For those calling for Ollies head

[ASweet3781]

URI can afford to take chances on NEC coaches (particularly, ones whose bloodlines rendered them huge outliers) and hope they catch lightning in a bottle. We can't.

This is why David Benedict gets paid $$$. It will be up to him to identify and find the right guy if Ollie doesn't get it together.

 

[BlueMAB]

URI can afford to take chances on NEC coaches (particularly, ones whose bloodlines rendered them huge outliers) and hope they catch lightning in a bottle. We can't.

It's amazing how many programs in the AAC are able to find better coaches than UConn has, considering none of us should be considered any better of a program than URI.

URI can afford to go 16-17, no better than 5th in the conference, and miss NCAA/NIT tournament play. We can't.

Your suggestion is literally to be prepared to suck for a long time because we're in the AAC and therefore can't get coaches at least as good as lesser programs ALSO in the AAC. It's not only unnecessarily pessimistic, it's irrational.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Did it? They should be getting the death penalty for what went down there.

But they won't, and they'll keep getting $40m checks from the ACC. And they won an NCAA title, even if it is now revoked.

 

[Matrim55]

URI can afford to take chances on NEC coaches (particularly, ones whose bloodlines rendered them huge outliers) and hope they catch lightning in a bottle. We can't.

Good thing we're not listing off NEC coaches here, then.

Did you hit your head real hard this offseason?

 

[Walker11]

Hurley would absolutely kill it here. However much the brand has diminished, it is still strong and is a helluva lot better than any other AAC school. We already recruit better than any other AAC school. A good coach should have a clear path to winning pretty big here. Is it really a better situation to go into a P5 job like Arizona State like his brother did? Hurley is going to be a hot commodity but its not like he is going to be looking at top P5 jobs.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Hurley will be in the ACC or B1G next year. Forget about the past; whose futures look brighter?

Where exactly do you see him going? I don't see any spots opening up for him

 

[BlueMAB]

Where exactly do you see him going? I don't see any spots opening up for him

He's doing his usual routine. Instead of explaining why we can't find coaches that can compete with other AAC coaches, he deflects and says we won't be preferred over P5 schools. It doesn't have to be Hurley, it could be anyone, and he'll make an excuse.

We don't have to hire better coaches than P5 schools. We have to hire better coaches than AAC schools. There's no reason why that should be considered unrealistic at UConn.

 

[Stainmaster]

Good thing we're not listing off NEC coaches here, then.

Did you hit your head real hard this offseason?

My point is, UConn and URI have a vastly different hiring pool. The fact that URI ended up hiring someone who is probably out of our league at this point is meaningless - they struck lightning in a bottle.

 

[Matrim55]

The fact that URI ended up hiring someone who is probably out of our league at this point...

Sigh. There is literally no reason to think this, and I don't believe for a second that you have inside information.

Up your meds and have a nice day.

If UConn were to jump into the market for a new coach, they’d have excellent candidates to choose from. The people who are saying otherwise are the same ones who insisted all was well last year.

 

[Stainmaster]

He's doing his usual routine. Instead of explaining why we can't find coaches that can compete with other AAC coaches, he deflects and says we won't be preferred over P5 schools. It doesn't have to be Hurley, it could be anyone, and he'll make an excuse.

We don't have to hire better coaches than P5 schools. We have to hire better coaches than AAC schools. There's no reason why that should be considered unrealistic at UConn.

You're missing the point. The overlap between coaches who are better than the AAC's current coaches and those who will want to come here is not what some think it is.

We would hypothetically be competing against P5 schools for the best coaches on the market. I happen to think there are clear reasons why a basketball coach whose livelihood depends on his success might prefer taking a job there instead of here. But I seem to be quite alone in thinking that.

 

[Matrim55]

You're missing the point. The overlap between coaches who are better than the AAC's current coaches and those who will want to come here is not what some think it is.

Proof by assertion, argument of repetition, appeal to fear, etc etc etc.

 

[Stainmaster]

Proof by assertion, argument of repetition, appeal to fear, etc etc etc.

Proof by assertion - the Fishy post you just quoted is an example of the same thing, it just happens to line up with your own biases.

Appeal to fear - yeah, I'm afraid that any potential replacement coach will be a dud relative to expectations. Please point out where I'm using that as a reason to keep KO aboard. That's the only context in which it would be considered fallacious.

Bottom line, your or anyone else's hunches are no better than mine. What has been demonstrated is that the "blue glasses" effect is in full force. It'll take much more than a message board moderator to convince me that perception is not a significant problem in looking for a potential new head coach.

 

[JMick]

Proof by assertion - the Fishy post you just quoted is an example of the same thing, it just happens to line up with your own biases.

Appeal to fear - yeah, I'm afraid that any potential replacement coach will be a dud relative to expectations. Please point out where I'm using that as a reason to keep KO aboard. That's the only context in which it would be considered fallacious.

