Chillious recruiting connections

[HuskiesAllDay]

SMU and Cincy aren't really recruiting at a high level. They are not grabbing many top 100s. Which maybe explains why neither team ever advances past the first weekend.

Look at the recruiting rankings.

Plus, Cincy has really only had it over UConn last year. One year. The other 3 years, UConn has had better seasons.

Cinci: 2nd (16-2), T-4 (12-6), T-3 (13-5), 2 (15-3). Overall: 56-16, 77.7 win pct. Avg finish: 2.75
UConn: T-5 (9-9), 6 (11-7), T-5 (10-8), 3 (12-6). Overall: 42-30, 58.3 win pct. Avg finish: 4.75

So yeah they've been better than us every single year. And much better overall. Not sure how this is arguable (its sad really).

And if we are recruiting at a higher level, then you cant blame the conference for that. And also since we have better players, but much worse results, that would seem to indicate significantly inferior coaching.

 

[pj]

What high major players? I guess this depends on how you define "high major". And he failed to get a couple of those same Washington kids to come to UConn when they decided Washington was not for them any more.

I think Antoine Anderson, David Onuorah, Eric Cobb, Isaiah Whaley, and Davide Moretti are all capable of being competitive against P5+BigEast/AAC/A10 players, though Whaley in particular may need a few years of development.

 

[superjohn]

SMU and Cincy aren't really recruiting at a high level. They are not grabbing many top 100s. Which maybe explains why neither team ever advances past the first weekend.

Look at the recruiting rankings.

Plus, Cincy has really only had it over UConn last year. One year. The other 3 years, UConn has had better seasons.

They never do much of anything in the tournament but without looking it up I think Cincy has a better record than us in the AAC every season since it's formation. SMU is even worse in the tournament but they also always seem to have a better conference record than us. We simply have to step it up.

 

[navery12]

They never do much of anything in the tournament but without looking it up I think Cincy has a better record than us in the AAC every season since it's formation. SMU is even worse in the tournament but they also always seem to have a better conference record than us. We simply have to step it up.

In conference Cincy has finished above us all 4 years. Overall it's a 2-2 split of who's finished with the better record (2014 and 2016 for us)

 

[intlzncster]

By what logic? What players has he brought in that lead you to conclude he has made a big difference? On the contrary, how many players were available this summer that he either recruited previously or coached previously or both that didn't come here? Make a list of the two groups and compare them. I don't see the beef....

Dude, it's been two months man. Do you even know how recruiting works?

Guys sometimes follow head coaches to other programs. Assistants, not as much. There's really 3 players we are talking about. One followed his dad and ex head coach (Porter), one wanted to follow his ex head coach and stud teammate (Harris), and one who was a down to the wire loss to a conference rival (Diarra).

What magical hats did you think Chillious would pull rabbits out of this quickly and this late in the game?

 

[upstater]

They never do much of anything in the tournament but without looking it up I think Cincy has a better record than us in the AAC every season since it's formation. SMU is even worse in the tournament but they also always seem to have a better conference record than us. We simply have to step it up.

I don't care if they had a better record if Uconn beats them in the conference tournament and then advances more than they did in the NCAA.

 

[JMick]

I don't care if they had a better record if UConn beats them in the conference tournament and then advances more than they did in the NCAA.

when we make the tournament....

 

[Vuce]

Gonzaga plays in a crap conference and they are in the tourney every year and a decent seed. Conference affiliation will hurt but darn it we should be better than the Zags.

 

[upstater]

when we make the tournament....

???

We made it in 2 of those 3 years.

 

[uconnbill]

You have to recruit the right players for the system you are running. That has been part of the problem alone with problems within the program this past season with players leaving and and coaching changes

 

[superjohn]

I don't care if they had a better record if UConn beats them in the conference tournament and then advances more than they did in the NCAA.

I care about us finishing 6th in this conference, it hurts our recruiting and national perception while also hurting the conference. We should be treating this league like Memphis treated it's league under Calipari. We do that and no doubt we will be getting the top recruits.

 

[upstater]

I care about us finishing 6th in this conference, it hurts our recruiting and national perception while also hueting the conference. We should be treating this league like Memphis did under Calipari. We do that and no doubt we will be getting the top recruits.

I don't think people notice as much as you imagine. Winning the conference tournament, or the national championship, or heck even winning a tournament game is much more noticeable to the rest of the nation.

 

[superjohn]

I don't think people notice as much as you imagine. Winning the conference tournament, or the national championship, or heck even winning a tournament game is much more noticeable to the rest of the nation.

It's just another tool being used against us by other coaches and kids notice not seeing UConn ranked in the top 25. It just has to get better.

 

[intlzncster]

It's just another tool being used against us by other coaches and kids notice not seeing UConn ranked in the top 25. It just has to get better.

