Even with two injuries this is embarrasing and deflating

[Palatine]

I just do not recognize Uconn out there. Teams lose players all year--we have some adversity. But weve had plenty of tight games we couldve won with a tighter floor game and another level of energy. The beat downs have been ridiculous--weve come back a tad in couple of them. The pride the intelligence the fundamentals are severely lacking. When has anyone seen this in the last 30 years?

What I think the remedy short term is.

I think we need to broaden our talent search and include many foreign countries. Our recruiting needs more strategy. I hate saying this but has Kevin Ollie recruited even one white person? I think diversity of players --just like life is important. We need more basketball IQ out there--more passing more energy and smarter better play.

Right now we are an Amida Brimah hook shot miss away from being a train wreck. Im a loyal fan--just want to see the best--not for selfish reasons but I take pride in my states team for everyone. Of course we can be reasonable about injuries and roster depletion but we should have more than enough to be better than this level.

If you can't beat Wagner....

 

[Vancat]

let's get us a tripper!!!

 

[8893]

If you can't beat Wagner....

One of the best New Orleans' store fronts:

 

[BlueandOG]

I just do not recognize Uconn out there. Teams lose players all year--we have some adversity. But weve had plenty of tight games we couldve won with a tighter floor game and another level of energy. The beat downs have been ridiculous--weve come back a tad in couple of them. The pride the intelligence the fundamentals are severely lacking. When has anyone seen this in the last 30 years?

What I think the remedy short term is.

I think we need to broaden our talent search and include many foreign countries. Our recruiting needs more strategy. I hate saying this but has Kevin Ollie recruited even one white person? I think diversity of players --just like life is important. We need more basketball IQ out there--more passing more energy and smarter better play.

Right now we are an Amida Brimah hook shot miss away from being a train wreck. Im a loyal fan--just want to see the best--not for selfish reasons but I take pride in my states team for everyone. Of course we can be reasonable about injuries and roster depletion but we should have more than enough to be better than this level.

Your assertion about white players is ignorant and, I imagine, offensive to Ollie.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Some people can speak honestly because they don't fear the truth.

Or they can't fathom the depths of their own ignorance.

 

[BlueandOG]

Some people can speak honestly because they don't fear the truth. I see a lot of that here. Good!

I agree that we have a lot of talent left, even with the injuries. I haven't compiled the numbers but I would guess that we have more highly rated players on the floor than some of the teams we are losing to. And, as others have said, if we went into this season with a freshman as our only true PG...WTF? That is great recruiting? And if our success hinged on that freshman and a transfer that didn't exactly dominate at his first stop...WTF...squared!

Yeah, the injuries hurt but, if these last couple of classes are as good and deep as was advertised, we should't have been destroyed by them.

On the subject of white players, why are some of you so offended? Why do some elite universities accept a certain percentage of minority students with qualifications well below the schools' averages and well below kids that were rejected? Same for corporations? Because they believe diversity has benefits. A strong team doesn't have only people that look, act and think the same. Why is it ok to say universities should recruit underrepresented minorities but not ok to say a basketball team should recruit underrepresented majorities? Is KO recruiting kids that are mostly like him? You need to be able to recruit, and get, kids that are different than you too. Imagine if Calhoun had recruited only Irish kids from the Boston area or Geno only Italian kids from Philly.

The offensive part isn't observing that we have no white players on the team. The offensive part is asserting Ollie isn't recruiting white players. That assumes a racial bias on Ollie's part. Based on the percentage of white players in mens hoops and the NBA, there are not many white players with the skills to play at that level. That is confirmed by a 2009 study. Here is an excerpt:

"College basketball at its highest levels is dominated by black players even if the subject makes some people uncomfortable.Look no further than this weekend in Detroit. Only two white players -- North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Michigan State's Goran Suton -- will be listed among the combined 20 starters for the four teams in this year's NCAA Tournament semifinals. And two teams -- Villanova and Connecticut -- don't have a white player on scholarship on this year's active roster."

