brighter, more comfortable regular seasons. 09 was really the last good one we had.

Thank god we took home 2 chips! Program-savers for sure

I can't help but feel the same. The expectations among the fanbase has really dropped off in the last 5 years. Hopefully next decade the narrative becomes that this down period was just temporary and a consequence of horrific recruiting in 2012-2014 due to uncertainty in the program regarding sanctions and the coaching situation.

I think we are past the point of denying that we are in a down period, however.

 

[CTBasketball]

Here are my two cents.

1. 2012-2014's offense was heavily dependent on Shabazz's ability to isolate and hit bail out 3's. This kept a lot of games close and won us a lot.
2. I would contribute us shooting 90% + from the FT in 2014 the biggest reason why we won the National Championship.
3. Defensive mastermind is a little overkill. Yes, our defensive stats are imposing. That is because we play no one and like 6 cupcakes a year where we dominate. To me, defense is measured by the eye-test. Some teams get lucky and shoot out of their ass. Some teams play lazy, undisciplined defense that get exposed often. We are the latter.
4. Game awareness and substitution patterns have not improved since 2012. This includes when to take TO's. This is a real concern.
5. Working the refs is an integral part of the game. All the good coaches do it. KO does not, or not nearly enough.

Before you jump at my throat, I'm an Ollie fan. But I also am a realist and understand this is his 4th year of coaching. He's not on the hot seat at all, nor deserves to be. 2 out of his 4 teams are fundamentally flawed and lack the correct players in key positions. The next 2-3 years will tell how good of a coach he can be. Its up to him and the guys to capitalize on the talent we have / have coming in. Gotta show up.

 

[8893]

The expectations among the fanbase has really dropped off in the last 5 years.

I don't think this is remotely accurate.

 

[dennismenace]

Kevin Ollie is a hell of a basketball coach. I say that in the fullest of convictions even in the aftermath of what I deemed to be an abysmal coaching performance Tuesday night. I say that even as the program has stumbled into a groundswell of mediocrity that threatens the program's claim to being among the most consistently dominant in the nation.

I know what I saw two years ago and I know what I saw three years ago. You can attach all the disclaimers you want to his accomplishments ("they weren't a great team, they just got hot at the same time," "he did it with Calhoun's players," "the tournament is unpredictable...") but it does nothing to alter the fact that those six games in March represented a Utopian realization of team defense.

Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright were immensely gifted basketball players, and to the extent that their innately created identities as basketball savants aided his transition to head coach cannot be overstated.

But every coach needs great players. Right now, we don't have any. I don't know when that will change. It might change in March of this year, it might change in January of 2017. In either event, this is a guy who won 20 games when the Big East was at the peak of its power with Tyler Olander starting at center. He beat several loaded front lines in the 2014 tournament with Phil Nolan starting at the same position. This isn't meant to belittle Olander and Nolan - both of whom played their roles - as much as it is to re-enforce the fact that great players disguise flaws that no great coach ever could. That's why one wears a uniform and another wears a suit, even in sport like college basketball, where coaches are oftentimes the stars.

Even amidst infuriating spells of inconsistency, there is never anything wrong with extracting positive. Kevin Ollie's identity as a defensive mastermind is more warranted now than ever in the wake of holding four straight opponents to 40% or less from the field despite having to hide two minus defensive players and dealing without the services of a transformative shot blocker. The same defense that failed us with Brimah is the same one that now can take us over the top when he returns.

The offense sucks. But there are reasons for that, and they aren't irreversible. At another time, hopefully I will be able to demonstrate - with actual game content - how that can and will change.

For now, keep going with this guy. We're extremely fortunate to have him. This isn't a 'rah rah' post or an effort to rally the troops, it's just the truth. This is a guy that you bet your reputation and credibility on, and even if mine is worth no more than a couple cents, I'm more than willing to sink or swim with this guy directing y basketball program.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I don't think this is remotely accurate.

Well, I can tell you that in decades past, the risk of missing the NCAA Tournament two years in a row, something we have not done in 27 years, would cause a lot more hand-wringing than it seems to be doing now. The attitude around here makes it seem that we've accepted being middle-of-the-pack, maybe a fringe Top 25 sort of program.

Not so long ago we exited a 16-year period (1994-2009) in which we went at most 2 years in a row without being a #1 or #2 seed. Come the end of this year we're probably looking at 5 years in a row of failing to earn a top 5 seed, nevermind top 2. Here's a selection of programs that have earned a top 5 seed since 2012:

Baylor
Wichita State
Syracuse
Vanderbilt
Marquette
New Mexico
Temple
VCU
UNLV
Miami
St. Louis
Creighton
Villanova
Cincinnati
Notre Dame
West Virginia
Arkansas
Northern Iowa
Utah

The unexpected championship in 2014 was a tremendous lift and something that can't ever be taken away from us, but where we are now with the lack of consistency and saddled in a horrible conference is a post-1990 low that could ultimately jeopardize the elite status of our program. Maybe the lack of alarm just comes from faith that better times are going to return. Indeed, our recruiting for 2016 is a step in the right direction, but we need more than that.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Good point. Good point. Said it twice.

go get the papers get the papers!

 

[tcf15]

Well, I can tell you that in decades past, the risk of missing the NCAA Tournament two years in a row, something we have not done in 27 years, would cause a lot more hand-wringing than it seems to be doing now. The attitude around here makes it seem that we've accepted being middle-of-the-pack, maybe a fringe Top 25 sort of program.

