Dont want to hear it

[3rdbass]

He has produced, actually. They won the conf tournament the year before last. Is everyone on this board 10 second Tom? No one wants to remember they won the conference tournament, which is a big deal!

You are a hard head I see! We won the tournament on a prayer and we needed the Cincy win to even get in the tournament. Lesser teams can win a tournament as they can get on a roll. The problem is KO is not a consistent coach as shown by only one top 3 finish in the first 4 years of the league. I don't think we are finishing in top 5 this year in the conference. So let's make that once in five years. That is totally unacceptable for UCONN basketball. Remember that the team that made it 2 years ago had a lot better talent than we currently have now. KO's recruiting is getting worst every year as players realize he isn't the a good coach to lead them to the next level. I can't believe you don't see UCONN is falling into irrelevancy with KO as coach. We don't have a great conference to fall back on like the Old Big East. KO has to go after this season if not before.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Hell, if its already in shambles, why not keep KO for another 3 years so we dont have to shell out the buyout.

I dont know, why didnt the Giants keep McAdoo around for a few more years?

 

[SouthBayHusky]

I'm not debating whether he has done a good job recently. This yr and last have been tough to watch, but all of it isn't on Ollie, IMO. I just think a coach with a NC deserves another yr or 2 to turn the program around. Even with this yr being tough, I think we're trending in the right direction with recruits and Chill has helped.

Firing Ollie just pushes the reset button and puts us back in a terrible spot. I'm talking TERRIBLE. You think this is bad, you'd be WISHING for this when the best player on the team is Josh Carlton next yr if Ollie is fired. I'm critical of Ollie, but Im not ready for the program to completely dissolve.

I also feel like im being realistic. I don't blame Ollie for things that aren't his fault. Recruiting Gilbert? Come on. The inbounds pass from Anderson last night? Come on. You want to talk about his lack of big development and his lack of offensive sets (until last night) fine. We can discuss these things for sure. I am just seriously worried about the program if Ollie is fired. I think we are heading in the right direction. Lets see what 2019 recruits he can get. Play out the season and see where we're at.

But we have hit rock bottom already— last year ( first losing season 30 years) and we are on par to repeat that dubious feat again this year with virtually new team. This is never happened. We’re beyond rock bottom, and there nothing to show this will change next year. Next year you say? We’re going to lose our two best players and replace them with a couple of high three star freshman and one top 100 freshman. I don’t understand this. That said I do not think he should be fired midseason unless there was a great coach lined up right now. . But to get him another season and then another is just madness. We are in our fourth season of under performance under Kevin Ollie, that’s enough of a sample size we don’t need a fifth season when the make up of the team is not going to be improved

 

[Sonova]

He has produced, actually. They won the conf tournament the year before last. Is everyone on this board 10 second Tom? No one wants to remember they won the conference tournament, which is a big deal!

I guess in a world of short memories and instant gratification, some people’s definition of a good season is micro thin. I don’t think most of the fans who think we need a new coach base their opinion of KO on one game or certainly on one play. It’s a much larger body of work that has brought people to this conclusion and place of no joy. If Jalen doesn’t hit a 3/4 shot, we don’t win the conference tourney (we go to the tournament though) and we’re defining that season as a baseline/minimum of what we should expect. Ollie is no better or worse of a coach because that miracle shot went in.

Similarly (though obviously different), if Amida doesn’t make the 3 pt play vs St Joe’s in ‘14, it’s an average (maybe even disappointing given the talent) season at UConn with a rather middling regular season and a 1st round exit to an A-10 team. Ollie deserves all the coaching credit in the world for what happened next, but the line between success and average/disappointing for him is a play here and a play there.

We used to win regular season championships and tournament championships and be ranked and win 25-30+ games without having to go deep in the NCAA tourney. Sure we had some disappointments in the tourney, but that aside many of those were really successful years in total. We got joy and success from regular season and big wins and the team getting better. It was rare (if ever) that one play defined success or failure because the overall body of work was so good and satisfying. I get it - I’m and I recognize that the world (and certainly sports) is no longer quite like that, but KO (and takes like this ^) have lowered the bar below what should be expected and tolerated.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

As much as Im not a fan of Chief''s shtick, I think the Blaze strategy is a good one and I think it needs time.

Holy moly . . . "the Blaze strategy" . . .

 

[ZenConn]

I dont know, why didnt the Giants keep McAdoo around for a few more years?

Because it's not in shambles like the basketball team. You need to stop exaggerating just to prove your point.

 

[Skiblets]

Well for one, the smaller courts and different defensive rules make it really hard to run a pure pro-style offense in college. So those that do, without tweaking it for the college game, are stupid. Also, its a lot easier to run with NBA-caliber shooters and star players (Westbrook, Carmelo, George) than it is with 0 shooters or stars.

Did I miss something? The NBA plays on a larger court? When the hell did that start? Or maybe you're wrong?

 

[Chief00]

As much as Im not a fan of Chief''s shtick, I think the Blaze strategy is a good one and I think it needs time. If in 2 yrs we're still doing the same stuff, I'd be fine firing him.

