Geno on KO

[HuskyNan]

"Here's a guy who won a national championship and then the team isn't playing the way the fans think they deserve to get," Auriemma said. "So they turn on Kevin. I know. I read it. I see it. And now [Monday] they all want to build a statue to him in front of Gampel Pavilion.

"It's the world that we live in. I'm not criticizing or saying they are different or unique than anyplace else. I hear a lot of it from my friends in coaching, men's and women's side, it's like this everywhere in the country. It's not unique. But the guy won 20 games with a team [in 2013] that wasn't going to a tournament, then they win the national championship. And now they struggle, I just thought it was a little bit over the top. Give the guy a break."

Auriemma said people don't appreciate how difficult it is to put a team together when you're bringing in two crucial graduate transfers that haven't been part of a team's culture for four years.

"Now here they are and you've got to try to figure all that out," Auriemma said. "It's not easy. The thing I admire most about Kevin is he doesn't lose his cool. He keeps his composure. Man, if that was me I would have blown up about 100 times already and it would have been a war between me and the fans and the media and everybody.

The article is supposed to be about the women but it's more about the women's team and Geno talking about the men's team and KO.

Jeff Jacobs: Inspired By Adams' Heave, Geno Readies UConn Women For Hand Of Fate, Courant

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

Only the true fans have faith and support the team through thick and thin. Keep fighting KO! We are right there with you!

 

[Migs]

He isn't wrong, Jalen's shot doesn't go in and we have another 20 threads talking about who our next coach should be.

 

[amory]

it's a perfect storm of modern fan impatience, following a legend (and competing with a legend who's still coaching on the same campus), and conference affiliation anxiety

not to mention the way our offense has looked for most of this year, KO deserves some flak. not "he should be fired" type of stuff, but fair criticism

 

[8893]

I never turned on KO, but I definitely soured on the team over the past few weeks, with the Houston game being the low point for me. Seemed to be a low point for KO, too. I love him, but when I see him now saying words to the effect of "People gave up on us, they said we had no heart," I want to remind him that he was one of those saying exactly that just a few games ago himself.

 

[noeynox]

I think its insane that not even a full two years after winning a national title, a guy who has allegedly turned down NBA jobs to be here, is getting openly questioned and being alleged to be on the "hot seat" by the fans on this site. It really is absurd. He is not perfect. No coach is and every move isn't going to work out because the other team is trying also.

 

[mauconnfan]

If you're not honest with yourself there are/were times you looked at KO and thought he looked less invested - not the same guy playing defense on the sideline and being off his chair. Also the time out usage or shall I say misusage in some games which could have been won as well as substitution patterns early on. All in all it may just have been what Geno said here about the grad transfers, maybe not.

No matter I never said he wasn't the guy I just think he's still learning and there will always be doubters, there were with Jim Calhoun and he's better than Geno and KO. It's life and Geno is making a bot too much of it from my end buy that's him, he likes the podium.

 

[RM99]

KO bleeds blue! He's the right coach for the job! And he's a great coach!

 

[Paesano]

To be fair, very very few people were calling for him to be fired if they missed the tournament. No one said he was on a hot seat. However, people were asking if he should be on a hot seat next year if they missed this year. It is a fair question which, in hindsight, is no longer valid. Some argued if that was fair and the question really came down to how many misses in a row are acceptable. I mean, there is a number...some number...right? Most people were willing to accept two. Some said three would have been too much. Some said four. Even the biggest supporter has to have a number. One championship buys only so much time and especially when that time is "missed the tournament" bad. And, to be honest, if they are on the bubble again next year, even this trip to the tournament will only be worth so much given that it took a 3/4 court miracle shot and/or an incredibly weak field to get them in. The reality still is that we have seen two pretty bad regular seasons in a row with lots of head scratching incidents. The team needs to start spending some amount of time in the Top 10 soon or token trips to the tournament won't be enough. Patience will thin unless, of course, a miracle 2014 championship run occurs at some point to offset the pain of these head scratching regular season runs.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

There were definitely quite a few head scratching Coaching decisions this year but I don't think it shows a lack of support when we point these out. I thought as a viewer our visible lack of effort at times just didn't match up to what we saw during our first two seasons with Ollie and even Ollie pointed this out. The team just looked a bit "hungrier" during Ollie's first two seasons. Time to stop feeding the players again.

