If we had not won the National Championship last season

[caw]

caw I like Calhoun and am thankful for what he has done for UCONN. The point is he has made big mistakes this year with this team. Last year he had a hungry group of guys who had a lot to prove and an all time great in kemba who nurtured he team and inspired them to give it their all. This year we dont have that and the coahing staff has not done a good job even you would admit this.

Right, that may or may not be the case. I know that is your opinion.

I am simply saying any perceived mistakes this year do not reflect on his coaching of last year's team.

This year the coaching staff has been hampered by Boatright's suspension (9 games is a ton for a top 5/6 player) and Calhoun's illness/suspension. If Boatright wasn't suspended and Calhoun healthy, would this team be better off. I believe they at least would have a better record.

 

[UC990411]

I'll get blasted for this but had we not had the APR penalties and the Miles fiasco we would have had additional scholarships, which means we would have had a better backup PG than Allen. If we had those schollies we would have been in a much better situation to handle the boat fiasco. To say the coaching staff was hampered by that situation is fair, but they have no one to blame but themselves.

Right, that may or may not be the case. I know that is your opinion.

I am simply saying any perceived mistakes this year do not reflect on his coaching of last year's team.

This year the coaching staff has been hampered by Boatright's suspension (9 games is a ton for a top 5/6 player) and Calhoun's illness/suspension. If Boatright wasn't suspended and Calhoun healthy, would this team be better off. I believe they at least would have a better record.

 

[Brochacho]

I'll get blasted for this but had we not had the APR penalties and the Miles fiasco we would have had additional scholarships, which means we would have had a better backup PG than Allen. If we had those schollies we would have been in a much better situation to handle the boat fiasco. To say the coaching staff was hampered by that situation is fair, but they have no one to blame but themselves.

You are correct.

Don't see why you should get blasted for wondering about not having 2 schollies while others wonder what it would be like with less NCs.

 

[caw]

I'll get blasted for this but had we not had the APR penalties and the Miles fiasco we would have had additional scholarships, which means we would have had a better backup PG than Allen. If we had those schollies we would have been in a much better situation to handle the boat fiasco. To say the coaching staff was hampered by that situation is fair, but they have no one to blame but themselves.

I agree, it's also on the coaches (and the players who lost points) that there wasn't enough follow up on players finishing up. Back to the original point though, I don't see how last year's leadership by Calhoun/Kemba can be reflected in by any mistakes this year.

 

[UC990411]

I agree, it's also on the coaches (and the players who lost points) that there wasn't enough follow up on players finishing up. Back to the original point though, I don't see how last year's leadership by Calhoun/Kemba can be reflected in by any mistakes this year.

I thought the point was that if we didn't win last year we would see that the program was I'm decline. My point is that EVEN with last year's NC we are a program in decline from the Ray - Rudy glory years.

 

[businesslawyer]

I thought the point was that if we didn't win last year we would see that the program was I'm decline. My point is that EVEN with last year's NC we are a program in decline from the Ray - Rudy glory years.

The Ray - Rudy glory years? Rudy Gay? Exactly how many Final Fours did he go to? How many national championships did he win? How many Big East Championships? Because his doughnuts across the borad compare to two Final Fours, one Big East Championship and one National Championship in just the last three seasons.

Yes, if you mean we haven't won as many regular season games consistently as we used to you are right. But there are reasons for that besides what we do == the Big East is a lot deeper than it was, and the country is much more balanced and players leave more quickly making consistency more difficult (there are a lot of programs that don't consistently win as many games every year as they used to). And, to be certain, we have not maintained the year in and year out regular season performance that we used to.

But this remains a silly discussion. Were you on Wall Street screaming at the Giants parade that the team shouldn't be celebrated and Coughlan should be fired because he doesn't win enough regular season games? I would suggest that had you done that, you would either have been institutionalized or, more likely, had real fans, who respect championships, beat the crap out of you.

 

[selles]

I thought the point was that if we didn't win last year we would see that the program was I'm decline. My point is that EVEN with last year's NC we are a program in decline from the Ray - Rudy glory years.