Bottom line, your or anyone else's hunches are no better than mine. What has been demonstrated is that the "blue glasses" effect is in full force. It'll take much more than a message board moderator to convince me that perception is not a significant problem in looking for a potential new head coach.

We need a Kevin Sumlin. A good dude who will leave the place better than he found it and set it up for his successor.

 

[BlueMAB]

You're missing the point. The overlap between coaches who are better than the AAC's current coaches and those who will want to come here is not what some think it is.

We would hypothetically be competing against P5 schools for the best coaches on the market. I happen to think there are clear reasons why a basketball coach whose livelihood depends on his success might prefer taking a job there instead of here. But I seem to be quite alone in thinking that.

I'm not missing the point. Your'e just wrong. Your perception that UConn is not the job it used to be is largely valid. Your argument that UConn doesn't have the same pull as URI is stupid.

Maybe Hurley leaves for the ACC/B1G, maybe he comes to UConn for a few years and then leaves for the ACC/B1G.

The overlap between coaches who are better than Kevin Ollie, and coaches that would come to UConn is far larger than you want to admit. If other programs in the AAC can find coaches to win the conference, we can too. It's moronic to suggest otherwise.

 

[Javjudah]

Dan Hurley. But there’s no chance he leaves URI for us right now.

Like you said, Dan Hurley will not come to UCONN. I am still waiting to hear who is UCONN going hire to replace Ollie that will want to stay at UCONN in the long run.

 

[UConn990411]

Saying that UConn shouldn't fire Ollie because "who else would they hire?" is a bad argument by itself.

It becomes a dreadful argument when you add in the fact that they can pay their basketball coach $4 million/year.

 

[Confident Carl]

Hopefully KO will get it together. He knows the team needs time to learn how to play together under pressure against quality competition. The Arkansas beat down will create a wood shed moment for KO and the players. He is probably ok coming back from the PK80 1-2 because he knew how good MSU's bigs were. Beating #4 in the USA was not a realistic expectation at this stage of the teams development. They got out played by ARK in every aspect! KO's not stupid and understands what he's up against with all the new players. As he gets the correct rotation down, chemistry and rhythm will improve and shooting percentage will increase. Cobb is going to make a difference when he gets over the high ankle sprain. We'll most likely be 6-2 going into the Cuse game at the Garden. Depending on the outcome we are either 7-2 or 6-3. Then Copin State followed by Arizona, Auburn and Wichita State. If KO and his guys end up 9-4 after that stretch, we're gonna be okay and a lot of the concern will go away for a while.

Today was the worst and most embarrassing loss I can recalll in the modern era for Uconn basketball. I gave Ollie slack last year because of all the injuries. I am not ready to give up on him yet. Let's see where we are after the Wichita State game.

 

[Walker11]

Saying that UConn shouldn't fire Ollie because "who else would they hire?" is a bad argument by itself.

It becomes a dreadful argument when you add in the fact that they can pay their basketball coach $4 million/year.

Serious, not trolling. Can we? We are getting chump change from the AAC, huge budget crisis, prospective big time buy out for KO, our football coach just got hired for the paltry sum of 1mm. per year (extenuating circumstances to be fair). Where does the money come from? Boosters?

 

[UConn990411]

Serious, not trolling. Can we? We are getting chump change from the AAC, huge budget crisis, prospective big time buy out for KO, our football coach just got hired for the paltry sum of 1mm. per year (extenuating circumstances to be fair). Where does the money come from? Boosters?

It's not trolling.

For the record, my position is they should give Ollie through next season to turn around his own mess (provided this season isn't a complete disaster), but I find it weird that people think there's no hope UConn can land a good basketball coach ever again.

Lots of mid-major programs have much better coaches, and UConn's athletic department has about double the budget of most of them.

 

[Javjudah]

UCONN men's basketball coaching job is not a very attractive job at this juncture and its not one many will accept. We play in a terrible conference, UCONN is located in the cow pasture... no top recruit will want to play for UCONN at this Juncture unless Ollie's diamond in the rough start producing and he send players to the NBA. The schools that are having success in the AAC are Cincinnati and SMU. Larry Brown is a legend and laid a great foundation before he left. Mick Cronin has longevity and success. Rome wasn't built in a day, our only chance to not be a complete dumpster is to have Ollie pull us through this tough cycle.

 

[Stainmaster]

I'm not missing the point. Your'e just wrong. Your perception that UConn is not the job it used to be is largely valid. Your argument that UConn doesn't have the same pull as URI is stupid.

Maybe Hurley leaves for the ACC/B1G, maybe he comes to UConn for a few years and then leaves for the ACC/B1G.