 

[djct1999]

I think its insane that not even a full two years after winning a national title, a guy who has allegedly turned down NBA jobs to be here, is getting openly questioned and being alleged to be on the "hot seat" by the fans on this site. It really is absurd. He is not perfect. No coach is and every move isn't going to work out because the other team is trying also.

I feel for the most part this board is a fairly knowledgeable bunch. If you polled how many on here felt KO did not have a good coaching year, my guess is that 75% of us would say he didn't. If you follow that up with how many on here feel KO should be on the hot seat, my guess would be less than 5%. Point is, no one wants him gone. Sure, Jalen's shot made everyone here giddy. That's what's great about being a fan of sports, especially a program like UConn's which seems to deliver moments like this quite often. That may have changed the tone of the season but it doesn't mask the warts of the regular season. In a results driven profession, going 11-7 in a mediocre league with arguably the most talented team, the criticism is warranted. To boot, when you are compensated like a very high profile coach, a sub par performance warrants criticism. A fair weather fan is one that shows up when a team wins. This is the opposite. We aren't going anywhere but when our coach and team underperform, you bet we will say something.

 

[Hankster]

I agree with 8893 and Mau. I also never called for KO's job. However some of the reasons fans were complaining were valid. If Adams shot doesn't go in we lose. However how can a fan b*t*h about the most hard fought game in college ball this year. I think (and I may be wrong) 20 turnovers, bad ball movement, bad decisions on timeouts and plays. A true fan has the right to complain. Means that they care. The team has been playing outstanding. Why now and not during the season. What is a fan say during the season.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If you're not honest with yourself there are/were times you looked at KO and thought he looked less invested - not the same guy playing defense on the sideline and being off his chair. Also the time out usage or shall I say misusage in some games which could have been won as well as substitution patterns early on. All in all it may just have been what Geno said here about the grad transfers, maybe not.

No matter I never said he wasn't the guy I just think he's still learning and there will always be doubters, there were with Jim Calhoun and he's better than Geno and KO. It's life and Geno is making a bot too much of it from my end buy that's him, he likes the podium.

Good post. This is a message board where people are allowed to debate, praise and be critical of the team.

I've been critical of KO and the team this season at times, especially when it seemed they couldn't figure out how to close a game out.

KO is a true Husky and if you question him as UConns coach, I'd question who do you think you'd want to replace him?

Saying only true fans never criticize the team is such a simpleton response.

Let's face it, Jalens shot and AACT run prevented the season from being a failure but this team had top 25 talent all season and we find ourselves in March as a 9 seed with a tough draw in Colorado and maybe KU.

It was a bad regular season, and our run has given us a chance to change the ending. All we can ask for at this point.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

To be fair, very very few people were calling for him to be fired if they missed the tournament. No one said he was on a hot seat. However, people were asking if he should be on a hot seat next year if they missed this year. It is a fair question which, in hindsight, is no longer valid. Some argued if that was fair and the question really came down to how many misses in a row are acceptable. I mean, there is a number...some number...right? Most people were willing to accept two. Some said three would have been too much. Some said four. Even the biggest supporter has to have a number. One championship buys only so much time and especially when that time is "missed the tournament" bad. And, to be honest, if they are on the bubble again next year, even this trip to the tournament will only be worth so much given that it took a 3/4 court miracle shot and/or an incredibly weak field to get them in. The reality still is that we have seen two pretty bad regular seasons in a row with lots of head scratching incidents. The team needs to start spending some amount of time in the Top 10 soon or token trips to the tournament won't be enough. Patience will thin unless, of course, a miracle 2014 championship run occurs at some point to offset the pain of these head scratching regular season runs.

It may have been"very few people" but there was a thread on this board (started a year ago) asking if he should be fired if we missed the tournament this year.

That someone would ask that question is ridiculous.

