If you were AD

[John]

Everyone on the current staff has to go.

Yes, house cleaning

 

[krinklecut]

I give KO this season and next with the recruits coming in for next season. If it is still the same, he is gone.

Things we said last season.

 

[intlzncster]

To everyone else in the country, it would scream panic. And that's what matters. The optics of firing a college coach, a former player no less, mid season would be poor. It's in the best interest of everyone, if it happens, to make the transition from one coach to the next as smooth as possible at the end of the year.

It wouldn't help the program in any appreciable way. I can only see it hurting. The next coach needs to be able to contact recruits/players immediately on Ollie's firing to have the best chance of keeping them. The longer in between firing and hiring, the less the likelihood of keeping kids.

And how would offense, defense and development get better? Same cast of characters on the bench. Only with more work to do. You got Larry Brown on speed dial or something?

 

[Glastonhusky]

Everyone on the current staff has to go.

I just think that would set us back another 2, probably 3 years. I'd rather see KO work on improving in some areas, get him some help if needed. Chill has proven he can recruit, I like our 2018 class. KO should get this season and next.

 

[JellyBean]

If I were the AD, I would have realistic expectations and trust the coaching staff and the process.

 

[KembaStepback]

You have no idea. I'm so glad you're not in charge. You know it would get worse with a new coach, right?

 

[zls44]

I'd get that UConn professor famous for exploring time travel on the phone and see how far along he is on that whole thing.

 

[KembaStepback]

Everyone on the current staff has to go.

Yeah and the whole roster would go too. It's just not a good solution. They JUST brought in Chillious. Let them have a full season recruiting.

I do think it's funny that everyone loves Akinjo on this board but don't think he would decommit if the entire staff were fired. Get a clue.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah and the whole roster would go too. It's just not a good solution. They JUST brought in Chillious. Let them have a full season recruiting.

I do think it's funny that everyone loves Akinjo on this board but don't think he would decommit if the entire staff were fired. Get a clue.

Our coach has run the program into the ground but keep him around because he was able to get a commitment from the #97 player in the country. That makes a ton of sense. Good lord.

 

[AdamaNation]

Player improvement is a major negative for me regarding KO.

I think Diarra, Carlton, Whaley, Cobb etc. all have a ton of potential.

I really do.

But, I do not trust KO or this coaching staff to develop them in any meaningful way.

For instance, I thought Brimah had potential, yet he was exactly the same player as a senior as he was as a freshman.

Keep in mind Brimah was a stop gap recruit during our sanctions.

 

[UConnDan97]

There will be no post season performance to evaluate. Recruiting is abysmal. Player improvement is nonexistent. There is no chance these guys do much other than win lower and a few midtier conf. games. I just don't know where you're coming from on this. Nothing is going to change dramatically. It's time to for KO to go silently into the night. Chillious is the equivalent of a post-grad bandAide type hire. He's had zero impact and is another KO sycophant that needs to hit the bricks. I'd appoint Ricky Moore Interim HC and Kevin Freeman assistant HC, and start calling Kingston, RI.

Have you known me to be soft on UConn head coaches before? (PP, BD) And have you known Benedict to be soft on coaches before? (BD)

The fact of the matter is that Benedict will almost certainly wait until the end of the year to make any determination whatsoever as to the next move. And at the end of the year, the next move may in fact turn out to be sticking with Ollie when Benedict is done evaluating. That's a major part of why I don't understand this daily self-torturing that some Boneyarders engage in when it comes to Ollie's contract...

 

[Jaker]

Finish out the season with ollie, meanwhile start putting out feelers for a replacement.

 

[UCDaveD]

Unexpressed thought.

 

[BlueDogs]

Have you known me to be soft on UConn head coaches before? (PP, BD) And have you known Benedict to be soft on coaches before? (BD)

The fact of the matter is that Benedict will almost certainly wait until the end of the year to make any determination whatsoever as to the next move. And at the end of the year, the next move may in fact turn out to be sticking with Ollie when Benedict is done evaluating. That's a major part of why I don't understand this daily self-torturing that some Boneyarders engage in when it comes to Ollie's contract...

Typically in alignment with you 95% of the time. I just don't understand the benefit of waiting. The body of work is a sufficiently large experience to know things are not going to change. Perhaps $$ are a factor, but at what cost to the program. The damage being inflicted is costing more than his buyout in lost national brand name recognition, free media presence, ticket sales, lost royalty from branding, general applicant appeal, etc.. We are killing the golden goose.

 

[Towney007]

Well as much of an anti-Ollie guy as i've been there's a political reality you can't fire him in season.

I'd explore available options. Get feelers on interested replacements. I'd track real progress in the program.Try to see where meaningful progress is being made. How much of the lack of success is due to coaching and leadership and how much is just due to this team not being very good and never having a shot to be very good. What would another year of Ollie with this group + recruits look like this year and next vs. what it looks like with someone NOT Ollie and this group. Can this group be better with better or different coaching?

B/C that's the catch with me and Ollie. I actually DO think he can be a good coach - a really, really, really goo coach. But is he there. now. To be a good coach at this level? And lead *this group* to better things? I personally err to 'no,' but the answer is bigger than that.

And that's before you get to the financials of it all. Because that's the next reality you have to deal with. Firing an alum. Of the program. That's done so good by you and has been so ferociously loyal.

