Dear Alex O.

[RuffRuff]

Sorry to break it to you, but Calipari does not need to put bags of cash on anyone's doorstep anymore to bring kids in. They all basically have an NBA ticket after year one.

As for you Huskymaniac - 1 - meaning, where is a kid going to maximize their one year. Going to Kentucky, they get to play with the best of their immediate peer group, kids they've played high level AAU ball with and likely have friendships with. While doing so, because they are playing with the best of the best, they maximize the opportunity to win a title. They will likely have the most talented team every year going forward, only drawback is they won't have the maturity/experience. But as every analyst will tell you, talent wins. Look where Calipari has taken this program the last 3 years, NC, Final Four, Elite 8. The brand is set and it's only moving in a progressive direction. It sucks, the system blows, maybe it starts turning away fans and the NCAA recognizes that and doesn't something about it, who knows.

Sorry, let's call Calipari and charismatic coach, a player's coach. I'll tell yeah, reading your perspective sounds a lot more like bitterness than it does objective. I don't like it either, but I don't let it affect what the reality of it is.

 

[Gregory Koch]

Occupy Mizzou! We are the 99%!
(Sorry, couldn't resist)

 

[Waquoit]

Count me in the less than 1/4 of 1% who thinks JC ruined the chemistry and screwed up this team last season by starting Drummond. This was a NCC team minus one very great player and we should have performed better than we did with the talent we had. Last season may have been JC's worse coaching job since he has been at Uconn; just about everybody got worse and it isn't all Kemba.

Good points. JC had an awful year and much of it his doing. Kemba paid off for him twice. Leading his team to a title one year, giving him a built-in excuse for doing a lousy job the next.

 

[Adios]

According to espn.com, the #1 team in the SEC is.....

1. Missouri Tigers

The Tigers and their band of transfers will need to count on the tiny but veteran backcourt of Phil Pressey and Michael Dixon this season. Pressey should start the season as the best point guard in the SEC, so his return is huge for Mizzou.
Alex Oriakhi should be far better outside of the toxic environment of last season's Connecticut Huskies club, and he also provides championship experience. If Jabari Brown and Keion Bell have refined their games enough, and the rabid Missouri fan base shows up consistently, the Tigers will be close to unbeatable at home.

 

[upstater]

According to espn.com, the #1 team in the SEC is.....

1. Missouri Tigers

The Tigers and their band of transfers will need to count on the tiny but veteran backcourt of Phil Pressey and Michael Dixon this season. Pressey should start the season as the best point guard in the SEC, so his return is huge for Mizzou.
Alex Oriakhi should be far better outside of the toxic environment of last season's Connecticut Huskies club, and he also provides championship experience. If Jabari Brown and Keion Bell have refined their games enough, and the rabid Missouri fan base shows up consistently, the Tigers will be close to unbeatable at home.

LOL, toxic environment.

Too easy to comment on this one.

 

[Robertelamin]

Maybe he left a toxic environment or maybe the toxic environment left and went to Missouri...

 

[huskyjawz]

According to espn.com, the #1 team in the SEC is.....

1. Missouri Tigers

The Tigers and their band of transfers will need to count on the tiny but veteran backcourt of Phil Pressey and Michael Dixon this season. Pressey should start the season as the best point guard in the SEC, so his return is huge for Mizzou.
Alex Oriakhi should be far better outside of the toxic environment of last season's Connecticut Huskies club, and he also provides championship experience. If Jabari Brown and Keion Bell have refined their games enough, and the rabid Missouri fan base shows up consistently, the Tigers will be close to unbeatable at home.

if the fan base is so rabid, why is it a question if they will show up consistently?

 

[Waquoit]

if the fan base is so rabid, why is it a question if they will show up consistently?

Mostly because they don't like to pay to park. They would rather stay home and complain that the crowd that actually paid money and supports the team isn't noisy enough.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Alex Oriakhi should be far better outside of the toxic environment of last season's Connecticut Huskies club, and he also provides championship experience.

Somebody please bump this in 6 months when AO is averaging 8 and 5, sulking on the bench, and whining about the lack of bailout calls when he flings the ball onto the underside of the backboard.

 

[mauconnfan]

The stupid duckks at ESPN don't realize why there was a"toxic" environment..........Alex O!!!

He can't have a crappy enough year for me!

 

[dogpause]

While I agree it was a toxic environment, I think there were lots of reasons, and lots of individuals who played a part. However, championship teams in all sports find tough times the next year. There's pressure and it's hard to recreate the exctiement and good feelings. With young athletes, it's got to be even more difficult to deal with.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Mizzou should be a fun team to follow. The transfers Bell & Ross are proven. Brown recruited by UConn. Pressey the best PG in the country next year? Bowers returns. Most likely starting 4 seniors & 1 Junior. Alex made a good choice. If it was your senior year what would you do? Makes sense to skip town. Poor coaching job last year by JC. The only guy AO hasn't tweeted with this summer is Napier. Daniels, Boatright, Wolf, Bradley, Drummond, Lamb and Roscoe all showing AO some love even though he bolted. Napier and Calhoun couldn't do what Kemba could do. That is keep the team chemistry in tact.

