Jim Calhoun 'couldn't be prouder' of UConn men's basketball, Dan Hurley's growth as coach (Borges)

[ctchamps]

There is still a lot of anger towards KO for what he did or was perceived to have done. That's up to individuals how they want to deal with him going forward.

But can we act like JC and stop with the revisionist history of NC #4.

"Danny has worked very hard to become as complete a coach for the program," Calhoun said. "I'm very prideful of what UConn has done. I was prideful that Kevin Ollie won. Eventually, Kevin Ollie and my relationship didn't go the way I would want it to be. But, regardless, we have five. That's an amazing thing. To watch them do it, and somewhat the way they did it, I couldn't be prouder of them."

JC acknowledges KO's accomplishment. He points out that things changed between them but prior to that change he gives KO credit. He was proud of KO's accomplishment. He stated it in this story.

 

[HooperScooper]

I thought this was interesting.

"I was begging him early to start running more," Calhoun recalled, "which now he's done a good job with."

I'm glad we have a coach who has the self confidence to listen to a Hall of Fame coach who probably has some good suggestions.

 

[mauconnfan]

You can feel any way you want about KO I get it. But anyone defending Miller at the end of the day just because he and KO separated is lost. He didn’t just rat out KO he ratted out the University of Connecticuts men’s basketball team and knew there would be consequences. He’s the worst piece of the whole story period!

 

[noeynox]

It depends what I did wrong, and whether I deserved it. I understand that you like KO, and i have no issue with that. But this post would lead an uneducated observer to believe that KO had nothing to do with what happened, and that it was all somebody else's fault.
There was surely more to it than that. Like the entire other side of the story.

KO was leading the program into oblivion. KO should have been fired. KO should have been paid. The fact the school decided to make him virtually unhireable to not pay him was foul play. It was desperate move by an AD struggling with revenue. I don't need to know the nitty gritty of the details to feel paying him to go away was the best way to move forward before letting things get so ugly publicly.

 

[NJHusky]

I'm glad we have a coach who has the self confidence to listen to a Hall of Fame coach who probably has some good suggestions.

This ^^

Actually, 2 Hall of Fame coaches! Or is it 3 if Geno is giving advice on the men’s game.

 

[UConn990411]

KO was leading the program into oblivion. KO should have been fired. KO should have been paid. The fact the school decided to make him virtually unhireable to not pay him was foul play. It was desperate move by an AD struggling with revenue. I don't need to know the nitty gritty of the details to feel paying him to go away was the best way to move forward before letting things get so ugly publicly.

I think both sides came out of the situation looking terrible, but UConn isn’t to blame for Ollie’s inability to get another real coaching job.

KO was rumored to be a candidate to coach the Lakers after the national championship, but over the past few years, zero NBA teams have shown interest in him even as an assistant coach. Why do you think that is?

 

[huskyjawz]

Glenn Miller was part of the attempt to destroy Ollie, and may have lied about Ollie in an investigation that ended Ollie's collegiate coaching career. As I have said many times before, I am quite positive every poster on this board would hate everyone involved if their boss A) fired them, B) attempted to (and in this case succeeded in) destroying their career, and C) tried to break a contract to avoid paying $11 million. Actually, I am certain many on this board would go past being pissed about it.

Ollie has a right to be pissed at Miller, and Calhoun chose Miller. None of us know why Calhoun did that. People get in messy situations and the choices are not always clear cut. The only thing we know for sure about what happened is that Ollie kicked UConn's butt in court. We will probably never know the rest, and honestly, it is none of our business.

