KO's weakness as a coach is apparent

[Mr. French]

I will go against the grain on the rotations argument. Consistent rotations is a cause and effect issue. Most coaches would love to have consistent rotations, but they have to play the hand they are dealt. Most times a coach is not playing a consistent rotation it is because his roster doesn't let him play one. Maybe he has a bunch of players that are similar in ability or he has to play matchups. It is a lot more complicated than just picking a rotation and sticking with it.

Coaching basketball, and most sports for that matter, is always more complicated than the "average fan" believes.

You hear these theories all the time and you'd think it was the most simplistic thing ever.

Especially in major college ball where there's the added responsibility of recruiting, you essentially have to be ambassador for the athletic program, GM, head coach, etc.

It's not nearly the simple job everyone makes it out to be.

 

[TRUCONN76]

Anyone who could not recognize that Gilbert is a true point guard doesn't know basketball. Adams is improving at handling the point and it will go a long way for UCONN if he returns, but there is no question that Gilbert will be handling the point on most occasions when they are both in together and most definitely in crunch time. That being said the point guard is the hardest position to play well coming out of high school followed by the center position. It is unrealistic to have expected Gilbert to play his first two games as well as would have been playing by now. That is why you start him against the cupcakes as you would expect the experienced players to have enough to handle those teams easily while Gilbert would gain valuable experience. Adams and Purvis played poorly in both two opening games.

 

[ctchamps]

Coaching basketball, and most sports for that matter, is always more complicated than the "average fan" believes.

You hear these theories all the time and you'd think it was the most simplistic thing ever.

Especially in major college ball where there's the added responsibility of recruiting, you essentially have to be ambassador for the athletic program, GM, head coach, etc.

It's not nearly the simple job everyone makes it out to be.

It really is simple if you sit behind a computer screen and there is no way to prove if your opinions are helpful or detrimental. I think most of us get that we're second guessing things. That our opinions are just opinions and nothing else. Some people unfortunately really struggle separating opinions and fact.

The OP took some time and went into a lot of detail in his post. But he is among a group that is lobbying others to replace KO or at the very least consider it. This group consistently ignores or underweights circumstances that reduce or refute their arguments.

We can all find a corollary to circumstances. I'm thinking that the level of play has degenerated with the stupidity that has increased in this forum. It must be that stupid posters send stupid vibrations to coaches and players infecting their abilities. I'm sure there are one or two people in this thread who think my corollary has some merit even as they recognize the postulation is meant as a parody.

 

[ctchamps]

Anyone who could not recognize that Gilbert is a true point guard doesn't know basketball. Adams is improving at handling the point and it will go a long way for UCONN if he returns, but there is no question that Gilbert will be handling the point on most occasions when they are both in together and most definitely in crunch time. That being said the point guard is the hardest position to play well coming out of high school followed by the center position. It is unrealistic to have expected Gilbert to play his first two games as well as would have been playing by now. That is why you start him against the cupcakes as you would expect the experienced players to have enough to handle those teams easily while Gilbert would gain valuable experience. Adams and Purvis played poorly in both two opening games.

I wouldn't go as far as saying they don't know bb but I agree with everything else you say.

I would give Alterique the nod to be the primary guard with Jalen the off guard. It took 1 and 1/2 years for Jalen to develop. He's done an incredible job but there is no way of knowing if it is better in the long run to have him play the off position with Alterique.

This forum will hit KO for trying but Alterique, if he regains his pre injury form, just might allow Jalen to thrive even more than he's accomplished this season. The early season is the time to find out.

 

[Mr. French]

The fact is, most of our offense works exactly the same way with 2 "PGs" as it does with 1...

There isn't much delineation between those positions in this offense other than dribbling the ball up the court and initiating the offense .. But the REAL initiation of the offense can be done by any of the G/Wings, it doesn't matter if there are 2 PGs...people seem to differentiate between who's the PG, Adams or Gilbert...

Both Guard positions are generally tasked with doing the same things in this offense, so it doesn't really matter as much as it seems the debate lends.

