Cam Johnson officially released from Pitt

[husky99]

I'll stand corrected on Shaka, no problem. It looks like we may have dodged a bullet there anyway, which shows all of our prognostication abilities.

But I still maintain, Few, Miller, Stevens wouldn't have come.

I never said they would. What I said was those were my choices

 

[upstater]

Calhoun retired when he did to force UConn hand to pick ollie.

He also broke his hip on his bike in August which surely was not intentional. That had to have figured into it. He retired a couple weeks after breaking it.

 

[husky99]

He also broke his hip on his bike in August which surely was not intentional. That had to have figured into it. He retired a couple weeks after breaking it.

I think his wife pushed him off. She knew he was going to die coaching

 

[UConnStats]

I think his wife pushed him off. She knew he was going to die coaching

JSM pushed him off. He was itching to be miserable.

 

[superjohn]

I'm glad Calhoun retired when he did, the stress and demands of it were no longer healthy for him. He looks 5-10 years younger right now than he did then.

 

[80shusky]

I'm glad Calhoun retired when he did, the stress and demands of it were no longer healthy for him. He looks 5-10 years younger right now than he did then.

Agree 100%! I have been thinking the same thing. Those last few years he looked pale and completely shot. You see him now he looks healthy, relaxed and happy. He's earned that.

 

[Huskyforlife]

If Ollie is fired and UConn hires a coach with only a few years as an assistant somewhere successful, with no head coaching experience, I think the board would blow up. But that was basically ollies resume, he only got the job because of Calhoun endorsement.

Now his first two years made him look like a future legend. The last three look like someone in over his head, we'll see next season if he's the right man for the job moving forward.

 

[Mr. Hand]

I'll stand corrected on Shaka, no problem. It looks like we may have dodged a bullet there anyway, which shows all of our prognostication abilities.

But I still maintain, Few, Miller, Stevens wouldn't have come.



UConn is a good job, no doubt. But a great one? I'm not so sure. If this was, 2004, I'd agree with you. People look at UConn as the name on the jersey as if it speaks for itself. In some ways it does, given the NCs. But JC was the program. Him leaving is almost like UConn is not UConn. This is not UNC. Nor Duke. Nor UK. It's not a blue blood in the eyes of the nation.

And now our conference affiliation is an absolute killer. The Brand is still there, to a lesser extent, but it's not what it was, even with a recent championship. Attendance has been falling recently, even in JCs later years. Storrs itself is in the middle of East Bumbff_ck. It's got crappy weather and a dearth of coeds in bikinis.

I mean, people have to look at it from an 17 year old kids perspective. If I'm offered Zona, UCLA, UK, Duke, UNC, Kansas....I'm taking them over UConn in a heartbeat. They don't give a ff__ck about Ray Allen. The biggest draw of UConn was the greatness of it's coach and the greatness of the Big East. Both those things are gone. Hopefully Ollie can turn himself into 'the draw'. Jury's out.

You said it better than I could.

I'll only add that a search for a new coach would most likely resemble our luck with recruiting lately...start with a list of big names, but then quickly devolve into a growing list of lesser names out of which we'd take a chance on someone.

In recruiting, they're not rejecting Ollie so much as they're rejecting our area of the country, our conference, and our fair weather fanbase.

I'm really hoping Chillious is as good as his reputation...

 

[KingAG]

You said it better than I could.

I'll only add that a search for a new coach would most likely resemble our luck with recruiting lately...start with a list of big names, but then quickly devolve into a growing list of lesser names out of which we'd take a chance on someone.

In recruiting, they're not rejecting Ollie so much as they're rejecting our area of the country, our conference, and our fair weather fanbase.

I'm really hoping Chillious is as good as his reputation...

Recruits are not rejecting us because of our "fair weather fan base" lmfaooo. Thats ridiculous. But i do agree with the rest of what you said.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I heard from a couple well placed, non-UConn sources that Shaka was waiting for the UConn job to open. We could have landed him but I see no evidence that he would have been a better choice than KO.

We may have been able to land Sean Miller but to do so we would have had to offered a higher salary than we ever paid JC. That would not have happened.

Many schools tried to pry Few away from Gonzaga over the years. Someone needs to convince we could have succeeded.

As far as the 2014 title, KO was masterful in how he handled that team. I'm not sure that JC could have led them to the title and I don't see how anyone could have done a better job from ~10 minutes into the Nova game forward than KO did that year.

