February General CBB Discussion Thread

[superjohn]

As far as I see it, 2014 was Calhoun's title.

I don't even like Ollie as a head coach or person but that's ridiculous. Ollie coached them up for two seasons and did a great job of it in those two seasons. He coached them to a national championship

 

[HW611]

He had zero HC experience prior. That alone says bad hire. I don't know why anyone goes that route. He won with Bruce Weber's players - goes to show you how that first year in with another coaches kids, does not mean you are a good coach (Ollie).

As far as I see it, 2014 was Calhoun's title.

Only UConn fans try to discredit the coach who made maybe the most improbable tournament run ever.

 

[RuffRuff]

Calhoun could not have won with that team. Ollie deserves the credit for that Championship.

Really? A HOF coach with a history of coaching great guards....

Each one of their big 4 had their early years under Calhoun, Nappier multiple.

 

[JMick]

And they want to replace it.

It's definitely dated but the concourse was pretty nice and the seats weren't awful. I was in the cheap seats and the view was still really good.

 

[superjohn]

Really? A HOF coach with a history of coaching great guards....

Each one of their big 4 had their early years under Calhoun, Nappier multiple.

Calhoun also retired due to health reasons a month before practices started. Ollie was taking over a team which went 20-14 overall 8-10 in the Big East and got demolished in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Royce White. They were on probation and banned from the tournament Ollie's first season so he had to convince Napier and the rest of the guys to stay with the program even though the legendary coach they signed on to play for was gone and the tournament they dreamed of playing in and winning was no longer an option...

He got buy in from everyone despite all of this. Bazz, Boat, and Daniels all had career years and the team played like a tournament team despite having nothing to play for other than pride and the jersey. The next season Ollie and the team were now stuck in the AAC and he won the whole thing beating Phil Martelli, Jay Wright, Fred Hoiberg, Tom Izzo, Billy Donovan, and John Calipari in the tournament.

You should delete your post.

 

[RuffRuff]

UConn 65 of 1000 1 seeds, Houston has 35 per BM. Houston win tonight and that likely shifts UConn down.

The Bracket Project's Bracket Matrix - 2025

 

[storrsroars]

As far as I see it, 2014 was Calhoun's title.

Ollie had to hold that team together thru 2013 when there was no championship to play for. He had to retain Brimah's interest as a recruit, and find guys like Kromah to plug in holes. UConn isn't winning that NC with Omar Calhoun playing >20 minutes.

That's KO, not Calhoun.

 

[Mr. French]

Only UConn fans try to discredit the coach who made maybe the most improbable tournament run ever.

Or fans that aren’t really UConn fans.

 

[HW611]

Kevin Ollie was also responsible for coaching our guards since 2011. So he was directly involved with developing Shabazz and Boatright since they stepped on campus.

Or fans that aren’t really UConn fans.

I’ve seen that sentiment often on this board about KO and 2014.

 

[Mr. French]

Kevin Ollie was also responsible for coaching our guards since 2011. So he was directly involved with developing Shabazz and Boatright since they stepped on campus.

I’ve seen that sentiment often on this board about KO and 2014.

Yeah but ruff ruff is a different breed

 

[GlastonTim]

Really? A HOF coach with a history of coaching great guards....

Each one of their big 4 had their early years under Calhoun, Nappier multiple.

Yeah, really. I’d argue he screwed up coaching the 2011-2012 team. I think he blew it by starting Drummond over Oriakhi.

 

[RuffRuff]

Yeah but ruff ruff is a different breed

Can you explain how thereafter he drove a historic program into the tank on a descending level?

Only thing different about me is I enjoy engaging topics, even if mildly controversial.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah, really. I’d argue he screwed up coaching the 2011-2012 team. I think he blew it by starting Drummond over Oriakhi.

That was the most disappointing team we've ever had under Calhoun in terms of talent vs results. 20-14 and 8-10 in the Big East is crazy with a roster that had Bazz, Boat, Lamb, Drummond, Oriakhi, Daniels, Roscoe, Giffey.

 

[GlastonTim]

Can you explain how thereafter he drove a historic program into the tank on a descending level?

Don’t we all know that story by now?

 

[superjohn]

Can you explain how thereafter he drove a historic program into the tank on a descending level?

Only thing different about me is I enjoy engaging topics, even if mildly controversial.

How do any UConn fans not know that story by now?

 

[GlastonTim]

That was the most disappointing team we've ever had under Calhoun in terms of talent vs results. 20-14 and 8-10 in the Big East is crazy with a roster that had Bazz, Boat, Lamb, Drummond, Oriakhi, Daniels, Roscoe, Giffey.

Agree. Oriakhi deserved to start that year. His was a valuable player during our championship year before. We don’t win that one without him. Screwed up the chemistry with that decision.

 

[KingAG]

How do any UConn fans not know that story by now?

Key word here is "UConn fans". Remember this guy was gone for an entire decade. He really doesnt know lmao

 

[KingAG]

Agree. Oriakhi deserved to start that year. His was a valuable player during our championship year before. We don’t win that one without him. Screwed up the chemistry with that decision.

Hurley would've drooled over that 2 big man rotation.

 

[Mr. French]

I dno ab oriakhi starting vs not but that team def should have won more.

 

[champs99and04]

Can you explain how thereafter he drove a historic program into the tank on a descending level?

I think he had some deep-seated issues that started to surface after the 2014 title. For some people, reaching the pinnacle of your profession that early can be a bad thing. You spend your whole life working towards that high, only to realize that you're still going to have a lot of the same problems you had before. I think Hurley experienced something similar after his first title.

