John Silver says "Crossroads" ... like 1979

[Pudge]

I say: it ain't 1979, http://zagsblog.com/articles/uconn-mens-basketball-at-a-crossroads/

I don't get the backbone of some of these writers (nationally & Horde-like) NOR some of our fellow posters. We have cred. 3 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS = all the ones Kansas has. We can scrape & claw our way forward. I am not thinking it is easy. But, the latest whining (after losing Georgetown, PC, Villanova, Seton Hall, Marquette, DePaul & St. Johns") is crazy. The formidable tournament (after losing Syracuse & Pitt ... then Louisville) was already combusted.

Then ... stating that Houston, SMU, UCF are not the equal of Seton Hall, PC, DePaul? Really, I think that is BS. The next 10 years, IMHO, you will see those programs FAR outperform the Catholic lowlies. Pure inertia. For every Cooley & Willard, there will be another job that they will chase. I'm betting that there's a different path for these others.

UConn? We cannot go through the Spring with handcuffs on Ollie. I think there is a small chance that Warde Manual would want to go to the market to find someone. And, he will be tarred & feathered if he tries. So, he needs to get that out of his fat head. Traditionally, we have gotten some key performers in the Spring ... and gawdknows we need them in our frontcourt now. Play hard; play ever possession through the entire shot clock; play UConn ball. As fans, we have to start going in greater numbers with greater passion. And WINNING. If the Football team and MBB, WBB keep to a high standard, we are going to be in the top few conferences. That's the only answer.

 

[upstater]

I say: it ain't 1979, http://zagsblog.com/articles/uconn-mens-basketball-at-a-crossroads/

I don't get the backbone of some of these writers (nationally & Horde-like) NOR some of our fellow posters. We have cred. 3 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS = all the ones Kansas has. We can scrape & claw our way forward. I am not thinking it is easy. But, the latest whining (after losing Georgetown, PC, Villanova, Seton Hall, Marquette, DePaul & St. Johns") is crazy. The formidable tournament (after losing Syracuse & Pitt ... then Louisville) was already combusted.

Then ... stating that Houston, SMU, UCF are not the equal of Seton Hall, PC, DePaul? Really, I think that is BS. The next 10 years, IMHO, you will see those programs FAR outperform the Catholic lowlies. Pure inertia. For every Cooley & Willard, there will be another job that they will chase. I'm betting that there's a different path for these others.

UConn? We cannot go through the Spring with handcuffs on Ollie. I think there is a small chance that Warde Manual would want to go to the market to find someone. And, he will be tarred & feathered if he tries. So, he needs to get that out of his fat head. Traditionally, we have gotten some key performers in the Spring ... and gawdknows we need them in our frontcourt now. Play hard; play ever possession through the entire shot clock; play UConn ball. As fans, we have to start going in greater numbers with greater passion. And WINNING. If the Football team and MBB, WBB keep to a high standard, we are going to be in the top few conferences. That's the only answer.

WTF is Warde waiting for??!??!?!

For heaven's sake... who does he think he's going to get?

 

[UConnRock]

I say: it ain't 1979, http://zagsblog.com/articles/uconn-mens-basketball-at-a-crossroads/


UConn? We cannot go through the Spring with handcuffs on Ollie. I think there is a small chance that Warde Manual would want to go to the market to find someone. And, he will be tarred & feathered if he tries. So, he needs to get that out of his fat head.

If he "goes to the market" to replace Ollie while giving Pasqualoni and DeLeone another year there will truly be a riot at Herbst's door. If not a riot, then a massive reduction in donations, and season ticket purchases for both hoops and football. Sometimes hitting them in the pocketbook is better than an actual riot.

 

[freescooter]

Pudge,
Here's the poblem. In thi environment basketball cred is essentially worthless. We saw that when it looked like the B12 would break up and Kansas was being left out. We saw it again with the break up of the Big East. We saw it 20 years ago with the Break up of the old Southwest Confetrence. As much as we all hate it, being a basketball power is not worth squat in the current environment. Nobody is taking schools because of their basketball history. Nobody!

