I don't think we need to worry about Ollie opting out

[Ozone21]

Just Saying

 

[UConnTrumbull]

At this rate, he's more likely to be fired. The 2016 and 2017 recruits will make or break his legacy IMO. We have a top 10 recruiting class but will KO be able to coach them?

 

[Huskyforlife]

There's a zero percent chance Ollie is fired.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I said it a few weeks ago and I'll say it again. The championship earned KO a pass for last year. The mess that JC left in terms of recruiting is a valid excuse for this year's team.

But the class of 2016 is KO's first truly unencumbered class. Next year they will be freshman. If he can't get it done in 2 years, with that class as sophomores, alongside Adams, Enoch, and possibly Hamilton, and a freshman Brown and others, he has to go.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

He's not getting fired. He's in his 4th season, 3rd season with a real cause. Every legendary Coach has had growing pains. But he is a master recruiter, and that's how teams improve. This class coming in seems to solve alot of our current problems. He needs to learn some in-game situational coaching strategies, that's obvious, but he is the right guy. I'm definitely not against changing up some assistant though.

 

[traitor71]

I fear it's the Larry Coker syndrome. Great guy, win a title, get "great" recruits...and then it crumbles because the team is consistently lost during games. I hope I am wrong, and this team just isn't talented enough to really beat the coach up too much, but it sure looks like it is trending the wrong way.

 

[Stainmaster]

Firing KO is a concept that is prevalent in three places: the Boneyard, the Courant.com comments section, and the bowels of Twitter. I don't think it will be migrating from any of those places into the mind of the new AD anytime soon.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I fear it's the Larry Coker syndrome. Great guy, win a title, get "great" recruits...and then it crumbles because the team is consistently lost during games. I hope I am wrong, and this team just isn't talented enough to really beat the coach up too much, but it sure looks like it is trending the wrong way.

Tubby Smith might be a better analogy.

Win a championship early, with someone else's recruits, but generally bob around between mediocre and pretty good.

The difference is, for Kentucky in the SEC, that looks like a Top 15 ranking and a Sweet 16 appearance.

For us in the AAC, it's hanging onto the bubble by the skin of our teeth.

 

[pnow15]

Ollie is your program.

 

[upstater]

I said it a few weeks ago and I'll say it again. The championship earned KO a pass for last year. The mess that JC left in terms of recruiting is a valid excuse for this year's team.

But the class of 2016 is KO's first truly unencumbered class. Next year they will be freshman. If he can't get it done in 2 years, with that class as sophomores, alongside Adams, Enoch, and possibly Hamilton, and a freshman Brown and others, he has to go.

If he goes, and UConn isn't in a top conference by that time. It's over, shut the doors.

No new coach will ever be able to recruit players to UConn at that point. Contemplate that. We will be little better than UMass.

 

[Rico444]

Cincinnati is a good team, this isn't a loss against Tulane. Are we going to fire KO after every loss?

 

[CardiacAndre7]

LOL DID YOU JUST SAY HE'S A LEGENDARY HC? LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Nope, I was saying that this can happen to any coach, even the best of tem.

 

[tykurez]

Cincinnati is a good team, this isn't a loss against Tulane. Are we going to fire KO after every loss?

There's a loud minority that want to, yes. It's kind of a joke.

 

[Tenspro2002]

If he goes, and UConn isn't in a top conference by that time. It's over, shut the doors.

No new coach will ever be able to recruit players to UConn at that point. Contemplate that. We will be little better than UMass.

I actually don't disagree with that.

But we also can't abide being a fringe Top 25 sort of program where we occasionally make the second weekend and are mostly irrelevant. That's what we've been for most of the last 5 years (save 3 weeks in March 2014). If that persists for the next 5 years, we won't be in much better position than UMass in that case either.

 

[Stainmaster]

I don't think he should be fired. But I don't think it's crazy at all to criticize him or be uncertain of his coaching ability

As his most staunchest defender here, I have to ask. Do you think ollie is doing a good job coaching this team?

I think he's had some unbelievably crappy run of games this year. But I think that we're also seeing player issues (shot selection, consistency, confidence, etc.) overlap so freaking much that I can't even tell what's the primary driver of these maddening losses.

 

[tykurez]

That's what we've been for most of the last 5 years

Holy crap. Fans of literally any other program in college basketball would love to have two championships in a five year span let alone one.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Holy crap. Fans of literally any other program in college basketball would love to have two championships in a five year span let alone one.

Thank you for your intentional obtuseness.

In the last 5 seasons (2012-2016), what aside from March 2014 has been in any way reminiscent of the dominant UConn program we used to enjoy during the better part of the 90's and 00's?

 

[tykurez]

Thank you for your intentional obtuseness.

In the last 5 seasons (2012-2016), what aside from March 2014 has been in any way reminiscent of the dominant UConn program we used to enjoy during the better part of the 90's and 00's?