The overlap between coaches who are better than Kevin Ollie, and coaches that would come to UConn is far larger than you want to admit. If other programs in the AAC can find coaches to win the conference, we can too. It's moronic to suggest otherwise.

If it were UConn or URI in a binary choice situation, then of course we would have more pull. I also don't think it's unreasonable to assume that Hurley will be one of the most in-demand candidates on the market next March, for many of the same reasons he is so appealing to posters here.

What you are missing is that I don't think the quality of coach on the market should have anything to do with whether or not he is kept. I am fine with him losing his job regardless of what is on the other end.

Looking at the coaches in this conference, save for Cronin (who was hired into the Big East and has spent ten years at his current school), the vast majority are retreads and P5 washouts who are not competing on a year-to-year basis, thanks to extreme inconsistency in recruitment and development of talent. If that is the new goal, then great. However, even the top echelon of AAC coaches look bad in OOC competition and flame out early in the postseason. So expecting a distinct improvement from what we have currently from "coaches who would beat other AAC coaches" seems to make little sense to me.

 

[Stainmaster]

Saying that UConn shouldn't fire Ollie because "who else would they hire?" is a bad argument by itself.

It becomes a dreadful argument when you add in the fact that they can pay their basketball coach $4 million/year.

Who's still making that argument?

 

[UConn990411]

Who's still making that argument?

Please see page 1 of this thread.

 

[Shabazzkets]

What we need is the next Calhoun. Not someone who played for Calhoun...but a guy who is going to come in here determined to build UConn into a dominant force, whose personality is going to drive the program forward, who will go out and recruit and develop NBA talent.

Is that easy to find? No. But there's a reason UConn was a relative unknown on the college basketball landscape before Calhoun. It's a really tough place to win at, especially now when the team has to traverse the country just to play its road schedule in a crappy conference that will never get any respect from the committee.

I don't know how much 4 titles means to recruits or coaches out there. Everyone is trying to look forward. And what they see in UConn's future isn't all that bright right now.

 

[Stainmaster]

What we need is the next Calhoun. Not someone who played for Calhoun...but a guy who is going to come in here determined to build UConn into a dominant force, whose personality is going to drive the program forward, who will go out and recruit and develop NBA talent.

Is that easy to find? No. But there's a reason UConn was a relative unknown on the college basketball landscape before Calhoun. It's a really tough place to win at, especially now when the team has to traverse the country just to play its road schedule in a crappy conference that will never get any respect from the committee.

I don't know how much 4 titles means to recruits or coaches out there. Everyone is trying to look forward. And what they see in UConn's future isn't all that bright right now.

Calhoun is the greatest basketball coach in the history of the sport. Nobody else has replicated what he did in building UConn up, and it's safe to say nobody ever will again.

 

[BlueMAB]

So expecting a distinct improvement from what we have currently from "coaches who would beat other AAC coaches" seems to make little sense to me.

Fine you think Ollie should be canned, but if you don't think we can find a coach that can do better than 5th in the AAC then do us all a favor and stop posting in discussions on the head coach, because you're just making losing worse by arguing that we can't find anyone to do better.

You keep saying we don't have any pull, but we have more pull than anyone in the conference, so we should be at least able to compete to win the conference in the regular season.

 

[Allbite]

Bottom line, he's most likely gone only if they don't make the tournament. And we only need to wait until the end of the year because they are not making the tournament.

 

[KodiacKemba]

Do y’all see what Michigan State doing to UNC

 

[Allbite]

Hopefully KO will get it together. He knows the team needs time to learn how to play together under pressure against quality competition. The Arkansas beat down will create a wood shed moment for KO and the players. He is probably ok coming back from the PK80 1-2 because he knew how good MSU's bigs were. Beating #4 in the USA was not a realistic expectation at this stage of the teams development. They got out played by ARK in every aspect! KO's not stupid and understands what he's up against with all the new players. As he gets the correct rotation down, chemistry and rhythm will improve and shooting percentage will increase. Cobb is going to make a difference when he gets over the high ankle sprain. We'll most likely be 6-2 going into the Cuse game at the Garden. Depending on the outcome we are either 7-2 or 6-3. Then Copin State followed by Arizona, Auburn and Wichita State. If KO and his guys end up 9-4 after that stretch, we're gonna be okay and a lot of the concern will go away for a while.

Today was the worst and most embarrassing loss I can recalll in the modern era for Uconn basketball. I gave Ollie slack last year because of all the injuries. I am not ready to give up on him yet. Let's see where we are after the Wichita State game.

They are not making the tournament. Period.

 

[UConnDan97]

Do y’all see what Michigan State doing to UNC

Apparently they're a pretty good team.

I've said it before in another thread; the issue for me today was the mentality and energy level of the kids. If they get that right, we can still battle with the big boys. The youngsters have to grow, and the elders have to lead...