James Akinjo

[mauconnfan]

Mini panic attack every time his thread pops up..... I can’t be the only one...

You aren't

 

[UConnStats]

This is becoming like fostering a puppy and trying not to get too attached.

 

[Danzz]

And there is the rub of it - most of us would agree that what we have witnessed over the last 1 1/3 seasons in particular is depressing and not up to the standards that our program should be aspiring to. With that having been said, those of you who want Ollie gone and want to give him only a sliver (if any) of credit for the 2014 National Championship, you do remember what KO was able to do with a guard who had a killer attitude, leadership ability (that by his own admission Ollie helped to grow) and skills back then. So, why not give Ollie the chance to prove with this young man leading his team that he can once again bring us back to winning... and if we do not see improvement with Akinjo as the leader of our team, then you will have plenty of time and support to push Ollie out the door.

Because from everything we are seeing and hearing, young Mr. Akinjo could be the game changer we have not had since Shabazz (sorry, but as talented as Jalen Adams is, he has yet to show the maturity, consistent decision-making skills and dedication needed to successfully lead himself, let alone his teammates. And unfortunately his inconsistency shows in the way we play every game).

One last thing - anyone on this board who thinks Akinjo and Matthews Jr. are still coming here if both Ollie and Chillious are fired at the end of this year is crazy... or just utterly full of crap. Common sense and experience shows us they would probably be gone. We all need to include that in our thinking here.

Bottom line: I believe we are better off giving Ollie that opportunity to see what he and Akinjo can create together rather than the alternative: an alternative that will look a lot like last year and this one for the next few years, at least.

No inside info but I believe Ollie will be back next year.

 

[RipCity]

No inside info but I believe Ollie will be back next year.

Really doubt it. AD David Benedict has been done with KO for over a year now. I’m sure he’s on a mission to be able to buy him out.

 

[husky99]

KO is a dead man walking. Unless he can pull a miracle...

 

[KembaStepback]

KO is a dead man walking. Unless he can pull a miracle...

So would this mean Chillious is gone too? I just really want to see Chill have a full year. I'd also like to see what the freshman bigs can do in a year or 2. Carlton, Whaley, Diarra. If they don't improve by their Jr seasons id get rid of Ollie. If they improve, then we know we're going in the right direction.

 

[the Q]

KO is a dead man walking. Unless he can pull a miracle...

I know you’re in the know. I just wanna know where the money is coming from. Can they shake down the boosters again for the buyout?

I just know Athletics is not in a great financial position to make this move on their own.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I don't know what's going to happen, but reading the daily parade of bickering & conflicting 'certainties' is as unpleasant an experience as watching uninspired, uninspiring, unintelligent basketball. I'd be OK with the end of both, but can only attend to my part.

 

[lange10]

So would this mean Chillious is gone too? I just really want to see Chill have a full year. I'd also like to see what the freshman bigs can do in a year or 2. Carlton, Whaley, Diarra. If they don't improve by their Jr seasons id get rid of Ollie. If they improve, then we know we're going in the right direction.

If you give him 2 more years and we continue to trend downwards our brand will be entirely tarnished and the ability to attract a coach who would be able to turn this train around would be basically zero. The time has come, even if that means losing a recruit like Akinjo.

 

[UConnStats]

Chillious is the man, but there are plenty of good recruiters out there, and none of them overcome bad coaching long term.

 

[CTBasketball]

Chillious is the man, but there are plenty of good recruiters out there, and none of them overcome bad coaching long term.

Chillious is more of a question-mark than KO. You need to burn the entire thing down and start fresh. Whatever we’ve had on our bench the last 6 years isn’t working.

 

[KembaStepback]

If you give him 2 more years and we continue to trend downwards our brand will be entirely tarnished and the ability to attract a coach who would be able to turn this train around would be basically zero. The time has come, even if that means losing a recruit like Akinjo.

Im just not sure I agree. I think the coaching suitors for this job would be pretty much the same next yr or the following year. I also don't think the downward trend is a given. If Whaley and/or Carlton etc can develop into useful players. Akinjo comes in an changes the dynamic a bit. Adams returns with an improved 3 point stroke, and AG FINALLY gets healthy...we're looking at a solid team. None of these are out of the realm of possibility. People dismiss losing AG, but I feel like its a HUGE loss for this program. Not only is he the best leader on the floor, but hes a bulldog who can get to the rim, take some of the scoring load, and create for others...and hes a good defender. Losing him 2 seasons in a row is so difficult to deal with.

 

[lange10]

Im just not sure I agree. I think the coaching suitors for this job would be pretty much the same next yr or the following year. I also don't think the downward trend is a given. If Whaley and/or Carlton etc can develop into useful players. Akinjo comes in an changes the dynamic a bit. Adams returns with an improved 3 point stroke, and AG FINALLY gets healthy...we're looking at a solid team. None of these are out of the realm of possibility. People dismiss losing AG, but I feel like its a HUGE loss for this program. Not only is he the best leader on the floor, but hes a bulldog who can get to the rim, take some of the scoring load, and create for others...and hes a good defender. Losing him 2 seasons in a row is so difficult to deal with.