Oh come on, you’re a closet fan. Seriously, I would love if the Blaze strategy had a chance to work beyond the last recruits - Sid Wilson, Akinjo and Mathews.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Did I miss something? The NBA plays on a larger court? When the hell did that start? Or maybe you're wrong?

He meant an effectively smaller offensive space to work with within the perimeter, as the arc is higher/wider and the paint is bigger in the NBA

 

[SouthBayHusky]

He has produced, actually. They won the conf tournament the year before last. Is everyone on this board 10 second Tom? No one wants to remember they won the conference tournament, which is a big deal!

How can we forget. Yes, that’s the 1 year in four seasons we made the NCAA tournament, and practically needed to win that conference tournament do it. Of Course, that was the High Mark in four seasons — yes we remember that.

 

[superjohn]

He meant an effectively smaller offensive space to work with within the perimeter, as the arc is higher/wider and the paint is bigger in the NBA

This is like the Geno thread. People freaking out that other people say women's and men's basketball aren't the same sport.

 

[KembaStepback]

Holy moly . . . "the Blaze strategy" . . .

I don't know what else to call it...

 

[KembaStepback]

But we have hit rock bottom already— last year ( first losing season 30 years) and we are on par to repeat that dubious feat again this year with virtually new team. This is never happened. We’re beyond rock bottom, and there nothing to show this will change next year. Next year you say? We’re going to lose our two best players and replace them with a couple of high three star freshman and one top 100 freshman. I don’t understand this. That said I do not think he should be fired midseason unless there was a great coach lined up right now. . But to get him another season and then another is just madness. We are in our fourth season of under performance under Kevin Ollie, that’s enough of a sample size we don’t need a fifth season when the make up of the team is not going to be improved

If you think this is rock bottom, then I'd love to see what you think of being ECU if we dump Ollie...

 

[tentoes4rings]

You guys have to stop living in the past. He won a national championship with some help from JC, then he took the training wheels off and drove solo and screwed up the next three years. He learned some lessons, revamped his staff and his recruiting and approach, and will be much better the next three years than he was the last three. How good will that be? We don't know yet, but we shouldn't be promoting this avalanche of pessimism that infects the team and the fanbase. Give KO a chance and let's see what he accomplishes. I think if the team continues to progress this year, he deserves 2018-19. If it progresses in 2018-19, he deserves 2019-20.

PJ, can you please define what you’d consider making progress the remainder of this year and next year? Does it include wins or just playing with effort and running a true offense?

 

[Sonova]

If you think this is rock bottom, then I'd love to see what you think of being ECU if we dump Ollie...

Phew. Thanks for that. For a minute I thought that the difference between UConn and East Carolina basketball was the four national championships in the last 19 years and the facilities, tradition, nba history etc. I forgot that it’s just Kevin Ollie. I’m convinced. Let’s sign him to a 10 year extension.

 

[Chief00]

Can we end the fantasy that KO runs a pro offense? What NBA team outside of the OKC Thunder run an offense that even looks semi similar?

It would look like a pro offense if a few of the guys had pro talent and we had a real facilitator.

 

[polycom]

It would look like a pro offense if a few of the guys had pro talent and we had a real facilitator.

No it wouldn't, it would just look like players making things work out of nothing. That isn't an NBA level offense.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Except even they have one win in AAC play and we dont.

 

[UCweCONN]

If you think this is rock bottom, then I'd love to see what you think of being ECU if we dump Ollie...

ECU has a great mascot and weather so there's that.

 

[DMIL]

So after 5 years of coaching he realizes he needs to recruiting shooting? You're okay with that, incredible.

You actually think that KO is just realizing he needs shooters? Hamilton,Purvis, MAL (decommit), Gilbert (injured 2 years), Larrier (Redshirt and injured until this year), Adams, Vance Jackson, Juwan Durham (who transferred) including all 3 of the incoming recruits. I'll throw in Sid Wilson. Come on.....Larrier is not even all the way back yet. It takes a couple of years to fully recover from that injury. KO has always known that we need shooters.

 

[DMIL]

You actually think that KO is just realizing he needs shooters? Hamilton,Purvis, MAL (decommit), Gilbert (injured 2 years), Larrier (Redshirt and injured until this year), Adams, Vance Jackson, Juwan Durham (who transferred) including all 3 of the incoming recruits. I'll throw in Sid Wilson. Come on.....Larrier is not even all the way back yet. It takes a couple of years to fully recover from that injury. KO has always known that we need shooters.

Now fully executing on that meaning where it translates to these players contributing to the program now that is where you can say it hasn't quite worked as expected. Part Ollie, part tough luck.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

If you think this is rock bottom, then I'd love to see what you think of being ECU if we dump Ollie...

Given fact KO has smashed all the records (40+ Years) as he marches toward back to back losing seasons, and the fact that Uconn players still rank at the top of AAC, I sort of doubt any new coach will do worse than KO. Just think about it for minute.

 

[BlueDogs]

In the neighborhood.... we are in the bottom 1/3 of the conference... but not the bottom, so KO supporters can still point to rock bottom and argue the things are looking up..

 

[mauconnfan]

A smarter person would have made it easier on themselves and said Tulsa. You figure out why!