Kevin Ollie, Future or Not?

[UCONNRPh]

I'm definitely in for KO. Just want to see some JC energy. That's all.

 

[boog204]

I'm 10 Toes In, but our offensive sets are non-existent. Very little ball movement, very little player movement, an occasional ball screen, but mostly dribble dribble dribble.

I stated this in the preseason and was shot down. But, our staff consists of 3 defensive minded point guards and a undersized garbage guy PF in Freeman. There's not exactly an offensive mastermind on the bench and our sets are, in my opinion, are much worse then when JC was here. Again, lack of interior players is a huge issue. But there are 5-6 guys who would be players on any team in the country. Yet more often than not we look hideous in the half court with confusion and stagnation.

 

[gtcam]

Now is the time if Husky Nation sees if Ollie can build a winner long term or if the success will be short lived. Don't get me wrong, I'm a supporter. However, in today's game, you need some sort of inside outside threat to win national championships . If Ollie can't get a Big Man on campus that can dominate, it's going to be a short lived reign in Storrs. Every championship UCONN has won, has had that dominate inside/outside threat. In fact, look at most every team that has own, each team had the guard/big man combo. In Ollie 's short term at the helm, he's shown he can land recruits. The question is, our they the right recruits that wins championships. This is an important time in UCONN athletics, between Football and Basketball, UCONN needs championships to be relevant in conference realignment.

Two years (actually 1.5 yrs under contract) doesn't give someone a good barometer, in fact, his first real recruitment class won't arrive until fall 2014. Let's measure next year. He needs to teach some of the kids to lead and forget their personal games, some need to be more aggressive and some need to man-up and play like a man.

 

[gtcam]

I am sick of seeing that same type face expression (eyebrows squinted/open mouth/frustration head shake)--I want to see the old Jim Calhoun technical foul actions to wake the team up to get their tails in gear. Seldom do I see him even standing up. This team needs coaching excitement if you ask me. Also, why does Ollie trust Kromah more than NG?

At seasons start, especially in NYC and Brooklyn and vs FLA, Ollie was up, about and very demonstrative - last few games he has been nailed to his seat

 

[UCONNRPh]

At seasons start, especially in NYC and Brooklyn and vs FLA, Ollie was up, about and very demonstrative - last few games he has been nailed to his seat

Besides last night, was that also versus Stanford too? I must be getting old if I am wanting to see the ways of Jim Calhoun excitement. -Truly I've only seen recent games and missed the ones earlier in the season.

 

[HawkHusky]

Put down the pitchforks guys...

If UCONN drops a game to the joke that is Rutgers...then that's the time to really start questioning things.

 

[dsturdy5]

I am sick of seeing that same type face expression (eyebrows squinted/open mouth/frustration head shake)--I want to see the old Jim Calhoun technical foul actions to wake the team up to get their tails in gear. Seldom do I see him even standing up. This team needs coaching excitement if you ask me. Also, why does Ollie trust Kromah more than NG?

That does nothing for you if it is not part of your personality. The players see right through it. They see him in practice every day and if he isn't that kind of coach there, then demonstrative actions like you describe make you seem fake to your players. That's not to say he wouldn't get a warranted technical, just it doesn't do you any good if the players see you as something different than you really are.

 

[buddy]

The real concern is not so much in game antics, but can he motivate his guys to play at all? This is the real question of how well he will do.

 

[dsturdy5]

The real concern is not so much in game antics, but can he motivate his guys to play at all? This is the real question of how well he will do.

I don't think that was a question last year.

 

[ColoradoUCFan]

Last night was an X's and O's problem, not an effort or talent problem.

I call bullsh!t. We were down by 21 late in the first half. Down by 18 at the end of the first half. Bazz didn't hit a shot in the first half. After KO had them in the locker room and a chance to do some coaching during halftime we CAME BACK OUT AND TIED THE GAME AFTER BEING DOWN 21. That was an awesome comeback after the team made adjustments at halftime. We lost to a bad team; and that sucks. But, our team has grit and determination, and a coach who put them in position to win after a terrible first half. That second half performance was dominating on our part.

