Bleacher Report on Jalen Adams

[cohenzone]

I don't join these discussions very often so I defer to those who think about it a lot more than I, but one observation. I am totally on the fence about KO. The common trait of all of his teams every year including his NC year is wildly inconsistent play on both ends of the floor regardless of the talent level of his players and of the opposition. Inconsistent within games and from game to game. They can go through stretches of good O and good D and then long lulls. Big leads and deficits often disappear. Kind of like the NBA.

Three years stand out and all of them have given Kevin room to maneuver. The banishment year, last year with all the injuries, and mostly the improbable NC for an inconsistent team that caught a lightening bolt in NCAA tournament game one with Brimahs saving play and to Ollie's credit, played the best 5 game stretch of D in his tenure and with terrific guard play.

I think he's out of passes. I hope he makes the grade.

 

[RJScootin]

As in a whole new coaching staff. Simply put I don't see how Ollie and co. can produce results that keep them around this year with this current roster. I don't anticipate the AD will let another season with no tournament appearance pass us by without a change, but that's just my take on things at the moment, people won't like it.

His awful contract will get him another year unfortunately. I don't see UConn eating the 3.2 M hes owed for the 2018-2019 season.

 

[Tenspro2002]

His awful contract will get him another year unfortunately. I don't see UConn eating the 3.2 M hes owed for the 2018-2019 season.

If we stumble through another mediore-to-awful regular season and have another class of nobodies and misfits lined up for 2018, AD Dave will pull the plug regardless of money. He just can't let a situation like this fester without any evidence that things are improving.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Conference realignment?

More like an ill-prepared staff. That's the reality many can't fathom. The conference is a curse no doubt, but our staff hadn't even been able to maintain its relationships with the kids who have committed to them. There's more to this problem than just the AAC. I predict UConn basketball will look very, very different in one calendar year.

Agreed completely. The conference doesn't help, but it only doesn't help because the program is making itself irrelevant all on its own.

If you're an elite program, nationally relevant, it doesn't matter how crappy your conference is. You'll get big-time recruits and positive press. See Gonzaga.

The only way conference affiliation can help you is if you're a bad program trying to sell recruits on competing against the best (e.g. the very early Calhoun years). What keeps UK, Kansas, Duke, UNC at the top isn't that they play in P5 conferences, it's that they're consistently good-to-dominant all year, each and every year.

The conference is just an excuse. If we're performing to the expectations of this program, what conference we're in matters zero.

 

[UConnStats]

If we stumble through another mediore-to-awful regular season and have another class of nobodies and misfits lined up for 2018, AD Dave will pull the plug regardless of money. He just can't let a situation like this fester without any evidence that things are improving.

I agree with this. A lot of people thought we'd have to stick it out another year with Diaco, too. If Benedict wants KO out after this year, he will find the money.

This is the first year where Ollie will go into the season thinking "If I don't show up, I'm done". I'd like to think that this is going to push him to prepare and work more than he ever has before. Chillious and Daniel are going to want to impress right away, so I think a higher effort level from the staff is to be expected in general.

 

[jibsey]

2018-19 is the last of KO's contract? We have a very good backcourt with the potential for greatness at least there. The front court is ??? and frankly none of us know what we are going to get. They have to be something, we can't have injuries and then KO can't have another offseason like he just had. You just can't do this kind of thing with big talent deficits on critical parts of the floor. Last couple of years we were predicted to be top 20, this year we are wishin' and hopin'.

 

[RJScootin]

2018-19 is the last of KO's contract? We have a very good backcourt with the potential for greatness at least there. The front court is ??? and frankly none of us know what we are going to get. They have to be something, we can't have injuries and then KO can't have another offseason like he just had. You just can't do this kind of thing with big talent deficits on critical parts of the floor. Last couple of years we were predicted to be top 20, this year we are wishin' and hopin'.

KO sign extension through 2021, 3.3M a year. I cant imagine they can eat all of that money regardless of this years results.

http://dailycampus.com/stories/2017...-geno-auriemmas-new-contracts-uconn-basketbal

 

[upstater]

Agreed completely. The conference doesn't help, but it only doesn't help because the program is making itself irrelevant all on its own.

If you're an elite program, nationally relevant, it doesn't matter how crappy your conference is. You'll get big-time recruits and positive press. See Gonzaga.

