keep your head up! Your facing great adversity with injuries greatly impact your season and your kids are down. Been watching you since you were a freshman at state u and you never, ever gave up. Have the utmost faith in you and your guys to overcome. Just know there are many of us out ther that believe!
Hey KO
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gtcam
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I feel for KO, but life goes on and I am sure that is the direction he will take
But this one stings because of what had been developing for 2 years or more
Some folks are just overwhelmed by salespeople - that's why I wont let my some people in my family go buy a car on their own
But this one stings because of what had been developing for 2 years or more
Some folks are just overwhelmed by salespeople - that's why I wont let my some people in my family go buy a car on their own
UCweCONN
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SHS, KO will be calling you on Monday to set up therapy sessions. What's your hourly rate? If you're not available, maybe Stuart Smalley from the 80's Saturday Night Live is available. "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."
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I was fully expecting to come into this thread ready to blast you for a knee jerk negative reaction. It's nice to be pleasantly surprised. This program has had down periods and it always seems to find a way back. Remember when Calhoun was a 2x title winner who had lost it? Hello number 3. Remember when KO was forced into the head coaching position and that the transition would kill the program? Mark Emmert not being the one to hand over number 4. I can't wait to be there in person for number 5.
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What are you smoking? You do realize that 2X title winner who had lost it never put out a team that was a terrible as this? Don't you dare compare UConn in 2007 (who started 11-0) or UConn in 2010 (who beat #1 TX, & Nova & WV) to this horrendous garbage team that Kevin Ollie has put out. (wait for the garbage responses from @upstater, who is a moron or @Mr. Wonderful who is an idiot to respond) Once their done smoking the 2014 weed get back to reality.. We are in a horrible place as a program. Does Ollie deserve 1 more year? No. We need to make a coaching move FAST. Gilbert, Larrier, Adams won't sit out a year transferring, we need to find a coach who actually understands the game of basketball and hire him ASAP.
Stainmaster
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Another whiny baby who wants national championships and perfect seasons spoon-fed to him in his high chair.
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2009 is the worst poster in the history of the Boneyard.
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What exactly would you consider the state of the program right now?
We're on the fast track to being a nationally irrelevant, former power, a la Georgetown, Houston, etc.
KO's tenure may very well kill the program as far as being an elite blue blood, despite the positive initial returns.
Stainmaster
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An open-market hire who can only attract 2 and 3-star talent will kill the program a lot quicker.
It's not whining to want, and expect a better product than what is currently being rolled out. This is how it starts when a program falls. You lose a recruit or two and you write it off as no big deal, you miss the tourney once or twice and it's "can't be great every year" or "We are x years removed from a title, what do you want?".
If you think this program looks good right now, then you are the crazy one in my opinion. What if this "talent" that KO has recruited really isn't any good at all? Some of them are hurt and some of them look to me like they never played a game of basketball in their lives.
If KO is to restore any confidence in the direction of this program, then this team has to improve, period. That may not even be in the form of wins, but energy and some more intelligent play would be a positive indicator. And next year the guy has to win game, or else you know he doesn't have it.
It's not unfair to be skeptical and to want to see better results.
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at a minimum we should look at the possibility of replacing one or more of our assistant/associate coaches. Ollie desperately needs a George Blaney x and o type guy on the bench.
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Which one of the new coaches is going to get guys to make open shots? This is not a streak or bad run of shooting. At some point you have to say we need perimeter shooters, guys with touch on their shot. Jalen can make midrange but that's about it. Before injuries we couldn't make shots either.
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KO can learn how to fix this. The flaws in this roster are pretty obvious. The primary issue he has is a lack of shooters and rebounding. We should have adequate talent to win a lot of games as long as we find some guys who can shoot and open up the floor. Shooting practice and coaching is desperately needed at UConn. These guys should be puttting up 500 shots a day with proper form. We seem to have an issue recruiting guys with a text book jump shot. We should at least try to help them create one when they get here. Very few guys make it anywhere long term in basketball without proper mechanics. You have to be a physical/athletic freak otherwise. I continue to find it interesting that KO, Ricky and Kevin (KFree less so in terms of form) all had serious issues shooting the ball and now these guys can't shoot.
