It's always darkest just before the dawn

[gtcam]

Better late than never I guess....you still have faith that AD Warde Manuel competent to select next HC? Is everyone else?

Isnt he the one who invited PP back?
Get rid of his a** too
Time to get a big time AD and coach if we are BIG TIME

 

[John]

Earlier this season I thought a new HC or an interim might be able to turn the ship around and get the team to be competitive in a season. Now I think it might take much longer.

I think we're in the woods for a while my friend, this is not going to be a quick turnaround situation.

 

[RMoore1999]

How about Warde fixes the football program before we make ridiculous comments like that.

HE IS THE GUY WHO BROUGHT THIS NONSENSE BACK FOR A THIRD SEASON.

I mean it was only dozens of mere mortals who pointed out that was a blunder.

"HE IS THE GUY WHO BROUGHT THIS NONSENSE BACK FOR A THIRD SEASON."

It's shocking how many ignore this fact and give the guy a free pass.

Hathaway being grossly incompetent doesnt make Warde competent, but that seems to be the common logic around here.

 

[RMoore1999]

I've never claimed any inside info that I cannot reveal pertaining to anyone beyond a stray player or two. I am beyond impressed with both Herbst and Manuel. I am not alone here, although I am at the moment in the minority on the boneyard. That will change in time. Boneyarders will be in unison about both, similar to how we feel about JC & GA.

What exactly has warde done that's "beyond impressive"? Serious question.

I actually like the re-branding (not sure how much credit he should or shouldnt get for that).

What else?

 

[whaler11]

I'll start at the end. You may not remember (and this was before the internet) but there were people everywhere complaining about passing on Penders after he made the sweet sixteen run (the same year we won the NIT no less).

I did not like bringing P back any more than you did. I can however understand the thought process that firing P in December 2013 instead of December 2012 would have its advantages. I don't think anyone could have forseen the disaster that has been unfolding.

On the Ollie hire, we arguably lost out on a couple of recruits who are not eligible (there was no guarantee that we would have landed them) and WM demonstrated that he was in charge of the athletic department (which an AD should be), not a retired HOF coach. I may be the only one who felt this way (I know nearly everyone on the men's hoops board last year felt differently) but I believe WM handles that situation as well as he possibly could have. It didn't bother KO. I don't see why it should have bothered fans as much as it did.

I'm 40. I vaguely remember people lamenting Penders. Those morons have nothing to do with this.

And I fully understand the seize of control Warde made with the Ollie hire. I also understand that Calhoun could have emotionally backed the wrong horse - but he was right.

I will never agree that firing P after two seasons would have been a problem. I anything it would have made it clear that when the program makes a football mistake it fixes it. That should be attractive to a legitimate candidate. Not a barrier to hire.

 

[UConnDan97]

Pasqualoni's loyalty to DeLeone is really puzzling. It must really be just some kind of gumba, siciliano, italiano thing that I just don't get.

I happen to be all three, and I was ready to get rid of DeLeone a year ago...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Lmao at the notion any legitimate FBS coaching candidate would be scared off or deterred from the UConn job if we canned P after two seasons.

If any candidate could honestly sit there after watching P's debacle those two seasons but on principle alone say he deserved a third season, is a guy who shouldn't be a candidate for UConn.

The whole idea and premise is so idiotic. Hey he deserves a third year because, well just because.

 

[cohenzone]

Lmao at the notion any legitimate FBS coaching candidate would be scared off or deterred from the UConn job if we canned P after two seasons.

If any candidate could honestly sit there after watching P's debacle those two seasons but on principle alone say he deserved a third season, is a guy who shouldn't be a candidate for UConn.

The whole idea and premise is so idiotic. Hey he deserves a third year because, well just because.

Well, there's another side that coin. Fire PP after 2 seasons, the next guy comes in. What talent does he have to start with. What are the chances that even with different defensive schemes and a shift to (you tell me who) different O line personnel, that we don't have a record at least worse than PP's 5-7 of not winless. Does the new guy get more than 2 years'. I'm not a PP fan, but RE did not hand him am offensive dream. You can argue thst the D was in decent shape, but almost all of that was due to last years seniors. The new guy will be starting from a deeper hole and a new guy this year probably would have had a losing record. Wè won't be attractive to new coaches if we put a 2 year turn around leash on him.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Well, there's another side that coin. Fire PP after 2 seasons, the next guy comes in. What talent does he have to start with. What are the chances that even with different defensive schemes and a shift to (you tell me who) different O line personnel, that we don't have a record at least worse than PP's 5-7 of not winless. Does the new guy get more than 2 years'. I'm not a PP fan, but RE did not hand him am offensive dream. You can argue thst the D was in decent shape, but almost all of that was due to last years seniors. The new guy will be starting from a deeper hole and a new guy this year probably would have had a losing record. Wè won't be attractive to new coaches if we put a 2 year turn around leash on him.

W/L is ultimately what matters, but a coach has to be judged on a myriad of other metrics.

I mean for crying out loud, P didn't even know how to take a knee at the end of a victory. Which as a side note, was Dez's best hissy fit with the UConn blog guy.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Let's pray it's closer to 6am than 3am.....

Then, at dawn, from the East, the enemy attacks with overwhelming force and over runs your ass.

 

[whaler11]

You aren't putting a 2 year leash on the next hire. You are being bold and correcting an obvious mistake. Because that level of performance is unacceptable.

People won't want the job because they would be held accountable?