Also, I haven't read all the threads, but let's give KO some credit for smashing a clip board, screaming at OC and then benching him for all but 2 minutes in the second half. I've been waiting for him to show that emotion the last two years.

 

[kelde1wd]

I think KO is 100% the right guy to lead UCONN into the future. Our current roster, while good, is missing some key pieces. As 3 stated earlier in this thread, we have some pieces coming in next year to help begin the transition, it will not happen overnight. Like everyone else, I would love to see us win big every year, but that is rare with any program. Everyone has periods where they are good, but just not nCAA title good. I have no doubts KO will get us there very consistently in the future.

 

[mauconnfan]

He hasn't had a full year of his own guys yet, yeah he recruited some but not all his. Look at the bi

I don't think that was a question last year.

Nor is it this year….they aren't "kids" as far as basketball so if playing away in your first AAC game isn't enough motivation then take the uni off and hand it back to the manager because you suck!

 

[dsturdy5]

Clearly something changed during halftime. However, I don't like the idea of "half time adjustments." As Bill Belichick likes to say, you need to make adjustments throughout the game. I know football and basketball are not exactly synonymous but with three media timeouts plus team time outs and substitutions, along with a group of 4 assistants, you can make adjustments during the course of the game.

 

[mauconnfan]

Clearly something changed during halftime. However, I don't like the idea of "half time adjustments." As Bill Belichick likes to say, you need to make adjustments throughout the game. I know football and basketball are not exactly synonymous but with three media timeouts plus team time outs and substitutions, along with a group of 4 assistants, you can make adjustments during the course of the game.

This isn't the first time we've scratched our heads at half time as we did it vs UMass (32-9) and Pitt (w/Ray down 21) among others under JC……it happens. This team gets off to slow starts but JC had many like that too….last night was TOO slow unfortunately.

 

[dsturdy5]

This isn't the first time we've scratched our heads at half time as we did it vs UMass (32-9) and Pitt (w/Ray down 21) among others under JC……it happens. This team gets off to slow starts but JC had many like that too….last night was TOO slow unfortunately.

And such is life when dealing with 18-22 year olds

 

[Fishy]

I think this team would be immeasurably better next year if some of us on the Boneyard would be allowed to chip in and buy a blue-chip front-court prospect a car.

Nothing fancy - say a Nissan Altima. A sensible, four-door sedan with a little bit of style and plenty of airbags. We won't even buy it, we'll just lease it for him.

It won't even be a violation because we will develop a strong pre-existing relationship with him and he will refer to us as his 'uncles'. ("This is not my car, Mr. Investigator, it belongs to my Uncle Fishy and my Uncle Skiblets.")

Every other school has kids being stopped in late-model sports cars - that is gaudy. We just want to make sure that our new imposing front-court playin' nephew gets to and from campus safely and securely.

 

[RMoore1999]

Now is the time if Husky Nation sees if Ollie can build a winner long term or if the success will be short lived. Don't get me wrong, I'm a supporter. However, in today's game, you need some sort of inside outside threat to win national championships . If Ollie can't get a Big Man on campus that can dominate, it's going to be a short lived reign in Storrs. Every championship UCONN has won, has had that dominate inside/outside threat. In fact, look at most every team that has own, each team had the guard/big man combo. In Ollie 's short term at the helm, he's shown he can land recruits. The question is, our they the right recruits that wins championships. This is an important time in UCONN athletics, between Football and Basketball, UCONN needs championships to be relevant in conference realignment.

Thanks for reminding me of my policy to avoid visiting this place for a few days after a disappointing loss. With only 2 losses thus far this season, I will forgive myself for forgetting my own policy...

