KO vs UConn

[BigErnMcCracken]

Amazing some are still defending KO, you would think once he went all Jussie Smollett people would see right through this guy.

Maybe you can take the first crack at the letter and then circulate a draft.

 

[UCDaveD]

I wouldn't say shooting 35% overall is a great start to his career. Solid but definitely not great.

Akinjo is, or will be, a stud. The other 2, Kisunas and Matthews don’t look like anything special. They are just freshmen though.

 

[pj]

Have you watched Akinjo this year?

View attachment 40279

I liked Akinjo a lot, and said so repeatedly last year. That was Ollie's one big recruiting triumph. That said, it was troubling that the only 4* guy a former 13-year NBA PG and national champion coach could bring in was a PG from 3000 miles away with a similar background to his own. There was negativity around Ollie that was deterring all the top northeastern recruits. That's something a coach has great difficulty recovering from. Ollie was unlikely to recover from it at UConn.

If KO really wants to be a D1 basketball coach, he needs to rebuild his reputation at a lower-tier school that will be patient with him as he learns. If he pays his dues and succeeds at the Wagners or Northeasterns the way Dan Hurley and Jim Calhoun did, then he'll get another shot at a top program. And if he refuses to give that a try, he doesn't really want to be a D1 basketball coach.

 

[superjohn]

Maybe you can take the first crack at the letter and then circulate a draft.

Write him a letter?

 

[whaler11]

Amazing some are still defending KO, you would think once he went all Jussie Smollett people would see right through this guy.

nobody is really defending him just being honest that they wouldnt walk away from 10 million to make the by happy

 

[JB75]

Wow - now Ollie again trying to drag Calhoun’s name through this nonsense ? the guy who got you the job and vouched for u? unbelievable - never thought I’d hate KO so much. Dude is still trying to infect our program. Haven’t u done enough damage already? Go away. Go back the Cali or something.

 

[August_West]

Amazing some are still defending KO, you would think once he went all Jussie Smollett people would see right through this guy.

Can one one recognize UConn's folly in the handling of this situation without "defending" KO?


Adults with greater than RTIQ seemingly can.

You usually fit that mold but it seems you have KODS

 

[8893]

once he went all Jussie Smollett

I'm not a fan of KO's strategery, but in what sense is it remotely akin to that?

 

[SeattleHoop]

I believe he is a good person deep down. Money and power can expose the darkest parts of anyone. This is part of why I am a Christian. I believe in forgiveness. That said his actions are extremely disappointing

 

[mrl2016]

Can one one recognize UConn's folly in the handling of this situation without "defending" KO?


Adults with greater than RTIQ seemingly can.

You usually fit that mold but it seems you have KODS

To quote your previous post "Well there is another way to look at that, isnt there?". Someone reasonable could argue UConn decided to take a calculated risk that the fallout from giving him nothing would be less burdensome than offering him a smaller amount of money to settle.

I understand you might disagree, and UConn did get a little bad PR early on- but since the first couple of weeks I don't think anyone outside of this state has been keeping up with the headlines of this story. Are there other negative impacts of doing this, sure. Are they worth 5M? 3M? 1M? Would Ollie even take 1M? Why would the school offer after he already tried to dig up all the dirt on them and the damage was already done? That was his leverage, and he played it- instead of dangling it.

 

[August_West]

To quote your previous post "Well there is another way to look at that, isnt there?". Someone reasonable could argue UConn decided to take a calculated risk that the fallout from giving him nothing would be less burdensome than offering him a smaller amount of money to settle.

I understand you might disagree, and UConn did get a little bad PR early on- but since the first couple of weeks I don't think anyone outside of this state has been keeping up with the headlines of this story. Are there other negative impacts of doing this, sure. Are they worth 5M? 3M? 1M? Would Ollie even take 1M? Why would the school offer after he already tried to dig up all the dirt on them and the damage was already done? That was his leverage, and he played it- instead of dangling it.

we won't be able to really examine that until it's over. Let's hope the damage to the school is minimal and limited. I have no interest in seeing our school go up in flames. But UConn poured the gasoline initially by taking, as you said, " a calculated risk" , KO now striking matches. The ROI assessment is currently incomplete.