You're both kinda right. Where we finish in this conference is totally irrelevant, as long as we are Top 20. If we finish 4th, but are the 15th ranked team, that's fantastic. That's not likely happening of course, as the league doesn't support that.

In terms of national consciousness/perception, the most important things are National Ranking and tournament success. In striving to improving those two metrics, winning this league is just something that falls into place. It's a cause and effect thing.

 

[Paesano]

Dude, it's been two months man. Do you even know how recruiting works?

Guys sometimes follow head coaches to other programs. Assistants, not as much. There's really 3 players we are talking about. One followed his dad and ex head coach (Porter), one wanted to follow his ex head coach and stud teammate (Harris), and one who was a down to the wire loss to a conference rival (Diarra).

What magical hats did you think Chillious would pull rabbits out of this quickly and this late in the game?

That's fine but then you can't say he has made a big difference. Maybe, later, we will see that he has made a big difference. But, as of right now, there is no data upon which to stake that claim. I am not knocking him for not having made a big difference yet. I am just pointing out that it is difficult to support a claim that he has.

 

[Huskybass]

I don't think people notice as much as you imagine. Winning the conference tournament, or the national championship, or heck even winning a tournament game is much more noticeable to the rest of the nation.

Being unranked all season long certainly keeps UConn out of the spotlight. We simply have to have better regular seasons to be relevant on the national scene.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Our conference is the biggest hurdle in recruiting. I miss the days going to Cuse,Pitt and ND. Now we are left w Memphis and Temple , Cincy as the biggest games. Not to mention no more MSG tournament.No thanks. I don't blame kids looking elsewhere and it's an uphill battle for Ollie.

No. Winning is the biggest hurdle. We win it solves everything

 

[TitleTown]

You have to recruit the right players for the system you are running. That has been part of the problem alone with problems within the program this past season with players leaving and and coaching changes

The system we run is also a big problem as well.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

You have to recruit the right players for the system you are running. That has been part of the problem alone with problems within the program this past season with players leaving and and coaching changes

I think the problem is that we don't have a system, and/or say we have a certain system when in reality we are doing the exact opposite. How can you recruit the "right" players to fit a system that doesn't actually exist?

We market ourselves/ have a perception of running a "position less", free flowing, nba, fast paced style. In theory Facey, Brimah, Durmah etc would be perfect fits due to their length, speed, and athleticism etc.

Except that isn't at all how we actually play. The reality is that we play a slow paced offense with three guys standing behind the 3 point line pounding the ball into submission with occasional half-a** screen attempts..

This system requires a lot of shooters (which we never actually seem to try to recruit). And would be best used with a big man down low who has post moves so we can feed it into him and then he can kick it out to said 3 guys standing behind the 3 point line (which we rarely recruit, although Carlton is a nice step in the right direction).

So we either need to acknowledge the system that we actually run and then recruit those types of players. Or recruit guys that fit this hypothetical system that we say we run, and then actually play that way.

But when you tell recruits you are going to play a certain style and then do the exact opposite, well its no wonder they might want to leave.

 

[LStudfellow]

The system we run is also a big problem as well.

To use an excellent word from BigErn - this calling out the system Ollie is trying to run as "a big problem" is a total canard.

KO is trying to run NBA-style pro sets. That is what high school kids want to hear and see. Obviously they have dreams of playing in the NBA, so this is a positive selling point, not a negative. Additionally, when he has a full compliment of players he wants to run largely a man-to-man defense. Again, a positive selling point versus, say, Syracuse, who runs their 2-3 zone.

Although we did not run our sets well at all last year, the philosophy is not the issue. The execution definitely is. That is on the coaches and the players.

Now, if we were running Tony Bennett's archaic offensive system at the University of Virginia, I would agree with you.

Edit: Good points by HuskiesAllDay and Uconnbill right before my post.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

To use an excellent word from BigErn - this calling out the system Ollie is trying to run as "a big problem" is a total canard.

KO is trying to run NBA-style pro sets. That is what high school kids want to hear and see. Obviously they have dreams of playing in the NBA, so this is a positive selling point, not a negative. Additionally, when he has a full compliment of players he wants to run largely a man-to-man defense. Again, a positive selling point versus, say, Syracuse, who runs their 2-3 zone.

Although we did not run our sets well at all last year, the philosophy is not the issue. The execution definitely is. That is on the coaches and the players.

Now, if we were running Tony Bennett's archaic offensive system at the University of Virginia, I would agree with you.

Edit: Good points by HuskiesAllDay and Uconnbill right before my post.

You obviously missed the entire point of my post.

Execution is a problem, but for me, clearly defining said system is the larger issue. Its not so much an issue of execution as not knowing exactly what you are supposed to execute on.

You say that KO is trying to run pro style sets, but where is the evidence of this? Nobody even moves off the ball in our "sets".

Tony Bennett is at least recruiting the right kids for his "archaic system" which btw has resulted in a heck of a lot more winning lately than our"appealing" one.

