If I hear "The Squid"...

[willie99]

When Kentucky is on, they're the best defense college basketball has seen in a long time. The way we score, we might not put up 30 against them.

it's OK, we hold them to 24 when Boat won't let their guards get over half court

 

[Hoophound]

Well, guy, I'd rather play Coppin State. Kentucky's what, 24-0? They are the biggest target in years because of all the hype around them. So I don't take too much away from the fact that conference rivals - with some talent - show up to play and press them, and they keep winning. If anything, I think that bodes well for them in March. Seriously, though, the people rooting for a UConn-Kentucky showdown in March make me laugh. I wonder if they're the same people that melt down when UConn has to come from behind to beat Tulane.

No, I'm the guy that doesn't even watch the Tulane game and follows it on my phone. If you want to play Coppjn State and their ilk, have at it. I've seen enough of it the last two years. The schedule is killing me. Losing by 30 to UK is more fun than beating Tulane.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

No, I'm the guy that doesn't even watch the Tulane game and follows it on my phone. If you want to play Coppjn State and their ilk, have at it. I've seen enough of it the last two years. The schedule is killing me. Losing by 30 to UK is more fun than beating Tulane.

In the tournament. In the tournament. I would rather play Coppin State in the tournament. Because we might win.

 

[Paesano]

The squid's Boneyard butt boy has spoken. This dolt thinks we should all worship his greatness instead of connecting the dots.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The squid's Boneyard butt boy has spoken. This dolt thinks we should all worship his greatness instead of connecting the dots.

You're lost. This isn't the women's board.

 

[8893]

I don't like the guy because I think he's a scummy bulls*p*itter, and I always want him and his teams to lose. And I always want to play them and beat them.

But there is no denying that he is killing it at Kentucky. I generally credit him with being an extraordinary recruiter and an ordinary coach, but I actually like the "I hope they lose" move he pulled last night. I don't think it was strategic for winning that game; but I think it was strategic for trying to win the season (i.e., National Championship). He knows that the undefeated thing is more of a burden than it's worth, and a screw up like that in a close game in the NCAAs could send them home again. The longer the streak, the heavier it starts to weigh. There's a reason that no one has done it since they expanded the field to 64 teams. Better to lose now and win later. Personally, I want them going into the NCAAs undefeated, because their odds of winning it will tank. I'd love to be the team that beats them (again), but that seems a bit much to ask at this point.

 

[BUConn10]

God just stop. Do you think Ollie would have turned down a single kid on that Kentucky roster? No, of course not. You have any evidence to indicate that Kentucky is "fudging its requirements" to get these kids in? No, of course you don't. And for the record it's not like there are red flags around any of those kids, academically or otherwise.

I know it pains people but the guy is just absolutely crushing the recruiting trail. That's it. Stop with the whole "this is college, this should be about education" because it just sounds like sour grapes.

First of all you need to bring it down like 10 levels, everytime I see a notification with a quoted post from you I prepare myself for a vitriolic reply.

To address your point, of course Ollie wouldnt turn down anyone on that roster, but as Kevin Ollie has made it very, very clear, he values his players getting an education and earning it the right way. Ollie has not developed his school's program into a revolving door for players to come fill a one year requirement by the league then head to the draft. So I dont see how that argument makes any sense here. Yea, UK is loaded, and next year they are going to be loaded, but a great deal of the fun in being a fan of college basketball is watching your players develop over the years and make their mark in your program's history books. Cal at UK has essentially thrown this notion out the window and has made his program into a one year halfway house, where his players are essentially given four options:

(a) perform well and show your potential, then proceed to the draft after your freshman year.
(b) underperform your freshman year, and be relegated to bench roles the subsequent year with no guarantee for minutes as new guys are coming in for minutes they were promised (Poythress)
(c) underperform in your freshman year and see no other option than to haphazardly declare for the draft, knowing well you are not ready (Marquis Teague, Archie Goodwin)
(d) transfer out, because your window here has closed (Wiltjer, Ryan Harrow)

Now I ask you, in what way does this correlate with the way Ollie plans to run his program, your throwing comparisons around as if we are in the same lane as UK and im just being salty because we dont have the same talent, which is preposterous. I have personally heard from some UK fans that they love being dominant and winning games, but it loses some of the appeal not being able to connect with players at all.