As far as the coaching situation goes and preserving our basketball program, we need to step up, send Ollie on his way and sell the gold from the State Capitol roof if need be to bring in a big time coach. Otherwise we will be hanging on for dear life at the level of a good A10 program. Maybe. If Ollie is very very good. Nobody wants to admit it, but the situation is dire right now. If we don't get an invitation to a new conference within a year or so, UConn is likely finished as far as being a major sports power, at least on the football and mens basketball side goes. We won't be able to recruit. So we need a coach who can recruit on his name, not the school andnot the conference. That is what Louisville did when they were stuck in CUSA. It is what Memphis did too. That is what mid-majors program have to do to be considered with the big time ones. An that is what UConn needs to do. We have a chance to do it this Spring. If we don'tthe job will be much harder and the cost will be much higher.

 

[jibsey]

Pudge,
Here's the poblem. In thi environment basketball cred is essentially worthless. We saw that when it looked like the B12 would break up and Kansas was being left out. We saw it again with the break up of the Big East. We saw it 20 years ago with the Break up of the old Southwest Confetrence. As much as we all hate it, being a basketball power is not worth squat in the current environment. Nobody is taking schools because of their basketball history. Nobody!

As far as the coaching situation goes and preserving our basketball program, we need to step up, send Ollie on his way and sell the gold from the State Capitol roof if need be to bring in a big time coach. Otherwise we will be hanging on for dear life at the level of a good A10 program. Maybe. If Ollie is very very good. Nobody wants to admit it, but the situation is dire right now. If we don't get an invitation to a new conference within a year or so, UConn is likely finished as far as being a major sports power, at least on the football and mens basketball side goes. We won't be able to recruit. So we need a coach who can recruit on his name, not the school andnot the conference. That is what Louisville did when they were stuck in CUSA. It is what Memphis did too. That is what mid-majors program have to do to be considered with the big time ones. An that is what UConn needs to do. We have a chance to do it this Spring. If we don'tthe job will be much harder and the cost will be much higher.

Give me an example of a "big time coach" that wants to come to us in this situation?

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

If he "goes to the market" to replace Ollie while giving Pasqualoni and DeLeone another year there will truly be a riot at Herbst's door.

I know you think you speak for everybody, but you do realize that Pasqualoni has quite a bit more history of successfully running a program than Kevin Ollie, right?

 

[Pudge]

I know you think you speak for everybody, but you do realize that Pasqualoni has quite a bit more history of successfully running a program than Kevin Ollie, right?

So does Dee Rowe. And the Problem is ... both are probably from a generation light years from 2012-2013. That's what I see in Pasqualoni. What I see in Ollie ... so far ... I like a lot. If he has a full balanced roster, I think we compete at a really hight level.

 

[Charlie Brown]

Warde Manuel is playing it right.
Look at the facts.

Ollie has said UConn is his "dream job."
He has virtually no experience, so no program better than UConn is going to "hire him away."
The recruiting season is over, so nothing is being lost on that front by hanging KO out to dry for a few more months.

Smart.

KO is to Manuel what UConn is to ACC. Both Manuel and the ACC know that the offer will be accepted when extended, so why extend it and limit future options?

Maybe tough on the fans and on Ollie, but, at the end of the day, "business is business and business must grow, regardless of crummies in tummies you know."

You will all like Warde better when he -cans that trainwreck know as Pascaphony in a month or two.

 

[whaler11]

Stevens is the next Indiana coach. Cross him off any hypothetical list anyway.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

So does Dee Rowe. And the Problem is ... both are probably from a generation light years from 2012-2013. That's what I see in Pasqualoni. What I see in Ollie ... so far ... I like a lot. If he has a full balanced roster, I think we compete at a really hight level.

And I absolutely hope you're right. I'm just saying the premise that somehow Ollie is such a clearly superior option to Pasqualoni may be obvious to UConn fans at this moment, but I'm not sure I'd say it's objectively true.

 

[progrocks]

Stevens is the next Indiana coach. Cross him off any hypothetical list anyway.

Creen is not going anywhere anytime soon. IF this is true, he will be a Butler for a long time.

 

[Pudge]

The recruiting season AIN'T over.

We (UConn) have made many many valuable pick-ups in the Spring. YOU HAVE GOT TO HAVE A COACH ... say that you are playing for me!!!