 

[upstater]

If you're not honest with yourself there are/were times you looked at KO and thought he looked less invested - not the same guy playing defense on the sideline and being off his chair.

Calhoun would go entire seasons when he was animated start to finish, and some seasons he would sit on the bench and stew. I remember him doing a slow burn several times. I remember Calhoun talking about night and day chemistry/effort differences between seasons. 2000 is one such example. 2012 is another. Can you imagine the reaction of an earlier Calhoun to a certain big lug New York kid who left for some podunk school on the edges of the South/Midwest?

I will say that Calhoun showed a fire against both refs and in his anger toward his own kids that Ollie doesn't. Calhoun got results with this method. But I'm not sure it's going to be better than Kevin's more measured approach, in the long run. We'll see I guess. After many years of watching Calhoun rip into referees, I need to get used to Ollie's approach. I understand it philosophically, you don't want your team thinking about the refs at all, and they do take their cue from the coach. On the other hand, if they feel like they are being left out to dry, that impacts them too.

 

[Hugo]

Did I ever think KO should be fired or even be considered on the hot seat NO. Did I ever stop watching every possible game NO. Did I ever stop supporting and routing for the team NO. Did I ever stop supporting KO NO. Did I ever consider myself anything other than a true and loyal fan NO

Did I ever question some of KO's coaching decisions OF COURSE. Did I question the effort and BB IQ of some of the players OF COURSE.

All of us here have high, some times overly high, expectation each year and when the team is "underperforming" express our honest opinions here on the board about the team, individual players and the coaching. It's what we should do as fans and what the board should be used for. Criticism should be given when the team is underperforming as long as it's constructive and meaningful. To not do so would do a disservice to all the fans here.

 

[noeynox]

I feel for the most part this board is a fairly knowledgeable bunch. If you polled how many on here felt KO did not have a good coaching year, my guess is that 75% of us would say he didn't. If you follow that up with how many on here feel KO should be on the hot seat, my guess would be less than 5%. Point is, no one wants him gone. Sure, Jalen's shot made everyone here giddy. That's what's great about being a fan of sports, especially a program like UConn's which seems to deliver moments like this quite often. That may have changed the tone of the season but it doesn't mask the warts of the regular season. In a results driven profession, going 11-7 in a mediocre league with arguably the most talented team, the criticism is warranted. To boot, when you are compensated like a very high profile coach, a sub par performance warrants criticism. A fair weather fan is one that shows up when a team wins. This is the opposite. We aren't going anywhere but when our coach and team underperform, you bet we will say something.

I get it, but the guy has won a national championship already. That should buy him some credit with the fan base. You have to put that in perspective, it's the same amount of titles as guys like Boeheim and Calipari.

I get irritated when I feel like he is sitting on the bench comatosed as the refs are working us over, but it drives me nuts when I read on the board that the national title was "all Bazz" as I read recently after a bad loss.

We are an engaged fan base, but if UCONN ever gets rid of him he will be out of work 2 seconds likely making more money than he is now.

It is a results orientated business and his have been outstanding in his short time here. National title, conference tournament title in 4 years. I think we're lucky to have him follow a legend hardly skip a beat. That is very unusual.

 

[Leebo]

However, people were asking if he should be on a hot seat next year if they missed this year.

Wasn't that... you? Not "people"?

And the reason your hypothetical was irritating was because we never actually were in that much danger of missing the tournament. Regardless of what Lunardi and Palm thought. So this was just scaremongering and pessimism.

 

[tykurez]

Fact of the matter is, there's a contingent of folks who cannot control their emotions when this team is not performing up to expectations. There are countless examples of posts this year after a loss where the criticism crosses over into petulant whining about how inexperienced and overpaid this Kevin Ollie guy is. And I'm sure those folks will come in here and waffle and say they were so level headed about it all, but Geno is absolutely correct. And also, this thread is a real treat - thanks to @UC990411 for keeping it fresh all year.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

