Help On The Way

[Allbite]

Uh, no....can't keep playing that game. KO needs to prove he can coach up this group, this year to respectability or it's time to move on.....6 years is enough body of work to evaluate and project.

It needs to be concrete. Make the tournament any way you can, or go in another direction. That is not unreasonable at all at this point. Coaches have been fired for far less.

 

[B1GEast]

Next season two five star players, Sid Wilson and James Akinjo will be on the team. Along with Kisunas and Mathews Jr. Add Larrier and perhaps Adams to that group, and see how our team looks. Having said that, it will be KO's last chance. Either win, or be gone.

Are we now playing for next year?

Sad

 

[superjohn]

it's a waste of time, the people you're trying to reason with are incorrigible

And you have no idea that what he said isn't true. It seems as though the people who know the least about basketball and the team are the ones who are the most adamant about Ollie doing a fine job. It's interesting how that works.

 

[CL82]

NBA draft, most likely ends up in Europe.

Not NBA based upon last nights performance.

 

[BringJimBack]

Wilson and Akinjo are 4-star players, not 5.

Yes but if Adams is gone and AG can’t go they will be our highest rated recruits. Great job KO!!

 

[superjohn]

Not NBA based upon last nights performance.

He hasn't proven he can play point and he hasn't developed his body into an NBA player's body. Could see him maybe being a 2nd rounder but he could make a lot of money in Europe. He's old for his class and I doubt he comes back.

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

How many five star recruits are there in the whole AAC?

 

[UConnJim]

If you add Sidney Wilson to the 2018 recruits, 247 would rank the class ~20th. That is a good recruiting year. If we can get similar classes of high school talent in the future and develop the players, UConn will be back on top.

 

[CTNative]

Next season two five star players, Sid Wilson and James Akinjo will be on the team. Along with Kisunas and Mathews Jr. Add Larrier and perhaps Adams to that group, and see how our team looks. Having said that, it will be KO's last chance. Either win, or be gone.

Facts are important as someone else pointed out. One kid is Top 75 and the other Top 100. That's not bad but a far cry from a Top 10 kid game changer like Duke, KY and Kansas get every year.

 

[Glastonhusky]

If you add Sidney Wilson to the 2018 recruits, 247 would rank the class ~20th. That is a good recruiting year. If we can get similar classes of high school talent in the future and develop the players, UConn will be back on top.

Agree. Someone mentioned Butler getting 3 star kids and being competitive every year, the key is they have balanced classes so they have experienced juniors and seniors every year. We haven't been able to do this yet due to injuries and the defections of last season. You can say that the defections were KO's fault, but we may never really know what happened. In Jackson's case we know his father was running his mouth before the season really got started. We are on the right track with the 2018 class, if we could land a top 40 type kid (if a spot opens up), for next season or 2019, that would put us over the top. Continuity in recruiting is the key, patience.

 

[scotty0330]

We need bucket makers. Matthews and akinjo have reputation for being able to shoot which is good. Sid Wilson def doesn’t. Great athlete...plays quick but a shooter he was not last year in high school. Regardless with the Gilbert uncertainty Ollie can’t close book on 2018 and feel good about guard rotation next year....unless Adams surprises and comes back as a 23 year old senior.

 

[CTNative]

We need bucket makers. Matthews and akinjo have reputation for being able to shoot which is good. Sid Wilson def doesn’t. Great athlete...plays quick but a shooter he was not last year in high school. Regardless with the Gilbert uncertainty Ollie can’t close book on 2018 and feel good about guard rotation next year....unless Adams surprises and comes back as a 23 year old senior.

UCONN has two very good players and a bunch of average players in my opinion. But keep in mind, one or two good players can make a season great BUT you still have to have the rest of the role players playing with heart and seem like they care. What happened to the button down defense of old? Defense is about understanding roles and commitment. Seems UCONN has neither. it is not a panacea but a solid, passionate defense covers a lot of sins. Syracuse drove with ease and it is not the scrappy UCONN of old. That...is coaching.

 

[WrenchFan69]

How many five star recruits are there in the whole AAC?

247 had Larrier and Adams as 5*s and at one point ESPN had Gilbert as a 5* but ended him at 4*. Believe that's it

 

[Deadrody]

We have a historical reference point at this very university to rely on for judging the performance of this team. When Calhoun took over, UConn was the 8th / 9th best team / program in the Big East. He did not build the program into national prominence by getting 5 star recruits. Even at the height of the program's success, he was still not bringing in any more than 1 top 30 player in any given year, and usually, not even that.

The really ironic thing is, one of these posts references Ben Gordon. Fact is, Gordon was an under the radar recruit, I don't recall the reasons, but he was not a top 30 guy, nor was Okafor. That 2004 championship team was probably the most talented team Calhoun ever coached. The only McD's all americans on the team were Taliek Brown - oh the irony - and Charlie V (who didn't contribute much, especially in the tournament). Calhoun was competing for national championships against programs with rosters full of McD's AAs. I mean, seriously, tell me about how UConn was one tipped pass away from going to the Final Four in 1990 and all the 5 star recruits that made it possible. I'm not saying Kevin Ollie has to be as good as a HOF coach. The point is, coaching is about making the team more than the sum of it's parts, and using strategy to overcome the various weaknesses of individual players and the team overall. Full court pressure defense leading to transition offense was a hallmark of early UConn teams because they often did not have the upper echelon talent that the Duke, Kansas, UNC programs had.

The bottom line here is that the reference point is, you can compete nationally, AT UCONN, even when considered a conference doormat, by coaching the players you can get, which were not 5 star recruits when Calhoun started. That's just a fact.

