Fair enough. Here goes:
It is simplistic because this is not a fantasy league. You don’t get to drop coaches, pick up other ones and immediately inherit their stats and successes, and then go back to the previous choice if that doesn’t work out, etc. Fit matters. Timing matters. Loyalty matters. Integrity matters. Tradition matters. Your word matters. I have no idea how old you are, but I see your mentality increasingly among the younger generation of young adults and I’m guessing that you are at least one generation younger than me chronologically and two in mindset (I'm 46). Perhaps it’s a function of growing up in an instant gratification and increasingly removed and detached world that is less accustomed to real time, in person, human interaction. I don’t know what it is, but I know that you can’t just treat people like parts, and your approach assumes that you can.
It is misguided and evidences a fundamental misunderstanding for several reasons, the most fundamental of which is the timing. You said you would take Stevens “all day long right now” if you think you can get him come April. That’s actually one course of action that is even worse than what Manuel did. I can understand wanting to bring in a proven “name” coach who is viewed as the next up-and-comer du jour, like Stevens, Smart or Miller (I think Stevens is the worst choice of the three for UConn, but I’ll come back to that). But if that’s what you were set on doing, you don’t give Ollie and the world your word that you are going to give Ollie a legitimate shot to earn it. In that event, you put the interim tag on Blaney, Hobbs or Miller and you start your national search and auditions outside the program now, with it known that you will be making a new hire by the Spring. Having told Ollie and the world that he has shot to earn the spot permanently, you have to give him that shot. And it has to be a real shot. If it’s just a façade to placate everyone for a short while, you will certainly alienate every ounce of institutional good will you have with respect ties to Calhoun and the players who played for him. Good luck funding your practice facility. But most importantly, you will have lied, and that will never, ever be forgotten by anybody, including your new hire. Which, in turn, means that you will never be trusted, and you can expect to be treated the same by those with whom you deal. In other words, your new head coach knows that you can’t be trusted, too, and he’ll continue to keep his eyes out for better opportunities to jump to if (more likely, when) you hit a rough patch. If you read the recent AO interview, that is exactly his mentality. And he is being killed here for it. Because, here, loyalty matters. It’s what Calhoun sold and it is what Ollie is selling. If you want to change the culture, ties and bedrock principles on which Calhoun built the program, the fastest way to do that is to do what you suggest.
The other most fundamental problem is that you simply don’t believe in Ollie and his ability to be successful here. That’s fine, but at least have the courage to admit it. All the hopes and good thoughts are nice, but what else are you going to say? Of course you’re not rooting against him. Who would? But believing in his ability to succeed is something entirely different, and what you and others are suggesting shows unequivocally that you are betting against him because you want to go in an entirely different direction right now. Again, if that’s what you want to do, you don’t lead him on. And you don’t have the luxury of keeping him around as your second (more likely fifth, I’m guessing) choice. He won’t be there once he knows that. Your word matters. If he knows you’re just waiting for something better to come along, he’ll do the same. You think Calhoun would have turned down South Carolina if he though that’s what the AD thought of him? These are people. They react to what they observe. Acting like you’re assuming that you’ve got Ollie locked up if nothing better comes along is not going to pay dividends in the long run.
I have to get some actual work done myself today, but I wanted to respond to your request for my reasons for my opinion. I only have time for some of them, but the final thing I should mention is fit—and as I’ve suggested elsewhere, I think Stevens just is not a good fit here culturally for reasons I've mentioned before. The Northeast is very different from the Midwest. This ain't Hickory. For better or worse, most of the recruits we target have legitimate NBA aspirations. Our success in producing long-tenured NBA players is one of the greatest single selling points we have. If there is one asset Ollie has to compensate for his lack of head coaching experience, it is his NBA experience. What does Stevens have to show for that? What experience does he have coaching a team of several players with those aspirations? Do his system and style of play suggest that he can help them more than others? Otherwise, what does he have to sell the potential recruits we want to sell?
As you might expect, I have a lot more thoughts on this. But I’ll leave it there for now so I can get home on time tonight and not alienate my family.
