If Manuel Had Kept KO On That One Year Contract....

[Nostical]

Would you still be berating WM and clamoring that he grant KO an extension? Or would you be saying that Warde was smart to wait out the year before committing to an unproven Head Coach?

 

[UCDaveD]

Without that extension, I doubt we land Purvis/Hamilton.

 

[sledog]

Hamilton may be reconsidering... ?

 

[David 76]

After his first year he would have earned a long contract because he did a great job. Did you want his contract to expire in the middle of this season?

 

[uconnbill]

Still think UCONN needs a big man coach, because the big men have been far from big this year

 

[GlastonTim]

You need good big men to coach

 

[David 76]

I will agree that an assistant that was not a guard would help.

 

[mauconnfan]

You need good big men to coach

Thanks Tim, breath of fresh air!

 

[JLock819]

Would you still be berating WM and clamoring that he grant KO an extension? Or would you be saying that Warde was smart to wait out the year before committing to an unproven Head Coach?

Seriously?!? We're 11-3 aren't we? Basically the same team as last year minus the Wolf, who would likely have played 25 min a game this year. Yes, our effort and heart seem to be lacking the last couple games but nobody was complaining when we were on the winning side during all the early season tight games....it's a fine line with this team when the interior production is limited.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Would you still be berating WM and clamoring that he grant KO an extension? Or would you be saying that Warde was smart to wait out the year before committing to an unproven Head Coach?

that's great... you waited almost an hour after the game to post this garbage.

KO will be fine. Uconn will be fine.

your post sounds like it came from a !!!! Would you still be posting this crap if Uconn was 14-0 or 13-1?

If 2 games is the difference between success and failure in your world, leave us out of it.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Hamilton may be reconsidering... ?

haven't read anything to that effect... do you have a source or link?

 

[freescooter]

My guess is based on Manuel's performance to date, if he had had the guts to stay with his original convictions, we would have a different basketball coach today. We have seen this drill twice with mens hockey and football. An interim coach comes in and does at solid job but the AD doesn a nationwide search and ultimately selects a different person to lead the program. If Manuel hadn't bowed to fan pressure, he'd have done the same thing with basketball. It appears to have worked out with the hockey coach. Too early to tell with football obviously.

 

[GlastonTim]

My guess is based on Manuel's performance to date, if he had had the guts to stay with his original convictions, we would have a different basketball coach today. We have seen this drill twice with mens hockey and football. An interim coach comes in and does at solid job but the AD doesn a nationwide search and ultimately selects a different person to lead the program. If Manuel hadn't bowed to fan pressure, he'd have done the same thing with basketball. It appears to have worked out with the hockey coach. Too early to tell with football obviously.

Time will tell.

 

[freescooter]

Time will tell.

Tim,
The problem is that UConn doesn't have a lot of time. If we sink to a mid-level mid-major program, and if Ollie is the wrong guy that's where we're headed, it will take another Calhoun to get us out. And that's my concern. We could be looking at 10-15 years of mediocrity before this returns. You want the model, look at Louisville. Between 1980 and 1986 they won two NCAA Cahmpionships and went to 2 more Final Fours. After that they got stuck in CUSA when the power conferences were emerging and slowly fell to irrelevancy over the next decade, got to a few Sweet 16s and such, one Elite 8 a decade later but for about 20 years they were irrelevant on the national scene until Pitino (they brought in a great coach to replace a great coach, FWIW) and the Big East brand returned them to relevance.

 

[UConNation]

Tim,
The problem is that UConn doesn't have a lot of time. If we sink to a mid-level mid-major program, and if Ollie is the wrong guy that's where we're headed, it will take another Calhoun to get us out. And that's my concern. We could be looking at 10-15 years of mediocrity before this returns. You want the model, look at Louisville. Between 1980 and 1986 they won two NCAA Cahmpionships and went to 2 more Final Fours. After that they got stuck in CUSA when the power conferences were emerging and slowly fell to irrelevancy over the next decade, got to a few Sweet 16s and such, one Elite 8 a decade later but for about 20 years they were irrelevant on the national scene until Pitino (they brought in a great coach to replace a great coach, FWIW) and the Big East brand returned them to relevance.