 

[mauconnfan]

Mizzou should be a fun team to follow. The transfers Bell & Ross are proven. Brown recruited by UConn. Pressey the best PG in the country next year? Bowers returns. Most likely starting 4 seniors & 1 Junior. Alex made a good choice. If it was your senior year what would you do? Makes sense to skip town. Poor coaching job last year by JC. The only guy AO hasn't tweeted with this summer is Napier. Daniels, Boatright, Wolf, Bradley, Drummond, Lamb and Roscoe all showing AO some love even though he bolted. Napier and Calhoun couldn't do what Kemba could do. That is keep the team chemistry in tact.

Kidding me right? "good choice" by a coward is more like it.....bad job by JC?? Alex was the reason they sucked and yet he bolts....his attitude was only short of how awful he played. Anyone who supports this decision as alex being forced to do so is whacked out of his/her mind!!

 

[sparky]

why do we give this any life? DEAD

 

[Chief00]

Alex never took accountability.

Napier does need to mesh better with his teammates. Understand putting Boatshow at the PG is an attempt to minimize some of that tension.

We did not get the ball to bigs well last year; of course Napier's argument is Alex could not catch and Andre could not shoot foul shots. So I understand that part - but if you don't get big men involved they don't rebound and you don't win.

 

[caw]

Mizzou should be a fun team to follow. The transfers Bell & Ross are proven. Brown recruited by UConn. Pressey the best PG in the country next year? Bowers returns. Most likely starting 4 seniors & 1 Junior. Alex made a good choice. If it was your senior year what would you do? Makes sense to skip town. Poor coaching job last year by JC. The only guy AO hasn't tweeted with this summer is Napier. Daniels, Boatright, Wolf, Bradley, Drummond, Lamb and Roscoe all showing AO some love even though he bolted. Napier and Calhoun couldn't do what Kemba could do. That is keep the team chemistry in tact.

First I didn't think Napier had twitter. I know he didn't for a long long time. Second for napiers faults he at least gave effort last year. Alex's problem wasn't jc or coaching. It was a complete lack of focus and effort. The kid should have known to try to rebound the ball. How many times can you tell a junior captain to box out before you realize he just isn't trying.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Poor coaching job last year by JC.... Napier and Calhoun couldn't do what Kemba could do. That is keep the team chemistry in tact.

It's reasonable to argue that JC didn't have a great year last year. You could start a whole thread on that topic alone. But to draw some causal link between JC's coaching and AO's leaving -- and to place the blame on JC -- is beyond stupid.

 

[huskyjawz]

Mostly because they don't like to pay to park. They would rather stay home and complain that the crowd that actually paid money and supports the team isn't noisy enough.

Oh, you thought I was asking about UCONN's fans, I was asking about Missouri's.

 

[mauconnfan]

Alex never took accountability.

Napier does need to mesh better with his teammates. Understand putting Boatshow at the PG is an attempt to minimize some of that tension.

We did not get the ball to bigs well last year; of course Napier's argument is Alex could not catch and Andre could not shoot foul shots. So I understand that part - but if you don't get big men involved they don't rebound and you don't win.

Always need people to get the ball to the interior.......unless of course you player for UConn last year when none could catch or finish........agreed they need to include Wolfie, Nolan and others.....

 

[Waquoit]

It's reasonable to argue that JC didn't have a great year last year. You could start a whole thread on that topic alone. But to draw some causal link between JC's coaching and AO's leaving -- and to place the blame on JC -- is beyond stupid.

Is it? You mean the buck doesn't stop with the HC?

 

[huskiesnyc]

Somebody please bump this in 6 months when AO is averaging 8 and 5, sulking on the bench, and whining about the lack of bailout calls when he flings the ball onto the underside of the backboard.

If Oriakhi averages 8 and 5 that will be a nice improvement over his 6.7 and 4.8 this year..

 

[huskiesnyc]

"It's sad that we can't play in the NCAA tournament or the Big East tournament, but those are things you have to deal with. Like I said, some people deal with them, some people run away. It's how you're born. It' s how you live your life." -Shabazz Napier
He basically calls AO a coward and I couldn't agree more.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

"It's sad that we can't play in the NCAA tournament or the Big East tournament, but those are things you have to deal with. Like I said, some people deal with them, some people run away. It's how you're born. It' s how you live your life." -Shabazz Napier
He basically calls AO a coward and I couldn't agree more.

No one was calling Alex a coward (Napier) when he was putting up a double/double in the NCAA Championship game or getting 21 rebs/@Texas against interior players like Tristan Thompson. It just so happens now that he made a decision to play for a team eligible for the NCAA tournament in his SENIOR year he is a coward. Some objectivity please?

