Kevin Duffy: Oriakhi discovers it's a cold world

[GlastonTim]

I think JC's mishandling of AO and RS was THE reason the season was a letdown. His actions bred resentments and infighting. His old school ways backfired on him. Deandre's lack of developement last year is on JC too. There are times a coach needs to nurture his players, he seemed to only nurture his "stars". He should have left after '11. I blame JC more than AO.

 

[Gurleyman]

It would have made sense for Bazz, Boat or Daniels to transfer if they felt like they didn't want to use up a year of eligibility without playing in the tournament. It wouldn't make sense if their only goal was to get to the NBA (or a pro contract overseas) as quickly as possible. Odds are they may be thinking the latter, but couldn't blame them if the former was important to them too.

Oriakhi would have been a bit crazy not to transfer. One year left - don't have to sit out and can play in the NCAA. I suppose there could be some sort of nobility in staying with your team through thick and thin if you're happy where you are - but that's not anything that should be demanded. Ergo, it would have been easy for him and his family to take the high road on the way out - his decision needed no explanation. That was what was a bit disappointing.

 

[tzznandrew]

I think JC's mishandling of AO and RS was THE reason the season was a letdown. His actions bred resentments and infighting. His old school ways backfired on him. Deandre's lack of developement last year is on JC too. There are times a coach needs to nurture his players, he seemed to only nurture his "stars". He should have left after '11. I blame JC more than AO.

I think he nurtured all sorts of players. KO was not a star. Taliek Brown was not a star. Freshman Emeka Okafor was not a star. The list can go on and on. But he does challenge players--all of them. Sometimes it works well (KO kept getting better, so did someone like Hilton). Sometimes it works out by luck (Rashad was never seeing the floor until JC was frustrated in that UMass game and gave him some run). Sometimes it just doesn't work (last year, Roscoe and Alex, for instance).

I suspect last year will prove more frustrating in retrospect. Drummond is going to be a star--and he left in large part because of the ban. I think Jeremy will be a good pro (he's destroying the DLeague, and is in a great situation to develop). I think DeAndre will be a good pro.

Shabazz will go down as an all-time favorite; Ryan will redeem himself next year in the eyes of people are have been (justly) critical. Roscoe would have been a fan favorite almost on par with Shabazz. AO could have as well. There are just a lot of players on that team who are part of the tradition, one way or another.

 

[James]

Roscoe showed no signs or ability to play the 3. his ball handeling was a atrocious. you don't win a title and claim your not being utilized well enough. Seems bogus to me, must have just not liked storrs/staff. How the hell is unlv for god sakes going to nurture him? do they pump out nba 3s?!

As far as AO who cares. I agree Duffy seems to be fishing for narratives.

 

[GlastonTim]

I think he nurtured all sorts of players. KO was not a star. Taliek Brown was not a star. Freshman Emeka Okafor was not a star. The list can go on and on. But he does challenge players--all of them. Sometimes it works well (KO kept getting better, so did someone like Hilton). Sometimes it works out by luck (Rashad was never seeing the floor until JC was frustrated in that UMass game and gave him some run). Sometimes it just doesn't work (last year, Roscoe and Alex, for instance).

I suspect last year will prove more frustrating in retrospect. Drummond is going to be a star--and he left in large part because of the ban. I think Jeremy will be a good pro (he's destroying the DLeague, and is in a great situation to develop). I think DeAndre will be a good pro.

Shabazz will go down as an all-time favorite; Ryan will redeem himself next year in the eyes of people are have been (justly) critical. Roscoe would have been a fan favorite almost on par with Shabazz. AO could have as well. There are just a lot of players on that team who are part of the tradition, one way or another.

Good points, I can't argue with that. I just think he needed to adjust his tactics with these guys. They were, after all, a big part of the previous Championship season. I think he probably expected them both to step up their games with the addition of AD and DD, as we all did. I just think he misread the situation and resentment set in.

 

[Kitaman]

Well Alex gets to close out his career in the Tourney. So for that reason it was okay.

