Depends on who you view as "people" chickenhead
I think you highly underestimate the value of a good coach, highly overate the coaching performance by Kevin Ollie this season, or both. There are many coaches who would have done better. Likely not NCAA tourney better, but Ollie got dealt a tough hand with the injuries...and then he got exposed. Exposed for a poor ability to adjust in-game, pre-game and just in his philosophy in general. Since it has become his program, he runs an offense that is predicated on having multiple playmakers...which we don't have in the bunches his pro style set requires. There are 5 games or so HE should have won. Never mind a much better and more experienced coach.
I strongly disagree with your last sentence.
This isn't the NBA where the coach might not have control over personnel. And it isn't Ollie's first or second year. This is his team. He built it. Granted he didnt build it to look like the team he ended up having...but his job is to assemble a team and coach it to its fullest potential. I'd argue one or two things are happening (including but not limited to this year. He's either not getting the pieces he needs for his style of play. Or he has the wrong style of play for the pieces he has. I recognize that these may read like one and the same but they aren't. And the need to adjust after the injuries is him being exposed for being a very limited coach in my opinion. He runs an offensive set that requires guys to be able to individually make plays. Guys who can break down their man and go by people. The guys he's been bringing in are pretty limited in that capacity (and that includes Daniel Hamilton). So if you don't have players who are capable of that, the only viable option is to adjust. Ollie has shown almost zero capability in that regard. We ran the same stuff last year as we ran this year despite having very few bullets in the gun. We don't set screens for the shooters. We don't get the ball down low. Our offense generally consisted of, "thank god Jalen can go by somebody and finish or kick for a jump shot if help defense arrives."
And while I don't think it's actually fair to compare Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie, I saw JC in his first year, take a team at the end of a long grueling season comprised of Tex Spradling, Greg Economu, Spider Ursery, Tate George and a one armed Steve Pikiell (Cliff and Phil has been declared academically ineligible at that point) and beat a Seton Hall team that a few years later would almost win the national championship. THAT is what a great coach does. And I remember thinking at the end of that season - even after going 9-19, that we were in good hands. I've watched KO for 5 years now, and with 4 & 5 star recruits and some interesting pieces (like Brimah and Facey and Seam Miller and Sterling Gibbs, etc) and I feel like we underachieve far more times than not, and underutilize the collection of talent and pieces that have been assembled. You must see something I don't. Or vice verse. Time will tell.
Until they get to the NCAA tournament.
And a Kevin Ollie coached UConn team won a championship with the toughest route since they went to 64 teams.
I'm not picking on anyone. And I didn't call him incapable. Are you this/that douchy in real life too? You know it's OK for people to have a different opinion. And just because I haven't logged the posts that you have doesn't make my opinion or my posts less "worthy" than your's. I've lurked on this site since the early 90s and I've had far more access to the program than you. Not bragging when I say this. Just reminding you that in the anonymous world of the internet, you don't know who is actually behind the keyboard and all of these silly names. And building he program was exponentially harder than what KO faced. That's not remotely debatable. It was Brian Hall btw.
...oops my bad.I think you need to revaluate who the was in this back and forth pal. I replied, you didn't like being questioned as if you are the only one who could be right here? Hilarious to call someone a with that attitude on a basketball fan forum/opinion board. Oh yeah and you should be proud of the "Brian Hall" play, I could tell a guy like you got off on that one.
No. I actually knew Brian. He died in a mountain accident on Mt Hood awhile back. It just felt respectful to me to get his name right.I think you need to revaluate who the was in this back and forth pal. I replied, you didn't like being questioned as if you are the only one who could be right here? Hilarious to call someone a with that attitude on a basketball fan forum/opinion board. Oh yeah and you should be proud of the "Brian Hall" play, I could tell a guy like you got off on that one.