He most certainly did not kick anyone's butt in court; he won at the whims of an arbitrator, that he never should have been in front of.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

This is my understanding on the Calhoun/KO situation

1. KO wins a title almost immediately, which, even given Calhoun's recruits, is insane. He becomes a huge threat to leave and the university has to overpay to keep him for fear of him jumping to the NBA
2. KO starts to enjoy fame, maybe a little too much, allegedly. He gets divorced at some point. He spends a lot of time at the Owl Bar. Like, way more than you would think an elite coach who needs to be recruiting etc.
3. Apparently there's some Miller/KO situation, where maybe Miller ratted on KO to get rid of him bc he perceived KO to be destroying the program rather than going through something etc
4. KO shuts out Calhoun, who got him the job, prolly because of above or maybe because he just doesnt want to be hastled
5. UConn breaks the contract and gets into a very poorly thought-out court battle for $11 million that airs all the dirty laundry
6. Ollie eventually wins, and he probably deserves to since UConn seemingly tried to fire him on a technicality since they couldn't fire him for what the real problem was, since it was pretty delicate

Some of this is anecdotal and just rumors I've heard posted here and elsewhere and also seen with my own eyes

It is unfortunately. IMO, Ollie got a little too happy with his fame and sat on his laurels and the dissolution of his marriage also affected his life in a negative way and the University, in its attempt to get rid of him, rather htan doing it tastefully behind closed doors, made a huge mess of it. Ultimately, Calhoun stuck with the University cause its his program and he is proud.

Lots of good people make bad choices. doesn't make em terrible people or mean we need to take sides.

Just glad its behind us and I hope someday it'll all be water under the bridge. I hope KO and Calhoun can bury the hatchet while they're both still with us.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

He most certainly did not kick anyone's butt in court; he won at the whims of an arbitrator, that he never should have been in front of.

Ollie won $11.1 from the arbitrator, then UConn settled for another $3.9 9 months later because UConn was going to lose a defamation suit.

In basketball terms, UConn lost in a blowout.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I think both sides came out of the situation looking terrible, but UConn isn’t to blame for Ollie’s inability to get another real coaching job.

KO was rumored to be a candidate to coach the Lakers after the national championship, but over the past few years, zero NBA teams have shown interest in him even as an assistant coach. Why do you think that is?

UConn literally engineered a “show cause” penalty against Ollie. Bruce Pearl, Steve Forbes and Kelvin Sampson are the only three coaches I know of that ever came back from one to a major job.

The show cause penalty is the definition of destroying a coach’s career.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

UConn literally engineered a “show cause” penalty against Ollie. Bruce Pearl, Steve Forbes and Kelvin Sampson are the only three coaches I know of that ever came back from one to a major job.

The show cause penalty is the definition of destroying a coach’s career.

The 4 seasons after 14:
2015 20-15
2016 25-11
2017 16-17 (Transfers, recruiting tanked)
2018 14-18

The above trend did some destroying too.

Also, the 3 coaches you listed have less titles than KO combined. You would think they would look past a show cause to hire a champion.

 

[UConn990411]

UConn literally engineered a “show cause” penalty against Ollie. Bruce Pearl, Steve Forbes and Kelvin Sampson are the only three coaches I know of that ever came back from one to a major job.

The show cause penalty is the definition of destroying a coach’s career.

I mean, the NCAA did that, but sure. And I don’t see how that’s prevented him from getting an NBA job.

 

[HuskyBaggins]

Im not sure.. but I think he fired him.. but I think Glenn Miller ratted out uconn to the ncca

He's actually obligated to do that by the rules of the NCAA. That's mostly how rules / laws work. If you see someone breaking the rules, you either report that, or you are complicit in breaking the rules.

 

[HuskyBaggins]

UConn literally engineered a “show cause” penalty against Ollie. Bruce Pearl, Steve Forbes and Kelvin Sampson are the only three coaches I know of that ever came back from one to a major job.

The show cause penalty is the definition of destroying a coach’s career.

So what part of the rule breaking that resulted in his show cause penalty did Kevin Ollie NOT do ? That's the only pertinent question here. The NCAA didn't give out such a penalty for fun.

 

[CL82]

There is still a lot of anger towards KO for what he did or was perceived to have done. That's up to individuals how they want to deal with him going forward.

