If we don't make the tourney next year, does Ollie deserve to get fired?

[Excalibur]

The mediocrity around this place is sickening.

No better example than your original post . . .

 

[Husky25]

7 people agreed with my vote, so I'm not that crazy.

Is this a take-off of the old Eddie Murphy bit about voting for Jesse Jackson for President?

"He won?!?!"

 

[JimHurley]

Next off season is critical to KO as far as recruiting. If he misses bad next year and he doesn't bring in any impact players with DHAM probably leaving then it could mean the end of his reign as coach. I'm sure they will give him at least 3 bad years to prove himself but I don't think we can afford 4 years of missing the tourney with the precarious position we are in due to our conference affiliation. I hope KO can do it and I like many feel he needs to make a staff change to accomplish this.

Ollie needs to find someone that can get recruits. I'm waiting for him to hire Rip or Ray Ray. If those guys are going to recruits houses, that will make a difference. We need an experienced NBA player as a recuiter.

 

[tcf15]

Ollie needs to find someone that can get recruits. I'm waiting for him to hire Rip or Ray Ray. If those guys are going to recruits houses, that will make a difference. We need an experienced NBA player as a recuiter.

No, we need an experienced recruiter as a recruiter. Just because you played in the NBA doesn't mean you necessarily know all the ins and outs of recruiting.

 

[gtcam]

This is probably the dumbest statement I have ever read about a message board. Congrats.

Almost as dumb as the 4 idiots who as of 10:50 AM this morning voted YES to firing him

 

[Husky25]

Ollie needs to find someone that can get recruits. I'm waiting for him to hire Rip or Ray Ray. If those guys are going to recruits houses, that will make a difference. We need an experienced NBA player as a recuiter.

I disagree.

A former player does not always a good recruiter make. Recruits want to hear the answer to one sole, single, solitary question and that answer had better be, "yes." The question is, "Can you get me to the NBA?"

Calipari can, K can, Self can, Calhoun could, and what's more about these four coaches, they can (could) prove it with numerous real life examples. Calhoun said on CenterStage, that before he had that particular bullet in his chamber, he recruited based on the conference. (Big East had 3 teams in the Final Four in 1987). Ollie has a hard time using the AAC as a recruiting tool so he has to rely on coaching his team up and put a few in the lottery.

 

[UCbcm]

We need to hire prominent AAU coach--we don't need anymore former UConn players. Whether some former players may be better/more influential than others is another issue.

 

[CallMeBruce]

No, we need an experienced recruiter as a recruiter. Just because you played in the NBA doesn't mean you necessarily know all the ins and outs of recruiting.

I can't believe how many people think that Richard Hamilton and Ray Allen are some sort of quick-fix to recruiting. If big-name NBA players were such an easy way to dominate recruiting, more schools would do it.

 

[Leebo]

Almost as dumb as the 4 idiots who as of 10:50 AM this morning voted YES to firing him

Well, we know non-UConn fans lurk and post.

 

[3rdbass]

Ollie needs to find someone that can get recruits. I'm waiting for him to hire Rip or Ray Ray. If those guys are going to recruits houses, that will make a difference. We need an experienced NBA player as a recuiter.

No we need a real recruiter who has been on the trail and has AAU connections. We already have a young coach in KO with no experience as well as a few other coaches in KF and RM who have limited experience. We need someone who knows how to recruit not just another fancy name.

 

[JimHurley]

No we need a real recruiter who has been on the trail and has AAU connections. We already have a young coach in KO with no experience as well as a few other coaches in KF and RM who have limited experience. We need someone who knows how to recruit not just another fancy name.

I guess you're right. I just think that if a player like Rip Hamilton was recruiting you and you know how successful he was in the league, it'd be intriguing.

 

[Stainmaster]

I guess you're right. I just think that if a player like Rip Hamilton was recruiting you and you know how successful he was in the league, it'd be intriguing.

NBA success means nothing if you don't have the ability to verbally persuade kids and connect with them on a personal level.

 

[Gurleyman]

No, we need an experienced recruiter as a recruiter. Just because you played in the NBA doesn't mean you necessarily know all the ins and outs of recruiting.