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...oran-suton-black-and-white-college-basketball

That year, we had no white players on the team, but we had a white coach. And no one said anything about him not recruiting white players. Thus,any claims that Ollie isn't recruiting white players is at best uninformed and at worst racists (assuming a black coach won't recruit white players). Enough.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

On the subject of white players, why are some of you so offended? Why do some elite universities accept a certain percentage of minority students with qualifications well below the schools' averages and well below kids that were rejected? Same for corporations? Because they believe diversity has benefits. A strong team doesn't have only people that look, act and think the same. Why is it ok to say universities should recruit underrepresented minorities but not ok to say a basketball team should recruit underrepresented majorities? Is KO recruiting kids that are mostly like him? You need to be able to recruit, and get, kids that are different than you too. Imagine if Calhoun had recruited only Irish kids from the Boston area or Geno only Italian kids from Philly.

God you're a moron. I really want to put you on ignore but I get such a kick out of the idiocy that flows from your addled brain.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Don't like them and don't want to get hurt so I don't do any Olympic style lifts.

Honestly, it's worth spending some time with someone who knows what they're doing and getting the mechanics down. Once you learn the lifts and can do them safely the benefits are great. They're fun too.

 

[QDOG5]

This season is a train wreck. But... I did see a few good things last night. They didn't quit. With 7 minutes to go I was sure UConn would lose by 25 but VJ made some shots and the rest of the guys played hard. I thought JD had some good minutes and wouldn't mind if he was on the floor a little more. Obviously there is still more bad than good but if those two continue to increase their contributions it can only help. I still think KO needs to find 5 minutes a game to rest JA. That may reduce the TO's a little. P.S. For those who haven't read this on the Yard previously --- Rodney is a nice kid, a fine representative of the University and I wish him well in his post collegiate life. This a mantra to be used in game in place of throwing things at your TV.

 

[UChusky916]

Trash post. Leave, never come back.

 

[Stinger92860]

Can we please recruit a white guy who flops and trips opposing players. Is this too much to ask?

Otherwise, I'll take a few shooters and some more BBIQ, I don't care what color they are. Blue or green would be fine too.

 

[superjohn]

Honestly, it's worth spending some time with someone who knows what they're doing and getting the mechanics down. Once you learn the lifts and can do them safely the benefits are great. They're fun too.

Used to do them but got sick of them. I bench, military press and do all sorts of different heavy rows for compound movements, also do partial deads but I think my days of squatting and deadlifting are probably done. Back day is my favorite, I feel like rowing heavy from different angles is the best for growing a big thick back. I know I'm missing out on benefits of squatting but I'm fine just using the leg press with varying foot placement at this point. We're in the minority, most people don't think the gym is fun.

 

[scrappy2.0]

Your assertion about white players is ignorant and, I imagine, offensive to Ollie.

Two different things
We need some smarter players like Shabazz or Khalid and we should have some diversity on this team.

 

[scrappy2.0]

Used to do them but got sick of them. I bench, military press and do all sorts of different heavy rows for compound movements, also do partial deads but I think my days of squatting and deadlifting are probably done. Back day is my favorite, I feel like rowing heavy from different angles is the best for growing a big thick back. I know I'm missing out on benefits of squatting but I'm fine just using the leg press with varying foot placement at this point. We're in the minority, most people don't think the gym is fun.

I run 5 miles every day and do a lot of calisthenics I still have abs at almost 49 and 235 pounds. I barely even lift weights

 

[imno1]

Hey I'm just glad we're not recruiting the asians or latinos

 

[Paesano]

Two different things
We need some smarter players like Shabazz or Khalid and we should have some diversity on this team.

That is what I was hoping you meant but I think people flipped out because the way you said it implied that they were related or connected. It did look bad.

 

[Paesano]

Flaming hot take.

You know the ability to play basketball knows no race right?

Yeah, exactly. That's the whole point. Look, as someone else mentioned, it is pretty clear that most of the top basketball players coming into college are black and, so, yes, one would expect most of our players to be black. It does start to look odd when we don't even try to recruit one white kid though. I don't track every kid Ollie has offered since he has been the HC. Has he offered any white kids? It isn't that big of a deal if he hasn't. I am just a big fan of diversity and it isn't like there are zero white kids that can play at the D1 level.