 

[Mr. Hand]

Recruits are not rejecting us because of our "fair weather fan base" lmfaooo. Thats ridiculous. But i do agree with the rest of what you said.

Take that laugh to the XL Center next season during all but two or three conference games, listen to it bounce off the walls and rows upon rows of empty seats, and think about what kind of impression that makes on a recruit who might also be witnessing the apathy. I'm not wrong.

 

[intlzncster]

I'm glad Calhoun retired when he did, the stress and demands of it were no longer healthy for him. He looks 5-10 years younger right now than he did then.

I wanted him to continue coaching until he died on the sideline. But I'm a selfish .

 

[upstater]

If Ollie is fired and UConn hires a coach with only a few years as an assistant somewhere successful, with no head coaching experience, I think the board would blow up. But that was basically ollies resume, he only got the job because of Calhoun endorsement.

Now his first two years made him look like a future legend. The last three look like someone in over his head, we'll see next season if he's the right man for the job moving forward.

Usually these assistants with very little experience haven't had 13 or 14 year NBA careers which were noted for the fact that the player acted like a coach on the bench, and he also instilled a winning culture where he went, an excellent mentor, who also by the ay had such great knowledge of the game that he was much in demand as a possible hire at multiple levels in the NBA.

This is very very different than the person you are comparing him to. Ollie has more of a Fred Hoiberg resume than a Dave Leitao resume.

 

[Tenspro2002]

People more about perception and appearance than winning titles. To some, 2014 would have been more satisfying if we were 27-4, ranked in the Top 10 for most of the year, and got knocked out in the 2nd round as a 2/3 seed.

No, but I think going forward we'll have a lot more success in the Tournament by going 27-4 and earning a #2-3 seed than by going 26-8 and earning a #7 seed.

Unlike some, I don't think KO has some magic formula for winning championships after mediocre regular seasons.

 

[mauconnfan]

No, but I think going forward we'll have a lot more success in the Tournament by going 27-4 and earning a #2-3 seed than by going 26-8 and earning a #7 seed.

Unlike some, I don't think KO has some magic formula for winning championships after mediocre regular seasons.

I think we have issues if we think 24-8 is mediocre. I mean I get we used to have some crazy years in the BE under JC but I can't imagine most people being upset with a 24-8 season. Obvioulsy 27-4 is great but then again we didn't play enough games with either result. 20-10 is also ok if the season is that of a upward trend full of momentum and then you win 2-3 in the league tourney then a run int e NCAA and finish 25-11. We can't be all that greedy trying to get back up there, even though we're in the AAC. It's more about how the needle is pointing.

 

[KingAG]

Take that laugh to the XL Center next season during all but two or three conference games, listen to it bounce off the walls and rows upon rows of empty seats, and think about what kind of impression that makes on a recruit who might also be witnessing the apathy. I'm not wrong.

I dont want to harp on that one thing when i agree with the rest of what you said. But when UConn is on national TV against a national brand(not tulsa) fans show out. Think syracuse this yr at the garden. Recruits see that before they see a wed evening game against tulane. Our fan base actually has a good perception

 

[Tenspro2002]

I think we have issues if we think 24-8 is mediocre. I mean I get we used to have some crazy years in the BE under JC but I can't imagine most people being upset with a 24-8 season. Obvioulsy 27-4 is great but then again we didn't play enough games with either result. 20-10 is also ok if the season is that of a upward trend full of momentum and then you win 2-3 in the league tourney then a run int e NCAA and finish 25-11. We can't be all that greedy trying to get back up there, even though we're in the AAC. It's more about how the needle is pointing.

26-8 in 2014 earned us a #7 seed.

Going back to 1990, we've earned a better seed than that 15 times in 27 seasons.

Yes, a #7 seed is mediocre by this program's standards.

 

[Stainmaster]

Here are all of the programs who had at minimum 27 wins and no more than 4 losses in a) the P5 and b) all four top mid-major leagues (A10, AAC, Big East, MWC) this past season:

Villanova (31-3), SMU (30-4), Arizona (30-4), Kansas (28-4), UCLA (29-4)

Seems like this isn't just a UConn problem.

 

[Stainmaster]

26-8 in 2014 earned us a #7 seed.

Going back to 1990, we've earned a better seed than that 15 times in 27 seasons.

Yes, a #7 seed is mediocre by this program's standards.

What conference were we in from 1990-2013? That may have had something to do with the change in how we have been seated going forward...