We need a couple of solid basketball players with an above average jumper and a big with good hands, some beef and the ability to make an easy shot. I'd be looking to Europe a lot more in filling the gaps in our recruiting. Euros have been integral on many of our good teams. This team could really use a Neils type right now.
We need a couple of solid basketball players with an above average jumper and a big with good hands, some beef and the ability to make an easy shot. I'd be looking to Europe a lot more in filling the gaps in our recruiting. Euros have been integral on many of our good teams. This team could really use a Neils type right now.
UCweCONN
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I lot of people on this board are assuming that we'll be fine next year when Larrier and Gilbert come back from injuries. Not everyone comes back the same from major injuries. Also, KO has brought in players this year, one coming off of two ACL surgeries, and another with a debilitating knee problem. If your loaded with NBA talent, you might take a chance with a kid who comes in with an injury history but to me it's too risky, much like taking on project big men that take four years to give you anything significant.
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Need to live the years my friends. When UConn was in the cellar of the Big East early years, no one whined they just hoped someday to get to the middle. When UConn got in to the Top 25 for a while with Corny people were happy to finally achieve what was the ultimate goal, or so they thought. Now we hit the pinnacle 4X mind you for some, for me as a fan a lot more than that. The "spoiled rotten crappy fan" brings up the 4 titles. What about the 5th FF in which they lost, that was horrible huh? What about the many Elite 8's and Sweet 16's, they sucked huh?
Therein lies the problem, spoiled fans. Yeah this is a tough year, but those who say "well that last 2 sucked too" really? Where did we come from? KO will have us where we belong again I have no doubt but I understand the doubters. I mean yeah let's get Pitino's kid from Minny or another up and comer and watch Ray Allen, Emeka, Jim Calhoun, Rip, Caron, Travis and everyone drift away - that's when you'll whine like little sissies.
So many of you make fun of Cuse and PC fans, well check that mirror out you might as well wear the Orange!! Pitiful
(traitor not all directed at you by the way sorry)
UConnDan97
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For being from the land of steady habits, we aren't all that steady, are we? I guess steadily bitching about things. There's no endurance here. No staying power. No perspective.
The best part is when we miraculously get what we want, and we find a way to bitch about that too. We have a UCONN sports team that never loses. Literally. And all I hear about that is, "it's boring now because nobody can beat them." You can't make this stuff up sometimes.
Support through the bad times. Cherish the good times. As Huskies, we've had a lot more of the latter than the former...
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So many of you who just don't want to face reality, it's truly hard to understand.
Let's look at KO's resume at Uconn....
First year- takes a team with half a roster because everyone transferred and won 20 games.
Second year- wins a national championship, a feat that is nearly impossible for so many other programs that win 20+ games every year.
Third year- a down year, the only year where we underachieved, had a lot to do with Daniels making a poor decision and jetting to nowhere.
Fourth year- We go to the tourney and win a game and lose to the 1 seed.
This year- obviously we all need to take this year and throw it out considering 2 of our best players are out for the season since the 5th game of the year and our best player sat out two games.
Put things in perspective....
How is Oklahoma doing without Woodward???
0-5 and that is just one player.
Are you going to get on Kruger too now?
Wake up negative Husky fans, please wake up.
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Ollie gets another year to fix this, but you have to be a blind optimist not be very concerned. The losses to Wagner and BU were with a full roster.
There have been some questionable recruiting decisions (on the surface I think passing on a scorer like Issac Vann was a huge mistake) and for 3 years Ollie has struggled to motivate his team when playing inferior competition. Everyone can see that we tend to play to the level of our competition which is a clear coaching problem.
Bottom line: Ollie gets paid enough money for the fans to expect a better product and it needs to be fixed next year IMO.
There have been some questionable recruiting decisions (on the surface I think passing on a scorer like Issac Vann was a huge mistake) and for 3 years Ollie has struggled to motivate his team when playing inferior competition. Everyone can see that we tend to play to the level of our competition which is a clear coaching problem.
Bottom line: Ollie gets paid enough money for the fans to expect a better product and it needs to be fixed next year IMO.