Hobbs has been recruiting for 20 years. Rip, KEA and Caron were his guys as an assistant. He had some success at GW too before tailing off. They were 29-3 in 2006. On paper, his resume blows the doors off of Slice, who's big gets as an assistant were Chris Taft, Sam Young, and Levance Fields and who was an abject failure as a head coach by any reasonable analysis. Now of course Slice is well plugged in to the NYC AAU world and has a good reputation, otherwise Kentucky wouldn't have waved big money at him. And obviously after a couple years at Kentucky, he'll have some bigger names to drop than Chris Taft.

But Slice isn't coming to us. A young rising star of the AAU circuit (say, Book Richardson a couple years ago before landing at Arizona) might not want the challenge of recruiting to the AAC. If we cleaned house, do we find anyone better than Hobbs willing to come here? Maybe, but maybe not. My feeling is that the early leg work hasn't been a problem in the last two years - we've cast a wide net and gotten in on a lot of quality guys. That's what the assistants need to do. Closing to some degree has been an issue, and to me, that falls on the head guy, and I'm wiling to be patient with KO on it. It was a challenge to recruit a wing one class behind Hamilton, and Stone was never going to be an easy get. It's still too soon to make a panic move until at least we see how the 2016 class (and/or early commitments from 2017) pan out.

 

[Husky25]

I guess you're right. I just think that if a player like Rip Hamilton was recruiting you and you know how successful he was in the league, it'd be intriguing.

Recruits literally don't care. They don't want to hear what another player has done. They want to hear what the coach can do for them. Again, it's about convincing the kid he will go to the NBA and the school is the main conduit to that end.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

The funny thing is that some time last summer this kid probably posted "don't leave KO you're a god!"

 

[3rdbass]

Hobbs has been recruiting for 20 years. Rip, KEA and Caron were his guys as an assistant. He had some success at GW too before tailing off. They were 29-3 in 2006. On paper, his resume blows the doors off of Slice, who's big gets as an assistant were Chris Taft, Sam Young, and Levance Fields and who was an abject failure as a head coach by any reasonable analysis. Now of course Slice is well plugged in to the NYC AAU world and has a good reputation, otherwise Kentucky wouldn't have waved big money at him. And obviously after a couple years at Kentucky, he'll have some bigger names to drop than Chris Taft.

But Slice isn't coming to us. A young rising star of the AAU circuit (say, Book Richardson a couple years ago before landing at Arizona) might not want the challenge of recruiting to the AAC. If we cleaned house, do we find anyone better than Hobbs willing to come here? Maybe, but maybe not. My feeling is that the early leg work hasn't been a problem in the last two years - we've cast a wide net and gotten in on a lot of quality guys. That's what the assistants need to do. Closing to some degree has been an issue, and to me, that falls on the head guy, and I'm wiling to be patient with KO on it. It was a challenge to recruit a wing one class behind Hamilton, and Stone was never going to be an easy get. It's still too soon to make a panic move until at least we see how the 2016 class (and/or early commitments from 2017) pan out.

So you don't think we can find anyone better than Karl Hobbs because any decent recruiter wouldn't want to come to UCONN? I find that funny because I think there are enough younger ones out there that would want the chance to recruit for a school like UCONN even in a conference as bad as ware are in now. Now keeping them might be an issue but I don't think KO would have a problem replacing a guy like KH if that is the weak link in our recruiting. We aren't Towson St. yet as far relevancy in college basketball.

 

[azescobar]

I didn't want to even read this thread or chime in, but here I am. This post is beyond dumb. We are one year removed from a national championship, and don't forget, two years removed from a 20 win season in which we were banned from postseason play.

Last year was a disappointment, and we can all point to games/situations where Ollie made some questionable decisions, but damn, talking about firing KO if we miss the tournament next year, really? That's beyond insane.

I actually have relatively high hopes for next year, and while I won't say we're a lock for the tourney, I would be very surprised if we don't make it. I think we are capable of more than just getting in also. Which other teams really scare you? I think on a good night we can beat anyone.

KO may not have job protection forever, but you have to give him at least 5 years before you even think about a change at the top. A change at the bottom with assistant coaches, sure, but this board should be far more concerned about NBA jobs opening up this summer and rumors linked to KO, than KO losing his job.

 

[Pudge]

Interested to hear what people think.

I think you a Flipping idiot!!!

 

[3rdbass]

I didn't want to even read this thread or chime in, but here I am. This post is beyond dumb. We are one year removed from a national championship, and don't forget, two years removed from a 20 win season in which we were banned from postseason play.

Last year was a disappointment, and we can all point to games/situations where Ollie made some questionable decisions, but damn, talking about firing KO if we miss the tournament next year, really? That's beyond insane.