The only way conference affiliation can help you is if you're a bad program trying to sell recruits on competing against the best (e.g. the very early Calhoun years). What keeps UK, Kansas, Duke, UNC at the top isn't that they play in P5 conferences, it's that they're consistently good-to-dominant all year, each and every year.

The conference is just an excuse. If we're performing to the expectations of this program, what conference we're in matters zero.

Big time recruits? Gonzaga?

UConn outrecruits Gonzaga.

 

[upstater]

More important than this year's record is next year's recruiting class.

That is where Ollie will be judged.

 

[Huskymagic]

UCONN is a major business in a sense that if they want someone gone, they will get rid of them no matter how big or long their contract is. They would come to a mutual understanding as no one wants to be around somewhere where they are not wanted.

Ollie just needs to get it done this year. We have enough with Adams, Vital, Terry, Alterique, Kwin and Mamadou. Plenty of talent there to make the NCAA tournament. I've been one of the biggest and loudest proponents of going to the Big East, but with the addition of Wichita State, this conference is good enough to get at worst 3 NCAA tournament teams every year and as high 5 or 6. No excuses we need to see results on the court and on the recruiting trail.

PS: USC out of nowhere is now becoming a major destination for basketball talent again with minimal success at best nationally. UNLV keeps getting 5 star recruits yearly it seems including Brandon McCoy this year. West Coast Huskies same thing. LSU keeps getting good players despite having zero basketball success. Alabama and Auburn both moving up in this direction as well. No rational person seeing this can be happy with our recruiting.

 

[Tenspro2002]

More important than this year's record is next year's recruiting class.

That is where Ollie will be judged.

I largely agree with this.

Another s****y year on the court will be more easily forgiven than another fart-balloon of a recruiting class.

 

[3rdbass]

More important than this year's record is next year's recruiting class.

That is where Ollie will be judged.

Well they are related. If uconn keeps losing I don't expect uconn to get a great class.

 

[RJScootin]

More important than this year's record is next year's recruiting class.

That is where Ollie will be judged.

So he gets a pass this year?

 

[David 76]

Conference realignment?

More like an ill-prepared staff. That's the reality many can't fathom. The conference is a curse no doubt, but our staff hadn't even been able to maintain its relationships with the kids who have committed to them. There's more to this problem than just the AAC. I predict UConn basketball will look very, very different in one calendar year.

One year he could not maintain his kids. One. We had 1 more transfer than the average NCAA team.
Plus we had a decommitt and I know that no other team had that problem.
We are in a bad place but it is hard to take you seriously when you go over the top, ignore injuries, conference, crazy parent and put it all on the coaching. Then be 100% confident the coaches will have learned nothing from the past.
Personally, I think Ollie has already begun to straighten things out. I guess I predict that the coach who could coach the hell out of his team his first two years, makes progress and returns.

 

[David 76]

UConn is a major business in a sense that if they want someone gone, they will get rid of them no matter how big or long their contract is. They would come to a mutual understanding as no one wants to be around somewhere where they are not wanted.

Ollie just needs to get it done this year. We have enough with Adams, Vital, Terry, Alterique, Kwin and Mamadou. Plenty of talent there to make the NCAA tournament. I've been one of the biggest and loudest proponents of going to the Big East, but with the addition of Wichita State, this conference is good enough to get at worst 3 NCAA tournament teams every year and as high 5 or 6. No excuses we need to see results on the court and on the recruiting trail.

PS: USC out of nowhere is now becoming a major destination for basketball talent again with minimal success at best nationally. UNLV keeps getting 5 star recruits yearly it seems including Brandon McCoy this year. West Coast Huskies same thing. LSU keeps getting good players despite having zero basketball success. Alabama and Auburn both moving up in this direction as well. No rational person seeing this can be happy with our recruiting.

This year

 

[upstater]

So he gets a pass this year?

The future is more important than the present.

Did Villanova get rid of Jay Wright when he strung together a few bad seasons? No. If you have the potential for a good future, you don't get rid of a guy that won a national championship 4 years ago.

On the other hand, if he doesn't kill it on the recruiting scene, there is no future, and he is done.

 

[Guapo]

How many more months do we have to have this discussion? The season can't come soon enough...

 

[MSGSeven]

This is exactly right. The blown leads and slow starts all point to a profound lack of preparedness on the part of the team and, thus, the coaches.

Imagine how differently the last couple years would be viewed if we didn't blow big leads or stumble out of the gate only to have our roaring comeback fall short?

I still maintain that the 2015 team had at least Sweet 16 level talent and should have never been in position to face Kansas in the second round.

