Best Compliment You Can Offer

[Deadrody]

They look like a Calhoun team. If you didn't know Ollie was the Head Coach, nothing would seem different at all.

 

[Migs]

Great point, thought the same exact thing after the MSU game. Said to the wife, that was a UCONN win. One team jumped out to an early lead, other team fought back, wrestled it away at the end.

 

[EricLA]

They look like a Calhoun team. If you didn't know Ollie was the Head Coach, nothing would seem different at all.

Nothing would seem different? I hope that's not the case. I hope Ollie is more flexibile in his offense and more willing to try different things other than simply "imposing our will" on the other team. I also hope/think he has a longer hook meaning if a kid makes a mistake, there will be discussion, but the kid won't be buried on the bench for the rest of the half. I also think he will be hard on the kids, but the screaming in their faces will be a thing of the past. JC was old school. And it worked incredibly well. Ollie is new school.

I'm actually looking forward to the ways KO's team is different from JC's. So far it seems like there is more passing on offense (vs. dribbling the ball around the perimeter by one guard) and much more movement by guys without the ball - screens, back cuts, etc etc. I don't think it will look completely different, but I hope Ollie takes all the great things that worked well for JC and adds his own modern twist on what he does...

To be fair I only saw the first game and the 2nd one is taped but i've not watched it yet, so i can't really say with any confidence whether the team will look identical to one coached by JC...

 

[UConnSwag11]

Nothing would seem different? I hope that's not the case. I hope Ollie is more flexibile in his offense and more willing to try different things other than simply "imposing our will" on the other team. I also hope/think he has a longer hook meaning if a kid makes a mistake, there will be discussion, but the kid won't be buried on the bench for the rest of the half. I also think he will be hard on the kids, but the screaming in their faces will be a thing of the past. JC was old school. And it worked incredibly well. Ollie is new school.

I'm actually looking forward to the ways KO's team is different from JC's. So far it seems like there is more passing on offense (vs. dribbling the ball around the perimeter by one guard) and much more movement by guys without the ball - screens, back cuts, etc etc. I don't think it will look completely different, but I hope Ollie takes all the great things that worked well for JC and adds his own modern twist on what he does...

To be fair I only saw the first game and the 2nd one is taped but i've not watched it yet, so i can't really say with any confidence whether the team will look identical to one coached by JC...

to me they like to get up the floor quick and score as soon as they can. if not they run their sets and it looks like there are multiple options. when they run on the break theres usually 2 or more following the dunk or lay up... it seems like were getting back to the uconn ollie played... we still need some bigs who can run the floor and board, but our guard play is top notch, i think it was during the '11 season when bilas was talking about kemba and he said that bill self said you need to have a get'em guy(which was walker), someone who can get you buckets when the play breaks down and we have that in bazz and mainly boat

 

[UConnSwag11]

if daniels keeps progressing and gaining confidence he's going to be a stud

 

[CL82]

I'm actually looking forward to the ways KO's team is different from JC's. So far it seems like there is more passing on offense (vs. dribbling the ball around the perimeter by one guard) and much more movement by guys without the ball - screens, back cuts, etc etc. I don't think it will look completely different, but I hope Ollie takes all the great things that worked well for JC and adds his own modern twist on what he does...

...

Same here. As the season goes on we'll see more and more of KO's stamp on it. I look forward to that. I like what I've seen so far.

 

[Marat]

if daniels keeps progressing and gaining confidence he's going to be a stud

Like you I see real progress in Daniels. He is playing like a UConn slasher - driving to the basket, shooting outside, and running the break. I was not expecting to see that from him. Good stuff.

 

[sparky]

There is one significant difference and that is when a player makes a mistake, they don't look at the coach. They appear more relaxed.

 

[mets1090]

The immediate impression I get is that if Ollie can recruit talent at a Top 25 level, this will remain a Top 10 program. If he can recruit at a Top 15 level, this will remain a Top 5 or so program. This is similar to Calhoun in that I would guess if you were to take a composite ranking of recruiting classes during the last 25 years I wouldn't think we would be Top 5 in terms of what they were rated coming in. But we are definitely a Top 5 program in that time period.

There's just no denying the way he has gotten these kids to buy in. And I am a fan of his overall demeanor on the sideline so far. This impression could obviously change depending on how both he and the players react to the bumps in the road that will inevitably come. We will have to wait and see. Should be a fun year. In a way I think Ollie taking over this year instead of next year or the year after is a blessing in disguise. In a year when there would be nothing to play for other than pride, we get to see kids play for a new coach that they clearly love and want to see get extended. And as a fan that's something to root for with a UConn guy taking the helm.