Bitching about not having enough 5 star recruits is nonsense. I'll grant you that the fact that Ollie also can't seem to recruit players to come to UConn also does not work in his favor, but you do not have to have 5 star recruits to compete nationally, let alone in the AAC. These facts do not paint Kevin Ollie in a very flattering light.

 

[ZenConn]

247 had Larrier and Adams as 5*s and at one point ESPN had Gilbert as a 5* but ended him at 4*. Believe that's it

Players commit to DOOK or Kensucky and their ratings go from 4 to 5. They commit elsewhere and their rating goes from 5 to 4. Let's not put a huge emphasis on the ratings here.

 

[BringJimBack]

We have a historical reference point at this very university to rely on for judging the performance of this team. When Calhoun took over, UConn was the 8th / 9th best team / program in the Big East. He did not build the program into national prominence by getting 5 star recruits. Even at the height of the program's success, he was still not bringing in any more than 1 top 30 player in any given year, and usually, not even that.

The really ironic thing is, one of these posts references Ben Gordon. Fact is, Gordon was an under the radar recruit, I don't recall the reasons, but he was not a top 30 guy, nor was Okafor. That 2004 championship team was probably the most talented team Calhoun ever coached. The only McD's all americans on the team were Taliek Brown - oh the irony - and Charlie V (who didn't contribute much, especially in the tournament). Calhoun was competing for national championships against programs with rosters full of McD's AAs. I mean, seriously, tell me about how UConn was one tipped pass away from going to the Final Four in 1990 and all the 5 star recruits that made it possible. I'm not saying Kevin Ollie has to be as good as a HOF coach. The point is, coaching is about making the team more than the sum of it's parts, and using strategy to overcome the various weaknesses of individual players and the team overall. Full court pressure defense leading to transition offense was a hallmark of early UConn teams because they often did not have the upper echelon talent that the Duke, Kansas, UNC programs had.

The bottom line here is that the reference point is, you can compete nationally, AT UCONN, even when considered a conference doormat, by coaching the players you can get, which were not 5 star recruits when Calhoun started. That's just a fact.

Bitching about not having enough 5 star recruits is nonsense. I'll grant you that the fact that Ollie also can't seem to recruit players to come to UConn also does not work in his favor, but you do not have to have 5 star recruits to compete nationally, let alone in the AAC. These facts do not paint Kevin Ollie in a very flattering light.

Spot on. However, most talented team was 2006.

 

[sledog]

 

[Kembacity]

Yeah guys clearly we should fire Ollie, hire Steve Peikell and we'll be stealing top recruits from Duke and Kentucky every year. What are you people smoking and can you send me some?

The people "defending" Ollie are not saying he's doing a great job or are happy with the ball being played, but the rest of you need to mention who these magic head coaching options are that would put us in a better situation than current. You know how we all bitch about recruiting being impossible to keep on our old par in the AAC? Well I think the same needs to be said for hiring of a potential coach.

What top coaches would come to UConn where Kevin Ollie who won a championship in his first years coaching, and spent a decade in the NBA with fine words from NBA superstars, has trouble recruiting top talent to come play and stay?

 

[Hugo]

If you add Sidney Wilson to the 2018 recruits, 247 would rank the class ~20th. That is a good recruiting year. If we can get similar classes of high school talent in the future and develop the players, UConn will be back on top.

Ah, the old recruiting vs development issue. If you can't recruit top 5* talent, and these days that means 1 and done players, the need to develop these 4* and even 3* players becomes critical. I'd be happy with an overall ranking in the top 15 or top 20 classes IF we could actually develop these players. However, based on the last 4 years, I'm not confident that KO can do that. Maybe part of our problem is we have not been recruiting guys with the right motivation, work ethic, high BB IQ or the willingness/ability to be developed. That to me is a big component of recruiting and finding these recruits is more important than their actual ranking.

 

[Chely's Home]

I'm no expert like all of you guys, but...
is Ollies positionless style of hoops the reason they don't get decent front court guys anymore?? Like I don't get it. Too many skinny players, these guys look the same after 3 yrs lol. This is depressing as hell...wheres the development... Yes he got a raw deal because the AAC became a thing, but i think the excuses are over. This sucks... everyday wondering why we can't catch a break and get the call up. Let alone the current mediocre product.

 

[auggie22]

Yeah guys clearly we should fire Ollie, hire Steve Peikell and we'll be stealing top recruits from Duke and Kentucky every year. What are you people smoking and can you send me some?

The people "defending" Ollie are not saying he's doing a great job or are happy with the ball being played, but the rest of you need to mention who these magic head coaching options are that would put us in a better situation than current. You know how we all bitch about recruiting being impossible to keep on our old par in the AAC? Well I think the same needs to be said for hiring of a potential coach.

What top coaches would come to UConn where Kevin Ollie who won a championship in his first years coaching, and spent a decade in the NBA with fine words from NBA superstars, has trouble recruiting top talent to come play and stay?

We can hire a better coach than Kevin Ollie. And if a good coach comes here and wins, increases fan interest, develops players for professional careers - that good coach will become better a better recruiter, too.

If it takes Kevin Ollie another 5 years to develop into a competent head coach, we very well may reach the point of no return.

 

[dennismenace]

I believe the only hope for this team is to play 100% at all times. Not giving 100%? Hook. They are not talented or poised enough to give anything less than that and win. When that is the standard and enforced by the coach you get effort or else. A funny thing happens on a team where less than all out is not tolerated. Everyone is on the same page = unity. This might sound trite but growing up when the principal came around to hand out report cards the only thing he looked at were on the opposite side of academic grades. On the opposite side was EFFORT and CONDUCT. That is doing your very best. Everything else falls into place when you give your all and do what you are expected to do. Belichick: Do your job. Ollie: 10 toes in. Simple.