I'm glad you corrected yourself. That's much better.

 

[upstater]

Thank you for your intentional obtuseness.

In the last 5 seasons (2012-2016), what aside from March 2014 has been in any way reminiscent of the dominant UConn program we used to enjoy during the better part of the 90's and 00's?

You mean the 00s.

Not the 90s.

We are in the AAC now, by the way. In case you haven't noticed.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

I think he's had some unbelievably crappy run of games this year. But I think that we're also seeing player issues (shot selection, consistency, confidence, etc.) overlap so freaking much that I can't even tell what's the primary driver of these maddening losses.

That's a fair assessment.

The thing is. These player issues you mention can be traced back to coaching. Gibbs was on fire and did we run a single play for him? No. So he has an inconsistent game. Guys take crappy shots and never get pulled (purv and Hamilton). Lazy d. Etc. at some point it's on the coach to correct these things.

Basically Every player Ollie has ever coached besides shabazz has been inconsistent; ranging from wildly inconsistent to somewhat. Nobody has any reliable production. As in we know what we're going to get. Ham purv gibbs and miller are just as likely to go for 20 as 5.

Last year it was blamed on inexperience and a lack of talent. Well what's the excuse this year? We have both of those things

I don't think this team is so overly talented that's it's all he coaches fault. And the players do make some dumb plays. But I don't see any coaching adjustments in game. We run virtually no offensive sets. Don't seem to try to exploit any opposing teams weakness. It's the same crap every game. And not just this year. Last year and People forget but the 2014 regular season was the same thing

Ko is the best guy for the program. He's a great recruiter and charismatic leader but I'm really starting to wonder about his ability to coach.

 

[Tenspro2002]

You mean the 00s.

Not the 90s.

We are in the AAC now, by the way. In case you haven't noticed.

2, 2, 1, -, 2, 1
S16, E8, S16, -, E8, NC

Our NCAAT seeding and performance from 1994-1999. What about that is anything but elite and dominant?

For 16 years from 1994-2009, we were a Top 2 seed 11 times and a Top 5 seed 13 times. 9 conference regular season champions, 5 conference tournament champions.

Regardless of conference situation or not, if we don't get back to that level, then the Syracuse/ESPN narrative of the demise of our program will have come to fruition.

 

[intlzncster]

I said it a few weeks ago and I'll say it again. The championship earned KO a pass for last year. The mess that JC left in terms of recruiting is a valid excuse for this year's team.

But the class of 2016 is KO's first truly unencumbered class. Next year they will be freshman. If he can't get it done in 2 years, with that class as sophomores, alongside Adams, Enoch, and possibly Hamilton, and a freshman Brown and others, he has to go.

Even that's too quick. People are so trigger happy with firing coaches. Teams get sucked in to a round-robbin of coaching hires. It's a recipe for failure. You see it in the NFL too.

Guys need way longer than fans want to give them in order to build their program. I said in another thread, given the post season and recruiting sanctions handed to him, and the fact he won an NC, Ollie's should get 8 years from date of hire imo. So he's got another 4 years.

You can never tell what any coach is truly like until he's run through a full recruiting cycle--ie his first recruited class graduates. Then Ollie gets bonus years because of sanctions and an NC.

If you fire Ollie any time soon, UCONN is done and we might as well not even play the game.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Even that's too quick. People are so trigger happy with firing coaches. Teams get sucked in to a round-robbin of coaching hires. It's a recipe for failure. You see it in the NFL too.

Guys need way longer than fans want to give them in order to build their program. I said in another thread, given the post season and recruiting sanctions handed to him, and the fact he won an NC, Ollie's should get 8 years from date of hire imo. So he's got another 4 years.

You can never tell what any coach is truly like until he's run through a full recruiting cycle--ie his first recruited class graduates. Then Ollie gets bonus years because of sanctions and an NC.

If you fire Ollie any time soon, UCONN is done and we might as well not even play the game.

Meet in the middle? If the vaunted class of 2016 can't get it done as juniors -- when most of our vintage teams did their damage (junior Ray led in 1996, junior Rip in 1999, juniors Emeka and Ben in 2004, junior Thabeet in 2009, junior Kemba in 2011) -- that should signify that KO isn't getting the job done.

 

[Harry Mangurian]

Every legendary Coach has had growing pains.

B.S. You knew in less than two years that Calhoun & Auriemma were special.
P.S. One hallmark they shared was discipline ( for Calhoun just basketball, not academics or off the court behavior unfortunately).

 

[superjohn]

Give me a break with these posts. Ollie has had some headscratching moves in game coaching this season but he's one of the best recruiters in the country and has already out coached Izzo, Donovan, Hoiberg and Calipari in the tournament. Do any of you realize how badly it would make us look around the country if Ollie was gone and how unappealing we would be to recruits around the nation?