basketball philosophy and KO

[MexicoHusky]

KO has taken a lot of flack this year and rightfully so. The team stunk. Largely due to injuries, but they stunk nonetheless. Despite that I'm still a hardcare KO fan.

The reason I'm such a fan is basketball philosophy. The main reason is his belief in playing multiple primary guards at the same time. Probably more important is his ability to convince multiple high caliber guards to come play on the same team.

Next year we will have three pgs that will probably be higher rated (or as high) as every other pg in the AAC. Three....on one team. I'm dont even think Duke, UNC and Kentucky can do that.

Both our team and Nova have repeatedly shown playing two lead guard wins championships.

KO has also shown a belief in the stretch four and has shown the ability to coach up that type of player.

So we stunk this year. Big deal. If you are upset and want KO gone ask yourself what is your Basketball philosophy. Does it extend beyond wins and losses.

I believe in KO because he's shown a belief and ability to execute two basketball philosophies that have won the majority of the recent championships.

 

[BUConn10]

First you have to actually go out and get that stretch 4, then you have to teach him how to play which is probably one of the hardest skill sets in bball. Ollie had Daniels in '14, but he wasnt coaching him adequately based on his play until March when something happened that I still don't fully understand.

Since then we have been looking for that new 4 just so KO can even get a crack at coaching him. Durham showed maybe a flash or two but the kid barely logged 5 minutes most nights so who the hell knows.

 

[MexicoHusky]

First you have to actually go out and get that stretch 4, then you have to teach him how to play which is probably one of the hardest skill sets in bball. Ollie had Daniels in '14, but he wasnt coaching him adequately based on his pay until March when something happened that I still don't fully understand.

Since then we have been looking for that new 4 just so KO can even get a crack at coaching him. Durham showed maybe a flash or two but the kid barely logged 5 minutes most nights so who the hell knows.

Agreed, but he played Dham kinda like that. Also Larrier may end up being a stretch 4 to some extent as well. So i do think he's trying to get and teach that guy. That said, i think 2 pgs is a bigger deal.

 

[upstater]

First you have to actually go out and get that stretch 4, then you have to teach him how to play which is probably one of the hardest skill sets in bball. Ollie had Daniels in '14, but he wasnt coaching him adequately based on his play until March when something happened that I still don't fully understand.

Since then we have been looking for that new 4 just so KO can even get a crack at coaching him. Durham showed maybe a flash or two but the kid barely logged 5 minutes most nights so who the hell knows.

Do you guys ever listen to yourselves?

Have any of you ever played sports?

I ask because I'm around sports a lot (and pretend I never played, am a big klutz, no nothing about sports, and am not claiming any expertise myself, especially with basketball) and even I know (from coaching and watching 8-18 year olds) that there is a wide range of variability in their lay depending on almost any variable. Sometimes the light just comes on. This is why in many sports some players are said to be "in form." Any number of things can impact them.

 

[BUConn10]

Agreed, but he played Dham kinda like that. Also Larrier may end up being a stretch 4 to some extent as well. So i do think he's trying to get and teach that guy. That said, i think 2 pgs is a bigger deal.

Sure, KO played Hamilton like a 4 a lot of the time, but that doesn't make him a 4.

I was told this from a close friend (and current Boneyarder) who is close with an ex-Husky from the 2012-16 squad period (deep bench) that one of the big reasons DHam declared early despite everyone telling him he wont go 1st round was because he didn't believe KO's system was going to make him a better player for a future in the pros, and that's why he declared early. He saw the D League and a pro training regimen as more productive than staying at UConn.

I actually hadn't mentioned this here publicly until now because it wasn't worth the drama, but its old news now so f it.

As someone who spent 13 years grinding it out in the pros, I always thought Ollie's lack of focus on increasing NBA draft picks and future pros with his recruitment of lots of tweeners was unusual, especially considering how important NBA reputation is becoming to how the actual college program fares year to year.

 

[BUConn10]

Do you guys ever listen to yourselves?

Have any of you ever played sports?

I ask because I'm around sports a lot (and pretend I never played, am a big klutz, no nothing about sports, and am not claiming any expertise myself, especially with basketball) and even I know (from coaching and watching 8-18 year olds) that there is a wide range of variability in their lay depending on almost any variable. Sometimes the light just comes on. This is why in many sports some players are said to be "in form." Any number of things can impact them.