The chance that all those hypotheticals come to fruition under this coaching staff are as slim as Ollie's chances of being our coach again next season.

 

[KembaStepback]

The chance that all those hypotheticals come to fruition under this coaching staff are as slim as Ollie's chances of being our coach again next season.

I don't think all of them need to come to fruition. Give me an Adams 3 point shot and a healthy AG and mild improvement from the bigs. I don't think that's too much to ask for.

 

[Chief00]

Chillious is the man, but there are plenty of good recruiters out there, and none of them overcome bad coaching long term.

He is and we need to make an effort to keep him regardless of what happens above. Calhoun kept Howie.

 

[upstater]

I don't think all of them need to come to fruition. Give me an Adams 3 point shot and a healthy AG and mild improvement from the bigs. I don't think that's too much to ask for.

The problem I see in this is that Adams had a better 3 point shot as a Soph, and he's reverted to some ugly shooting now, he is getting no lift on it. Someone needs to set him straight on shooting! Unfortunately, neither Ricky nor Ollie had much of an outside shot!

 

[Marat]

KO is a dead man walking. Unless he can pull a miracle...

Just when you think it won't/can't happen .... another 3/4 court heave by Adams in the AAC Tournament sends them them to the Conference Finals and KO is back again ... KO's 9 lives ....

 

[UConnStats]

I don't think all of them need to come to fruition. Give me an Adams 3 point shot and a healthy AG and mild improvement from the bigs. I don't think that's too much to ask for.

I admire your patience, but perception is part of reality, and the perception of him is as bad as the current product on-court.

He had a good roster lose back to back games against Wagner and Northeastern.

There’s a legitimate possibility that Hamilton, Purvis, and Brimah are all in the NBA next year. Ollie couldn’t make a team with those 3, and a great college player in Shonn Miller, a ranked team.

UConn has performed below expectations across the board every year since 2014. We play down to competition and despite having the highest rated recruits in the conference, we never end up developing them into the best team.

KO can end up being a good coach somewhere, but his time here has to be running out. Changing guard while you have two studs coming off injury/redshirt is the best way you can assure that the next coach has some talent to work with. Hopefully Benedict realizes this and makes a move this offseason.

 

[uchusky32]

Every thread turing into a KO has to go. Recruits come here, parents come here.

 

[RipCity]

Every thread turing into a KO has to go. Recruits come here, parents come here.

At this point, there’s no point censoring it. Everyone knows he’s on the hot seat, and anyone who looks up any of our numbers would know that we’ve gotten even worse this year. I’m all for staying on topic, but recruits/parents are going to hear this stuff everywhere. Other coaches, media, or people just talking to each other online. None of it will be praise for KO

 

[8893]

Every thread turing into a KO has to go. Recruits come here, parents come here.

Wait until the "Where will Akinjo end up?" poll threads.

 

[uchusky32]

Yeah and they're going to know that Husky Nation is bogus. They eat their own.

 

[husky99]

I know you’re in the know. I just wanna know where the money is coming from. Can they shake down the boosters again for the buyout?

I just know Athletics is not in a great financial position to make this move on their own.

Money is the only thing keeping him as our coach

 

[KembaStepback]

I admire your patience, but perception is part of reality, and the perception of him is as bad as the current product on-court.

He had a good roster lose back to back games against Wagner and Northeastern.

There’s a legitimate possibility that Hamilton, Purvis, and Brimah are all in the NBA next year. Ollie couldn’t make a team with those 3, and a great college player in Shonn Miller, a ranked team.

UConn has performed below expectations across the board every year since 2014. We play down to competition and despite having the highest rated recruits in the conference, we never end up developing them into the best team.

KO can end up being a good coach somewhere, but his time here has to be running out. Changing guard while you have two studs coming off injury/redshirt is the best way you can assure that the next coach has some talent to work with. Hopefully Benedict realizes this and makes a move this offseason.

I think the bad losses last yr aren't hurting things. That was ages ago. Hamilton is fine but I think you're over rating him. Purvis might be doing well in the G League but he was not a good college player as much as I liked him as a person/teammate. How many times did he step out of bounds? Are we gonna blame Ollie for that too? Brimah will not be in the NBA. He's not good enough on O or strong enough. Maybe that's on the S&C coach, but he never got stronger. That's on him. The team you're referring to, however, won the conference tournament and an NCAA tourney game. They lost to a loaded Kansas team. People want to fault him for that too? It took that team awhile to gel, since they had a lot of new guys, but eventually they found their groove.

 

[tcf15]

I think the bad losses last yr aren't hurting things. That was ages ago. Hamilton is fine but I think you're over rating him. Purvis might be doing well in the G League but he was not a good college player as much as I liked him as a person/teammate. How many times did he step out of bounds? Are we gonna blame Ollie for that too? Brimah will not be in the NBA. He's not good enough on O or strong enough. Maybe that's on the S&C coach, but he never got stronger. That's on him. The team you're referring to, however, won the conference tournament and an NCAA tourney game. They lost to a loaded Kansas team. People want to fault him for that too? It took that team awhile to gel, since they had a lot of new guys, but eventually they found their groove.

It's not unfair to fault KO for that - that team was too talented to be a 9 seed.