Just heard on WFAN | Page 5 | The Boneyard

Just heard on WFAN

SirHypeAlot said:
He's finishing the season and will be back next year. 2018-2019 campaign is do or die for KO.
Expand ...
I hope youre wrong, i'm afraid of a good 18-19 season because then they might be tempted to sign him to another contract. I dont want to be in this situation again.
 
pj said:
Yes, but if you're going to give Ollie 2017-18 with a ragtag roster, you have to give him 2018-19 with Gilbert, Akinjo, Sid Wilson, and Matthews coming to help and the 2017 class taking that famous freshman-sophomore jump. The importance of quality point guards in college basketball can't be overstated.
Expand ...
First of all relying on Gilbert to be any more than a role player would be nuts. Maybe he is AJ Price minus the laptops. But with his history you need to approach it as a hope not a sure bet.
 
If you aren’t sure you want Hurley or Becker, it may make sense to see if anyone separates themselves from the pack next year as high major coaches. The next hire is a huge decision and a ton hinges on it being a good one.

How much does the buyout go down by after next year?
 
djct1999 said:
Thats a separate problem. Without hesitation, Ollie needs to go. That being said, he has destroyed the brand so badly that yes, UConn is in no way a destination job. Our best bet is trying to sell our elite history. Ollie has clearly shown the floor of the program and this conference which is why guys like Hurley(who may have once coveted the job) will no longer consider it. We will need to take a chance on a rising star or an unemployed big name. Either way, who ever it is will surely underwhelm the fan base and media. Still, that doesn't mean Ollie deserves to stay. This program has to start over.
Expand ...
The program is still at a point where UConn is UConn and we can sell a potential coach that the current situation is a product of poor coaching and injuries as opposed to an institutional or conference situation. Certainly the addition of Wichita helps, and hopefully a solid performance from the conference in the tournament will do the same. We're still in a position where someone like a Hurley at URI and Pikiell would be looking hard at the job. Another year of this garbage and we're that much closer to a different story.

I think the only way KO gets fired during the season is if it goes into a complete downward spiral and we're something like 2-12 in conference. He's got the year to prove he deserves another year. If he backdoors his way into the NCAA tournament, obviously he comes back. Otherwise, I think there's no merit to bringing him back. Whether the financial side of things influences AD David Benedict to give him another year, I don't know. But purely on merit it's tournament or bust this season.
 
.-.
champs99and04 said:
Every paying customer matters, but the tenspro's of the world are already factored into the calculus when a decision like this needs to be made. When a product declines the expectation is always that less people will pay for it. In this case, that number might not be enough to offset the buyout, so they'll lean on the die-hard's in the meantime and trust that the others will return when the product is up to their standards.

I think the tug-of-war that is going on right now within the fan base is very much undecided, though. If people from this site are genuine about not supporting the program going forward with Ollie in charge, then there is a chance that the AD may act desperately, especially if that sentiment is popular enough to urge donor's to act.

In short, I don't blame those who are dissatisfied for making their voices heard. I'm just not one of them, and I think this board - comprised almost entirely of people who care a lot about UConn basketball - causes the overall numbers to be skewed. Most people are like me. They're unhappy with the current situation, but they're mellow enough after everything the program has accomplished to tolerate mediocrity for the foreseeable future. Honest to God, 2014 was enough for me. I haven't gotten mad watching a college basketball game one time since then and I'm not sure I will again. Kevin Ollie can have a lifetime contract for all I care and go .500 in the AAC every year and I'll be content. If that makes me culpable in the destruction of the program then so be it, but I'll also caution that things could be a lot worse than they are now.

Every fan is not me and so Ollie will be dismissed within a year or two if things don't turn around and the world will go on. I just don't get the sense that the mob is as fierce as this board portrays it to be.
Expand ...
 
That kind of attitude , is the polar opposite of what Jim Calhoun built..And Certainly lends UConn to being St John's , not a 4 time national championship...Me for one would never except mediocrity, then you become just that... I'm pretty sure AD David Benedict won't either..
 
djct1999 said:
he has destroyed the brand so badly that yes, UConn is in no way a destination job.
Expand ...
I can't agree with this. Recent performance does not make or break a job for a prospective coach. We've got tremendous recent history with Nat'l Titles, brand new on campus practice facilities and an AD that appears to support his coaches (the anti-Hathaway). We're in a region that has been producing a number of quality players, from the prep schools like Brewster, PSA & St Thomas More to name a few to NYC recruits as well as CT's own players. The only negative is recent results and to a lesser degree the conference.
 
djct1999 said:
Thats a separate problem. Without hesitation, Ollie needs to go. That being said, he has destroyed the brand so badly that yes, UConn is in no way a destination job. Our best bet is trying to sell our elite history. Ollie has clearly shown the floor of the program and this conference which is why guys like Hurley(who may have once coveted the job) will no longer consider it. We will need to take a chance on a rising star or an unemployed big name. Either way, who ever it is will surely underwhelm the fan base and media. Still, that doesn't mean Ollie deserves to stay. This program has to start over.
Expand ...

I thought this until I remembered the money. Ollie is the tenth highest page coach in the country at $3.1M. You might be surprised at how many make under $2M. Dan Hurley at URI is under $1M. The guy at Xavier has been to the tournament something like 8 of the last ten years, and makes around $1.5.

The reality is that we do still have more cache than most programs out there, and if we can pay over $2M, we will be able to steal somebody. That is why I think avoiding the buyout is critical. If we can get Ollie to leave, then we can pay $2.5M, get a very accomplished coach, and save money. If we have to buy him out, we're looking at paying in the low $1M range I expect.
 
I don't get it. KO just had his contract extended through 2021. I don't think UConn fires him anytime soon.

In the "what if" category, what is the possibility of JC pulling a Jay Leno and coming back?
 
Banta55 said:
That kind of attitude , is the polar opposite of what Jim Calhoun built..And Certainly lends UConn to being St John's , not a 4 time national championship...Me for one would never except mediocrity, then you become just that... I'm pretty sure AD David Benedict won't either..
Expand ...

Fans’ expectations have no bearing on what the team becomes.
 
.-.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,326
Messages
4,564,177
Members
10,462
Latest member
Liam Rainst


Top Bottom