Lebron James arguably has the highest basketball IQ in the world... last time I saw him he was black.

You are arguing with the wrong person. I didn't say anything about basketball IQ.

Also your point about corporations and universities isn't comparable to sports, it's often incredibly difficult to tangibly measure the contributions of individuals at corporations. Sports isn't the same...there is data related to performance...

Not true. Entry level job applicants can be measured by their GPAs in college, for example. College applicants can be measured by their GPAs in high school and their SAT scores. It is a fact that both companies and universities recruit and offer applicants with lower credentials in the name of diversity. Is forced diversity a good thing? That is a discussion way beyond an internet message board. I believe it is, to a degree.

 

[mauconnfan]

Used to do them but got sick of them. I bench, military press and do all sorts of different heavy rows for compound movements, also do partial deads but I think my days of squatting and deadlifting are probably done. Back day is my favorite, I feel like rowing heavy from different angles is the best for growing a big thick back. I know I'm missing out on benefits of squatting but I'm fine just using the leg press with varying foot placement at this point. We're in the minority, most people don't think the gym is fun.

You still like squatting john, at least your avatar shows you do

 

[David 76]

A team is never as bad as they look when they are on a losing streak.

 

[UCweCONN]

"We are what our record says we are." Have we sunk so low that we must accept congratulations from Memphis fans for giving then a good fight in defeat??? Huh???

 

[8893]

"We are what our record says we are." Have we sunk so low that we must accept congratulations from Memphis fans for giving then a good fight in defeat??? Huh???

You do what you do. Despite your handle, the concept of "we" appears lost on you, and you certainly don't represent anything that I recognize as part of what I value in connection with UConn.

 

[David 76]

"We are what our record says we are." Have we sunk so low that we must accept congratulations from Memphis fans for giving then a good fight in defeat??? Huh???

No! Let's go out and beat up some Memphis fans!

 

[UCweCONN]

You do what you do. Despite your handle, the concept of "we" appears lost on you, and you certainly don't represent anything that I recognize as part of what I value in connection with UConn.

The quote is a famous one, not mine. I'm responding to the other thread from the Memphis fan congratulating us on fighting. Maybe I should have clarified so you wouldn't jump on me. My point is we shouldn't be accepting Memphis fans congratulations at all. If we do it's sad. I've been a UCONN fan since Perno days. I didn't just jump on when we won a national title.

 

[8893]

The quote is a famous one, not mine. I'm responding to the other thread from the Memphis fan congratulating us on fighting. Maybe I should have clarified so you wouldn't jump on me. My point is we shouldn't be accepting Memphis fans congratulations at all. If we do it's sad. I've been a UCONN fan since Perno days. I didn't just jump on when we won a national title.

I'm well familiar with the quote and have been attending games as an avid fan as well since I was a student during the Perno days. One would think that would lead to perspective, but in your case that doesn't appear to be so.

As for Memphis and its fans, as well as any others similarly situated, I think Allen Toussaint put it best:



Sunrise, sunset
Since the beginning it hasn’t changed yet
People fly high, begin to lose sight
But you can’t see very clearly when you’re in flight

It’s high time that you found
The same people that you misuse on your way up
You might meet up on your way down

Vintage wines from the year ’62
It’s your thing, it’s your thing, it pleases you
Got to frown when you cross town
You think it’s an honor just to have you around

It’s high time that you found
The same dudes you misuse on your way up
You might meet up on your way down

You think the sun rise and sets for you
But the same sun rises, sets and shines on the poor folks too
I don’t mind you turning ’round
I myself would even like a little higher ground

It’s high time that you found
The same people that you walk on on your way up
You might meet up on your way down

 

[pnow15]

In truth I think Ollie looks for athleticism over developed skills, believing he can teach the skills but not the athleticism. What he is missing is that the skills are a form of athleticism.