Listen. Of course everyone here is hoping/praying/believing that what happened at Louisville wont' happen here. It doesn't need to happen and I don't believe that it will. KO is family. KO inspires kids; that's why he's such a good recuriter. WM's hesitancy with KO's contract last year was a question of whether or not he could do the Xs and Os part of the job (and maybe a little bit to stick it to JC for retiring at a point where he couldn't do a national search for a coach). We all want KO and UConn to do well, but let's not throw ourselves over the cliff like lemmings quite yet. Are we in a dangerous position right now? Yes. We're in a mediocre at best conference with one of our best teams leaving next year, and TO DATE we're underperforming in that conference, but the conference doesn't have to dictate UConn. We got left out of the Power 5 because of football (mostly), but our basketball is still a national brand. Don't get me wrong, we need to perform the next few years. We need to recurit. We need to win. BUT after the 2005-06 season, after the 2008-09 season and after the 2010-11 season our teams didn't perform that well, and we bounced back. I want KO to succeed, but more than anything I want UConn basketball to stay the national name it is right now. 2 losses to 2 bad teams isn't going to change that. We lost our first 2 conference games in 1989-90 and still had a pretty decent year that year. UConn's going to grow. Both this team and the program. There's no one at the university who will let anything else happen.

 

[8893]

The one-year contract was never a good idea imo. I thought it should have been a two or three year contract from the start. Manuel decided to go with a wait-and-see approach and lost a lot of leverage once KO got off to such a good start, so he ended up probably over-paying with the additional five-year deal that soon followed. I still believe KO was and is the right choice for us, but I think we would have been better served with a two or three year deal out of the gate.

 

[freescooter]

Listen. Of course everyone here is hoping/praying/believing that what happened at Louisville wont' happen here. It doesn't need to happen and I don't believe that it will. KO is family. KO inspires kids; that's why he's such a good recuriter. WM's hesitancy with KO's contract last year was a question of whether or not he could do the Xs and Os part of the job (and maybe a little bit to stick it to JC for retiring at a point where he couldn't do a national search for a coach). We all want KO and UConn to do well, but let's not throw ourselves over the cliff like lemmings quite yet. Are we in a dangerous position right now? Yes. We're in a mediocre at best conference with one of our best teams leaving next year, and TO DATE we're underperforming in that conference, but the conference doesn't have to dictate UConn. We got left out of the Power 5 because of football (mostly), but our basketball is still a national brand. Don't get me wrong, we need to perform the next few years. We need to recurit. We need to win. BUT after the 2005-06 season, after the 2008-09 season and after the 2010-11 season our teams didn't perform that well, and we bounced back. I want KO to succeed, but more than anything I want UConn basketball to stay the national name it is right now. 2 losses to 2 bad teams isn't going to change that. We lost our first 2 conference games in 1989-90 and still had a pretty decent year that year. UConn's going to grow. Both this team and the program. There's no one at the university who will let anything else happen.

I continue to be agnostic on whether or not Ollie can do the job. Last year he looked like he had potential, but I would argue that last year's circumstances were somewhat unique. This year so far he hasn't shown anywhere near the same level of control. And the issue is if this team gets beat by Harvard, they could be in serious trouble with games at Memphis and Louisville coming up. That would mean they almost have to win out to make the Tournament. How long are you willing to give Ollie to turn the ship around if this year's team founders? How long does our program remain a national brand if we don't get to the dance this year, after being forced out last year? If we continue to miss next year, I can't see any way he is back. If the program completely flops this year, I think he's in danger, but the fan base will protect him. FWIW, the 1989-90 example is sort of silly for a few reasons. First, nobody really expected us to win anything that year. 2nd, we had a coach named Calhoun. don't know if you have heard of him, but he ended up winning multiple national titles and in the hall of fame.

 

[Onions]

My guess is based on Manuel's performance to date, if he had had the guts to stay with his original convictions, we would have a different basketball coach today. We have seen this drill twice with mens hockey and football. An interim coach comes in and does at solid job but the AD doesn a nationwide search and ultimately selects a different person to lead the program. If Manuel hadn't bowed to fan pressure, he'd have done the same thing with basketball. It appears to have worked out with the hockey coach. Too early to tell with football obviously.

What I'm going to enjoy the most is how you will again disappear when the team starts winning and the idiocy of your postings embarrasses you into the exile your nonsense deserves.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I continue to be agnostic on whether or not Ollie can do the job. Last year he looked like he had potential, but I would argue that last year's circumstances were somewhat unique. This year so far he hasn't shown anywhere near the same level of control. And the issue is if this team gets beat by Harvard, they could be in serious trouble with games at Memphis and Louisville coming up. That would mean they almost have to win out to make the Tournament. How long are you willing to give Ollie to turn the ship around if this year's team founders? How long does our program remain a national brand if we don't get to the dance this year, after being forced out last year? If we continue to miss next year, I can't see any way he is back. If the program completely flops this year, I think he's in danger, but the fan base will protect him. FWIW, the 1989-90 example is sort of silly for a few reasons. First, nobody really expected us to win anything that year. 2nd, we had a coach named Calhoun. don't know if you have heard of him, but he ended up winning multiple national titles and in the hall of fame.