Deal with? If you have been offered a job (with Missouri this year) with better co-workers (Pressey et al. as opposed to Napier) and higher pay (tournament eligible) would you stay at your present job (UConn)?

The only substantive question is... will he lose career opportunities basketball or otherwise by leaving UConn? Reasonable people should conclude he was an intrical part of a championship team, a very good student and committed to UConn prior to his Sophomore season in high school.

"While we as a university and coaching staff clearly should have done a better job academically with our men's basketball student-athletes in the past, the changes we have implemented have already had a significant impact and have helped us achieve the success we expect in the classroom," basketball coach Jim Calhoun said in a statement. "We will continue to strive to maintain that success as we move forward."

Alex did his job academically at UConn and doesn't deserve to take the hit for Calhoun's lack of oversight. Calhoun deserves the blame. In theory UConn with creative lawyering and advocacy may have been able to play its cards differently and salvaged the season. Student athletes in good academic standing like AO don't warrrant attack in this case. It is healthier to support the kid and hope UConn can salvage a good recruiting class in 2013.

 

[mauconnfan]

No one was calling Alex a coward (Napier) when he was putting up a double/double in the NCAA Championship game or getting 21 rebs/@Texas against interior players like Tristan Thompson. It just so happens now that he made a decision to play for a team eligible for the NCAA tournament in his SENIOR year he is a coward. Some objectivity please?

Deal with? If you have been offered a job (with Missouri this year) with better co-workers (Pressey et al. as opposed to Napier) and higher pay (tournament eligible) would you stay at your present job (UConn)?

The only substantive question is... will he lose career opportunities basketball or otherwise by leaving UConn? Reasonable people should conclude he was an intrical part of a championship team, a very good student and committed to UConn prior to his Sophomore season in high school.

"While we as a university and coaching staff clearly should have done a better job academically with our men's basketball student-athletes in the past, the changes we have implemented have already had a significant impact and have helped us achieve the success we expect in the classroom," basketball coach Jim Calhoun said in a statement. "We will continue to strive to maintain that success as we move forward."

Alex did his job academically at UConn and doesn't deserve to take the hit for Calhoun's lack of oversight. Calhoun deserves the blame. In theory UConn with creative lawyering and advocacy may have been able to play its cards differently and salvaged the season. Student athletes in good academic standing like AO don't warrrant attack in this case. It is healthier to support the kid and hope UConn can salvage a good recruiting class in 2013.

Yeah I think most would agree he was important piece in the NC run with Kemba, he played well during that stretch. Most reasonable people would also realize besides a run in Maui of 4 games and that tourney run, he was at best an 8/5 guy who fell well short of his McD's status throughout his career. He also twitted his way into the hearts of noone, played like a stiff for 90% of last years campaign and never came close to improving his horrid offensive game. And as far as his double/double run during the NC, is it okay to follow it up with the type of season he had last year? Is that the expectations we as UConn fans should have? ....."....Oh he had a big hand in a NC run so who cares if he plays crappy the next year, stirs controversy amongst his teammates as captain of the team and then leaves the sinking ship........who cares he deserves it for playing so well in 11 of his career games...." Please.......

He's a forgotten Husky, unless of course you're like me and hope he gets 6/4 in 18 minutes a game at Mizzoou!! LOL

 

[Robertelamin]

No one was calling Alex a coward (Napier) when he was putting up a double/double in the NCAA Championship game or getting 21 rebs/@Texas against interior players like Tristan Thompson. It just so happens now that he made a decision to play for a team eligible for the NCAA tournament in his SENIOR year he is a coward. Some objectivity please?

Deal with? If you have been offered a job (with Missouri this year) with better co-workers (Pressey et al. as opposed to Napier) and higher pay (tournament eligible) would you stay at your present job (UConn)?

The only substantive question is... will he lose career opportunities basketball or otherwise by leaving UConn? Reasonable people should conclude he was an intrical part of a championship team, a very good student and committed to UConn prior to his Sophomore season in high school.

"While we as a university and coaching staff clearly should have done a better job academically with our men's basketball student-athletes in the past, the changes we have implemented have already had a significant impact and have helped us achieve the success we expect in the classroom," basketball coach Jim Calhoun said in a statement. "We will continue to strive to maintain that success as we move forward."

Alex did his job academically at UConn and doesn't deserve to take the hit for Calhoun's lack of oversight. Calhoun deserves the blame. In theory UConn with creative lawyering and advocacy may have been able to play its cards differently and salvaged the season. Student athletes in good academic standing like AO don't warrrant attack in this case. It is healthier to support the kid and hope UConn can salvage a good recruiting class in 2013.

Alex doesn't deserve to take the hit for the academic problems. He does deserve to take the hit for dogging it last year and being a whiny bum. Worst captain we have had in my lifetime.