Alex and Calhoun did not get along, and the tension was visible. I think he would have fared better under Ollie who is more tolerant of mistakes. However Alex wouldn't have met his wishes above.

Not certain how I feel about it, since he has a Tourney history that includes a Championship. Makes me understand his wanting to play in the tourney.

I think if he were to have left with maturity, no father comments and keeping his Calhoun feelings private it would have been more acceptable by the fan base. All he had to do is say he wants to end his career by playing in the Tourney and not watching it. But he went beyond that, leaving on bad terms, which caused so much animosity.

 

[UConnRock]

I think JC's mishandling of AO and RS was THE reason the season was a letdown. His actions bred resentments and infighting. His old school ways backfired on him. Deandre's lack of developement last year is on JC too. There are times a coach needs to nurture his players, he seemed to only nurture his "stars". He should have left after '11. I blame JC more than AO.

Yea, thats the ticket. Lets blame it all on one of the most successful coaches not just in wins, but in preparing and developing kids for the NBA. Roscoe wanted to play the 3, but one of the best talent evaluators and player developers saw him as a 4. Along with the fact that Jeremy Lamb was essentailly playing the 3 in a three guard offense.

AO thought he should be playing over Drummond who went onto being a lottery pick and a top NBA rookie. Drummond at 7' and a freakish athlete and AO at 6'9" with hands of stone just didn't work well on the court together and Calhoun deferred to Drummond as being the better all around weapon. Tell me what was wrong with those decisions.

As for Deandre....freshmen have always taken time to catch onto what Calhoun was doing with and for them. Calhoun pushes and demands and for some it takes longer for the lightbulb to turn on and see that defense and rebounding will get you on the court faster than a stylish dunk or dribble. Deandre's "development" (i.e. playing time) as a freshman was also hampered by Lamb who played more than 30 minutes a game and having to find PT for Giffey, Roscoe, AO and Drummond as the primary big men. Deandre blossomed as a sophomore and is a borderline lottery pick if he can contine to improve next year. This isn't all Ollie's doing, it also has a lot to do with what he learned under Calhoun.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I suspect last year will prove more frustrating in retrospect. Drummond is going to be a star--and he left in large part because of the ban. I think Jeremy will be a good pro (he's destroying the DLeague, and is in a great situation to develop). I think DeAndre will be a good pro.

I agree. We're going to look back on a team that featured maybe 5 guys who could see NBA minutes -- or at least D League minutes -- (Drummond, Lamb, DD, Bazz, Boat) as well as a bunch of solid complementary pieces, and wonder how the h*ll they stumbled to another sub-.500 BE mark and a pathetic cup of coffee in the Tournament. The whole was much, much less than the sum of the parts.

That team should have been no worse than the 2005 squad which featured similar talent and similar youth. It's a shame JC had to go out after the worst coaching performance of his career.

 

[tzznandrew]

AO thought he should be playing over Drummond who went onto being a lottery pick and a top NBA rookie. Drummond at 7' and a freakish athlete and AO at 6'9" with hands of stone just didn't work well on the court together and Calhoun deferred to Drummond as being the better all around weapon. Tell me what was wrong with those decisions.

He liked Drummond and wanted to play alongside him. It was that we played Roscoe-Alex-Tyler-Daniels at the 4/5, and there was a huge logjam. Suddenly, he was competing for minutes against Roscoe, among others he never thought he would.

I think when Drummond signed on, Alex imagined something like this (and was excited, since he doesn't have a future in the NBA at the 5):

1-Napier
2-Lamb
3-Roscoe
4-AO
5-AD

Boatright backing up Napier/Lamb
Lamb moving to the 3 sometimes
Daniels backing up Roscoe
Roscoe moving to the 4 sometimes
Tyler backing up AO
AO moving to the 5 sometimes.

In something like that, he's still playing most of the time--and he did start at the 4, and play the 5. It was just that Roscoe played the 4 exclusively, and Daniels played it sometimes as well. I think he thought he and Roscoe deserved more respect and shouldn't have had to compete for PT.