I honestly have no idea what this string of words is trying to say.

 

[MexicoHusky]

I honestly have no idea what this string of words is trying to say.

Kinda agree

 

[MexicoHusky]

Sure, KO played Hamilton like a 4 a lot of the time, but that doesn't make him a 4.

I was told this from a close friend (and current Boneyarder) who is close with an ex-Husky from the 2012-16 squad period (deep bench) that one of the big reasons DHam declared early despite everyone telling him he wont go 1st round was because he didn't believe KO's system was going to make him a better player for a future in the pros, and that's why he declared early. He saw the D League and a pro training regimen as more productive than staying at UConn.

I actually hadn't mentioned this here publicly until now because it wasn't worth the drama, but its old news now so f it.

As someone who spent 13 years grinding it out in the pros, I always thought Ollie's lack of focus on increasing NBA draft picks and future pros with his recruitment of lots of tweeners was unusual, especially considering how important NBA reputation is becoming to how the actual college program fares year to year.

I actually agree with your friend about Dham. So i don't doubt Dham thought that. I kinda thought it myself. I actually would go one step further and say Dham's game didn't work so well for college in general. His suspect three point shooting hurt him.

 

[upstater]

I honestly have no idea what this string of words is trying to say.

The very idea that Kevin Ollie wasn't coaching Deandre Daniels adequately until March is so laugh out loud crazy, I can't even believe you wrote that.

Any topped it off with the idea that Ollie lacks focus in recruiting future NBA players.

I mean... holy cow.

 

[upstater]

I actually agree with your friend about Dham. So i don't doubt Dham thought that. I kinda thought it myself. I actually would go one step further and say Dham's game didn't work so well for college in general. His suspect three point shooting hurt him.

And maybe he shouldn't have been playing college ball--a game where small forwards are frequently interchangeable at PF, and where PFs often play center.

Why? Obvious reasons.

 

[BUConn10]

The very idea that Kevin Ollie wasn't coaching Deandre Daniels adequately until March is so laugh out loud crazy, I can't even believe you wrote that.

Any topped it off with the idea that Ollie lacks focus in recruiting future NBA players.

I mean... holy cow.

If you take what I said to mean some animated caricature of KO not yelling hard enough or blowing his whistle enough times then you are spinning my comment just to come here and say you coach 8-18 year olds.

What I'm saying is Daniels really did not show us ANYTHING resembling a consistent starter on a high D1 program, until March. Go rewatch early games that year, DD was weak inside, had zero handle, and had little to no reliability making wide open 3s for much of the regular season despite being pegged as a "shooter", skills that coaches usually try to address. Then in March he was hitting turn around fadeaway after fadeaway like his name was Dirk Nowitski. Are you going to tell me that because of those 6 games Kevin Ollie was responsible for finally having taught him how to properly play the game of basketball? Clearly not because he got drafted and never even saw the court. That what "didn't coach him well enough" means, he was given a raw player with size and a little bounce, and he was largely the same guy for 3 and a half years at Storrs until lighting struck in March. But go on, tell us how your middle school coaching experience has framed your superior understanding of what took place.

 

[MexicoHusky]

And maybe he shouldn't have been playing college ball--a game where small forwards are frequently interchangeable at PF, and where PFs often play center.

Why? Obvious reasons.

Again, I'm not exactly sure what you are saying. Despite that, I'll try to answer. I think Dham wanted to play pg. Like a traditional pg. Bring up the ball. Break down the d. He obviously had considerable ball handling ability. I just dont think big pgs work that well in college. There's too much help d. Partly due to zone. So you have to be extra fast to beat your man and the help defender. Guys Dham's size just aren't that fast. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

[BUConn10]

The very idea that Kevin Ollie wasn't coaching Deandre Daniels adequately until March is so laugh out loud crazy, I can't even believe you wrote that.

Any topped it off with the idea that Ollie lacks focus in recruiting future NBA players.

I mean... holy cow.

Holy cow?

Why don't you go ahead and name a single NBA player he has put into the league (no, getting drafted and stashed in the D league is not "the league"), not named Shabazz, who has been one of our best in years and is barely logging 10 mpg and whose next contract is on life support as it stands. But you are right, Im the crazy one for noticing a recent dry spell in the NBA pipeline.

Don't you have some orange cones to put in a line at the YMCA or something, Coach?