I agree with the slow starts and blown leads being a problem but the 2015-2016 team was not very good. Their best wins of the year were a banned SMU team in Hartford and Colorado in the first round of the NCAAT. It took a miracle 65 foot heave just to make the tournament.

 

[AntG168]

I agree with the slow starts and blown leads being a problem but the 2015-2016 team was not very good. Their best wins of the year were a banned SMU team in Hartford and Colorado in the first round of the NCAAT. It took a miracle 65 foot heave just to make the tournament.

Why do people keep repeating the lie that "the shot" got us in the tourney?? It did not. TULSA MADE THE TOURNAMENT!! We should ban that dumb statement

 

[Hi-Low]

If we stumble through another mediore-to-awful regular season and have another class of nobodies and misfits lined up for 2018, AD Dave will pull the plug regardless of money. He just can't let a situation like this fester without any evidence that things are improving.

I agree the 2017 class is not stellar but another class of nobodies and misfits is out of line. Polley is a 4 * just outside the top 100 & Carlton is a borderline 4* top 140, they deserve more credit than nobodies. What top 150 in the nation list have you ever been on? Just a few spots higher and suddenly they are acceptable to you right?

Does anyone really know the difference between getting 2 recruits ranked 95 & 98 vs 2 recruits ranked between 100 -140?

 

[MSGSeven]

Why do people keep repeating the lie that "the shot" got us in the tourney?? It did not. TULSA MADE THE TOURNAMENT!! We should ban that dumb statement

Like you know what were you on the selection committee? We were a bubble team and the consensus opinion was UConn needed to beat Cincy to get in the NCAAT. We had like three quality wins that year Michigan (neutral), Cincy (home) and SMU (home) and none of those three were anything special. Whether we would've made it if Cincy beat us no one will ever know. The bottomline is that team wasn't very good.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I agree the 2017 class is not stellar but another class of nobodies and misfits is out of line. Polley is a 4 * just outside the top 100 & Carlton is a borderline 4* top 140, they deserve more credit than nobodies. What top 150 in the nation list have you ever been on? Just a few spots higher and suddenly they are acceptable to you right?

Does anyone really know the difference between getting 2 recruits ranked 95 & 98 vs 2 recruits ranked between 100 -140?

When guys like polley and Carlton are highlighting a UConn recruiting class, there's a problem.

 

[RJScootin]

The future is more important than the present.

Did Villanova get rid of Jay Wright when he strung together a few bad seasons? No. If you have the potential for a good future, you don't get rid of a guy that won a national championship 4 years ago.

On the other hand, if he doesn't kill it on the recruiting scene, there is no future, and he is done.

The present is attached to the future. If the team isn't good in the present it will have a direct affect on recuiting next season. Similar to this off season. Who could have predicted losing three guys and a top recruit.

For me the present season is more important than future. Future is so uncertain espically in college BB the way the kids leave early for NBA and are quick to transfer (add injuries).

The team has enough to be good and contend for AAC title. Ollie needs to turn this around and exceed expectations for a change THIS year.

 

[AntG168]

Like you know what were you on the selection committee? We were a bubble team and the consensus opinion was UConn needed to beat Cincy to get in the NCAAT. We had like three quality wins that year Michigan (neutral), Cincy (home) and SMU (home) and none of those three were anything special. Whether we would've made it if Cincy beat us no one will ever know. The bottomline is that team wasn't very good.

I repeat Tulsa with less quality wins, worse in conference record, worse overall record, and a horrible RPI made the tourney. There was no way we miss the tourney. Thats not me guessing thats logic. And that was the concensus before Tulsa got an at-large bid, after that anyone with half a brain knew that game didnt get us in


Edit:Tulsa had a better conference record....that's it

 

[champs99and04]

Why do people keep repeating the lie that "the shot" got us in the tourney?? It did not. TULSA MADE THE TOURNAMENT!! We should ban that dumb statement

It's not dumb. We finished with an RPI of 35 and that was with beating Cincinnati, Temple, and Memphis. Flip the Cincinnati game and you're probably looking at an RPI south of 50 with only two top 50 wins. At the very least, that places us in dangerous waters - we'd have been a combined 3-8 against teams that finished ahead of us in the league. For as much of a joke as it is that Tulsa got in, they did fulfill a greater percentage of the committee's arbitrary requirements and nobody would have felt bad for a UConn team that finished sixth in the American.