 

[Tenspro2002]

One of the problems last year is that JC promised Drummond the world and had to give him playing time. Drummond was the sort of guy who could do otherworldly things as an individual, but was mostly lost in the team concept -- not a guy you could routinely win with.

 

[tzznandrew]

I agree. We're going to look back on a team that featured maybe 5 guys who could see NBA minutes -- or at least D League minutes -- (Drummond, Lamb, DD, Bazz, Boat) as well as a bunch of solid complementary pieces, and wonder how the h*ll they stumbled to another sub-.500 BE mark and a pathetic cup of coffee in the Tournament. The whole was much, much less than the sum of the parts.

That team should have been no worse than the 2005 squad which featured similar talent and similar youth. It's a shame JC had to go out after the worst coaching performance of his career.

Agreed entirely. They should have been a 1-2 seed people feared. That 2005 team bowed out early, but they didn't have a second ball handler (2012 had Ryan and Jeremy), and Rashad almost died.

In 5 years the 2006 team will look like a rousing success relative to 2012. That suddenly gritty team, with only one viable NBA player (Rudy) went to the E8 while a team featuring Andre Drummond limped into the post-season and was eliminated in the first round.

 

[EricSD]

An easy target for angry fans, Oriakhi says he's cool with most of his ex-teammates. He insists that his teammates were never bitter about his transfer. "They said they would have left, too," Oriakhi said.

Yeah, Alex, but they didn't.

 

[GlastonTim]

Yea, thats the ticket. Lets blame it all on one of the most successful coaches not just in wins, but in preparing and developing kids for the NBA. Roscoe wanted to play the 3, but one of the best talent evaluators and player developers saw him as a 4. Along with the fact that Jeremy Lamb was essentailly playing the 3 in a three guard offense.

AO thought he should be playing over Drummond who went onto being a lottery pick and a top NBA rookie. Drummond at 7' and a freakish athlete and AO at 6'9" with hands of stone just didn't work well on the court together and Calhoun deferred to Drummond as being the better all around weapon. Tell me what was wrong with those decisions.

As for Deandre....freshmen have always taken time to catch onto what Calhoun was doing with and for them. Calhoun pushes and demands and for some it takes longer for the lightbulb to turn on and see that defense and rebounding will get you on the court faster than a stylish dunk or dribble. Deandre's "development" (i.e. playing time) as a freshman was also hampered by Lamb who played more than 30 minutes a game and having to find PT for Giffey, Roscoe, AO and Drummond as the primary big men. Deandre blossomed as a sophomore and is a borderline lottery pick if he can contine to improve next year. This isn't all Ollie's doing, it also has a lot to do with what he learned under Calhoun.

I don't think it's fair to put all the blame on AO. And yes, JC is probably the best coach in the last 25 years! But that doesn't mean he hasn't made mistakes. I happen to think he made some last year to the detriment of the team. I think they deserved to start and take it from there as the season wore on. As we all know chemistry is vitally important on a team. Lack of it was the reason '12 sucked, the AO and RS issue changed it, that has to be partly on JC

 

[GlastonTim]

I agree. We're going to look back on a team that featured maybe 5 guys who could see NBA minutes -- or at least D League minutes -- (Drummond, Lamb, DD, Bazz, Boat) as well as a bunch of solid complementary pieces, and wonder how the h*ll they stumbled to another sub-.500 BE mark and a pathetic cup of coffee in the Tournament. The whole was much, much less than the sum of the parts.

That team should have been no worse than the 2005 squad which featured similar talent and similar youth. It's a shame JC had to go out after the worst coaching performance of his career.

The reason is lack of chemistry

 

[Inyatkin]

An easy target for angry fans, Oriakhi says he's cool with most of his ex-teammates. He insists that his teammates were never bitter about his transfer. "They said they would have left, too," Oriakhi said.

Yeah, Alex, but they didn't.

I don't want to be the guy to defend Oriakhi, but he was the only one going into his last year of eligibility and who could play right away. His situation was unique.

 

[Inyatkin]

Agreed entirely. They should have been a 1-2 seed people feared. That 2005 team bowed out early, but they didn't have a second ball handler (2012 had Ryan and Jeremy), and Rashad almost died.