 

[auror]

This is not a flame post, hear me out...

Our team right now has a 6-man rotation out of necessity due to injuries to major contributors and a lack of bodies. Coincidentally, over the past few games, we've put out the same lineup of guys and they've played the best basketball we've seen all year.

(2015-2016) Last year, it was obvious that the team got comfortable with it's roles and found an identity in the 2nd half of the season. Adams sliding into PG with Gibbs moving to the 2 solidified the rotations and line-up. It also took KO almost half the year to realize that playing through Miller in the post was our best offense. As a result, they had a nice second half and an AAC tourney championship run. But their early season struggles forced them into a tough seed and a tough early NCAA tourney draw in the 2nd rd.

(2014-2015) 2 years ago, the team didn't have much talent beyond a senior Boatright and inexperienced freshman Hamilton. T-Sam couldn't fill the secondary ball-handler role. KO changed the starting rotation constantly... switching between starting Brimah/Nolan at center, T-Sam/Purvis at SG, Purvis/Calhoun at SF, Facey/Hamilton at PF.... it was a mess. The team could never find a groove, never strung together more than 3 wins in a row. 1st round NIT exit.

(2013-2014) In KO's 2nd year as a head coach, he had nearly the exact same roster as the year before, Kromah the only addition, but only as a reserve. The starting line-up and roles were clearly defined. KO had the same rotations consistent throughout the year. The result was a 26-8 season, no bad losses (@HOU, maybe?). As we all know, the team won a national championship despite some obvious front-court deficiencies.

Let's call KO's first year a mulligan... the team played very well while playing under a ban, and suffered a lot of injuries.

What's the common thread of success throughout KO's tenure as head coach? CONSISTENT LINE-UPS AND ROTATIONS WITH CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES.

I think it's become apparent that KO has struggled to find the right line-ups and rotations to form a consistent and cohesive team. TEAM CHEMISTRY cannot be understated. Once KO's teams become familiar with and comfortable in their roles in his pro-style philosophies, they shine. However, we have seen that it takes KO a while to put together all of the pieces of the puzzle with his teams.

I love KO and I have no doubt that he's the man for the job despite terrible arguments by wingnuts on this board. However, it is obvious that he does have weaknesses as a coach. Finding his strongest line-up is one... working the officials is another. Is my theory an oversimplification, or does it have merit?

I think you're confusing correlation and causation. He didn't have to jigger the lineups because we were winning.

 

[upstater]

I wouldn't go as far as saying they don't know bb but I agree with everything else you say.

I would give Alterique the nod to be the primary guard with Jalen the off guard. It took 1 and 1/2 years for Jalen to develop. He's done an incredible job but there is no way of knowing if it is better in the long run to have him play the off position with Alterique.

This forum will hit KO for trying but Alterique, if he regains his pre injury form, just might allow Jalen to thrive even more than he's accomplished this season. The early season is the time to find out.

I think it is going to be tough to take the ball out of Jalen's hands. He does his driving when he has the ball. Unless they can figure out ways to get him mismatches, this sounds like a good idea, but in general I expect Jalen to have the ball mostly. I know Ollie seems him as a scoring guard, but... I think he scores MORE when he is running the offense.

 

[superjohn]

How would Tulsa with a first round loss have gotten in, but UConn have been left out with a Cincy loss?

The consensus on this site was that they were a lead-pipe cinch to be in.

Before the final regular season game (which UConn won), Joe Lunardi had UConn as one among 17 teams vying for 11 spots left. UConn was in the first group of likelies, 4 teams, that had a much better than 50% chance of already being in. And this was BEFORE they won their final regular season game, and two games prior to the Cincy game.

Because the committee doesn't always make a whole lot of sense. I remember the consensus being we better win because you don't want to put your faith in the NCAA committee's hands. We won that and won the next two to win the AAC tourny and still only got a #9 seed. I think we should have no doubt been in before the Cincy game and think we probably would have gotten in but with that committee you never know.