Its really stupid to panic in the middle of the season, akin to freaking out in the middle of a game. Its obviously fine to personally have questions about Ollie when UConn hits a rough stretch, but it is ludicrous to expect the AD to continuously micro-evaluate and make day-to-day decisions. You are critical of possible reasons Ollie was given an extension mid-season, but now you are doing the EXACT same thing to question his tenure as coach.

I thought you wanted someone who would put the University and doing things the right way above all else. Ollie certainly has an A to this point on those counts, so why freak out about ups and downs of a season?

FWIW last year's unique circumstance was HARDER than anything else. Ollie was able to build a team in that unique crucible with the only advantage being they had somewhat less scrutiny. Still its UConn and there was plenty of coverage, they played a good schedule and once you step out onto the court basketball is basketball.

 

[Huskybass]

Some of the stuff in this thread is just laughable. First off, UConn will not sink to a mid-level mid major program. EVER. We may have a disappointing season, but the foundation of the program is solid, and we have some great recruits coming in. If we had, ONE big man who averaged at least 7 rebounds a game, it would help immensely. I don't have the highest expectations this season, but I am very confident that UConn will remain a consistent top 20 program for years to come.

Also, Brimah has tremendous potential. With experience and some proper coaching, he is going to become a force. A little patience would go a long way, both with this team and with Brimah. The sky is not falling, we just have some temporary frontcourt issues.

 

[Marty Jackson]

you know who you are...

 

[Waquoit]

FWIW, the 1989-90 example is sort of silly for a few reasons. First, nobody really expected us to win anything that year. 2nd, we had a coach named Calhoun. don't know if you have heard of him, but he ended up winning multiple national titles and in the hall of fame.

It's not silly at all. That team beat the Russians just a month earlier, one of only two squads to do so. The other won the NC. And JC wasn't the 3-time NC winning HOFer that he eventually became.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Tim,
The problem is that UConn doesn't have a lot of time. If we sink to a mid-level mid-major program, and if Ollie is the wrong guy that's where we're headed, it will take another Calhoun to get us out. And that's my concern. We could be looking at 10-15 years of mediocrity before this returns. You want the model, look at Louisville. Between 1980 and 1986 they won two NCAA Cahmpionships and went to 2 more Final Fours. After that they got stuck in CUSA when the power conferences were emerging and slowly fell to irrelevancy over the next decade, got to a few Sweet 16s and such, one Elite 8 a decade later but for about 20 years they were irrelevant on the national scene until Pitino (they brought in a great coach to replace a great coach, FWIW) and the Big East brand returned them to relevance.

it's just really sad that someone with over 4,000 posts brings this to the BY.
I wish we had time-outs here on this board.

pathetic.

 

[Marty Jackson]

I continue to be agnostic on whether or not Ollie can do the job. Last year he looked like he had potential, but I would argue that last year's circumstances were somewhat unique. This year so far he hasn't shown anywhere near the same level of control. And the issue is if this team gets beat by Harvard, they could be in serious trouble with games at Memphis and Louisville coming up. That would mean they almost have to win out to make the Tournament. How long are you willing to give Ollie to turn the ship around if this year's team founders? How long does our program remain a national brand if we don't get to the dance this year, after being forced out last year? If we continue to miss next year, I can't see any way he is back. If the program completely flops this year, I think he's in danger, but the fan base will protect him. FWIW, the 1989-90 example is sort of silly for a few reasons. First, nobody really expected us to win anything that year. 2nd, we had a coach named Calhoun. don't know if you have heard of him, but he ended up winning multiple national titles and in the hall of fame.

Holy Cow!!!!!
so you're saying if we go to 11-4, we'd have to win out to make the dance? and then you extrapolate that to us missing this year and then missing next year so we should think about axing Ollie now so that can't happen?

a. whether we win or lose against Harvard, let's end the suspense and say we probably won't win out. BB isn't FB, and there are some very good teams yet to be played on uconn's schedule
b. the margin of error is not 1 or 2 games in the AAC. that's just stupid to even suggest that
c. Uconn is 11-3 in case you forgot. Ollie has won over 30 games in roughly 1 1/2 seasons. there is nothing except stupidity amongst the fan base to suggest his job should be questioned at this point.

 

[David 76]

How many times are people going to refer to the 1 year contract? It never happened. If your sorry we got "stuck" with Ollie, then I think you should complain to JC, He wanted it and originally made it impossible for WM to do much else. So he tried a months long contract. And you know what happened? He realized that such a contract would kill the program. And KO was coaching fantastically. This is what happened and you can blame WM and boneyard posters all you want, panic, whine,etc. But this is what happened

I'm still convinced Ollie was a good choice.Maybe I'm wrong. But you can't drop a coach after 3 losses with a team that is still recovering from sanctions and transitioning from the retirement of a legendary coach. I remember guys like this wanting to fire Calhoun in his first 2 years