In 5 years the 2006 team will look like a rousing success relative to 2012. That suddenly gritty team, with only one viable NBA player (Rudy) went to the E8 while a team featuring Andre Drummond limped into the post-season and was eliminated in the first round.

This is true. The lack of NBA success for most of those guys from 2006 will mean more than the fact that so many were drafted. And 2012 will go down as a huge missed opportunity.

 

[UCDaveD]

And when you analyze Oriakhi's departure, it's clear that he made a business decision, as well.

Great call Alex, have fun playing in Istanbul.

 

[freescooter]

One of the problems last year is that JC promised Drummond the world and had to give him playing time. Drummond was the sort of guy who could do otherworldly things as an individual, but was mostly lost in the team concept -- not a guy you could routinely win with.

For what UConn got out of it, I think that it is pretty clear that bringing in Drummond was a huge mistake. He wasn't that good a player at UConn, whether it was the system, the coaching or what, and his presence completely destroyed the chemistry that group had developed during 2011. Oriakhi and Roscoe in particular, didn't quite ever figure out where they fit and Calhoun never really figured it out either. Throw in the occasional disappearing act from Lamb at key moments and that team was lucky it didn't end up playing in the NIT.

 

[scrappy2.0]

http://www.ctpost.com/uconn/article/Kevin-Duffy-Oriakhi-discovers-it-s-a-cold-world-4368397.php

This article is nuts. Who doesnt like Alex O???---what did he exactly do to anyone? He helped us win a NC--how about loyalty to that? If he felt it was in his best decision to play his last year elsewhere under the circumstances--guess what--its a free country. This author kind of strums it up--Ive seen him do this a few times. I am rooting for Alex O--he worked hard and I hope he makes the NBA. I could care less if Mizz wins or loses not my team . Sorry Alex O for the immature disloyal fans that spewed venom your way--that does not represent most people. Also any fool who wrote something negative like that for no real reason---you potentially alienate future recruits who read these message boards. Why the hate in this case--he did nothing? He had a nice career while he was here and did nothing but represent.

 

[Palatine]

I don't want to be the guy to defend Oriakhi, but he was the only one going into his last year of eligibility and who could play right away. His situation was unique.

It's not that he left -- it's HOW he left.

He walked out the door talking pot shots at JC and the Huskies while acting like a wounded child. He said almost nothing positive. All while his dad was acting like a fool.

 

[Inyatkin]

It's not that he left -- it's HOW he left.

He walked out the door talking pot shots at JC and the Huskies while acting like a wounded child. He said almost nothing positive. All while his dad was acting like a fool.

I agree completely. That's why I don't want to defend him. I was referring to the issue of who transferred and who didn't.

 

[Gurleyman]

For what UConn got out of it, I think that it is pretty clear that bringing in Drummond was a huge mistake. He wasn't that good a player at UConn, whether it was the system, the coaching or what, and his presence completely destroyed the chemistry that group had developed during 2011. Oriakhi and Roscoe in particular, didn't quite ever figure out where they fit and Calhoun never really figured it out either. Throw in the occasional disappearing act from Lamb at key moments and that team was lucky it didn't end up playing in the NIT.

When you get a chance to bring in a guy like Drummond (top-level raw talent with a good attitude), you do it 100 times out of 100. You can't worry about how fragile everyone else might be. We didn't worry about Rash Jones and Ricky Moore being fragile and how they might handle it when we brought in Khalid. We didn't worry about Tony Robertson when we brought in Ben Gordon. We didn't worry about Denham and Rashad when we brought in Rudy.

Here's the thing nobody has pointed out. At the start of the year, Olander was kicking Oriakhi's ass seven ways to Sunday. His confidence was high - he was able to play off Drummond (and Alex when he was in) and get open put backs, get to rebounds when others were occupying the best big men in the other jerseys, and knock down 15 footers on offense. He has never played better in a UConn uniform. If AO came out of the box with that same sort of performance, maybe we develop into a better team. Tyler hit his ceiling early and the other guys didn't recover.

