Coaching Uconn

[60'sfan]

Just out of curiosity, is there any other coach that could have taken this Uconn team to the championship? The only other that I can think of is Jim Calhoun.

 

[uconnfan68]

Just out of curiosity, is there any other coach that could have taken this Uconn team to the championship? The only other that I can think of is Jim Calhoun.

To be honest... not sure if the kids would have responded to JC the same way they did for KO.

 

[HungryHuskies]

I agree. I think KO has a more modernized approach to coaching that allowed him to bond with the players. The chemistry of this team was off the charts. Not saying Jim didn't bond with his "kids" though.

 

[UconnU]

I agree. I think KO has a more modernized approach to coaching that allowed him to bond with the players. The chemistry of this team was off the charts. Not saying Jim didn't bond with his "kids" though.

I remember one year where JC's style was a real detriment to our team...he had a really tough time with the kids they all look scared to make a mistake, as soon as they made a mistake he would pull them and they would come back to the bench with their heads down... and we stunk for the first half of the season... I remember wiggins was on the team what year was that?

 

[August_West]

I have a hard time thinking that anyone but KO could have pulled this off. However JC might have. He loved the veteran two-headed dragon guard tandems and knew how to use them down the stretch.

That being said, I think with JC at the helm last year during the ban, we win maybe 13-14 games. No way we get 2o like KO did.

 

[HungryHuskies]

I remember one year where JC's style was a real detriment to our team...he had a really tough time with the kids they all look scared to make a mistake, as soon as they made a mistake he would pull them and they would come back to the bench with their heads down... and we stunk for the first half of the season... I remember wiggins was on the team what year was that?

Sticks would look at the bench in fear each time he made a mistake.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Just out of curiosity, is there any other coach that could have taken this Uconn team to the championship? The only other that I can think of is Jim Calhoun.

Bazz as player/coach would not have lost a game all year!

 

[Strummer]

I don't know. I really, really don't think JC wins with this year's crew.

Fact is, JC rotations became questionable in the last few years, and I believed his aggressive hooking tendency had a net negative impact on many players. In 2011 there weren't many options, because the team was so young. He pretty much had to play the guys who played.

But you go back to 09, and Sticks is in the doghouse in a major way prior to Dyson getting hurt. IIRC, Sticks played 1 minutes or something against LVille late in that season. Was getting 10 minutes here and there.

Dyson goes down, JC has no real option other than to play Sticks. And the dude goes absolutely ape-crap in the tourni. SRob is the perfect example of a kid who probably would have been an NBA talent if KO was his coach from day 1.

Love the fact that JC built the program from virtually scratch. Love his intensity and the way he got guys to play.

But, ultimately, the APR, the Nate Miles fiasco, the multi-game ban, the lost scholarships, the R.Smith fiasco and transfer, the AO debacle, and the failure to develop SRob all fall on the big guy's shoulders, in my opinion, and it was absolutely time for JC to have the statute cast and move on.

Warts and all I love him. Ollie too, but I haven't seen any warts yet (maybe a couple of grammatical freckles).

 

[Go_Huskies]

To be honest... not sure if the kids would have responded to JC the same way they did for KO.

Something about comparing them both makes me uneasy. JC is a great coach and so is KO. Lets be grateful to have them both. No need to compare them both. They have different styles but both are successful.

 

[dogpause]

To be honest... not sure if the kids would have responded to JC the same way they did for KO.

I agree with this. As good of a coach as JC was, he was also a hard-ass. I don't mean that in a negative way, it was just his style. When you look throughout sports history, I believe find there are quite a number of examples of nice guys who've succeeded in their first years after following a hard-ass coach. The problem for nice guys, as Leo Derocher would point out, is sustaining that success.

In Kevin's case, he's a whole lot more than a nice guy, he can also "bring the hot sauce" as he calls it. In addition, he has the ability to relate to the players -- many of his NBA teammates were about the same age as college kids, and he has a credibility level that supersedes almost anyone you can think of. He's also humble, and that earns him tons of respect. And finally, he's quirky, a character who is larger than life in some ways, while still being small and unassuming. I love the man and I think he's going to have a long and prosperous career and achieve legendary status just for being who he is, and all he is.

BTW, I think Kemba deserves an honorable mention too.

 

[MidTown Husky]

Ya'll are crazy and need to show some RESPECT

 

[J-dog]

The bigger picture is if not for what JC built, there would have never an opportunity to win it all this year… It all starts & ends with Calhoun & this program doesn't exist without him…

That said, I love KO & where they're headed under his watch...

 

[Deleted member 3149]

I still think that KO could have gotten the best of the 2012 team as well.

1. Napier
2. Lamb
3. Smith
4. Oriakhi
5. Drummond

To this day, that's the most talented starting lineup in UConn history... In my opinion.

 

[intlzncster]

I still think that KO could have gotten the best of the 2012 team as well.

1. Napier
2. Lamb
3. Smith
4. Oriakhi
5. Drummond
To this day, that's the most talented starting lineup in UConn history... In my opinion.

WAT?

I'd be surprised if that was in the top 10

 

[60'sfan]

I still think that KO could have gotten the best of the 2012 team as well.

1. Napier
2. Lamb
3. Smith
4. Oriakhi
5. Drummond

To this day, that's the most talented starting lineup in UConn history... In my opinion.

I won't argue about the talent of those starters but it is not the most talent that wins, it is always the best team. We probably had less pure talent than most of the tournament teams we played this year and yet we won. As good as KO is (and I think he is the best), I am not sure that even he would have won with that team. The chemistry was bad and sometimes the coach can't change that.