But can we act like JC and stop with the revisionist history of NC #4.

"Danny has worked very hard to become as complete a coach for the program," Calhoun said. "I'm very prideful of what UConn has done. I was prideful that Kevin Ollie won. Eventually, Kevin Ollie and my relationship didn't go the way I would want it to be. But, regardless, we have five. That's an amazing thing. To watch them do it, and somewhat the way they did it, I couldn't be prouder of them."

JC acknowledges KO's accomplishment. He points out that things changed between them but prior to that change he gives KO credit. He was proud of KO's accomplishment. He stated it in this story.

True, although, I also heard him say in another interview, how he basically won four national championships.

KO gets credit for 2014, although his coaching really took a downturn after Glenn Miller left.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

So what part of the rule breaking that resulted in his show cause penalty did Kevin Ollie NOT do ? That's the only pertinent question here. The NCAA didn't give out such a penalty for fun.

Ollie demolished UConn in court. That’s the only pertinent answer here. Money talks, and bullspit (like your argument) walks. If the NCAA penalty was valid legally, UConn would be $15 million richer.

No one needs to argue that Ollie’s NCAA penalty was valid again, because $15 million says that my characterization is right and all of yours are wrong.

Got anything else?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The 4 seasons after 14:
2015 20-15
2016 25-11
2017 16-17 (Transfers, recruiting tanked)
2018 14-18

The above trend did some destroying too.

Also, the 3 coaches you listed have less titles than KO combined. You would think they would look past a show cause to hire a champion.

Look up what a “show cause” penalty is before you make this argument.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Look up what a “show cause” penalty is before you make this argument.

I know what a "show cause" is.
Coaches who come back from one are usually worth taking a chance on.

Not to mention that coaches who are "breaking rules" aren't typically also simultaneously losing at a rate not seen since their school was in the yankee conference.

 

[NJHusky]

Ollie demolished UConn in court. That’s the only pertinent answer here. Money talks, and bullspit (like your argument) walks. If the NCAA penalty was valid legally, UConn would be $15 million richer.

No one needs to argue that Ollie’s NCAA penalty was valid again, because $15 million says that my characterization is right and all of yours are wrong.

Got anything else?

Not to rehash things I don’t follow that closely but didn’t he win by an arbitration, and mostly because of the union contract? Not that he didn’t do what UConn claimed he did

 

[Waquoit]

Glenn Miller was part of the attempt to destroy Ollie, and may have lied about Ollie in an investigation that ended Ollie's collegiate coaching career. As I have said many times before, I am quite positive every poster on this board would hate everyone involved if their boss A) fired them, B) attempted to (and in this case succeeded in) destroying their career, and C) tried to break a contract to avoid paying $11 million. Actually, I am certain many on this board would go past being pissed about it.

This entire passage is nonsense since you fail to note Ollie was derelict in his job duties. Of course, I'd be pissed if all that happened to me and I showed up everyday. That's not the case here.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Not to rehash things I don’t follow that closely but didn’t he win by an arbitration, and mostly because of the union contract? Not that he didn’t do what UConn claimed he did

Scoreboard

 

[UCfor3]

Scoreboard

Serious question. Legit not trying to be difficult. Do you know KO? You seem personally involved and emotional about the whole thing like there are connections. If you don't want to answer and that's too personal that's cool and I understand.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Serious question. Legit not trying to be difficult. Do you know KO? You seem personally involved and emotional about the whole thing like there are connections. If you don't want to answer and that's too personal that's cool and I understand.

This. I don't quite get it either. I don't think this is about what it's about.

And i suppose if "Scoreboard" is the argument, then as it pertains to KO's career outlook after taking a crowbar to the neck of his own (and your/my/our) program then... scoreboard ??? i guess

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

This. I don't quite get it either. I don't think this is about what it's about.