 

[Pudge]

Stevens is the next Indiana coach. Cross him off any hypothetical list anyway.

Crean is at IU for a decade. Stevens will not be a Northeast guy.

But IF you can get me Crean for UConn ... I will let you have Stevens.

 

[HooperScooper]

Creen is not going anywhere anytime soon. IF this is true, he will be a Butler for a long time.

I was going to say the same thing. But Crean is only 46 years old and may try the NBA. So if that happens the job opens up at Indiana.

 

[whaler11]

Crean is at IU for a decade. Stevens will not be a Northeast guy.

But IF you can get me Crean for UConn ... I will let you have Stevens.

I'm merely commenting on all the recent talk that Crean has NBA aspirations.

 

[businesslawyer]

Pudge,
Here's the poblem. In thi environment basketball cred is essentially worthless. We saw that when it looked like the B12 would break up and Kansas was being left out. We saw it again with the break up of the Big East. We saw it 20 years ago with the Break up of the old Southwest Confetrence. As much as we all hate it, being a basketball power is not worth squat in the current environment. Nobody is taking schools because of their basketball history. Nobody!

As far as the coaching situation goes and preserving our basketball program, we need to step up, send Ollie on his way and sell the gold from the State Capitol roof if need be to bring in a big time coach. Otherwise we will be hanging on for dear life at the level of a good A10 program. Maybe. If Ollie is very very good. Nobody wants to admit it, but the situation is dire right now. If we don't get an invitation to a new conference within a year or so, UConn is likely finished as far as being a major sports power, at least on the football and mens basketball side goes. We won't be able to recruit. So we need a coach who can recruit on his name, not the school andnot the conference. That is what Louisville did when they were stuck in CUSA. It is what Memphis did too. That is what mid-majors program have to do to be considered with the big time ones. An that is what UConn needs to do. We have a chance to do it this Spring. If we don'tthe job will be much harder and the cost will be much higher.

Your analysis is right for football (other than the fact that we were never near competing for championships anyway). It is dead on wrong for hoops.

Butler, Butler again, VCU, Memphis and Mason have all made Final Fours since 2006. I refuse to believe that we can't stay relevant in mens hoops for a prolonged period of time waiting for CR to shake out.

Will we win a national championship three times in 13 seasons? Almost assuredly not. But exactly how many schools have done that in the post UCLA era?

 

[CAHUSKY]

Your analysis is right for football (other than the fact that we were never near competing for championships anyway). It is dead on wrong for hoops.

Butler, Butler again, VCU, Memphis and Mason have all made Final Fours since 2006. I refuse to believe that we can't stay relevant in mens hoops for a prolonged period of time waiting for CR to shake out.

Will we win a national championship three times in 13 seasons? Almost assuredly not. But exactly how many schools have done that in the post UCLA era?

Relevant maybe, but not a real national power in a bullspit conference.

 

[whaler11]

It depends on the definition of relevant. UNLV and Gonzaga are relevant. Is that enough?

Memphis is a bit of a stretch. They did it with a Hall of Fame coach and don't have any academic standards.

 

[freescooter]

It depends on the definition of relevant. UNLV and Gonzaga are relevant. Is that enough?

Memphis is a bit of a stretch. They did it with a Hall of Fame coach and don't have any academic standards.

That's my point. they went out and did what they needed to do in landing a hall of fame coach. After mucking around with the likes of Tic Price for several mediocre seasons, they decided they had had enough and went out and bought the best guy they could find. Louisville did the same thing. After winning national titles in the 1980s, Louisville was beginning to decline, at least in part because of being stuck in a lesser conference at a time when it was beginning to matter, so they forced Crum to retire and went out and spent whatever it took to land Pitino. And he's revitalized the program, though he has failed to win championships. That is what UConn needs to do. Can we be sort of borderline relevant, say top 25, sure I suppose so. If Ollie can coach. But if we want to remain in the conversation for championships, and I agree with bl that winning them won't be easy, but to be in the conversation we need to go out and buy the best coach out there. That is how you succeed in a weak conference. Of course there's another option, and that is to get really really lucky. Butler is exhibit A on that score. For all the faux praise heaped on him,I don't think we will be quite so lucky in Kevin Ollie.