 

[uconnbill]

Counting on Lubin to be some sort of savior is a bit much. We know next to nothing about him and he is not highly rated. Facey was a top 100 recruit and he's nowhere near ready. Lubin is a top 250 if that. Like the muscle for sure, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Lubin's size will help and he was rated fairly high before he was hurt. I like the size he brings and can only help down the line

 

[Inyatkin]

Thanks for reminding me of my policy to avoid visiting this place for a few days after a disappointing loss. With only 2 losses thus far this season, I will forgive myself for forgetting my own policy...

What, you don't think one bad loss is grounds to question the entire direction of your program?
Seriously, mixed in with three national championships for Calhoun were all kinds of embarrassing, head-scratching losses. St. Bonaventure was one. Any number of Providence games. I vaguely recall a 33-point loss to St. John's long before we won any championships. It does happen to good coaches.

 

[ZenConn]

KO is still learning on the job and he is still coaching JC's recruiting classes.

I'd give him a few years to get a few of his own recruiting classes at Storrs.

 

[maineuconnfan]

Our inside game is a product of the NCAA suspension and early entry. In one year we lost drummond, oriakhi, smith(all 3 have potential for playing minutes in the NBA)...and of course Michael Bradley, we have had to scrape to find the pieces for big man these couple of years...not to mention, because of the suspension and uncertainty of things at the moment recruiting was extremely difficult. Now that the dust has settled, we will see an inside presence at Uconn, will it always be dominant, probably not, but those of you who really think that we are not going to be able to have any front court presence are crazy. Just like 3Uconn said, we have 1 guy coming in next year, along with three guys who will have another year of development, and probably daniels will be returning if he continues his mediocre play. Bottom line, we are a good team, not a great team...KO is 31 - 12 so far as a head coach. We probably will not be a top 5 team this year, but with the guard play we have we will have an opportunity to do well in the tourney. I think we play up to our competition too often this year, however, we can play up to some good competition as well. If this year is not a success, we will continue to be good. People on here have such an inability to really assess the situations holistically. Knee-jerk reactions are way too common....I enjoy coming on here an getting the scoop from some of the key bloggers, but man...relax a bit.

 

[Athlete94]

Every championship has had a dominant inside/outside threat - other than 1999 and 2011. But the rest of them, yes.

Check your facts, 99 team had Lock down Ricky Moore, Rip Hamilton, El-Amin oh and solid inside game from Voskul, Freeman, Saunders

2011 had oh wait, Lamb, Kemba, like him or not Oriakhi ( don't win it without him), Smith, believe it or not Ohkwandu solid contribution all season.

Um so yes, each UCONN championship team has had the inside out combo. I'm just saying, let's see what Ollie brings in as far as a big man at some point. Great guy/coach, but last I checked, he was a guard and his current staff doesn't have that guy on there to coach the big men. Can't count Freeman (whom I like) because as His role doesn't allow input or coaching in practice or games. GO HUSKIES!

 

[Gurleyman]

Check your facts, 99 team had Lock down Ricky Moore, Rip Hamilton, El-Amin oh and solid inside game from Voskul, Freeman, Saunders

2011 had oh wait, Lamb, Kemba, like him or not Oriakhi ( don't win it without him), Smith, believe it or not Ohkwandu solid contribution all season.

Um so yes, each UCONN championship team has had the inside out combo. I'm just saying, let's see what Ollie brings in as far as a big man at some point. Great guy/coach, but last I checked, he was a guard and his current staff doesn't have that guy on there to coach the big men. Can't count Freeman (whom I like) because as His role doesn't allow input or coaching in practice or games. GO HUSKIES!

You used the word "dominant" to describe our inside-outside combinations. There was nothing dominant about any of those guys. I love Free, Jake and Okwandu (and once loved Oriakhi), but those teams won with heavily guard-oriented attacks. Everyone else played their roles and played them well, but we were by no means balanced.

We don't win without Oriakhi yes, but that doesn't mean he was some sort of dominant player - he was just the only big we had. You could put Rod Sellers or Kirk King or Josh Boone or Eric Hayward or any number of other role playing big guys we've had in that spot and probably gotten the same production/results (and I'd love any of those guys on this year's team). Okafor was transcendent - that's another story entirely, and we had inside-outside balance in other years like 1994, 2006, and 2009. We just rode our guards to the 1999 and 2011 titles.