 

[Storrs South]

I dont want to harp on that one thing when i agree with the rest of what you said. But when UConn is on national TV against a national brand(not tulsa) fans show out. Think syracuse this yr at the garden. Recruits see that before they see a wed evening game against tulane. Our fan base actually has a good perception

I agree. I know many keep beating on the fan base, but there are very few parts of the country where the fans keep turning up even when the team is awful (sup Knicks?). The attendance was decent when it was perceived we were in for a good year against lowly Wagner on a Friday night at 7. Not the easiest to get to Storrs in rush hour traffic on a Friday and yet the place was packed for what was a very bad opponent.

I'm not blind, I went to many games this year so I saw the same thing you all saw: attendance was awful. Do you know what was more awful? Losing to Wagner/Northeastern/@Tulsa/@ECU/[insert most losses from this season here]. It costs people time, money, etc. to come to games and if UConn is going to lose these games more than they win, people are not going to show up.

Even with key injuries to Gilbert/Larrier, this team lost a handful games that on pure talent alone should blown opponents out of the building.

The point of this tirade is the attendance narrative is a tired act -- UConn needs to get better, then fans will show up. Period end of story.

 

[Mr. Hand]

I dont want to harp on that one thing when i agree with the rest of what you said. But when UConn is on national TV against a national brand(not tulsa) fans show out. Think syracuse this yr at the garden. Recruits see that before they see a wed evening game against tulane. Our fan base actually has a good perception

You just described a fair weather fanbase.

I'm gonna make an unfair comparison to the early years of Calhoun's tenure to today. In 1988 when i first started regularly attending Civic Center games, there were only a handful of games that didn't sell out, and the atmosphere was electric. Those teams lost a lot of games too, but it didn't seem to matter. After going to a game, it was hard not to be a fan. Now I take my son to games, and he gives me puzzled looks... like "Why daddy? Nobody seems to care?"

The fans have ridiculous expectations now, and if the blueblood level expectations aren't met, they drift off and do other things... like watch the women or the Patriots. Fair weather.

 

[KingAG]

You just described a fair weather fanbase.

I'm gonna make an unfair comparison to the early years of Calhoun's tenure to today. In 1988 when i first started regularly attending Civic Center games, there were only a handful of games that didn't sell out, and the atmosphere was electric. Those teams lost a lot of games too, but it didn't seem to matter. After going to a game, it was hard not to be a fan. Now I take my son to games, and he gives me puzzled looks... like "Why daddy? Nobody seems to care?"

The fans have ridiculous expectations now, and if the blueblood level expectations aren't met, they drift off and do other things... like watch the women or the Patriots. Fair weather.

I didnt say they werent fair weather. I said it has no effect on recruits. I agree our fan base has a lot of front-runners

 

[Pudge]

Shaka Smart wanted the UConn job.

He turned down Illinois anticipating having a shot at UConn.

Calhoun wasn't stupid - he knew Ollie wasn't going to get the job in an open search.

Illinois?

I know the Illini think they are elite; and certainly at this point - they can/will pay more than UConn; but I don't think I would be indifferent to a Texas level versus a slew of others. What we are finding out in this continuing dialogue is that some of you just wanted to go grab the flavor of the year coach and hope he loves being in the AAC. As we see with the other Programs in our conference - and thus comparable in conversation - you get the grizzled cast-off (who actually can coach) in Kelvin Sampson or Tubby Smith or Brian Gregory or Frank Haith or Johnny Dawkins.

I think what we are discovering in this dialogue is a "check the mirror" moment for the Boneyard. Too many are ready to tcan Ollie and go for the next flavor. the questions: (1.) "Are you happy with the last 3 years?" (2.) "Ollie won the NC with Calhoun's recruits in 2014 ... he isn't that good an evaluator or developer of talent" (3.) He ain't getting better.

Kevin Ollie - beyond the NC and the divorce - has to be given a chance to re-boot. He took on the Hobbs/Miller/Blaney/Freeman-Ricky stuff. This is an ugly year ... but I still don't think many of you give any credence to how good Terry Larrier or Alterique Gilbert could be (or even Mamadou Diarra). And then ding him bigtime for first the Seniors development (and I believe we got as much from those 3 as we were going to get ... only Facey is one I see as having improvement still in his scheme) and then the angst of who-knows-what on the Vance Jackson - Steven Enoch - Jarrett Durham swirl.

I think we all should agree on one point: This is a crucial few months for Kevin Ollie. What are we going to see in October?

 

[Pudge]

You just described a fair weather fanbase.