Oh, and given that UConn is not in the post season this year, and has lost scholarships over the past few because of academic failures, I'd be a little careful to criticize anyone else's academic standards for basketball. (cue upstater's rant on the APR)

 

[Pudge]

faux praise? Do you f--- watch games?

 

[freescooter]

yeah, I watch the games. and I see a team that struggles with the likes of Quinnipiac. that ranks 320 out of 347 in rebounding while playing mostly garbage teams, 313 in offensive rebounding, a coach who can't figure out how to recruit guys above the mid-major level (and don't give me the contract b*llsh^&). Some of those numbers would be defensible if we had played anyone. But given our schedule to date??? Pudge, I know you guys all want to think Ollie is Jim Calhoun Jr. Fact is that this team is not good and this coach, nice guy though he may be, is not very good either.

You're happy to see UConn as a mid-major "power" like Xavier, then maybe Ollie is your guy. If you have any higher aspirations for the program, come April first, thank him for his efforts and bring in someone who can do the things that need to be done.

 

[Pudge]

You simply have no ability to analyze a game.

We don't know what Ollie is going to be; he has made a solid start. That's NOT a Pudge opinion ... (and I could give a damn what your opinion is) ... that is the opinion of some really astute longtime basketball coaches. Yes, I do speak to some.

Your act is getting stale. Week-old bread. After Warde Manual gives Ollie a multi-year contract, are we still going to hear all about the "prospective" guys we could have gotten? What was the track record at UCLA, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Marquette, Georgetown, Arizona, UNLV, Arkansas, Villanova ... after their NC coach left? NONE of them have a good transition. We are trying something different: I suggest you live with it.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

yeah, I watch the games. and I see a team that struggles with the likes of Quinnipiac. that ranks 320 out of 347 in rebounding while playing mostly garbage teams, 313 in offensive rebounding, a coach who can't figure out how to recruit guys above the mid-major level (and don't give me the contract b*llsh^&). Some of those numbers would be defensible if we had played anyone. But given our schedule to date??? Pudge, I know you guys all want to think Ollie is Jim Calhoun Jr. Fact is that this team is not good and this coach, nice guy though he may be, is not very good either.

Of course, Uconn's struggles can't possibly have anything to do with the dearth of talent on the roster - right freescooter? It has to be because Kevin Ollie can't coach. Because if it was for any other reason, you wouldn't get to tell everybody how smart you are.

And Michigan State (who beat Kansas) has to be overrated, right? Because otherwise, you'd have to admit that Ollie beat a good team in his very first game as head coach. And Kentan Facey and Terrence Samuel, despite being recruited heavily by major programs, have to be mid-major level recruits. And Ollie's lack of contract, despite 9,000 people who know a lot more than you saying time and time again that it's a major issue, has to just be a "b*llsh^&" excuse. And on and on and on. If Ollie won the Big East regular season title this year, you're response would be "Yeah, but how many games did he win in the Big East tournament? None!"

It's blatantly obvious that you're rooting for Ollie (and therefore the team) to fail. By that very definition, you are not a Uconn fan. Just go away.

 

[TopDog18]

yeah, I watch the games. and I see a team that struggles with the likes of Quinnipiac. that ranks 320 out of 347 in rebounding while playing mostly garbage teams, 313 in offensive rebounding, a coach who can't figure out how to recruit guys above the mid-major level (and don't give me the contract b*llsh^&). Some of those numbers would be defensible if we had played anyone. But given our schedule to date??? Pudge, I know you guys all want to think Ollie is Jim Calhoun Jr. Fact is that this team is not good and this coach, nice guy though he may be, is not very good either.

You're happy to see UConn as a mid-major "power" like Xavier, then maybe Ollie is your guy. If you have any higher aspirations for the program, come April first, thank him for his efforts and bring in someone who can do the things that need to be done.

Even though Jay Wright, Rick Pinto, Larry Brown, Rick Barnes, Jay Bilas and some NBA GMs and head Coaches continuously praise Kevin Ollie and believe he will be a specular coach, you think otherwise. As HuskyBasketball fan said, you just want to see him fail.