Nah, it's just that there's no reason to panic in January. But carry on if you must.

 

[August_West]

Nah, it's just that there's no reason to panic in January. But carry on if you must.

No there is no reason to go full panic yet, agreed.
But there are a ton of little troubling indicators that can add up to some anxiety. I talk myself off the ledge by telling myself that I saw a bunch of troubling stuff in 14 that had me way worried. ( remember bazzs temper tantrum on senior day?) and we made it through.

 

[jibsey]

Next season influx of a great class, Rodney, AB, and DHam are back, Jalen one year older. I think we are primed. Only downside is loss of Miller. It can still be OK this season but it's time to get serious.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Nah, it's just that there's no reason to panic in January. But carry on if you must.

My point isn't about this season, it's about longer-term trends.

Yes, you're right that, looking at this season, there's still a chance for it to be a gel-late-in-the-year team like 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, or arguably 2011 or 2014. But we already know this isn't going to have been a dominant team a la 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2006, or 2009. We already know a 1 or 2 seed isn't in the offing, and probably not a 3-5 seed either.

My point is, in the 2010's we haven't been a year-in, year-out reliably contending team, in a manner completely inconsistent from what we were blessed to have for 15-20 years. I am not content to be a fringe Top 25 team most years and maybe make a run two or three times a decade. That's beneath the standards of this program. I don't want to see us become another Georgetown or UCLA or Indiana.

Also, you're an awesome poster who produces incredible vids. Don't ruin that by making snarky comments. The board has enough of those people as it is.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Also, you're an awesome poster who produces incredible vids. Don't ruin that by making snarky comments. The board has enough of those people as it is.

I don't know if you have any sense of how tiresome your relentless whining and complaining is - it seems pretty clear that you don't - but after a certain point snark is the easiest way to respond. And it has the added benefit of being entertaining sometimes.

 

[Gurleyman]

My point isn't about this season, it's about longer-term trends. Yes, you're right that, looking at this season, there's still a chance for it to be a gel-late-in-the-year team like 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, or arguably 2011 or 2014. But we already know this isn't going to have been a dominant team a la 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2006, or 2009. We already know a 1 or 2 seed isn't in the offing, and probably not a 3-5 seed either. My point is, in the 2010's we haven't been a year-in, year-out reliably contending team, in a manner completely inconsistent from what we were blessed to have for 15-20 years. I am not content to be a fringe Top 25 team most years and maybe make a run two or three times a decade. That's beneath the standards of this program. I don't want to see us become another Georgetown or UCLA or Indiana. Also, you're an awesome poster who produces incredible vids. Don't ruin that by making snarky comments. The board has enough of those people as it is.

Does your long term trend protection involve probation, a sudden retirement and an interim coach once every five years? BecaUse then, yeah, we have to figure that 2010-2015 is a blueprint for our future.

 

[KingOPancakes]

Think back to how you felt immediately after they announced we were left out of the conference realignment and JC retired and we found out about the postseason ban. If someone told you "here's the state of UCONN basketball 3 years from now: we haven't had any dominant seasons, but we bob in and out of the top 25. KO has some growing pains as a head coach, but he's steering the team in the right direction academically and seems to relate to his players. 1 guy is getting some play in the NBA and 2 are fighting in the D league. We still haven't won the American yet, but recruiting is as good as ever, if not better. Oh. And we won our 4th NC." 100% of us would have signed up for that scenario in a heartbeat. I thought hindsight was supposed to be 20/20.

 

[intlzncster]

Kevin Ollie is a hell of a basketball coach. I say that in the fullest of convictions even in the aftermath of what I deemed to be an abysmal coaching performance Tuesday night. I say that even as the program has stumbled into a groundswell of mediocrity that threatens the program's claim to being among the most consistently dominant in the nation.

I know what I saw two years ago and I know what I saw three years ago. You can attach all the disclaimers you want to his accomplishments ("they weren't a great team, they just got hot at the same time," "he did it with Calhoun's players," "the tournament is unpredictable...") but it does nothing to alter the fact that those six games in March represented a Utopian realization of team defense.

Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright were immensely gifted basketball players, and to the extent that their innately created identities as basketball savants aided his transition to head coach cannot be overstated.

One thing that sh_ts me above all else is when people say, he only won cause of 'this' guy. It's like no sh_t he won because of that great player. That's what it takes. Take away Kemba. Take away Emeka. Take away Rip. JC has no championships. I hate to say it, but it's the same when people say Boeheim only won it because Carmelo. No Sh_t. You need great players. Newsflash. /rant

But every coach needs great players. Right now, we don't have any.

And this brings me to my second point. The bold above couldn't be more true. My friends and I are always saying, "we have no elite talent" and they are right. None of our guys is top 10 in America. No AAs. That's just a fact we have to live with this year.

 

[8893]

Well, I can tell you that in decades past, the risk of missing the NCAA Tournament two years in a row, something we have not done in 27 years, would cause a lot more hand-wringing than it seems to be doing now. The attitude around here makes it seem that we've accepted being middle-of-the-pack, maybe a fringe Top 25 sort of program.

For me, it's a matter of remembering very well the Perno days when we were the Big East doormat, and appreciating very much all I've been fortunate enough to experience since, as we rose to the prominence you cite.

I also understand the combination of extenuating circumstances we've faced in the last five years and don't expect them to remain the prevailing circumstances.

I believe the program is in good hands with Ollie and that our situation will stabilize again at a higher plane than it is right now.

Life goes in waves. Enjoy the ride as long as you trust the driver.