See, you can say "we're going to be in decline" because of the NCAA actions and Calhoun's future. I don't see how anyone could not be worried about that.

But to essentially say that we have been in decline over the past several years despite a final four and a title is ignorant. It shows a basic ignorance of our history since the Dream Season. Do you not recall '92? '93? '97? 2000? '01?

Do you not recall, the year after losing to Miss. St. in the Sweet 16 to end the Ray era without a final 4, the horror of the 1997 struggles? The surfer dude from Miami who hit 3 after 3 on us? Do you not recall the devastation at Michigan State in 2000?

We've always been a cyclical team. To have concern for the future given the NCAA and Calhoun's status is legit. But to say that a 4 year period in which we've tied our number of prior Final Fours is a period of decline? Well that's just stupid. Beyond stupid.

 

[tentoes4rings]

If we make the NCAAs its a whole new season and hopefully the team will see it that way.

Making the NCAAs would make this a successful season as well.

I totally disagree. This team returned 6 players from a national championship squad and added arguably our biggest recruit ever and two other big time recruits. A final four would make this a successful season, not just making the tournament.

 

[UC990411]

Biz, get it through your head that we're not a consistent title contender year in and year out like we once were. And I sense frustration on your end with Rudy, you know Ray never went to a final four either, right?

I'm guessing that fans over thirty are ok with our last six years because they remember the down years, while those of us under 30 are used to UConn basketball being a national championship contender year in and year out. Maybe we're spoiled, but the new video says it best, "we don't come here to practice basketball, we come here to practice perfect."

 

[businesslawyer]

Biz, get it through your head that we're not a consistent title contender year in and year out like we once were. And I sense frustration on your end with Rudy, you know Ray never went to a final four either, right?

I'm guessing that fans over thirty are ok with our last six years because they remember the down years, while those of us under 30 are used to UConn basketball being a national championship contender year in and year out. Maybe we're spoiled, but the new video says it best, "we don't come here to practice basketball, we come here to practice perfect."

Ray won two Big East Championships. And did far, far more in his college career than Rudy Gay.

You're going to have to explain to me what makes you more of a title contender -- actually getting to a Final Four or winning a lot of regular season games. Because I can live with less regular season wins if we get to the Final Four every other year.

 

[Robertelamin]

Yeah get it through your thick skull Biz! You old men with a grasp on reality are complete idiots!

 

[Inyatkin]

When they start hanging banners for regular season records this will become a meaningful discussion.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Biz, get it through your head that we're not a consistent title contender year in and year out like we once were. "

Uconn Final Fours from 2009-2011: 2
Uconn Final Fours in the glory days when we were "consistent title contenders year in and year out": 2

Kemba Walker is the only player in Uconn history to go to multiple Final Fours, and he left the program 10 months ago.

 

[businesslawyer]

Uconn Final Fours from 2009-2011: 2
Uconn Final Fours in the glory days when we were "consistent title contenders year in and year out": 2

Kemba Walker is the only player in Uconn history to go to multiple Final Fours, and he left the program 10 months ago.

No. Donnell Beverly was on the same two Final Four teams.

 

[willie99]

two of the last three final fours, defending national champs

and we're a program in decline!!!! LOL

I'm telling you, you can't make this stupid up

 

[Matt (Chicago)]

Am I supposed to care that I annoy you . Also, I love Calhoun as our coach and leader but the truth of the matter was that it was Kemba's transcendence as a player, leader, brother-figure, athlete, etc why we won last year and not because of Calhoun. Calhoun made huge mistakes this year by starting Daniels over Roscoe and by making Napier as captain of this team. That resulted in what we are witnessing as the Curse of the Scoe. Obviously losing Moe Harkless was a huge loss for us as he would have been a great addition. However, let's wait until the Nova game on monday before we officially write this season over with.

i cant believe all of us here on this site have been so blind, however i am going to go on the record in saying that we have the next UConn coach right here in our midst in huskymagic ....his philosophy is simple but ingenius- dont make any mistakes with the team, recruit (and automatically sign) the top players in every HS class (players which he will flawlessly evaluate and deem "good"), win championships.