You criticize Ollie's coaching ability due to the poor rebounding? Our two centers are Enoch Wolf and Tyler Olander, both very limited players, who would be playing very few mintues on past UConn teams. We had our top 4 big men either transfer or enter the NBA. Ollie is dealing with the hand he was dealt.

A coach who can't figure out how to recruit guys? He just became head coach in the fall, how can convince recruits to come to UConn when you can't even assure them you will be the head coach next year. And although he has assisted in recruiting the past two seasons under Calhoun, there has been much speculation on Calhoun’s approaching retirement. If I were a top recruit, I most likely would eliminate UConn from the list until they resolved the coaching situation. Recruits want to know who will they play for. It's that simple. Also, if you took some time and followed recruiting, almost every recruit gave great praise to Kevin Ollie, however eliminated UConn because the coaching situation.

In my opinion, we got our man. I was not sure about Kevin Ollie at fist. However once I heard his first press conference, I was sold. He is a class act with a great understanding of the game. , Ollie is Jim Calhoun’s hand picked successor. No one cares more about the future of UConn than Jim. He believes that Ollie is the best man for the job, so should we. I believe he will be a monster recruiter once he gets a real contract. He cares so much about UConn and we will never have to worry about him bolting to another job. We are very luck to have him. He is a winner, and I believe will be a winner at UConn.

 

[James]

Freescooter how the hell are you going to say Ollie's a bad coach and that's a fact . Youre nuts . You have no idea his potential as a coach and at this point neither do I . but he's sure done a great job with what he has + it being his FIRST year.

 

[upstater]

Freescooter how the hell are you going to say Ollie's a bad coach and that's a fact . Youre nuts . You have no idea his potential as a coach and at this point neither do I . but he's sure done a great job with what he has + it being his FIRST year.

The guy never even showed up after the Michigan st. win and several others. He popped up after their second loss to NC State to start calling him a bad coach.

 

[caw]

yeah, I watch the games. and I see a team that struggles with the likes of Quinnipiac. that ranks 320 out of 347 in rebounding while playing mostly garbage teams, 313 in offensive rebounding, a coach who can't figure out how to recruit guys above the mid-major level (and don't give me the contract b*llsh^&). Some of those numbers would be defensible if we had played anyone. But given our schedule to date??? Pudge, I know you guys all want to think Ollie is Jim Calhoun Jr. Fact is that this team is not good and this coach, nice guy though he may be, is not very good either.

You're happy to see UConn as a mid-major "power" like Xavier, then maybe Ollie is your guy. If you have any higher aspirations for the program, come April first, thank him for his efforts and bring in someone who can do the things that need to be done.

I want to know what Ollie would have to do this year to show he is deserving of a long term contract at UConn?

Grades: we shall see soon...
Press: Fantastic job so far, this really can't be questioned.
Recruiting: Facey or Samuels =/= mid-major talent, Facey in particular, that's crazy talk. They both can play at UConn. They may not be stars but they are not mid-major talents either. The only ways to prove whether the contract situation has affected recruiting is by either hearing it from the horses mouth (not likely to happen) or by seeing how Ollie does in the spring and 2014 with a contract.

SOS: 32nd right now, and it was top 20 before the UMES game. 3 top 25 games, who has played more?

Wins/losses: 8-2

UConn has talent (not top 25 talent though), they have also won all 7 games they should have won.​

They also had a shot at three upsets against better teams, and the cherry on top, they actually succeeded against one. ​

Statistics: Rebounding has been an issue, but I think pulling on statistic about the team and saying that is the reason a coach isn't good, is just flawed and grasping.
Performance: Did they struggle against some inferior teams, yes but they won. Did Calhoun's teams never struggle with inferior teams? Did Syracuse (#4 in the country) not just struggle against Detroit? Does the offense get bogged down sometimes? Yes. Does Ollie hold onto TO's sometimes? Yes. Did Calhoun teams do the same and still win? Yes. Is Ollie teaching during the game? Yes. Are we seeing improvements? Yes.
Practice: I see nothing on the court to suggest he doesn't have the kids attention and they aren't doing what he wants of them.
What else is there that can be judge so far?
Ollie is going to go either 9-3 or 10-2 OOC (barring some monumental defeat against Fordham). If the kids do well in class, I think Ollie has done as well as he could OOC. Perfect? No, but darn good.
The BE is a different animal and big test, but so far, I'm not seeing many negatives in Ollie's coaching. The worst you can say is they are only slightly outperforming expectations. I had them at either 7-5 or 8-4 OOC before the season started.