But the more straightforward answer is that there's a big difference between coaching a team and running a program. Ollie seemed to be pretty good at the former but way in over his head at the latter. It also didn't help that he was transitioning from coaching Big East recruits to AAC recruits at the same time Calhoun's players were being phased out. That was a double whammy - like having your training wheels fall off mid-ride.

I do think Calhoun deserves a lot of credit for 2014. He recruited the players and coached them for 1-2 years. When Ollie took over, they already had a lot of winning habits. By the same token, however, I do not think Ollie gets near enough credit for 2011. Yes he was a first year assistant, but his fingerprints were all over that team. That was the season Calhoun finally relinquished his attachment to the oversized lineups - that had for years clogged the floor and suppressed half-court offense - in favor of smaller alignments that were hugely successful. I have to believe Ollie had a lot to do with that change of philosophy.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

UConn 65 of 1000 1 seeds, Houston has 35 per BM. Houston win tonight and that likely shifts UConn down.

The Bracket Project's Bracket Matrix - 2025

I can’t seem to get too worked up this year about seeding. Feels like we’re destined for the South as a 1 unless we win out. I guess there’s a scenario where both UConn and Houston are 1 seeds in Arizona collapses down the stretch.

 

[HW611]

I think he had some deep-seated issues that started to surface after the 2014 title. For some people, reaching the pinnacle of your profession that early can be a bad thing. You spend your whole life working towards that high, only to realize that you're still going to have a lot of the same problems you had before. I think Hurley experienced something similar after his first title.

But the more straightforward answer is that there's a big difference between coaching a team and running a program. Ollie seemed to be pretty good at the former but way in over his head at the latter. It also didn't help that he was transitioning from coaching Big East recruits to AAC recruits at the same time Calhoun's players were being phased out. That was a double whammy - like having your training wheels fall off mid-ride.

I do think Calhoun deserves a lot of credit for 2014. He recruited the players and coached them for 1-2 years. When Ollie took over, they already had a lot of winning habits. By the same token, however, I do not think Ollie gets near enough credit for 2011. Yes he was a first year assistant, but his fingerprints were all over that team. That was the season Calhoun finally relinquished his attachment to the oversized lineups - that had for years clogged the floor and suppressed half-court offense - in favor of smaller alignments that were hugely successful. I have to believe Ollie had a lot to do with that change of philosophy.

Might be the most well said summary of Ollie’s time here I’ve seen on this board.

 

[champs99and04]

Hurley would've drooled over that 2 big man rotation.

Not to say the 2012 team didn't underachieve, but I think that group was always going to look much better on paper than it ever amounted to in reality. There were a lot of redundant, overlapping skillsets on that team that we ignored because of where the recruiting services and mock drafts ranked them.

Talent be damned, neither big struck me as a Hurley player. He asks a lot from his big men on offense - much more, in fact, than Calhoun did in his later years. Even Josh Carlton was probably more of a Hurley player than Drummond or Oriakhi at that stage.

 

[7774]

I think he had some deep-seated issues that started to surface after the 2014 title. For some people, reaching the pinnacle of your profession that early can be a bad thing. You spend your whole life working towards that high, only to realize that you're still going to have a lot of the same problems you had before. I think Hurley experienced something similar after his first title.

But the more straightforward answer is that there's a big difference between coaching a team and running a program. Ollie seemed to be pretty good at the former but way in over his head at the latter. It also didn't help that he was transitioning from coaching Big East recruits to AAC recruits at the same time Calhoun's players were being phased out. That was a double whammy - like having your training wheels fall off mid-ride.

I do think Calhoun deserves a lot of credit for 2014. He recruited the players and coached them for 1-2 years. When Ollie took over, they already had a lot of winning habits. By the same token, however, I do not think Ollie gets near enough credit for 2011. Yes he was a first year assistant, but his fingerprints were all over that team. That was the season Calhoun finally relinquished his attachment to the oversized lineups - that had for years clogged the floor and suppressed half-court offense - in favor of smaller alignments that were hugely successful. I have to believe Ollie had a lot to do with that change of philosophy.

Ollie was a good coach, then he got divorced and stopped trying, and he wasn't a good coach.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think he had some deep-seated issues that started to surface after the 2014 title. For some people, reaching the pinnacle of your profession that early can be a bad thing. You spend your whole life working towards that high, only to realize that you're still going to have a lot of the same problems you had before. I think Hurley experienced something similar after his first title.

But the more straightforward answer is that there's a big difference between coaching a team and running a program. Ollie seemed to be pretty good at the former but way in over his head at the latter. It also didn't help that he was transitioning from coaching Big East recruits to AAC recruits at the same time Calhoun's players were being phased out. That was a double whammy - like having your training wheels fall off mid-ride.

I do think Calhoun deserves a lot of credit for 2014. He recruited the players and coached them for 1-2 years. When Ollie took over, they already had a lot of winning habits. By the same token, however, I do not think Ollie gets near enough credit for 2011. Yes he was a first year assistant, but his fingerprints were all over that team. That was the season Calhoun finally relinquished his attachment to the oversized lineups - that had for years clogged the floor and suppressed half-court offense - in favor of smaller alignments that were hugely successful. I have to believe Ollie had a lot to do with that change of philosophy.

Great post - sometimes when I bring up prickly subjects, it’s great to see a well thought out and intelligent post that are compelling vs some call out.