 

[Northbound]

None of this is any surprise. UConn did it all it could to destroy Kevin Ollie and his reputation to justify his firing and not paying him the buyout. Ollie is returning the favor. UConn made the first move and chose this path. It is facing the consequences. In the end, neither party actually wins as both will be tarnished.

UConn will be fine. The university got a coach that anyone could argue was the hottest commodity in the coaching marketing last year - it didn't scare him away so the longer this goes on the worst KO looks.

KO needs to put the big boy pants on and understand how the game works. I'm sure there was some monetary offer to him which was less than $10M which he should have taken, especially if he knew he was going to get found of breaking rules. His scorched earth strategy has diminished or completely made obsolete any CBB coaching opportunities for him and made the university more resolute in their position. HIs strategy speaks to his poor decision making. Why the hell would an AD chose to bring in a known headache that ran one of the countries premiere basketball programs into the ground? AD's talk and they talk a lot.

There are plenty of guys to hire - no need to hire a guy (KO) that doesn't get how to run a program and looks to burn the building down when he gets shitcanned which is inevitably going to happen.

 

[Dove]

KO lost a key ally today.

Chief weeps.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Was the "up" beating Syracuse four months ago?

That was a big up, yes. I think they have been far more competitive than last year. As others have said, losing to Cincy by 4 was far more encouraging than losing by 20+. SMU hurt, but in my mind still a better and encouraging season. Would be nice to get 1 road victory.

I wouldn't say shooting 35% overall is a great start to his career. Solid but definitely not great.

I saw that too after the post and should have amended. I was fixated on the 12.8 ppg or whatever the number was. But for a freshman guard, still a good start.

 

[superjohn]

I'm not a fan of KO's strategery, but in what sense is it remotely akin to that?

Making up a race issue out of thin air.

 

[huskymedic]

KO lost a key allie today.

Chief weeps.

 

[zls44]

This may sink his hiring prospects further, at least for the college game.

I can think of 10,000,000 reasons why he doesn't care!

 

[August_West]

That was a big up, yes. I think they have been far more competitive than last year. As others have said, losing to Cincy by 4 was far more encouraging than losing by 20+. SMU hurt, but in my mind still a better and encouraging season. Would be nice to get 1 road victory.


I saw that too after the post and should have amended. I was fixated on the 12.8 ppg or whatever the number was. But for a freshman guard, still a good start.

Over 5 assists too.

 

[whaler11]

Making up a race issue out of thin air.

well uconn made up it was about violations...

and in the past ignored violations...

what did they think was going to happen

 

[superjohn]

well uconn made up it was about violations...

and in the past ignored violations...

what did they think was going to happen

When you cheat and are awful at your job you leave yourself open to being fired for cause.

 

[whaler11]

When you cheat and are awful at your job you leave yourself open to being fired for cause.

lol cheat. good one.

 

[superjohn]

lol cheat. good one.

Violated rules/cheat, call it what you like.

 

[UofCT]

Violated rules/cheat, call it what you like.

Wasn't there difference language in Ollie's contract about breaking rules?

 

[Chief00]

KO lost a key allie today.

Chief weeps.

Every dude has a breaking point - even the most patient. KO, when you have totally lost Chief, who went to bat for Clyde V and Nate Miles when it was unpopular, that should be a huge wake-up call.
It seems to me that your attorneys are trying to save professional face after bragging down the Big East Tournament how they were going to win all that money for you.
The last FOI they pulled brought up all kinds of Miller’s gossip about how you paid a player’s mom. This request will damage you more.

Pull the plug man and let the forgiveness begin. I will be first in line.

Chief

 

[8893]

Wasn't there difference language in Ollie's contract about breaking rules?

Same language as Calhoun's contract iirc, except delivered with a "this time we really mean it" emphasis, per UConn AD.