 

[freescooter]

Of course, Uconn's struggles can't possibly have anything to do with the dearth of talent on the roster - right freescooter? It has to be because Kevin Ollie can't coach. Because if it was for any other reason, you wouldn't get to tell everybody how smart you are.

And Michigan State (who beat Kansas) has to be overrated, right? Because otherwise, you'd have to admit that Ollie beat a good team in his very first game as head coach. And Kentan Facey and Terrence Samuel, despite being recruited heavily by major programs, have to be mid-major level recruits. And Ollie's lack of contract, despite 9,000 people who know a lot more than you saying time and time again that it's a major issue, has to just be a "b*llsh^&" excuse. And on and on and on. If Ollie won the Big East regular season title this year, you're response would be "Yeah, but how many games did he win in the Big East tournament? None!"

It's blatantly obvious that you're rooting for Ollie (and therefore the team) to fail. By that very definition, you are not a Uconn fan. Just go away.

Michigan State was the first game. It was in an odd place under abnormal conditions. Lots of strange things can happen. But come on. We're getting out rebounded by teams that don't have a single player who could walk on and sit on the current UConn bench, never mind log time as starters. We have certainly had more talented teams, but are you seriously going to say we aren't more talented than Quinnipiac or UNH or Stony Brook? Because if you are, we should just forget it, tell these guys to give back the scholarships and try to join the NESCAC or something. And on recruiting Facey had offers from mostly lower level Big East/ACc programs (Providence, Rutgers and mid-majors) And UConn and UCLA. Samuels was similar. Mostly offers until late in the game. Louisville and Cincy came after he verballed us. We were competing against the likes of Dayton and Rhode island when he announced. Let's just agree that neither of these guys is expected by anyone to be Kemba next season.

 

[freescooter]

I guess we just disagree. You guys think he's great. I think he's done no more than expected, and not really done that. My guess is that we'll be firing him in 2 or 3 years anyway and I'd rather not waste that time, go out and hire a big time coach and avoid having to dig ourselves out of too big a hole. I have high expectations for UConn. I get that most posters here never really did, and never really thought we'd sustain our position after Calhoun anyway. So it doesn't really matter. Kevin Ollie, Keno Davis, doesn't really matter. Our days of actually competing are over for anything but a slot in the lower half of the top 25. They were when Calhoun retired. they absolutely are now that the Big East has imploded. So why not hire an inexperienced guy who won't cost us a lot of money even if he's only ok or worse. to paraphrase Gene D when he hired spaz, at least we know he's a UConn guy.

 

[Pudge]

It's not easy responding to freescooter.

He lacks an open mind on this. And, apparently, cannot see basic strategic nor talent aspects of the Men's game of College Basketball.

But ... number ONE ... Kemba Walker wasn't recruited to be Kemba. He was developed. Fact is: UConn has rarely brought in the NBA ready kid.
number TWO ... Kevin Ollie was given a roster. He has little flexibility. It's not like Pro Sports that there is a waiver wire. You are given guys like Enosch Wolf (in a year that we are down schollies) & you have to develop him. Tyler Olander is your best interior player? In the last five years, we have had times that we had 4 Tyler's. Having pointed this out, the MAJOR thing Ollie is doing is developing players. I give him CREDIT for DeAndre Daniels looking like he can advance. Boatwright & Napier look a little better. Wolf is emerging. In a year, I expect many of these kids to get better: that is consistently a UConn asset versus CBB peers.
number THREE ... Ollie's offense, IMHO, looks more fluid than we played under Calhoun.
FINALLY ... we are playing every second of each possession. Sounds simple. We got used to this with Calhoun; but, this is not universal.

I think Ollie is our guy. Warde Manual will reluctantly extol his virtue soon. And, we shall see over a longer tenure whether he is a good replacement for an All-time HOF legend. As I pointed out earlier, not many NC Programs have transitioned well past the exit of their NC coach. Let's try this way.