Former UConn guard Alterique Gilbert finds success, ‘living his best life’ at Wichita State

[Huskyforlife]

Can Kevin Ollie save UConn from irrelevance?

A losing record and the recent news of another NCAA investigation begs the question: is Kevin Ollie the right man to lead UConn back to prominence?

www.espn.com

Man, reading that article again hurts a lot. Really outlines how bad things got towards the end.

"Get in the gym," Ollie said, according to a source close to Jackson.

"[Jackson] wanted a clear plan going forward," the source said. "He didn't want to transfer, but there was no plan."

@businesslawyer @BigErnMcCracken You're really going to defend this? These kids deserved better, you can't blame them for pursuing competent coaching. I'm pretty sure the stuff about his dad is purely Boneyard speciation as well. Vance having high hopes for himself wouldn't even change the fact getting out of this situation was the right decision, even if the results of his career were disappointing regardless.

 

[Travelman6]

I don't wish him any ill-will but I also don't spend any time thinking about him.

 

[mauconnfan]

Man, reading that article again hurts a lot. Really outlines how bad things got towards the end.

"Get in the gym," Ollie said, according to a source close to Jackson.

"[Jackson] wanted a clear plan going forward," the source said. "He didn't want to transfer, but there was no plan."

@businesslawyer @BigErnMcCracken You're really going to defend this? These kids deserved better, you can't blame them for pursuing competent coaching. I'm pretty sure the stuff about his dad is purely Boneyard speciation as well. Vance having high hopes for himself wouldn't even change the fact getting out of this situation was the right decision, even if the results of his career were disappointing regardless.

Guess he continues to look for that plan as does his dad? LOL

If a coach thinks a kid is lazy and doesn't work enough on his game I'm pretty sure "get in the gym" is one way to communicate a beginning to a plan no? Most good players tend to be gym rats, I'm guessing he wasn't one of them.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm positive this has been reported on officially. If not I'll take the L. But do you really think KO was invested in these kids development? Do you think it was a coincidence 3 top 70 recruits transfered in one off-season? We know Ollie stopped trying, this isn't a disputed topic.

Was it a coincidence they all left at once? Of course not. They all wanted to get away and be somewhere else. But look at the particulars. Enoch and Durham both felt they should be playing a lot more, even though while they were on the court Enoch played defense at a middle school level and Durham clearly hadn't mentally recovered from his pre-UConn injuries. Jackson I've already discussed. So, you had three players, all with potential, that wanted more from that year's team than KO gave them, but wanted more from that year's team than any sane coach would have given them.

Does that mean KO did a good job at selling his long term plans for them, and the program, and himself? No, of course not. But I'm not going to pretend that the guys who left ever showed us that they were all in for the team, and if KO just was too everything would have been fine.

 

[Waquoit]

What nonsense. Tate George was once hanging around Calhoun’s office talking about how to make himself better. Calhoun said something like “The guards at Seton Hall are in the gym working on making themselves better.”

This kind of urban myth because we hate Ollie in hindsight is worthless.

Is it? Was there a more detailed plan that wasn't revealed? Hurley has a plan for all his players. Heck, he has a plan for his recruits. But plans take work.

And JC used to rush out onto the court for the express purpose of calling a player a "stupid 12-letter word". That didn't help their game, either.

 

[businesslawyer]

Is it? Was there a more detailed plan that wasn't revealed? Hurley has a plan for all his players. Heck, he has a plan for his recruits. But plans take work.

And JC used to rush out onto the court for the express purpose of calling a player a "stupid 12-letter word". That didn't help their game, either.

You know it didn't help their game? Good coaches know the difference between someone wanting to talk about being better and someone working to being better. I'm willing to bet JC knew what he was doing the vast majority of the time. Does KO get that kind of deference? Of course not. But neither does Vance Jackson.

 

[Waquoit]

You know it didn't help their game?

I'm pretty sure it didn't. This is a copycat spot and successful practices are emulated. I've only seen that move from JC.

 

[Huskybass]

You know it didn't help their game? Good coaches know the difference between someone wanting to talk about being better and someone working to being better. I'm willing to bet JC knew what he was doing the vast majority of the time. Does KO get that kind of deference? Of course not. But neither does Vance Jackson.

I applaud any kid who had the good sense to get away from the awful situation Kevin Ollie created. In the hundred plus year history of UConn basketball, no UConn team had ever lost more than 5 games by 20 or more points. Ollie's last season resulted in 8 games where they got blown out by 20 or more. He simply did not have the capabilities to successfully run a D1 program, and many of the kids could see that.

 

[ScuderiaDiU]

It is possible that both were head cases.

 

[scuba lou]

With the Covid eligibility rules this year can AG play another year?

 

[Get a Job]

With the Covid eligibility rules this year can AG play another year?

Yup!

 

[huskiemaniac]

Gratuitous? Yes. Unfair? While I respect your opinion, I beg to differ. This is a player who was given a much bigger role than his play deserved due to various injuries, and spent his year here worried that his role wasn't big enough and publicly whining about it. I don't wish him poorly in life, but would I take pleasure in beating the crap out of his current team? Yes, I would.

Arkansas is pretty good...we‘ll see...