I'm gonna make an unfair comparison to the early years of Calhoun's tenure to today. In 1988 when i first started regularly attending Civic Center games, there were only a handful of games that didn't sell out, and the atmosphere was electric. Those teams lost a lot of games too, but it didn't seem to matter. After going to a game, it was hard not to be a fan. Now I take my son to games, and he gives me puzzled looks... like "Why daddy? Nobody seems to care?"

The fans have ridiculous expectations now, and if the blueblood level expectations aren't met, they drift off and do other things... like watch the women or the Patriots. Fair weather.

Exactly!

 

[superjohn]

I think we have issues if we think 24-8 is mediocre. I mean I get we used to have some crazy years in the BE under JC but I can't imagine most people being upset with a 24-8 season. Obvioulsy 27-4 is great but then again we didn't play enough games with either result. 20-10 is also ok if the season is that of a upward trend full of momentum and then you win 2-3 in the league tourney then a run int e NCAA and finish 25-11. We can't be all that greedy trying to get back up there, even though we're in the AAC. It's more about how the needle is pointing.

I expected us to be like Memphis under Calipari or Gonzaga once we were punished to this conference, tournament every year with some very high seeds. Fact is it's been a huge struggle. Never expected Cincinnati and SMU to leapfrog us, with UConn left a middling team in a weak conference.

 

[champs99and04]

26-8 in 2014 earned us a #7 seed.

Going back to 1990, we've earned a better seed than that 15 times in 27 seasons.

Yes, a #7 seed is mediocre by this program's standards.

First off, we were under-seeded as a seven in 2014. We should have been closer to a five.

Second, we have to account for some type of drop-off when one of the best coaches of all-time retires. It's not exactly easy to sustain a run as a perennially dominant program, especially when we play in a much weaker conference.

I don't think anybody is defending their performance this past season, but I do think it was the first season Ollie had that was indefensible. 2015 had to have been expected to some degree after all we lost the prior year - even Calhoun struggled with two of his three post-title teams, and he wasn't playing Samuel, Cassell, Nolan, and a broken Omar Calhoun. 2016 they under-achieved most of our expectations, but they still won the conference tournament, finished 26th on KenPom, and turned in a representative performance on the big stage. This past season was the first time the wheels came off the bus, and that has to be considered when discussing his job security. This hasn't become a chronic problem to the point that hope has been squeezed from the program.

If you're going to set your sites on Sean Miller, Chris Mack, or Greg Marshall, fine. Those are proven coaches who would seem to have a better chance at this point in time at returning us to where we were under Calhoun. But it's highly doubtful those types are coming here, so you have to ask yourself whether you're willing to hire a guy like Danny Hurley, somebody who has exactly 1/7 as many tournament wins as Ollie and would be far more of a threat to leave for another program down the line. My answer would be a resounding no.

 

[lange10]

Idiotic of me to think there would be some actual news regarding Cam Johnson considering there was 3 more pages to the thread from when I went to work this morning. Good work lads

 

[pj]

Kevin Ollie proved he can coach at national championship caliber in 2012-2014. Aggravated by the lingering effects of recruiting sanctions, conference realignment, and a demoralizing divorce, he proved he can make rookie-head-coach mistakes in 2015-2017. Now he's proven he can fire staff (Travis, Glen) inherited from his predecessor, bring in his own assistants (Killings, Chillious), and is willing to let the roster drop to half-size rather than kow-tow to selfish players -- perhaps a first sign that he's acquiring Calhoun-style toughness and imposing his will on the program. It all comes down to this: Can he learn from his failings, keep his many excellencies, build the staff that complements and completes him, and become a top-notch coach?

I say he will. Let's see what 2017-2019 bring. But I think we'll look back at this as the growing pains of a great coach.

And I take KO over Shaka every day of the week.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Here are all of the programs who had at minimum 27 wins and no more than 4 losses in a) the P5 and b) all four top mid-major leagues (A10, AAC, Big East, MWC) this past season:

Villanova (31-3), SMU (30-4), Arizona (30-4), Kansas (28-4), UCLA (29-4)

Seems like this isn't just a UConn problem.

There's a pretty big delta between 4 loss and 17 losses.

 

[Stainmaster]

There's a pretty big delta between 4 loss and 17 losses.

Nowhere did I say 17 is acceptable. Just pointing out that given the direction the game as a whole seems to be moving in, 4 losses isn't as feasible as it may have been 10-15 years ago.