To be honest... not sure if the kids would have responded to JC the same way they did for KO.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 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?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?
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.
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.To be honest... not sure if the kids would have responded to JC the same way they did for KO.
To be honest... not sure if the kids would have responded to JC the same way they did for KO.
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.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 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).
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.
intlzncster said:WAT?
I'd be surprised if that was in the top 10
60'sfan said: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.
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.
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
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.