 

[shizzle787]

Larrier IS our stretch 4.

 

[BUConn10]

Larrier IS our stretch 4.

except the problem for guys like DHam was that, in the NBA, they are no where near 4s, they are pretty much boilerplate 2s and 3s. Thats the problem I was speaking about from what the player said Hamilton felt. Ollie is trying to get guys to play positions they wont play in the league, and it may be off putting to them.

Like it or not, this is a college program, the program's job for its players is to ensure them the best chances of future success, professionally. Just like how the Harvard med student is now expecting great job opportunities following graduation, a respective program of equal caliber but in sports should strive for the same thing. Sometimes it feels like that may not be so much the case.

 

[upstater]

If you take what I said to mean some animated caricature of KO not yelling hard enough or blowing his whistle enough times then you are spinning my comment just to come here and say you coach 8-18 year olds.

NO, and NO. As I said, I know nothing about sports, other than knowing human nature. These are not professionals. Sometimes, it just suddenly clicks for a player, and they become very different. We saw this with Calhoun many many times. Hilton Armstrong, Gavin Edwards, saw it with Niels Giffey too. Happens all the time.

What I'm saying is Daniels really did not show us ANYTHING resembling a consistent starter on a high D1 program, until March. Go rewatch early games that year, DD was weak inside, had zero handle, and had little to no reliability making wide open 3s for much of the regular season despite being pegged as a "shooter", skills that coaches usually try to address. Then in March he was hitting turn around fadeaway after fadeaway like his name was Dirk Nowitski. Are you going to tell me that because of those 6 games Kevin Ollie was responsible for finally having taught him how to properly play the game of basketball? Clearly not because he got drafted and never even saw the court. That what "didn't coach him well enough" means, he was given a raw player with size and a little bounce, and he was largely the same guy for 3 and a half years at Storrs until lighting struck in March. But go on, tell us how your middle school coaching experience has framed your superior understanding of what took place.

In the 15 games prior to busting up his hand (games from November through January), Deandre averaged 16 points a game. This is AFTER the early scrub part of the schedule, and begins with the BC game through the Temple game (last game in January). He had a rough February because of his injury. He frequently played less than 20 minutes.

The same guy for 3 years, eh? First, Calhoun had Daniels in his freshman year. Then, we saw an inconsistent quiet kid under Ollie in Ollie's first year, and that team overachieved. Then we saw a lot of development for Daniels in his 2nd year under Ollie. We saw a monster of a player in the last 10 games of the season, all in March. He hit a rough 9 game stretch in Feb., that coincided with his injury.

"Are you going to tell me that because of those 6 games Kevin Ollie was responsible for finally having taught him how to properly play the game of basketball? Clearly not because he got drafted and never even saw the court."

What does this even mean? That a kid who doesn't make the NBA doesn't know how to play basketball properly?

 

[upstater]

Again, I'm not exactly sure what you are saying. Despite that, I'll try to answer. I think Dham wanted to play pg. Like a traditional pg. Bring up the ball. Break down the d. He obviously had considerable ball handling ability. I just dont think big pgs work that well in college. There's too much help d. Partly due to zone. So you have to be extra fast to beat your man and the help defender. Guys Dham's size just aren't that fast. Hopefully that makes sense.

It's OK if he left because he didn't want to play PF. I'm just saying that stick this on Ollie is to totally disregard the college game where at all but 3 or 4 schools, you have undersized PFs and undersized centers.

Heck, a multiple guard lineup and smallish PF won the national championship last year, and for a few years prior to that too (i.e. Deandre Daniels, Roscoe Smith, etc.)

 

[upstater]

Holy cow?

Why don't you go ahead and name a single NBA player he has put into the league (no, getting drafted and stashed in the D league is not "the league"), not named Shabazz, who has been one of our best in years and is barely logging 10 mpg and whose next contract is on life support as it stands. But you are right, Im the crazy one for noticing a recent dry spell in the NBA pipeline.

Don't you have some orange cones to put in a line at the YMCA or something, Coach?

You wrote that he is not focused on developing NBA players. That is what you wrote.

Preposterous!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[uconngb]

This is one of the most confusing, non-sensical threads I've ever read

 

[MexicoHusky]

This is one of the most confusing, non-sensical threads I've ever read

We'll try to dumb it down for ya