Calhoun vs. Ollie

[jayteeman]

Calhoun picked Ollie.....and they still talk....that's fine by me.

 

[SubbaBub]

What are you talking about? The 2017-18 roster has 6 big men whose game doesn't extend more than 5 feet from the basket, 2 small forwards (Larrier, Polley), and 4 guards (Adams, Vital, Gilbert, Anderson). Half the roster is given over to the interior game.

Moreover of the guards 3 are point guards. There's only 3 players who fit your description of "2's, 3's, and 4's who want to play as 3's".

Which ones are going to grab 8 boards a game or can defend a 7 footer?

Putting an F or a C next to a guys name on the roster doesn't make him big man.

 

[Chief00]

Calhoun picked Ollie.....and they still talk....that's fine by me.

I don't know if that's actually true anymore

 

[Northbound]

Man it's apples and oranges.

JC had experience and success as a D-1 head coach when he came (I was at Northeastern when he was there and he had show he could coach as well as identify, woo and cultivate talent).

Ollie was by any measure woefully under qualified for this job when he got it.

His inexperience is showing itself in many areas. I hope he can adapt and right the ship.

JC has some responsibility here - he essentially forced the hire so the errors of Ollie's inexperience need to be partially owned by JC.

 

[Huskybass]

You're right, it's been a crazy fall off with Ollie only winning an NCAA Championship in 20% of the seasons he's coached. Calhoun didn't exactly hand the program to Ollie in pristine condition, but we have a lot of fans with amnesia on this board. People should be more pissed at Warde Manuel and Susan Herbst for botching the conference realignment, but I guess Ollie will be their fall guy instead.

Stop. Just stop. The team has won one NCAA tournament game in the last three seasons and regularly falls behind by double digits against mediocre teams.

 

[Hurleyman216]

Quite the delusion here. Do you really think a .500 post-season bid average is acceptable (.400 if UCONN doesn't make the big dance this season)? I don't have anything against Ollie, but come on... A (below) .500 tourney bid record doesn't cut it with me (or any other sane fan of an elite basketball program). What tells/insight do you have that suggest him turning it around? Let's not be another Kentucky-Tubby Smith and hang on way longer than we should have.

I think 4 years is a small sample size to be complaining about only making the tournament twice. Does anyone think if Larrier, Gilbert AND Diarra didn't miss the entire season last year that we wouldn't have made the tournamnent? I doubt you will find many.

KO has won the National Championship 25% of the time in which he had a shot to do so. Just to put that into perspective for you, take John Calipari as an example. The guy has landed top rated recruiting classes every school he has been at. He has won the tournament exactly one time ONE in his 25 years of coaching. (That's 4%). Does KO deserve another 5 years to turn things around? I don't think so, but letting him go after 5 years, recruiting sanctions and a season riddled with injuries would also be incredibly short-sited. I realize many on here are impatient, but KO is gaining experience and becoming a better coach. He's unfortunately in the position of doing it in a high visibility program. If KO was let go tomorrow I guarantee you that he would be immediately scooped up by a top P5 program. Let's all just take a deep breath and watch this season unfold before we put the nail in the coffin. I still firmly believe that KO is the right man for the job, this is just a bump in the road.

 

[SubbaBub]

Again, just stop. These last two seasons have been among the worst in the post 85 era. We could easily miss the NCAA again this season.

 

[Hurleyman216]

Again, just stop. These last two seasons have been among the worst in the post 85 era. We could easily miss the NCAA again this season.

Have to disagree on that...Calhoun had some years that were much worse than last year (and without injuries). For all of you who seem to think UConn made the NCAA tournament every year under Calhoun you may want to go back and check your facts. Calhoun actually never (NOT ONCE) strung together more than 3 NCAA tournament appearances in a row. So we are now expecting Ollie to do what JC never could? Again, without all the injuries last year that is a tournament team and we're making the tourney 3 out of every 4 years which is exactly what JC did. Our margin of error is smaller in the AAC, so we need our team firing on all cylinders in November (again something that JC's teams didn't typically do or need to do).

Sorry to let facts, data and history get in the way of your shotty judgement.

 

[Huskybass]

Have to disagree on that...Calhoun had some years that were much worse than last year (and without injuries). For all of you who seem to think UConn made the NCAA tournament every year under Calhoun you may want to go back and check your facts. Calhoun actually never (NOT ONCE) strung together more than 3 NCAA tournament appearances in a row. So we are now expecting Ollie to do what JC never could? Again, without all the injuries last year that is a tournament team and we're making the tourney 3 out of every 4 years which is exactly what JC did. Our margin of error is smaller in the AAC, so we need our team firing on all cylinders in November (again something that JC's teams didn't typically do or need to do).

Sorry to let facts, data and history get in the way of your shotty judgement.

Please, you are embarrassing yourself.

 

[huskyrob1]

Have to disagree on that...Calhoun had some years that were much worse than last year (and without injuries).

Please name those years. Thanks

 

[Huskybass]

Have to disagree on that...Calhoun had some years that were much worse than last year (and without injuries). For all of you who seem to think UConn made the NCAA tournament every year under Calhoun you may want to go back and check your facts. Calhoun actually never (NOT ONCE) strung together more than 3 NCAA tournament appearances in a row. So we are now expecting Ollie to do what JC never could? Again, without all the injuries last year that is a tournament team and we're making the tourney 3 out of every 4 years which is exactly what JC did. Our margin of error is smaller in the AAC, so we need our team firing on all cylinders in November (again something that JC's teams didn't typically do or need to do).

Sorry to let facts, data and history get in the way of your shotty judgement.

You are misrepresenting lots of things. Calhoun strung together FIVE straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2002 to 2006, and other than his first season, NEVER had a losing record at UConn. You can support Ollie all you want, but don't try to do it by misrepresenting JC's accomplishments. The man turned an average program into an elite program.

 

[TitleTown]

Just for some perspective... here is Calhoun's record at UConn his first 6 years as the head coach:

133-86 (.607)

And here is Kevin Ollie's record in his first 5 years as coach:

113-61 (.649)

In order for them to be equal in winning percentage we would have to go 10-20 this year.

Yes, you can argue Calhoun was coaching in a tougher conference, but he also came in with prior experience as a head coach at a D1 program. Let's just keep this in mind before calling for Ollie's replacement.

Please don't me that you are really trying to compare what Calhoun did with a terrible UConn program in 1986 to what Ollie did with an established national power. This comparison is laughable at best.

 

[Hurleyman216]

You are misrepresenting lots of things. Calhoun strung together FIVE straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2002 to 2006, and other than his first season, NEVER had a losing record at UConn. You can support Ollie all you want, but don't try to do it by misrepresenting JC's accomplishments. The man turned an average program into an elite program.

You are correct on the 5 straight NCAA appearances for JC, that was my bad. How about we agree that I won't misrepresent JC and his accomplishments if you do the same for KO? I don't ever recall JC having a season where he lost 2 starters and a top reserve...but my memory must be fuzzy since I also remember plenty of stumbling blocks that JC encountered along his path to success.