 

[businesslawyer]

Better late than never I guess....you still have faith that AD Warde Manuel competent to select next HC? Is everyone else?

How does us being awful reflect on him? Because Weist didn't solve all the problems? Lombardi couldn't solve all the problems during this season.

 

[whaler11]

To Warde's credit looks like the last hire at Buffalo was a very good one.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'll start at the end. You may not remember (and this was before the internet) but there were people everywhere complaining about passing on Penders after he made the sweet sixteen run (the same year we won the NIT no less).

I did not like bringing P back any more than you did. I can however understand the thought process that firing P in December 2013 instead of December 2012 would have its advantages. I don't think anyone could have forseen the disaster that has been unfolding.

On the Ollie hire, we arguably lost out on a couple of recruits who are not eligible (there was no guarantee that we would have landed them) and WM demonstrated that he was in charge of the athletic department (which an AD should be), not a retired HOF coach. I may be the only one who felt this way (I know nearly everyone on the men's hoops board last year felt differently) but I believe WM handles that situation as well as he possibly could have. It didn't bother KO. I don't see why it should have bothered fans as much as it did.

Manual handled the KO situation about as well as it could be handled without ceding responsibility for his job to JC. And there were good reasons to think firing P after 3 years was the better path. In hindsight, no, but at the time it was not a dumb decisiion.

 

[ZooCougar]

Whaler, why are you such a miserable ? Is your life really that bad?

There were many factors (most we may never find out) to be considered before firing someone after their second season at the helm and then trying to tell a competent candidate that he will be given the time necessary to build a winning program.

So WM is a failure because he didn't cam P last December. I imagine that you were one of the many who felt we hired the wrong guy for the basketball program when Penders took URI to the sweet sixteen and then, in the mid 1990's claimed that Calhoun could never win a big game.

Warde does a good job, but he messed up big time bringing PGDL back. Going 0-12 is far worse than having 3 HCs in 4 years.

 

[weyuo]

Then, at dawn, from the East, the enemy attacks with overwhelming force and over runs your ass.

Or you hire a new coaching staff and give them adequate time to get the recruiting ball rolling and UConn starts overrunning somebody else's ass for a change. Things are so bad now that UConn is almost forced into hiring some big name coach even if he only stays for 3 years. Growing pains are a BIIICCTTTHHHH!! Get used to it.

 

[UConnDan97]

Manual handled the KO situation about as well as it could be handled without ceding responsibility for his job to JC.

I disagree with this statement, and I'll describe the reasons why (not that it matters much, since it's all water under the bridge):

1) During the process of hiring a big-time coach at a big-time program, one would assume that the AD would enlist the assistance of experts in the field that could advise on the matter. I would argue that there is NO BETTER EXPERT that he could have enlisted than Jim Calhoun.
2) Even if #1 wasn't true and the AD would go at it alone, why on earth would one disregard the strong recommendation from the previous Hall Of Fame coach? It is safe to assume that the HOF coach would not recommend someone that would jeopardize his own legacy. And....he's a HOF coach!

You're absolutely correct in the fact that Warde did what he did because he felt like he was "ceding" his job to JC, and it led to him mishandling the situation IMHO. Had Warde treated Calhoun like the expert UConn opinion that he should have, it would have been handled much better...

 

[Fishy]

If you don't understand why you don't let the outgoing coach appoint his successor, you're simple.

Geno can name his successor. Ray Reid can pick his and Jim Penders, of course, can choose his.

 

[UConnDan97]

If you don't understand why you don't let the outgoing coach appoint his successor, you're simple.

Geno can name his successor. Ray Reid can pick his and Jim Penders, of course, can choose his.

If you don't understand why a football guy would take into account with great gravity the recommendation of the previous Hall of Fame coach, I would argue that you were the simple one. Successful people in all walks of business are in large part successful because they surround themselves with successful people and value the recommendations of experts in their respective fields. If you don't agree, that doesn't make me daft...

 

[Fishy]

If you don't understand why a football guy would take into account with great gravity the recommendation of the previous Hall of Fame coach, I would argue that you were the simple one. Successful people in all walks of business are in large part successful because they surround themselves with successful people and value the recommendations of experts in their respective fields. If you don't agree, that doesn't make me daft...

The crown sits on one head.

Take recommendations, sure. Allow someone other than the boss to set the agenda? No way.

Warde played it the best way he could after Calhoun tried to pin him down.

 

[UConnDan97]

The crown sits on one head.

Take recommendations, sure. Allow someone other than the boss to set the agenda? No way.

Warde played it the best way he could after Calhoun tried to pin him down.

The best way to play it was to hire Ollie to a short (2-3 year) contract, ensuring continuity and no negative waves in recruitment. It's already well documented that we lost recruits over it. So the idea that you think he "played it the best way he could" is laughable. I'm sorry, but he made an error in judgment because he felt he was being usurped rather than to take it as the best consulting advice that money could buy.

Thankfully, Kevin was able to generate the record that he did in the first 9 or 10 games with a short-handed roster. Otherwise, Warde would have felt "justified" in not hiring him and we REALLY would be dealing with the full magnitude of the blunder.

But whatever. It's done now. Everyone now knows what Kevin brings. Warde lives to fight another day. His biggest decisions are yet to come...

 

[UConn990411]

I know we're UConn fans here, but hiring a guy with literally zero head coaching experience to a 2- to 3-year contract off the bat would have been a completely irresponsible decision by Warde.

I'm not sure why some people on here are having trouble understanding that.