 

[Gurleyman]

I don't know. I really, really don't think JC wins with this year's crew.

Fact is, JC rotations became questionable in the last few years, and I believed his aggressive hooking tendency had a net negative impact on many players. In 2011 there weren't many options, because the team was so young. He pretty much had to play the guys who played.

But you go back to 09, and Sticks is in the doghouse in a major way prior to Dyson getting hurt. IIRC, Sticks played 1 minutes or something against LVille late in that season. Was getting 10 minutes here and there.

Dyson goes down, JC has no real option other than to play Sticks. And the dude goes absolutely ape-crap in the tourni. SRob is the perfect example of a kid who probably would have been an NBA talent if KO was his coach from day 1.

Love the fact that JC built the program from virtually scratch. Love his intensity and the way he got guys to play.

But, ultimately, the APR, the Nate Miles fiasco, the multi-game ban, the lost scholarships, the R.Smith fiasco and transfer, the AO debacle, and the failure to develop SRob all fall on the big guy's shoulders, in my opinion, and it was absolutely time for JC to have the statute cast and move on.

Warts and all I love him. Ollie too, but I haven't seen any warts yet (maybe a couple of grammatical freckles).

Sticks picked up two fouls in the first two minutes against Louisville, so he sat the rest of the half and then we blew their doors off with a small lineup and stayed with it. One of the most complete regular season games we've ever played. Don't think that game had anything to do with a doghouse so much as us just playing really well with three guards (all of whom made it to the NBA). Sticks obviously wasn't on the team first semester, and took a little time to get his comfort level back which led to some variance in his minutes in January, and since we had four guards warranting minutes (including Austrie) and two double-digit rebounders to handle the paint, we were able to play three guards and two bigs a lot.

You're probably right with your larger point though - Sticks always had personal confidence issues and JC's methods probably didn't get the best out of him. He might have thrived more with KO's guidance.

 

[Palatine]

Just out of curiosity, is there any other coach that could have taken this Uconn team to the championship? The only other that I can think of is Jim Calhoun.

I think pretty much any coach could have done it.

 

[SubbaBub]

WAT?

I'd be surprised if that was in the top 10

I won't argue about the talent of those starters but it is not the most talent that wins, it is always the best team. We probably had less pure talent than most of the tournament teams we played this year and yet we won. As good as KO is (and I think he is the best), I am not sure that even he would have won with that team. The chemistry was bad and sometimes the coach can't change that.

2006 had 5 NBA draft picks. Any discussion of talent and it not winning championships begins there.

 

[JellyBean]

Just out of curiosity, is there any other coach that could have taken this Uconn team to the championship? The only other that I can think of is Jim Calhoun.

Great question! Who knows. To be honest, some coaches over coach their players and confuse the heck out of them. Some coaches, like coach Ollie, believe that the players need just a little bit of info and then let's them play. I am not saying that our beloved coach Calhoun would have over coached the team. I am just saying who knows. I just like the fact that coach Ollie out coached......St. Joseph's (Phil Martelli), Villanova (Jay Wright) Iowa State (Fred Hoiberg), Michigan State (Tom Izzo), Florida (Billy Donovan) and, finally, Kentucky (John Calipari)......Can I get a Heck Yeah? Those guys(Donovan, Martelli, Calipari, and Izzo) are the icons of the game. Hoiberg and Wright are the media hyped "best coaches" of the game. And coach, well did it. Could anyone else have done this? Who knows. Coach Ollie did though.

 

[Dogdeacon]

There are only 5 men who could have coached this team to the NCAA championship:
1. Kevin Ollie
2. Red Auerbach
3. John Wooden
4. Phil Jackson
5. Vince Lombardi

 

[Gurleyman]

But what if it was Hurricane Ollie?

 

[August_West]

There are only 5 men who could have coached this team to the NCAA championship:
1. Kevin Ollie
2. Red Auerbach
3. John Wooden
4. Phil Jackson
5. Vince Lombardi
6. Chuck Norris

Fixed that for you

 

[Tbone4457]

Once again I think Strummer makes some good points. While I think Coach Calhoun is awesome and without him we wouldn't have four championships, if we're honest with each other, we have to admit the wheels were starting to come off a little bit. Pick your incident toward the end: caught on mic yelling "you M-F" at Boat on tv during game, punching DD, look on Lamb's face anytime during final year, Nate Miles, etc. But, Coach Calhoun knew exactly who could reach and motivate the players when they had nothing to play for. Make no mistake about it, without Coach Calhoun's careful and very wise work to get Coach Ollie the job, we probably would have missed out if the school conducted a true national search. But, we all have warts, so let's just celebrate them both and let this thread die a quick death.

 

[Kitaman]

All I know is that Niels and Ryan thrived under Ollie, working with much more freedom. Nolan I would envision being in Calhoun's doghouse with some of his errors. Daniels also played loose. And Bazz was given the keys to the team, assisting Ollie on the floor.

Calhoun was old school and Ollie is new school. Calhoun knew how to motivate players to a higher talent and Ollie seems to know how to motivate the team to higher talents.

This team seemed to need the new school approach as there were some tense moments (close games) which this team did not panic nor look to the bench after making a mistake.

 

[intlzncster]

All I know is that Niels and Ryan thrived under Ollie, working with much more freedom. Nolan I would envision being in Calhoun's doghouse with some of his errors. Daniels also played loose. And Bazz was given the keys to the team, assisting Ollie on the floor.

They were also freshman and sophomores under JC. They became good as Juniors/seniors. That's the main difference. Guys generally played a hell of a lot better for JC later in their career. It's natural progression. You could also argue that JC made them what they are today.