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Pretty sure Calhoun had problems with his teams getting up for lesser opponents too. I know we've said it here, it's not a coaching thing it's the kids wanting to play the big games because why, oh yeah they're kids and they don't listen. Isaac Vann? Did JC miss on Ryan Gomes?
Hey the Wagner and Northeastern losses were bad, no doubt. Should have won the games no matter who was or wasn't playing but if healthy they would have righted the ship. They're not healthy so this "he gets another" year to fix the ship is whining BS. He's our damn coach, he won a NC a year after winning 20 games with a team who could go NO WHERE. He can motivate and he can coach. He needs to get better in areas we all know that - in bounds plays, time out timing maybe etc etc.....he's young and our best option to keep UConn on the map and don't doubt that one bit!
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I feel lucky to have Kevin Ollie as our coach, it will be a dark day the day he leaves just like it was for Calhoun, obviously not as dark.
Uconn Men's Basketball has no tradition besides the Calhoun years, that is so important to understand. The program will never be at the highest level like the Calhoun years. This is Connecticut, not Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Kansas, those schools are great no matter who the coach is because of the pedigree for the last 100 years.
Ollie is a top young coach who is motivated and will only develop his skill sets even more as the more experience he has.
Go ahead, bring a Rick Barnes, John Thompson Jr., Ed Cooley, and you will see us become a Memphis, UCF, or Tulsa.
Ollie every year throughout his 5 years his teams defense field goal percentage is below 40 percent which is one of the highest in the nation.
Defense wins championships and now its part of the culture in his teams that you can't replace.
There is a reason why Gonzaga (last two years D numbers have gotten better), Creighton, Iowa St. don't go far in the tourney.
Then you see Butler, Wichita St., and Louisville go far all the time.
Defense.
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They're not healthy so this "he gets another" year to fix the ship is whining BS. [/QUOTE]
It might be Whining but it is not BS. If next year we are player like we are now the boneyard will be on fire. That's just a fact.
It might be Whining but it is not BS. If next year we are player like we are now the boneyard will be on fire. That's just a fact.
I didn't feel like you directed it at me. I will say that two things really piss me off. One is the guy that is never happy, and one is the guy that ALWAYS thinks it is ok. They are both wrong. I have seen this at other programs, hell I saw it first hand down here in Miami when Larry Coker was the football coach. The argument was "he won a title" vs "the program is clearly sinking and he isn't the guy". There are problems here and it feels like the latter to me. We will see after another season what the case is.
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UConn has always played "down" to sub-par teams, the problem is, we always rebounded when it counted against top tier opponents in the Big East. My concern is that UConn continues to think they are above the teams in AAC which causes them to play down not only in early season non-conference games against the Wagners, Northeasterns, etc. but now the Tulsas, Houstons, etc. Those losses then cut the moral of the team and it becomes the norm.
I believe Ollie is a great recruiter and seems to be a phenomenal motivator when the team is the underdog. However, in the tough losses not just this year but the last few, he seems to get down on himself which the team feeds off of. One thing about Calhoun was when UConn was playing like garbage, he pulled and sat players who made mental mistakes, he screamed and made the players feel the consequences. I don't see that with Ollie, but maybe I'm not paying attention. I just think Ollie needs to be a bit tougher, especially since he has not showed that he isn't the best "Xs and Os" coaches.
In summary, more "tough love", more fundamentals (FTs are lack luster, more screens, more penetration to basket) and continued emphasis on Defense.
Just my thoughts.
I believe Ollie is a great recruiter and seems to be a phenomenal motivator when the team is the underdog. However, in the tough losses not just this year but the last few, he seems to get down on himself which the team feeds off of. One thing about Calhoun was when UConn was playing like garbage, he pulled and sat players who made mental mistakes, he screamed and made the players feel the consequences. I don't see that with Ollie, but maybe I'm not paying attention. I just think Ollie needs to be a bit tougher, especially since he has not showed that he isn't the best "Xs and Os" coaches.
In summary, more "tough love", more fundamentals (FTs are lack luster, more screens, more penetration to basket) and continued emphasis on Defense.
Just my thoughts.