It was frustrating i felt like i was one of the few that didnt understand all of the hate he was getting. He is a top level coach in the NCAA period! And he played for UCONN, has NBA connections, and won a championship with UCONN as a coach in such a short period of time in the position. All programs have down turns. You arent always going to have the right mix of players and some players show up and dont produce like you thought they would and dont mature and progress over time you like expected, these things cause programs to have down years. Then some player mature, and new players come in that are better than expected and this happens and that happens and your program is good again. Sure the coach can take some blame in losses and bad seasons, but its not like we just had a bad season, we just had a season that was below our expectations. I still think Ollie is getting ALOT of production out of a team that would produce alot less for other coaches. Lets see what the rest of march has in store for us, but like someone mentioned, if that Jalen shot doesnt go in, people would be ready to hang Ollie. If that Amida put back didnt go in back in his freshman year, what would people be saying about Ollie now? Sometimes its just about players making plays or not.

 

[Catsailor]

Paesano said: And who chose those players?
Double Bingo!!

Catsailor said:
Please clarify Paesano. Is this a shot? Bottom line, it's more on the players than the coach.

[/QUOTE]

Paesano said:

"It isn't a shot but a statement. I disagree that any of this is on the players. They are what they are. The coach chooses the players. If they aren't UConn players, he shouldn't have chosen them. I get the sanctions excuse, to a point. But if the remaining 5 star guys are cancers, pick the 4 star guys that will turn into the Shonn Millers of the world. It doesn't look like his 4 star picks are acting like UConn players either. There are always mid major teams that become great teams with 4 star kids that overachieve. If we lack overachievers, whose fault is that?

And, really, having to recruit overachieving 4 star players should only have been the case for a year or two. Ollie should have been able to snag the 5 star kids that were both talented and high character in the last few classes, starting with Hamilton's class. If anyone has a problem with how Hamilton is playing, they should be asking why he picked him instead of a harder working 5 star. EVERYTHING is on the coach...always."




Catsailor says: We know where you stand Paesano
Not so passive aggressive example,
whatever the problem, ignore the facts, it's always the coaches fault. LOL

 

[HuskyHawk]

I get it, but the guy has won a national championship already. That should buy him some credit with the fan base. You have to put that in perspective, it's the same amount of titles as guys like Boeheim and Calipari.

I get irritated when I feel like he is sitting on the bench comatosed as the refs are working us over, but it drives me nuts when I read on the board that the national title was "all Bazz" as I read recently after a bad loss.

We are an engaged fan base, but if UCONN ever gets rid of him he will be out of work 2 seconds likely making more money than he is now.

It is a results orientated business and his have been outstanding in his short time here. National title, conference tournament title in 4 years. I think we're lucky to have him follow a legend hardly skip a beat. That is very unusual.

Does he get credit for that? Of course. But the reality is that I prize consistent excellence above national titles. Missing the tournament two years in a row is unacceptable at UConn. It can never be allowed to be acceptable. It didn't happen, but came closer than it should have. I never thought he should be anywhere close to losing his job, but I thought that the team had under-performed their talent, which was obvious in the close losses and late collapses.

Overall I think he's exactly the guy we need, and I think he's still learning and growing into the job.

 

[MexicoHusky]

I'm a big KO guy. I wanted him around before the Adams shot and I still want him around. That said, a very reliable source says KO to Rutgers is a done deal so I think we should start looking for a new coach.

 

[businesslawyer]

It may have been"very few people" but there was a thread on this board (started a year ago) asking if he should be fired if we missed the tournament this year.

That someone would ask that question is ridiculous.

This. The fact that you can question whether KO was having a good year is totally different than having any sort of discussion about his future after overachieving with a teamon probaton in '13 and winning a national championship that no one saw coming in '14. Criticism is perfectly fair. We had plenty of conversations that went from perfectly fair to purely assinine.

 

[dtrumpet]

Geno makes the mistake so many make in his position, which is to speak like all the fans speak with the same voice. Of course thats not true, and its actually lazy to even think that way. Most fans didn't want KO out, and to criticize him is not to "turn on him". Its just passion, sometime irrational, sure, but not too often here anyway. The same passion that makes us scream at the television, and sit in the same "lucky" seats and wear the same "lucky" shirts; but the same passion that has made Geno and KO very rich men. Geno really shouldn't complain, whether he speaks for KO or himself.