 

[UChusky916]

I feel that people here are looking for something negative to say about Ollie. He keeps proving them wrong and they keep coming up with some new criticism.

I started off this thread by saying it wasn't a flame post. I wasn't looking for something negative to say, I'm making an observation based on my perceptions of KO's teams and lineups.

Regardless of opponent, there's no arguing that the team has looked better over the past 5 games than they have all year. The players' roles are defined and they look comfortable. I thought back over past years and it seems to be a consistent trend under KO's tenure that this is the case.

I don't think it's an oversimplification to say that KO's teams have generally succeeded when he's had a consistent line-up and rotations with clearly defined roles.

 

[Matrim55]

there is no question that Gilbert will be handling the point on most occasions when they are both in together and most definitely in crunch time.

lol

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think it is going to be tough to take the ball out of Jalen's hands. He does his driving when he has the ball. Unless they can figure out ways to get him mismatches, this sounds like a good idea, but in general I expect Jalen to have the ball mostly. I know Ollie seems him as a scoring guard, but... I think he scores MORE when he is running the offense.

Yes! This was Ollie's mistake in the first two games. Adams was a 100% PG his last year of HS. He isn't good off the ball, doesn't know how to move and get open, and essentially becomes a fairly useless player or at least much less useful. While Gilbert played well to start the year because he was in his natural role, Adams was awful. Our best returning player gave us nothing. Purvis, likewise was thrust out of position and also played like it.

If I have a fault for Ollie it is in trying to make the team he has something it's not. In theory, AG at PG and Adams as a SG is a better lineup, but in reality it isn't. Adams is one of the top assist guys in the game, can penetrate and score around the basket. He's a mediocre shooter, and not a catch and shoot guy. Gilbert, I think, can play off the ball more effectively, as Napier did playing with Walker.

 

[pj]

I don't think it's an oversimplification to say that KO's teams have generally succeeded when he's had a consistent line-up and rotations with clearly defined roles.

This would be true of all coaches at all times. If you're searching for a lineup, your team has not yet gelled and is not going to be as successful as a team that has.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I started off this thread by saying it wasn't a flame post. I wasn't looking for something negative to say, I'm making an observation based on my perceptions of KO's teams and lineups.

Regardless of opponent, there's no arguing that the team has looked better over the past 5 games than they have all year. The players' roles are defined and they look comfortable. I thought back over past years and it seems to be a consistent trend under KO's tenure that this is the case.

I don't think it's an oversimplification to say that KO's teams have generally succeeded when he's had a consistent line-up and rotations with clearly defined roles.

It's not just clearly defined roles, it's putting guys in the right roles. Adams should have been PG all year. Purvis SG. Larrier SF, Facey PF and Brimah C. Gilbert should be backup at both PG and SG, but never PG when Adams is in. That was a mistake. Facey also finally got enough minutes to show what he can do. He was always a plus rebounder, and showed some touch, but only played in spurts.

This team took off really, when Vance was inserted at the SF spot. Not only did it provide needed shooting, but it allowed Purvis to play his position, and not be confused between himself and Vital as to who is doing what.

 

[upstater]

Yes! This was Ollie's mistake in the first two games. Adams was a 100% PG his last year of HS. He isn't good off the ball, doesn't know how to move and get open, and essentially becomes a fairly useless player or at least much less useful. While Gilbert played well to start the year because he was in his natural role, Adams was awful. Our best returning player gave us nothing. Purvis, likewise was thrust out of position and also played like it.

If I have a fault for Ollie it is in trying to make the team he has something it's not. In theory, AG at PG and Adams as a SG is a better lineup, but in reality it isn't. Adams is one of the top assist guys in the game, can penetrate and score around the basket. He's a mediocre shooter, and not a catch and shoot guy. Gilbert, I think, can play off the ball more effectively, as Napier did playing with Walker.

Adams can learn to play off the ball, but just not full time. I agree with you about him needing to run it more.

Adams played with Sterling Gibbs and had some success off the ball.

I think they can switch it around, play to play even, the way Napier and Kemba did.