To be clear- I think i'm ready for a change. but just becuase I am, doesn't mean the program is. And what that all looks like. It's a massive decision.

 

[Huskybass]

I just think that would set us back another 2, probably 3 years. I'd rather see KO work on improving in some areas, get him some help if needed. Chill has proven he can recruit, I like our 2018 class. KO should get this season and next.

This season and next? This ship has sailed and it isn't turning around. Ever.

There are so many problems with this team and program. For example, the fact that there are only 4 guards on the roster out of 13 scholarship players. That is terrible roster construction, especially in light of the fact that one of those players is out for the year with an injury that has plagued him for 3 straight seasons. Why have only 4 guards and 9 forwards/centers? It makes no sense at all.

Things are not going to get significantly better under this head coach. The issues are simply too numerous and substantial. I don't see the point in wasting next season just to see the same issues that we have now seen for 4 years.

 

[huskyrob1]

I give KO this season and next with the recruits coming in for next season. If it is still the same, he is gone.

Oh geez, that's what most fans said last season.

 

[Paesano]

I give KO this season and next with the recruits coming in for next season. If it is still the same, he is gone.

Hypothetical for you. Assume they give KO another year. Assume two of the following players either leave or gets injured next year: Adams, Gilbert, Akinjo and Larrier. Now, if the result is the same next year, do you give KO another year after next year? What if three of those players leave or gets injured? And, by injured, I mean they are either out or are seriously impacted by that injury.

 

[djct1999]

For me, letting KO go is far more complicated than it appears on the surface. Clearly, we need to go in a new direction so DB needs to do some work behind the scenes. With the size of the buyout so large, I don't think you let KO go without knowing in advance who the next hire is and on what terms. Settling for Tom Crean after a lengthy search is not going to cut it. So how do you fire an alum who won a national title and really helped transition the program in one of its most fragile times? To start, with grace and dignity. You definitely do not let him go mid season purely out of respect. Coaching is a fraternity, KO is family, and firing him now would send an awful message. Look at Tennessee with Schiano. What coach would want to come here if we did KO dirty mid season? In an ideal world, DB sits down after the last game with KO and they together formulate an exit strategy. Would KO resign? Would DB give him time to pursue NBA jobs before making this final? Optics matter here and because KO is who he is, I don't think it benefits anyone to ostracize him from the university or the program. To me, a very public firing should be the last resort and only happen if KO is uncooperative and makes things difficult.

 

[Paesano]

Oh geez, that's what most fans said last season.

There will always be an excuse to justify giving him one more year. Next year it will be that Gilbert was too rusty after two years off and/or that we lost Larrier and/or Adams and were too young. Meanwhile, we become irrelevant. We become umess.

 

[Hurleyman216]

There will always be an excuse to justify giving him one more year. Next year it will be that Gilbert was too rusty after two years off and/or that we lost Larrier and/or Adams and were too young. Meanwhile, we become irrelevant. We become umess.

This narrative of becoming irrelevent is a bit overblown. We’ve won more championships than anyone else in the past 18 years. 2 down years does not make you irrelevant. There’s a reason we always get other teams best punch and it is very much because of the name on our jersey which in college b-ball is still very much relevant

 

[Hoophound]

For me, letting KO go is far more complicated than it appears on the surface. Clearly, we need to go in a new direction so DB needs to do some work behind the scenes. With the size of the buyout so large, I don't think you let KO go without knowing in advance who the next hire is and on what terms. Settling for Tom Crean after a lengthy search is not going to cut it. So how do you fire an alum who won a national title and really helped transition the program in one of its most fragile times? To start, with grace and dignity. You definitely do not let him go mid season purely out of respect. Coaching is a fraternity, KO is family, and firing him now would send an awful message. Look at Tennessee with Schiano. What coach would want to come here if we did KO dirty mid season? In an ideal world, DB sits down after the last game with KO and they together formulate an exit strategy. Would KO resign? Would DB give him time to pursue NBA jobs before making this final? Optics matter here and because KO is who he is, I don't think it benefits anyone to ostracize him from the university or the program. To me, a very public firing should be the last resort and only happen if KO is uncooperative and makes things difficult.

Good points. However, we need players bad and a new coach needs to be in place right away and hit the recruiting trail. There isn't really time for letting KO find a job and so on. I'd make my decision on whether he stays or goes over the next 3 weeks or so. I would definitely sit down with him asap and talk to him about strategy. I want a coach that maximizes the player's talents. AD David Benedict needs to know if KO understands how to create open shots, if he sees that our players are skinny and undeveloped. Does KO see things like Diaco did or does he get it? That would weigh heavily in my decision making, is KO clueless or is it all a result of injuries, transfers etc? AD David Benedict has to go with his gut on that. I still see plenty of potential with KO, but he needs help on the bench from a basketball junkie type coach.

 

[whaler11]

Outside of a scandal, give an example of a college coach who was relieved of their duties during the season for poor performance. It is just not done. KO gets at least until the end of the season to show some sort of progress. Everyone would like to stop the snowball, but firing him now screams panic, and there are buyouts, and kids who have committed to KO as coach, and if necessary, planning for finding a successor. By the way, if you get rid of KO now, those same players still will be offensively challenged, and that snowball won’t stop.

GLENN MILLER!!!!