As for evidence of UK "fudging requirements", do you really think I would have something like that on my hands BigErn, something that would basically be written proof of an NCAA violation, dont be so foolish. You cant tell me though that the guys Cal is recruiting, are held to the same academic and entrance standards as the average UK student. In fact, I do have some degree of evidence to prove this: do you remember Cal's old friend Derrick Rose? Who had someone allegedly take his SATs for him. Now who do you think called for something like that? My point is there is much more evidence pointing to Cal doing stuff like this than the contrary, his track records at UMass and Memphis allude to it.

 

[Paesano]

You're lost. This isn't the women's board.

Sorry about your pen!s.....

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Sorry about your pen!s.....

You seem pretty interested in other people's pe nis's. Sort of a recurring theme with you. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

You cant tell me though that the guys Cal is recruiting, are held to the same academic and entrance standards as the average UK student.

Do you think that any basketball players at any division one program - except maybe the service academies - are held to the same admissions standards as non-athletes? Because if you do you've got a hell of a lot to learn about college sports.

 

[Paesano]

In fact, I do have some degree of evidence to prove this: do you remember Cal's old friend Derrick Rose? Who had someone allegedly take his SATs for him. Now who do you think called for something like that? My point is there is much more evidence pointing to Cal doing stuff like this than the contrary, his track records at UMass and Memphis allude to it.

Nice job connecting the dots. He doesn't get it. He will never get it.

 

[johnhuskies95]

There have been at least a handful of kids that Cal's taken over the years with serious academic question marks. I don't think that he needs to take those kinds of kids anymore(although he did take Labassiere) but it's definitely a part of his rep, and I don't think it's entirely undeserved.

 

[Paesano]

You seem pretty interested in other people's pe nis's. Sort of a recurring theme with you. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Why would I be interested in something that is either barely in existence or broken? I was just giving my condolences.

 

[uconnbill]

Do you think that any basketball players at any division one program - except maybe the service academies - are held to the same admissions standards as non-athletes? Because if you do you've got a hell of a lot to learn about college sports.

World Wide Wes is all I have to say to you about squid's recruiting and his getting top players. If you don't know that, then your missing the entire point on how he gets players he does

 

[willie99]

Why are UCONN fans so stupid about our academics? We got punished twice, once retroactively, for accurately reporting grades. That is what happened and that is what doesn't happen at other schools.

is this a joke?

1) it doesn't happen because other teams aren't honest about their APR's, see UNC. Is that what you're referring too? Honesty doesn't happen at other schools?
2) it doesn't happen because they have special majors for student athletes at other schools, with student athletes working towards degrees only student athletes can receive. Although they can never use such degrees for anything but toilet paper. Is this what you're referring to? the fact that academic integrity is lacking at other schools?

and do actually think the APR is about academics? because it's about kids transferring. How many kids staying with the program have academic issues? We NEVER have an APR problem if we don't count kids who left the program because they were unhappy with playing time.

How does a UConn fan NOT KNOW THIS?

 

[champs99and04]

First of all you need to bring it down like 10 levels, everytime I see a notification with a quoted post from you I prepare myself for a vitriolic reply.