 

[Milesbran30]

Anyone who could not recognize that Gilbert is a true point guard doesn't know basketball. Adams is improving at handling the point and it will go a long way for UCONN if he returns, but there is no question that Gilbert will be handling the point on most occasions when they are both in together and most definitely in crunch time. That being said the point guard is the hardest position to play well coming out of high school followed by the center position. It is unrealistic to have expected Gilbert to play his first two games as well as would have been playing by now. That is why you start him against the cupcakes as you would expect the experienced players to have enough to handle those teams easily while Gilbert would gain valuable experience. Adams and Purvis played poorly in both two opening games.

Jalen will have 3yrs experience. .u think Ollie takes the ball out his hand or Gilbert will be that good?

 

[usedtoberats]

Your right in your analysis on Ollie. This is what many have attacked him for regarding his constant substitutions in games and playing players out of position. When guys have defined roles they play better. Giving the point guard keys to Alterique was a huge mistake as we saw and was mostly responsible for our horrible losses to Wagner and Northeastern. If Jalen is back for next year, he better make it clear to Gilbert that he will play off the ball and the team should know clearly Adams is the point guard. Vance Jackson should also be starting next year as well on the perimeter as our small forward. Larrier should play the Daniels role and be a stretch 4 as it suits his game better.

first, Gilbert ain't playin off the ball, he is PG first and foremost. JAdams is PG/2G Combo and will be used him as such. You're right Gilbert may not have been in the right role first game of college career, but he woulc've slid over to PG after a few games.

As far as the role finding ability, this is a very fine line needing a LARGE body of work to assess a coach by. We dont have a large body of work to judge. But one thing we need to have (That is is measurable in a short sample size ) is quality assistant coaches that work with these young men and get improvement throughout the year. Not sure if it's been the exasperating injury situation or other factors, but 2 what were considered stalwarts in the lineup are regressing ( or have regressed) and THAT is one of the most disappointing things of this year. Injuries , cant control, but effort and improvement is a personal choice. Effort is there , but mental effort has left these players. IMO they have checked out, that has not happened in the past at UConn.

 

[upstater]

Because the committee doesn't always make a whole lot of sense. I remember the consensus being we better win because you don't want to put your faith in the NCAA committee's hands. We won that and won the next two to win the AAC tourny and still only got a #9 seed. I think we should have no doubt been in before the Cincy game and think we probably would have gotten in but with that committee you never know.

You can say that about every single at large team that isn't a top 5 seed. If the committee is going to do monumental craziness, then of course no one is safe, but here we are talking about reasonable measures. Like how a Tulsa team, with an RPI of 65, and a worse record than UConn, gets in over a UConn team with an RPI of 41 (which is UConn's RPI prior to the Cincy game), better record, and better OOC and SOS.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Jalen needs to be the primary ballhandler and decision maker next year. It will be his 3rd year and he has been putting up monster numbers to this point. Alterique, like many have said, should have a Shabazz role when Shabazz played with Kemba. With the way the team is running offense right now, I would love to see what they'd look like with Alterique and Larrier in there. They key will be how much this team lets Jalen lead next year and plays off him.

 

[King Husky]

Agree on both points.

We've struggled to maintain dominance because we've had way too much turnover in personnel from year to year. UConn teams of the level demanded by the fanbase were always built over multiple seasons. Unless you're Kentucky (and to a lesser extent Duke) and can build a team completely on signing day, that's how it works.

And we've had so much turnover largely because of recruiting sanctions. Ollie used band aids, quick fixes, and longshots to make it through to this point, where he can finally recruit a team from scratch. And there's a vocal minority of malcontents who can't wait to pull the plug on him, just as he's building something again? These people lack perspective (or they have an agenda...).

For what it's worth, no one in this thread has said anything about pulling the plug on him.