And i suppose if "Scoreboard" is the argument, then as it pertains to KO's career outlook after taking a crowbar to the neck of his own (and your/my/our) program then... scoreboard ??? i guess

This idea that Ollie is somehow blackballed from the coaching profession is a Boneyard creation, though. I'm not sure the people in the camp that believe that UConn came out of the Ollie fiasco looking terrible are the ones who are overly emotional. To me it's the people who have consistently been the most spectacularly wrong about how this would shake out that continue to be the loudest.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Serious question. Legit not trying to be difficult. Do you know KO? You seem personally involved and emotional about the whole thing like there are connections. If you don't want to answer and that's too personal that's cool and I understand.

This. I don't quite get it either. I don't think this is about what it's about.

And i suppose if "Scoreboard" is the argument, then as it pertains to KO's career outlook after taking a crowbar to the neck of his own (and your/my/our) program then... scoreboard ??? i guess

1) Many on this board argued, and still argue, that Ollie was not due his buyout because he had a bad year in 2018. They have been proven spectacularly wrong. Some of us pointed out at the time that UConn was probably going to lose this case.
2) Staying in the American was a catastrophically stupid thing for UConn to do. It damaged all three major programs, and we are lucky we still have a viable athletic program. Some of us predicted this would be a disaster a decade ago. In a move that doesn't surprise me at all, all three programs have strengthened considerably since leaving that hell hole of a league.
3) Say whatever you want about Ollie, he won a national championship. There are only about 20 men alive that can say that they did that.
4) UConn took it a step further from just firing Ollie and destroyed Ollie's character and manufactured a "show cause" penalty on Ollie by reporting on themselves as a way to get out of the Ollie contract. It was a truly repulsive move by UConn. I have not made any donations to UConn since the school did this. A school shouldn't teach ethics if it can't practice them.

I have no problem with Ollie getting fired in 2018. He was clearly mailing it in and it was time for a change. I do have a problem with the non-stop Ollie hate by this board. Like I said above, he won a national championship. He is also a human being and a UConn alum it says a lot about many of the posters on this board that they think a man's life should be ruined because he didn't win enough games for the team they like. I am honestly embarrassed that these people went to the same school as me.

 

[August_West]

Serious question. Legit not trying to be difficult. Do you know KO? You seem personally involved and emotional about the whole thing like there are connections. If you don't want to answer and that's too personal that's cool and I understand.

Nelson is a caustic jerk ( which I admire in some small way) but he’s right. I said same thing when we tried to void buyout. It was dumb considering the parameters. And it was. I got killed on here for it. But I was right ( for once ;-) . We were penny wise and pound foolish and a bunch of us saw it from day one. It doesn’t matter. We ended in a better spot, which we ALL recognized needed to happen. But that part had nothing to do with basketball.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Skipped to the last page here. Little lost with the conversation, was Calhoun proud of Dan Hurley after the game?

 

[The Viking]

If I recall In the end it came down to Ollie’s contract being superseded by the protection afforded him as if he was a professor and that is what saved his ass.

His contract had language giving the university a pretty easy route to can him if any rules were broken (prior NCAA violations caused UConn to insert this).

What is really amazing is that UConn’s own representation didn’t realize this was a possibility.

 

[UconnPT2007]

Natty #5 heals all wounds. It would be great for Ollie to be welcomed back. Maybe Ray (who seems to be the closest to Ollie) can help broker the reunion. One of the coolest things of this year’s final four is all the former UConn players who came to Houston. Really would be great to have more of them at games and make it a thing going forward

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If I recall In the end it came down to Ollie’s contract being superseded by the protection afforded him as if he was a professor and that is what saved his ass.

His contract had language giving the university a pretty easy route to can him if any rules were broken (prior NCAA violations caused UConn to insert this).

What is really amazing is that UConn’s own representation didn’t realize this was a possibility.

UConn knew what they were doing every step of the way, and they chose to do it anyway. It says a lot about the university leadership that they tried something like that. It was stupid and unethical, and reflected very poorly on the university.