I would never in a million years suggest that Drummond was a mistake - he was raw, but the easy baskets, defense around the rim and rebounding alone are vital elements to success, especially on a team that wasn't lacking for scorers. If other guys couldn't adapt, that's on them. They want to be pros, don't they? Guess what - you have to adapt very quickly to different personnel in order to stick around, especially as a guy with marginal talent. Nobody's building their franchise around you.

 

[mauconnfan]

#1 "JC didn't handle it right", #2 "bringing in Drummond was a huge mistake", #3 "he helped us win a NC, what about the loyalty"

#1 - Again, did JC handle him wrong when they won a National Title the previous year? What changed? Not JC...............maybe it was AO's game or the fact it DIDN'T change and Kemba wasn't there?

#2 - That's a joke.......AD was not as good as we thought he would be but he was twice as good as AO...my preference here is AO waited too long to transfer maybe AD would have been better!!

#3 - Thanks but what have you done for me lately? He was part of it no doubt but he was also part of the reason they were only 9-9 in the BE regular season....his 6/5 a game were awful but he bounced back I give him that no doubt. I also thought he would be a man, a leader , a captain with a very nice returning team which could make a lot of noise instead he was the leader of the bad chemistry, it was noticeable and it was ugly and ruined the team. That's what I remember as a UConn fan!!! And just as an FYI Kemba, Bazz and Jeremy were all pretty good during the title run the year prior! He had 2 of the 3 back and how did he do with them?

I respect those who stick up for him and have nothing against anyone for that....I do have an issue with those that think that's the only way to remember this stiff......anyone who said "sorry to AO for our dislike" wow, think he cares? And yeah mauconnfan is going to have a huge impact on a recruit who thinks I will dislike him for leaving........there's been many transfers I promise and I have rooted for most all of them. Imagine the 2 I won't? AO and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel....anything in common for all you know it alls? Yeah please show them the love LOL

 

[kemba]

You are forgetting one huge variable is assessing AO's game vs. previous years. That being the level of competition he faced. The SEC was very weak this year with big down years for normally top level conference teams like UK, and Vandy. Hell, when Ole Miss wins the conference tourney it shows the level of weakness.

We can't predict AO's production level against the Big East, but we can say that he would have faced a much stronger competition and it would have impacted his numbers.

Bottom line.....he lost minutes to Drummond, and lost more minutes because he pouted about it. He got those minutes back at Missouri and posed numbers quite similar to 2011. He shot a high % because he got his points from rebounding and put backs not from being part of the system.

It was a weak conference, that's a fair point. Still doesn't account for all the improvement in his numbers, nor does it mean he wouldn't have helped us this year. It's also fair to point out that in 2011 his best games were generally in the biggest games against the best teams we faced, so he's proven he can get it done against strong competition.

As far as the last paragraph, points from rebounds and putbacks count the same. Never said he developed into a big time offensive threat. He has definite weaknesses in his game that are still there. Still doesn't change the fact that he would have been a major upgrade over what we had at center this year.

 

[UConnRock]

Agree

It was a weak conference, that's a fair point. Still doesn't account for all the improvement in his numbers, nor does it mean he wouldn't have helped us this year. It's also fair to point out that in 2011 his best games were generally in the biggest games against the best teams we faced, so he's proven he can get it done against strong competition.

As far as the last paragraph, points from rebounds and putbacks count the same. Never said he developed into a big time offensive threat. He has definite weaknesses in his game that are still there. Still doesn't change the fact that he would have been a major upgrade over what we had at center this year.

Agreed that he would have been a positive for this year's team, but to imply that his game improved much after his sophomore year is a reach.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Please Waq.........was the coach part of the problem the year before too with the same guy.....oh how could he be they won a National Championship with him at the 4/5 and made him captain because of it........did coach help him work on his game over the summer? Ridiculous, he has nothing in this one is a proven commodity in his profession the other a proven chemistry issue when not getting his way. If you want to blame JC's health then maybe but the way he handled Ao, his playing time, his sulking etc - you have no argument!!