To address your point, of course Ollie wouldnt turn down anyone on that roster, but as Kevin Ollie has made it very, very clear, he values his players getting an education and earning it the right way. Ollie has not developed his school's program into a revolving door for players to come fill a one year requirement by the league then head to the draft. So I dont see how that argument makes any sense here. Yea, UK is loaded, and next year they are going to be loaded, but a great deal of the fun in being a fan of college basketball is watching your players develop over the years and make their mark in your program's history books. Cal at UK has essentially thrown this notion out the window and has made his program into a one year halfway house, where his players are essentially given four options:

(a) perform well and show your potential, then proceed to the draft after your freshman year.
(b) underperform your freshman year, and be relegated to bench roles the subsequent year with no guarantee for minutes as new guys are coming in for minutes they were promised (Poythress)
(c) underperform in your freshman year and see no other option than to haphazardly declare for the draft, knowing well you are not ready (Marquis Teague, Archie Goodwin)
(d) transfer out, because your window here has closed (Wiltjer, Ryan Harrow)

Now I ask you, in what way does this correlate with the way Ollie plans to run his program, your throwing comparisons around as if we are in the same lane as UK and im just being salty because we dont have the same talent, which is preposterous. I have personally heard from some UK fans that they love being dominant and winning games, but it loses some of the appeal not being able to connect with players at all.

As for evidence of UK "fudging requirements", do you really think I would have something like that on my hands BigErn, something that would basically be written proof of an NCAA violation, dont be so foolish. You cant tell me though that the guys Cal is recruiting, are held to the same academic and entrance standards as the average UK student. In fact, I do have some degree of evidence to prove this: do you remember Cal's old friend Derrick Rose? Who had someone allegedly take his SATs for him. Now who do you think called for something like that? My point is there is much more evidence pointing to Cal doing stuff like this than the contrary, his track records at UMass and Memphis allude to it.

So Kevin Ollie values his players getting an education and earning it the right way? As opposed to Cal who doesn't value education? What are you basing this on? Education and making millions of dollars playing basketball are not concepts that are mutually exclusive, and I can assure you there are no coaches - at least not in good faith - imploring their players to turn down millions of guaranteed dollars for the chance to chase a degree (that they can get anyway).

"Cal has turned his program into a revolving door and is making a mockery of college athletics." OK, then where is the venom for Bill Self and Coach K? Coach K could realistically lose three freshman to the draft this coming spring. Bill Self lost two one and dones last year. Meanwhile, when Cal's kids return to school - like the Harrison twins, Poythress, WCS, etc. - it is attributed to him being a bad developer. He can't win.

Players are going to leave early for the draft with or without Cal involved in the sport. It's just that instead of having four kids on one team declare, you'll have four kids from four different teams declare. It's funny, though, that people continue to accuse Cal of making a mockery of college athletics. Do you know what actually makes a mockery of college athletics? College athletics. Is a profoundly screwed up system on a number of levels and everybody who watches the games has to accept this at one point or another.

You can toss out allegations based on events that have occurred at prior stops. And, while I'm not going to pretend that he's always completely ethical, it's also worth noting that he was not found complicit by impartial investigators in even case. To think that Cal conspired to have somebody else take D-Rose's SATs is quite the exercise in imagination.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

World Wide Wes is all I have to say to you about squid's recruiting and his getting top players. If you don't know that, then your missing the entire point on how he gets players he does

The people who are missing the point are the ones who don't realize that he's doing what everyone else is trying to do - get the best players - he's just doing it better. You can think Calipari's a disingenuous scumbag - and I'm record feeling that way - and still recognize that what he's got rolling at Kentucky is pretty unreal. Anyone who says they wouldn't want to see a UConn team with that much talent is kidding themselves.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Why would I be interested in something that is either barely in existence or broken? I was just giving my condolences.

And yet you keep talking about it. You've got a pretty intense obsession with pe nis. Accept it and you'll lose some of that anger.

 

[David 76]

We could have a thread on nazis, and we would end up in an arguement.
Calipari is slime and he is the best recruiter. Both are true.
Because he is not the only coach who would sell his soul for a player doesn't unscum him. It just widens the pool of scumbags. It has to be hard for any coach to not compromise him/herself. The squid specializes in it.

 

[StingLykOllie]

If we squeeze in the tourney I hope we get another crack at them. Would be incredible to knock him out as an 11 seed or whatever we'd get. It would be great for our program to punch them in the mouth again.

In theory we would have to get a 8/9 to see them in the 32, or a 12/13 to upset our way into the sweet 16