 

[Mr. French]

Jalen needs to be the primary ballhandler and decision maker next year. It will be his 3rd year and he has been putting up monster numbers to this point. Alterique, like many have said, should have a Shabazz role when Shabazz played with Kemba. With the way the team is running offense right now, I would love to see what they'd look like with Alterique and Larrier in there. They key will be how much this team lets Jalen lead next year and plays off him.

That's partially what I was saying earlier: In that scenario, Shabazz actually was the PG and Kemba was off the ball, but in our offense he's still able to be "primary handlers" etc.

So again, the PG/not PG issue is inherently nonsense.

 

[pj]

As KO says, he wants to play positionless basketball. Players should be versatile. Jalen can continue to grow as a player by developing his scoring skills and helping Alterique master the PG position. We shouldn't pigeonhole these guys into positions. Remember KO's ultimate goal is to help each player succeed in the NBA. Sometimes that means you work on your weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

 

[superjohn]

You can say that about every single at large team that isn't a top 5 seed. If the committee is going to do monumental craziness, then of course no one is safe, but here we are talking about reasonable measures. Like how a Tulsa team, with an RPI of 65, and a worse record than UConn, gets in over a UConn team with an RPI of 41 (which is UConn's RPI prior to the Cincy game), better record, and better OOC and SOS.

Tulsa had a better league record than us by 1 game and had we lost to Cincy we would have had the same number of losses. We had a better resume but I disagree we were a stone cold lock. Tulsa was their strangest pick last year amongst several, the committee always has a few left out that shouldn't be and few put in who shouldn't be in.

 

[huskymagic]

Anyone who could not recognize that Gilbert is a true point guard doesn't know basketball. Adams is improving at handling the point and it will go a long way for UCONN if he returns, but there is no question that Gilbert will be handling the point on most occasions when they are both in together and most definitely in crunch time. That being said the point guard is the hardest position to play well coming out of high school followed by the center position. It is unrealistic to have expected Gilbert to play his first two games as well as would have been playing by now. That is why you start him against the cupcakes as you would expect the experienced players to have enough to handle those teams easily while Gilbert would gain valuable experience. Adams and Purvis played poorly in both two opening games.

"You're not really that stupid are you?" I am sure that Kemba was seen as more of a combo guard by you and others at the time instead of a "true" point guard. Alterique is more in the Boatright mold than a "true" point guard. Gilbert is a MC'D All Americans and top 35 player, you think beating Wagner and Northeastern is too much to ask with our talent? What u and Mau and a few others are suggesting is take the ball out of the hands of a star guard with NBA potential who is top 10 in the nation in assists and play him off the ball in favor of a 5'9 redshirt freshman guard with a bad shoulder . Brilliant! No one is saying Gilbert is a bad player, but he is not as good as Adams and he needs to play off the ball in the Boatright mold for this team to be good.

 

[HooperScooper]

first, Gilbert ain't playin off the ball, he is PG first and foremost. JAdams is PG/2G Combo and will be used him as such. You're right Gilbert may not have been in the right role first game of college career, but he woulc've slid over to PG after a few games.

Adams has been here 1 1/2 seasons. Tell me when you've seen him flourish as a 2G off the ball?

Last season the offense ran much better when Adams was the primary PG and Gibbs was off the ball. Adams didn't look good when Gibbs was the primary ball handler. And neither did the offense.

This season the team has looked much better when Adams is running the show. And that's when Adams has flourished the most.

I think there's a place for Gilbert to also be a ballhandler in the backcourt. The dual headed PG backcourt that UConn has been so successful with in the past. But Adams is your lead guy.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

That's partially what I was saying earlier: In that scenario, Shabazz actually was the PG and Kemba was off the ball, but in our offense he's still able to be "primary handlers" etc.

So again, the PG/not PG issue is inherently nonsense.

I agree. I don't think it's an issue of who is the PG or not, but more of an issue of who the offense is ran through. In that scenario the offense still ran through Kemba even though Shabazz was the "PG" who set up plays. Shabazz made it easier for Kemba to get good looks to attack and set up his teammates. That's what I'd like to see next year. Alterique being an extra handler to get Jalen better looks to attack. Take some pressure off of him.