 

[mets1090]

As for the thread title, the best compliment most coaches will say they can get is that their kids gave everything they had on a given night. I see KO getting that compliment from other coaches and players pretty damn close to every night.

 

[caw]

Things I've seen so far (caveat of this being a tiny sample size):

They run, or try to, a lot more. They were even trying to run after made shots against MSU. I hadn't seen that done in years. It was fantastic.

They pressure the ball more but mostly are trying to defend their man. They don't funnel the ball to the middle as much (duh) as some recent teams.

Olander is running the show a decent amount of the time from the high post (I don't know if I've ever seen a UConn big do that). The off the ball movement is better and Olander is hitting cutters well.

Spacing is still a work in progress, but players are thinking about it more, you could see Napier move a step or two further into the corner against Vermont, to give Boatright more room to operate. This after Ollie showed him where to be in the MSU game.

More relaxed, I agree, these kids aren't playing scared of being yelled at (mostly). Some still have short leashes, but I think Ollie is trying to work younger/inexperienced players in slowly (Tolksdorf/Wolf/Nolan).

Not a fan of the execution of the end of half play Ollie drew up, but it was a play, not a "beat your man" call.

UConn has looked much better on in-bounds plays this year, a highly overlooked issue last year.

There is still room to grow, but I like the changes Ollie has made for this team, he has done a great job so far.

A few things I would like to see: more shots for Giffey (he is a good shooter) and even fewer WTH shots from Napier (he has done a pretty good job so far, but still puts up 1 a game that is a WTH shot). Integrating Nolan/Tolksdorf into the games a bit more. I think Nolan could help a ton down the line and Tolksdorf seems like he could be solid once he settles in.

 

[willie99]

They look like a Calhoun team. If you didn't know Ollie was the Head Coach, nothing would seem different at all.

I concur, I loved Jim Calhoun teams

 

[Husky1972]

I'll add that when they flash the turnovers stats on the screen, 16 to 8, we were the 8. I'm used to it being the other way around.

 

[ctchamps]

Things I've seen so far (caveat of this being a tiny sample size):

They run, or try to, a lot more. They were even trying to run after made shots against MSU. I hadn't seen that done in years. It was fantastic.

They pressure the ball more but mostly are trying to defend their man. They don't funnel the ball to the middle as much (duh) as some recent teams.

Olander is running the show a decent amount of the time from the high post (I don't know if I've ever seen a UConn big do that). The off the ball movement is better and Olander is hitting cutters well.

Spacing is still a work in progress, but players are thinking about it more, you could see Napier move a step or two further into the corner against Vermont, to give Boatright more room to operate. This after Ollie showed him where to be in the MSU game.

More relaxed, I agree, these kids aren't playing scared of being yelled at (mostly). Some still have short leashes, but I think Ollie is trying to work younger/inexperienced players in slowly (Tolksdorf/Wolf/Nolan).

Not a fan of the execution of the end of half play Ollie drew up, but it was a play, not a "beat your man" call.

UConn has looked much better on in-bounds plays this year, a highly overlooked issue last year.

There is still room to grow, but I like the changes Ollie has made for this team, he has done a great job so far.

A few things I would like to see: more shots for Giffey (he is a good shooter) and even fewer WTH shots from Napier (he has done a pretty good job so far, but still puts up 1 a game that is a WTH shot). Integrating Nolan/Tolksdorf into the games a bit more. I think Nolan could help a ton down the line and Tolksdorf seems like he could be solid once he settles in.

I'm not sure you can single out Shabazz and not questions some WTF shots from TO, DD and OC.

 

[Palatine]

They seem to move a bit more in the set offense.

They don't force the ball inside as much as usual (could be there is no one inside to force the ball to).

Ollie has a slower hook

That's about all the difference I notice.

 

[caw]

I'm not sure you can single out Shabazz and not questions some WTF shots from TO, DD and OC.

I guess I focus on Bazz a bit more because he is not a freshman and has the most experience on the team. Don't get me wrong, he's gotten much better than his freshman year (spinning behind the back pass anyone?).

 

[ctchamps]

I guess I focus on Bazz a bit more because he is not a freshman and has the most experience on the team. Don't get me wrong, he's gotten much better than his freshman year (spinning behind the back pass anyone?).