 

[husky429]

I think the problem is that we don't have a system, and/or say we have a certain system when in reality we are doing the exact opposite. How can you recruit the "right" players to fit a system that doesn't actually exist?

We market ourselves/ have a perception of running a "position less", free flowing, nba, fast paced style. In theory Facey, Brimah, Durmah etc would be perfect fits due to their length, speed, and athleticism etc.

Except that isn't at all how we actually play. The reality is that we play a slow paced offense with three guys standing behind the 3 point line pounding the ball into submission with occasional half-a** screen attempts..

This system requires a lot of shooters (which we never actually seem to try to recruit). And would be best used with a big man down low who has post moves so we can feed it into him and then he can kick it out to said 3 guys standing behind the 3 point line (which we rarely recruit, although Carlton is a nice step in the right direction).

So we either need to acknowledge the system that we actually run and then recruit those types of players. Or recruit guys that fit this hypothetical system that we say we run, and then actually play that way.

But when you tell recruits you are going to play a certain style and then do the exact opposite, well its no wonder they might want to leave.

I don't know how you can possibly think we're not recruiting players to fit our system--particularly your comment about shooters. Ollie has CERTAINLY been recruiting versatile players and shooters.

- Vance
- Vital
- The rest of the top 5... while they ultimately left they were recruited.
- Our top recruits for 2018? Jalen Carey--an elite shooter. Simi Shittu--great shooter for a PF and a super versatile player. Iggy, shooter.

The illusion that our offense stinks has been overblown in my mind. Have we been ineffecient, yes. That's partly because our lack of skilled big men. I think Ollie has been targetting more skilled, less athletic bigs to try to avoid this recently. Cobb and Carlton couldn't be farther from Brimah and Facey offensively.

We are running NBA sets. They work very, very well for our guards. That's a fact. We haven't had the personnel to make this work with 100% effeciency. Or even close. The offense has been pretty bad. Could it change, YES. We could use some more sets that play to our players strengths. But we DO NOT need a complete and utter overhaul as you seem to suggest.

Our sets out of timeouts have been some of the most effecient in the country under ollie. People constantly seem to forget that one here.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

I don't know how you can possibly think we're not recruiting players to fit our system--particularly your comment about shooters. Ollie has CERTAINLY been recruiting versatile players and shooters.

- Vance
- Vital
- The rest of the top 5... while they ultimately left they were recruited.
- Our top recruits for 2018? Jalen Carey--an elite shooter. Simi Shittu--great shooter for a PF and a super versatile player. Iggy, shooter.

The illusion that our offense stinks has been overblown in my mind. Have we been ineffecient, yes. That's partly because our lack of skilled big men. I think Ollie has been targetting more skilled, less athletic bigs to try to avoid this recently. Cobb and Carlton couldn't be farther from Brimah and Facey offensively.

We are running NBA sets. They work very, very well for our guards. That's a fact. We haven't had the personnel to make this work with 100% effeciency. Or even close. The offense has been pretty bad. Could it change, YES. We could use some more sets that play to our players strengths. But we DO NOT need a complete and utter overhaul as you seem to suggest.

Our sets out of timeouts have been some of the most effecient in the country under ollie. People constantly seem to forget that one here.

1.) I agree he has been recruiting versatile players. But we havent actual run the right system to fit them. Which is exactly my entire point!

2.) Our timeout sets and inbound plays have been nothing short of dreadful the last few years.

3.) Our offense has not been good the last few years. Kenpom offensive efficiency rankings last 5 years: 156, 59, 100, 39, 55. Average of 82.

3.) Jalen Adams waiting until there is 5 seconds left on the shot clock and then using his great athleticism blow by ability to get a hoop does not mean we are running great sets for our guards. Or Shabazz making some prayer 3 because he is great.

4.) Vance Jackson was a shooter yes. But he was likely told he would be playing in a free flowing versatile system rather one that required him to stand in the corner. VJ is too slow and athletic to play in this make believe versatile system.

He actually exemplifies all of my points. He thought he was coming to play in a certain system (which he isn't actually cut out for due to lack of quickness and versatility). When we didn't play that way he wasn't happy and left. Ironically Vance ended up fitting the system we actually played much better than the system we told him we were going to play. But he wasn't recruited to do so!

This clearly highlights the problem which is lacking a clearly defined system and then actually playing that way. Only then can we actually recruit the right type of players.

 

[mauconnfan]

Being unranked all season long certainly keeps UConn out of the spotlight. We simply have to have better regular seasons to be relevant on the national scene.

Yeah it was tough to watch ESPN and see the Top 25 scores and not see our guys up there unless they were playing someone relevant. That needs to stop as no one is used to that and media markets you as well.

 

[mauconnfan]

The system we run is also a big problem as well.

During JC's tenure when he had an off year his "system" was questioned.

Just win, the "system" will work too.