Your point about needing big men gong forward is very much true, and wouldn't get much debate here. The cupboard was bare on the interior last year when KO started, and we'll need some significant development from our current guys or successfully recruiting over them (or both).

 

[baldinghusky]

This isn't the first time we've scratched our heads at half time as we did it vs UMass (32-9) and Pitt (w/Ray down 21) among others under JC……it happens. This team gets off to slow starts but JC had many like that too….last night was TOO slow unfortunately.

Thank you for a dose of sanity.

 

[boog204]

This isn't the first time we've scratched our heads at half time as we did it vs UMass (32-9) and Pitt (w/Ray down 21) among others under JC……it happens. This team gets off to slow starts but JC had many like that too….last night was TOO slow unfortunately.

Agreed but there should be some concern that our slow starts and second half swoons have been fairly consistent all year. With JC you would have the occasional WTF game/half but it wasn't consistent. Game one we nearly blew a big second half lead and game 13 we go down by 20 against a bad team. In between you have games like a 13 point half against Stanford, a clunker versus BC, and others...

 

[Palatine]

I've been asking for a big man coach since he was hired. Our staff is all PGs and an undersized 4.

 

[Huskybass]

KO will be just fine. It was an off night against a team that played about as well as it could play. It happens.

That said, a legit big man coach would make this team 13-0 rather than 11-2.

 

[cohenzone]

No doubt strength in the middle would help a lot, but the one consistent characteristic of KO's teams has been the tendency to play games of 2 halves that are very different. Last year the team tended not to hold or build on leads even in wins and this year has had a lot of the same. I'd take 11-2 anytime, but realistically, Indiana isn't very good and we struggled to beat them, BC is horrible, and Florida was missing a key piece. Houston isn't a good team and they were missing major pieces. The bottom line is that the team does not seem to play with anything close to uniform intensity throughout the games. On top of that, I agree totally with negative comments regarding play design on O. Way too much dribbling. You'd think a team with 4 guards as coaches would have much better ball movement. The attack against Stanford's zone was really bad, as in little ball movement, and a ton of bad possessions in the second half. I'm not sure yet how I feel about KO as a coach. Some of the comments about him being a young coach, maybe without saying as much, are really pointing out that he is a coach without any head coaching experience, not to mention little assistant coaching experience, regardless of his NBA experience. I'm all for KO succeeding, what fan wouldn't be, but I always felt that the school made a mistake in not at least going through a national search even if KO was the ultimate hire. Anyway, winning is the main thing even if not artistic and maybe this season will continue with a lot more W's and a future with a team of KO's recruits on the horizon. Go Huskies.

 

[mauconnfan]

We've heard many times before "awful half court offense", "just throwing it around the top", "too much dribbling" with many good teams including JC's…….yet they just win. Not every team has every piece like '99 or '04 where it's all going to fall in place.

It is what it is, no inside outside because they have no "inside"…..a smooth offense needs all the pieces they don't have them all……all the pieces need to handle or at least pass to make the offense look real smooth, they don't have that. Wings who can handle, take their guy and penetrate kick, bigs who can stand on top and pass the ball efficiently while off ball picks are created…..this won't happen with this team. Not enough good ball handlers or passers besides the guards I'm afraid!

11-2 is fine. They will need to get tougher but anyone looking for the offense to run like a well oiled machine with the cards they are dealt better not hold their breath.

 

[jibsey]

If anyone noticed we have hung in rebounding as far as the overall numbers go but if you look closer Bazz had what 9 boards? So we have a severe underperformance down low in both scoring and rebounding and that is not likely to change this year. Most college teams do not get a skilled power big man like AD so KO needs another 6'8" banger to go with Lubin for next year. Avd it's not just size but muscle and toughness. Unfortunately every program is looking for the same thing, it's a challenge.