My feeling about SN in the VT game was he deliberately tried to get his team more involved in that game and held back on shooting for most of the first half. Then he tried to turn on the switch for scoring but it didn't come easy so he forced shots. I think his decision to take a back seat in this game was better for the team in the long run even if it made it difficult for him to get into the rhythm of the game.

It's the type of leadership quality that I hope to see from him this season. It means he's buying into KO's front shirt and not back shirt philosophy.

 

[caw]

My feeling about SN in the VT game was he deliberately tried to get his team more involved in that game and held back on shooting for most of the first half. Then he tried to turn on the switch for scoring but it didn't come easy so he forced shots. I think his decision to take a back seat in this game was better for the team in the long run even if it made it difficult for him to get into the rhythm of the game.

It's the type of leadership quality that I hope to see from him this season. It means he's buying into KO's front shirt and not back shirt philosophy.

I do agree with you on almost all of that. I was thinking both games though. He has had 1 WTF shots in each. Both are explainable but I would still prefer them to be to zero. Minor quibble, not anything to get worked up about either way. Like I said, he seems to be much better than the past two years.

 

[ctchamps]

I do agree with you on almost all of that. I was thinking both games though. He has had 1 WTF shots in each. Both are explainable but I would still prefer them to be to zero. Minor quibble, not anything to get worked up about either way. Like I said, he seems to be much better than the past two years.

I get where you're coming from. I probably could have held up on a response. As way of an explanation:

Every season there is a player who becomes a poster child for fans contempt and abuse. SN was that player last season. It didn't matter that the kid played injured all season to some of these posters. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if some of these guys think SN had foot surgery just to stop criticism as opposed to there being a real problem. Talk about an ego centric viewpoint of the world.

So my post was a pre emptive strike against someone who wants to put a post from a reasonable poster, you, into his personal validation box. Of course nothing is going to dissuade those of us who believe our viewpoints are the reality of life as opposed to a perspective on life. My reflexes got the better of me.

 

[zls44]

I love how much activity they have in their arms on defense. Constantly swiping at anyone who goes into the lane. They're making up for a lack of size with an over abundance of activity.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[caw]

I get where you're coming from. I probably could have held up on a response. As way of an explanation:

Every season there is a player who becomes a poster child for fans contempt and abuse. SN was that player last season. It didn't matter that the kid played injured all season to some of these posters. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if some of these guys think SN had foot surgery just to stop criticism as opposed to there being a real problem. Talk about an ego centric viewpoint of the world.

So my post was a pre emptive strike against someone who wants to put a post from a reasonable poster, you, into his personal validation box. Of course nothing is going to dissuade those of us who believe our viewpoints are the reality of life as opposed to a perspective on life. My reflexes got the better of me.

LOL, fair enough, I do see where you are coming from.

I love Napier, always have but I am critical of some of his sillier plays, that 360 behind the back pass his freshman year into a defenders chest being my favorite. He really has gotten better every year though.

 

[Danzz]

They look like a Calhoun team. If you didn't know Ollie was the Head Coach, nothing would seem different at all.

I think this team resembles some our teams from the past. They play better perimeter defense than any of Calhoun's recent teams. Some that is due to not having a big shot blocker or dominant big man. As good as some of our bigs were, this team and style is a lot more fun to watch.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Every season there is a player who becomes a poster child for fans contempt and abuse. SN was that player last season.

Bazz, AO, Drummond, even Lamb. Was there anyone last year who was immune to (usually deserved) fan scorn?

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I think this team resembles some our teams from the past. They play better perimeter defense than any of Calhoun's recent teams. Some that is due to not having a big shot blocker or dominant big man. As good as some of our bigs were, this team and style is a lot more fun to watch.

It's early, but I do think the perimeter defense has been very good. I see Boat and Bazz working really hard to stay with their men past screens. Bazz is looking quicker and seems to be taking less wild chances going for steals and is working harder through screens.

 

[mets1090]

Olander is running the show a decent amount of the time from the high post (I don't know if I've ever seen a UConn big do that). The off the ball movement is better and Olander is hitting cutters well.

Good post, agree with all of it. This line specifically gave me a thought that I hadn't really considered to this point. It has to be a big advantage for a first time head coach to have 2 years to evaluate basically the entire roster that he is inheriting. I bet while he was on the bench with Calhoun running the show he was wishing JC would use TO more in this fashion.