 

[The Funster]

Biz, get it through your head that we're not a consistent title contender year in and year out like we once were. And I sense frustration on your end with Rudy, you know Ray never went to a final four either, right?

I'm guessing that fans over thirty are ok with our last six years because they remember the down years, while those of us under 30 are used to UConn basketball being a national championship contender year in and year out. Maybe we're spoiled, but the new video says it best, "we don't come here to practice basketball, we come here to practice perfect."

Hey, at least you're being honest. Yes, you are spoiled. Setting everything (Miles, APR, Calhoun's health) aside, where are the dominant, year in and year out NC contenders? Syracuse - no they have some down years too. Pitt -no they can't win the big game. Nova - no their valleys tend to be deeper than ours and their peaks? Duke - no consistently overrated and it is reflected in their NCAA record. No Carolina - didn't they struggle to 16-15 after their last NC? Kentucky usually wins a lot but it's all based on one and dones. Who else in the SEC consistently wins? How about the B1G? Mich State - has a lot of up and downs. Wisc - no well coached and solid but when they disappear no one notices. Big 12 Texas, Kansas neither of which are consistently dominant teams. PAC? Who in the PAC scares you year in and year out?

Find me the school, perhaps outside of Kentucky, who is a legitimate threat to be a year in and year out consistent title contender.

Look, things aren't quite going the way any of us want them to be going. But what you and some others are expecting is way out of line.

 

[tzznandrew]

Hey, at least you're being honest. Yes, you are spoiled. Setting everything (Miles, APR, Calhoun's health) aside, where are the dominant, year in and year out NC contenders? Syracuse - no they have some down years too. Pitt -no they can't win the big game. Nova - no their valleys tend to be deeper than ours and their peaks? Duke - no consistently overrated and it is reflected in their NCAA record. No Carolina - didn't they struggle to 16-15 after their last NC? Kentucky usually wins a lot but it's all based on one and dones. Who else in the SEC consistently wins? How about the B1G? Mich State - has a lot of up and downs. Wisc - no well coached and solid but when they disappear no one notices. Big 12 Texas, Kansas neither of which are consistently dominant teams. PAC? Who in the PAC scares you year in and year out?

Find me the school, perhaps outside of Kentucky, who is a legitimate threat to be a year in and year out consistent title contender.

Look, things aren't quite going the way any of them want them to be going. But what you and some others are expecting is way out of line.

And for Kentucky, this is only since Calipari showed up. UConn has won 3 National Titles since their last NC.

Kentucky is a great program that has had numerous great coaches. But they aren't immune to these issues.

 

[UC990411]

Andy Katz puts it best here...I know someone will try and say things are just rosey, but they really aren't.
http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/notebookweeklywatch1211/week-11

"2. Connecticut is on the verge of implosion. I'm not just talking about the team. I'm talking about the entire program. Saturday's loss to Marquette was the Huskies' seventh in their past nine games. More setbacks could be on the way this week at Villanova and at home against Syracuse. Jim Calhoun is out with a bad back, players are pointing fingers and the team has been banned from next year's NCAA tournament. Things could get worse in Storrs before they get better. "

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Andy Katz puts it best here...I know someone will try and say things are just rosey, but they really aren't.
http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/notebookweeklywatch1211/week-11

"2. Connecticut is on the verge of implosion. I'm not just talking about the team. I'm talking about the entire program. Saturday's loss to Marquette was the Huskies' seventh in their past nine games. More setbacks could be on the way this week at Villanova and at home against Syracuse. Jim Calhoun is out with a bad back, players are pointing fingers and the team has been banned from next year's NCAA tournament. Things could get worse in Storrs before they get better. "

You seem to be changing your tone now from "we haven't been a great program in recent years despite 2 Final Fours in the last 3 years" to "we won't be a great program in the future."

Do you think there are people here who aren't aware that Jim Calhoun is out and we might be banned from next year's tournament? Are you really trying to say that Andy Katz dropped some groundbreaking knowledge in his little blog post?

 

[The Funster]

Oddly enough if you read that entire article there are a few teams not performing up to expectations. If Katz thinks the program is going to implode, he really is a putz.