You can't just put a bunch of !!!!s after a sentence and claim you win the argument. What was the difference between 2011 and 2012? I'll give you a hint, he wears #15 for the Charlotte Bobcats.

The bottom line is we have a lot of message board warriors attributing blame for a failed season to certain people - AO, AD - based on nothing more than an outsider's opinion. Maybe - and I know this is way too much for some people to comprehend - just maybe, the same guy that gets sanctified around here when they win bears a tiny, tiny share of the blame when he takes a team as talented as last year's and leads them into a brick wall. I know that's crazy to suggest, but sometimes the coach has a say in how things go too.

I do know this - when teams from other schools with the talent UConn had last year have disappointing seasons and then quit and get blown out in the tournament, this board fills up with posts calling the coach of that team a hack.

 

[Jluc]

It was 100% the way AO left that makes me feel bitter towards him. Bad talking his HOF coach and what not. I specifically remember a tweet from Roscoe the day he announced he was transferring where he thanked Husky fans, said he would always be a Husky and will always bleed blue. Now THAT'S the way to leave a school who you helped win a national championship. Roscoe never bad talked the staff or tweeted dumb things. For that I respect Roscoe a lot.

 

[Northbound]

You can't just put a bunch of !!!!s after a sentence and claim you win the argument. What was the difference between 2011 and 2012? I'll give you a hint, he wears #15 for the Charlotte Bobcats.

The bottom line is we have a lot of message board warriors attributing blame for a failed season to certain people - AO, AD - based on nothing more than an outsider's opinion. Maybe - and I know this is way too much for some people to comprehend - just maybe, the same guy that gets sanctified around here when they win bears a tiny, tiny share of the blame when he takes a team as talented as last year's and leads them into a brick wall. I know that's crazy to suggest, but sometimes the coach has a say in how things go too.

I do know this - when teams from other schools with the talent UConn had last year have disappointing seasons and then quit and get blown out in the tournament, this board fills up with posts calling the coach of that team a hack.

If posters on this board call Mike K. at Duke a hack they are nuts (yeah, I don't love the guy, but he can coach). That's the only true comparative you've got here because we're talking about a guy that's won three national titles.

 

[nomar]

Also, he says the loyalty is overblown because it would have made absolutely no sense for the guys that stayed to transfer and sit out a year. This is ridiculous, Roscoe Smith did it, and Napier, Boatright and Daniels could have done the same thing.

Exactly. Scoe left even though he had to sit out a year. Bazz and Daniels easily could have said, why waste a year of eligibility on a season where I'm not playing postseason ball? They didn't.

I don't blame Oriakhi for leaving. I blame him and his father for being the whiniest player and parent that ever passed through Storrs. Not everything belongs on Facebook and Twitter, you two morons.

 

[mauconnfan]

You can't just put a bunch of !!!!s after a sentence and claim you win the argument. What was the difference between 2011 and 2012? I'll give you a hint, he wears #15 for the Charlotte Bobcats.

The bottom line is we have a lot of message board warriors attributing blame for a failed season to certain people - AO, AD - based on nothing more than an outsider's opinion. Maybe - and I know this is way too much for some people to comprehend - just maybe, the same guy that gets sanctified around here when they win bears a tiny, tiny share of the blame when he takes a team as talented as last year's and leads them into a brick wall. I know that's crazy to suggest, but sometimes the coach has a say in how things go too.

I do know this - when teams from other schools with the talent UConn had last year have disappointing seasons and then quit and get blown out in the tournament, this board fills up with posts calling the coach of that team a hack.

Not trying to "win" arguments and I guess you can quit reading my posts if you dislike exclamation points! I will try to refrain though I promise........I blame JC for not placing AD closer to the basket and instead allowing him to wander and take dreadful shots at times, I do.......I do not blame JC for a Jr with a NC under his belt who didn't work hard enough to get better despite knowing what it takes to win more so than the frosh, who he should be tutoring also! Pretty simple....agree with everyone JC was never perfect but to claim anyone suddenly was "used wrong" after 2 years playing for him already is ignorant!!!....oh sorry