Interesting comment from Andy Katz

[Marty Jackson]

He just started how the hell can we even ask that question? I mean he never had a chance with XRM as it was so duly noted and Parker wasn't coming here but he made an impact by getting an in home.....

We will never know but if there actually is a kid on the fence who wants to make a decision at some point prior to KO being given a couple or few more years, there's a chance the unknown will hurt KO and UConn....that's pretty simple!!!! Not rocket science, we all hope this isn't the case but it could very well happen since the "other guys" are targeting that fact. Pitino talked about, Barnes talked about it so like or not their assisgtants will when going head-to-head......it can't be good!!

the only thing I agree with you on is that "We will never know" + "there's a chance" does not = rocket science...

Hey, neither of us knows what is going to happen with Ollie after 7 months. But what I can say is that since his hire on a 7 month contract, the cost of beans at my local grocery store has gone up 10%. I have know idea why that is, but there is a chance it may be the indirect result of Ollie and Uconn not having a long term contract. It's that simple...

 

[Waquoit]

A one year contract allows Herbst and Manuel to take ownership of the program and evaluate their options.

That's a very good comment. This is UConn first, not the JC all-stars.

 

[jleves]

Suggest the BY enter the fray. Withhold the JC donation until KO is 'hired'. And encourage others to follow suit. After all, KO is part of JC's plan, eh? Don't know what the hell the AD was smoking when he decided on this. Must be an Obamarite with such illogical thinking.

You need stuff this idea pronto. I'm working my ass off trying to get donations for a tribute to Jim Calhoun. The donation has nothing to do with Ollie or the athletic department or anything other than one man who has brought us great joy and excitement. Not only is it not a bargaining chip as noted by another poster, it has no political clout whatsoever. It's not going to alter the course of contracts one way or another. It's not nearly large enough to influence anything. And it has nothing to do with anything related to basketball. It's going to the cardiology center. It's to purchase something that will save lives. It is not now and will never be a political chip.

I seriously don't ever want to see such an idiotic post negatively affecting the gift to JC again. Got it?

 

[mauconnfan]

the only thing I agree with you on is that "We will never know" + "there's a chance" does not = rocket science...

Hey, neither of us knows what is going to happen with Ollie after 7 months. But what I can say is that since his hire on a 7 month contract, the cost of beans at my local grocery store has gone up 10%. I have know idea why that is, but there is a chance it may be the indirect result of Ollie and Uconn not having a long term contract. It's that simple...

We agree on just one thing and that's it.......but to watch the landscape of college hoops recruiting over the years, to see what kids say and what the kids along with their parents look for, it HAS to effect recruiting as of now, this moment with a coach with a 7 month contract......if anyone can't admit that then they have not paid attention or know very little....how much? You and I will never know as stated..........

This does not mean I have a problem with them giving him a 1 year deal, I don't...I get it.......but the point is simple, the question will arise with a parent or a kid "Will you be here next year and will you take care of my son in Storrs on the court and off of it?" and you explain his answer.....as good as KO is and as positive his reinforcement is, he's holding on to 1 year only for now.....not easy to close the deal in the living room from what I can see

 

[ctchamps]

This is exactly why I like the 1 year contract. You're right, PP isn't the coach for the football team. It's blatantly obvious.

But even though you sense this, you still want PP to have another year so that he has a fair chance to prove his suckitude beyond a reasonable doubt. That is the fair approach to PP - whose contract, after all, runs for another few years -but it's a godawful approach for UConn football, which will drift further into irrelevancy every year the guy is around.

The 1 year contract for KO is saying, hey, we're not going to do this with the basketball program. We're not making any promises. You've never coached a game but we're going to give you a 1 year shot to show that you can run a program. It's not going to be about your recruits, it's going to be about what you can mold from the clay in front of you. If you can do a good job, great, we'll extend you and all will be well. If you can't, we're going to go in another direction as soon as possible.

The 1 year deal is an effort to make sure that the basketball program is not subjected to the extended mediocrity that's currently afflicting the football program. It's the right approach. And I say that as a guy who has completely fallen in love with KO, and who will be rooting as hard as anyone for his success.

PP had a lot of coaching experience and what did that prove? Nothing. There is no way of knowing how things are going to turn out with any choice of coaches. And contrary to what you may think, there is just as much danger of having programs go into irrelevancy by changing coaches every year, as there is by keeping someone like PP past two years. I'm not invested in who coaches the team next year. All I know is that those of us who make claims they know how to do things with certainty are just kidding themselves.

My contention is that there are pros and cons with the short contract just as there would be pros and cons with a three or four year contract.

 

[Richmondhsky]

That's a very good comment. This is UConn first, not the JC all-stars.

Without JC there is no UCONN...no billion dollar renovation to a run down infrastructure....the state and the program owe a debt of gratitude to the man.
Also, to those so against Ollie and want a "proven" name like Smart...what had Smart done before getting the VCU job and getting them to where they are today? Same energy and relationship with the players. I have seen it personally and all that I have seen from Ollie is positive. Do I think Smart would be a great fit for us...absolutely. I for one don't think there is much difference between the two at the same stage in their coaching careers except Smart doesn't have the NBA pedigree that Kevin has. There is value to continuing the "brand"elevating one of our own who has been part and parcel to the program and who continues the succes we have enjoyed these past 20+ years reinforces our contention that our program is an all time elite program.
We all need to come to grips with the reality of a 5 or 6 game BE win season...too many departed up front to do much more. I say, give Ollie a three year deal in January and let him recruit from a position of strength and stability. Man up Manuel.

 

[Excalibur]

I say, give Ollie a three year deal in January and let him recruit from a position of strength and stability. Man up Manuel.

Man up by backing down. Interesting . . . .

 

[Fishy]

Man up by backing down. Interesting . . . .

Exactly.

God bless Jim Calhoun, and please donate to his retirement tribute, but he needs to stop.

He failed in his efforts to strong arm UConn into letting him handpick his successor on his terms - and now he is actively trying to subvert the process that the athletic director has laid out by putting our current recruits into some sort of limbo and implying that former players will not longer support the program should his guy not get the contract he wants. First, there isn't a recruit out there, committed or not, who is good enough that UConn should alter their thinking and second, the former players haven't exactly tripped over themselves donating to UConn.

Step one for Ollie - tell JC to shut his yap. Exert control over your program - JC is not helping your cause.

We hired an athletic director to direct the athletic department. It's his job to do - all I expect from him is that he fairly evaluate Kevin Ollie this year and then make the call. In the interim, I expect him also to fairly evaluate Paul Pasqualoni and then stand him up against a wall and have him shot.

 

[Waquoit]

God bless Jim Calhoun, and please donate to his retirement tribute, but he needs to stop.

...the former players haven't exactly tripped over themselves donating to UConn.

It wasn't too long ago that the story was JC was telling the former players to not support the practice facility until they got a new AD. Well, they got a new AD and now he's changing the story. If Ollie ends up getting the job full-time, what will JC be looking for next? Land?