I actually have relatively high hopes for next year, and while I won't say we're a lock for the tourney, I would be very surprised if we don't make it. I think we are capable of more than just getting in also. Which other teams really scare you? I think on a good night we can beat anyone.

KO may not have job protection forever, but you have to give him at least 5 years before you even think about a change at the top. A change at the bottom with assistant coaches, sure, but this board should be far more concerned about NBA jobs opening up this summer and rumors linked to KO, than KO losing his job.

Unfortunately UCONN doesn't have five years. We can't afford it in this new era of conference realignment. I do agree him losing next year and getting fired is not going to happen. Though if he backs that up with another bad recruiting year and a third season of missing I think KO's days are numbered. We can't have the program struggle for almost 5 years if we want to stay relevant. The landscape is changing so fast.

 

[UCbcm]

Unfortunately UCONN doesn't have five years. We can't afford it in this new era of conference realignment. I do agree him losing next year and getting fired is not going to happen. Though if he backs that up with another bad recruiting year and a third season of missing I think KO's days are numbered. We can't have the program struggle for almost 5 years if we want to stay relevant. The landscape is changing so fast.

Conference realignment for our purposes depends heavily on outside factors and UConn football developing... If realignment was based solely on basketball, UConn would already be safely in a P5 conference.

 

[3rdbass]

Conference realignment for our purposes depends heavily on outside factors and UConn football developing... If realignment was based solely on basketball, UConn would already be safely in a P5 conference.

Yes, but our basketball team becoming irrelevant isn't going to help our cause. We need to stay relevant in the men's basketball landscape and hope Fooball can start winning.

 

[Kembacity]

I swear to god, the whining on this site is unbearable. I'm not apologizing for interpreting your stupid thoughts in a perfectly reasonable way. You think next year's team should be a tournament lock, I'm sorry, that's not supported by the facts.

Well I'm not you, sitting here saying that next year's team is barely talented enough to make the NIT. I think that's offensive, and you said it here, clear as day.

Stop whining about people whining who aren't whining about anything but your awful analysis skills and out of left field commentary on what you think other people think with the words they type. If I didn't write it, don't tell me I did, moron

 

[Tenspro2002]

KO's job security is an idiotic question.

A more appropriate question is: in absence of a P5 life raft, can the program survive another year or two of mediocre recruiting?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

A more appropriate question is: in absence of a P5 life raft, can the program survive another year or two of mediocre recruiting?

What are you talking about, recruiting is going great!

 

[Gurleyman]

So you don't think we can find anyone better than Karl Hobbs because any decent recruiter wouldn't want to come to UCONN? I find that funny because I think there are enough younger ones out there that would want the chance to recruit for a school like UCONN even in a conference as bad as ware are in now. Now keeping them might be an issue but I don't think KO would have a problem replacing a guy like KH if that is the weak link in our recruiting. We aren't Towson St. yet as far relevancy in college basketball.

Hobbs is a veteran recruiter who was the point person for two players who went on to be NBA All-Stars, and worked extensively with a third as an assistant coach (Ray Allen). That was a long time ago, so is he still good enough now in his early 50s to be the lead guy? I honestly don't know. My outside impression is that finding talent and making it down to the final few schools on the lists of some good players hasn't been a problem -which is what the recruiting assistant's role is, so I'm inclined to say he's doing his job reasonably well. The head coach has to be the one who closes. Nobody is going to Kentucky to be coached by Slice (or Antigua before him), no matter how good a job they do working their contacts. The head coach doesn't have enough time to beat the bushes and do the early leg work, but when you're in the last three or four schools, they have to be the ones who make the final sell and make the recruit want to come.

There isn't a long list of people out there who are going to swoop onto a staff and start making the difference in reeling in top 50 recruits as soon as they get a company cell phone. Someone like Book Richardson was considered that type of guy and landed at Arizona - the next guy in those shoes who thinks of himself as a high demand sort of person, and who doesn't have any personal connection to UConn, might just possibly study the situation and decide that there's a risk factor in trying to make your reputation at a place where there's currently an inherent recruiting disadvantage, and decide to hold out for a Michigan or UCLA or Florida or somewhere. There's probably plenty of young and up and comers in the next tier down with slightly lesser resumes or rolodexes who would pounce on the chance to be the lead recruiter at UConn, but would one of those guys be good enough to be an upgrade over what we already have? It'd be a risky hire.