"Let's remember that Kevin Ollie #BleedsBlue" | Page 3 | The Boneyard

"Let's remember that Kevin Ollie #BleedsBlue"

I’m very happy to hear KO bleeds blue. Once a Husky, always a Husky, and all that fun stuff.

I’d just prefer if he bleeds blue in a position that doesn’t involve making $3 million to torpedo the UConn basketball program.
 
Love KO but as some posters have stated, he's in over his head. I don't think it's one single thing but a combination of things.

He gave us a championship and I'll cherish that one as much as all the others.

If he can reel in Larry Brown to be the head coach, I will be happy for KO in being an assistant coach again.
 
gtcam said:
Pure BS statement - you have no idea what his work habits nor his level of loyalty is - it's these statements that make some folks pissed
Questioning KO's loyalty is beyond ridiculous - because someone isn't 'performing' up to expectations doesn't mean that the person is lacking in loyalty or dedication - question his experience or ability but not the heart or the desire
"you remaining souls" LOL
Expand ...

If you only knew, lmao.
 
Don't anyone dare lay this blame all on KO.
How about some accountability on the players themselves.
How about improving your game with some old fashion love of the game, working on your weaknesses, making a good attempt at eliminating your bad decisions.
How about listening to the coaches who have been there before and know what it takes to win.
There is no doubt this team is not on the same page as a team, and it is not all on KO.
Does anyone want to be a leader? Does anyone have any emotion "for the team"?
For crying out loud why are these guys not improving over the years....some played better as freshmans.
 
hthusky74 said:
I hope Ollie's response to anyone who asks him to accept a reduced buyout is, to quote the big Irishman, "Not one dime!"
Expand ...


Ollie may well bleed blue but he also treated the job as a business when he used his success to leverage better contracts. (As well he should have). If in fact he is guilty of violations that give UConn just cause then UConn should treat this as a business as well and blow him out without paying a dime back.

Business is business and it goes both ways.
 
I think we all love Ollie and know he bleeds blue like the rest of us.
I think we all question is his eye for talent. When I see every single boneyarder saying the same thing. Why does he play Onourah and continue to give this guy minutes over the likes of our younger guys. Last night down 24 with 4 minutes to go, rather than bring in Williams or Polley and let them get some playing time, he brings in Onourah. Why is it that everyone on this board can agree that Onourah should not be playing, but Ollie does not. Why does he continue to play the 3 guard lineup? His coaching and eye for talent is very questionable.
 
.-.
jayteeman said:
Don't anyone dare lay this blame all on KO.
How about some accountability on the players themselves.
How about improving your game with some old fashion love of the game, working on your weaknesses, making a good attempt at eliminating your bad decisions.
How about listening to the coaches who have been there before and know what it takes to win.
There is no doubt this team is not on the same page as a team, and it is not all on KO.
Does anyone want to be a leader? Does anyone have any emotion "for the team"?
For crying out loud why are these guys not improving over the years....some played better as freshmans.
Expand ...

Like it or not everything you listed here is on KO. 300K or 3mill, he is paid to teach / guide / prod or simply demand a better performance from HIS product.
These are his recruits and his students, if they are not performing, leading, showing emotion or not improving, it's on him. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
Kevin Ollie is a great Husky, but it is time for a change. We can't afford to have this program go down even further. UConn should always welcome Kevin back. No one should forget that he won a championship for us.

This has been a very tough season. I used to get all excited the night before a big game. These days, it is hard even paying attention since I already know we gonna get blown out.

We need a change fast before we lose all the fans.
 
Whtdmd said:
No real person will walk away from $10 million. It should be again the law to do that. I will be pi$$ off at one of my colleagues if he decide to return the yr end bonus because it will negatively impact the profession. AROD tried to do that and his peers told him no.
Expand ...

Gold, Jerry. Pure Gold.
 
tzznandrew said:
The Temple blow out was the last straw (and I called it on Twitter, too...just after KO's team gives you hope, they destroy your soul).
Expand ...
And I actually kind of called it too and got unfairly (and incorrectly it turns out) lambasted by a few in the "Temple is a "winnable" game" thread a day or two ago. At this juncture, MAYBE outside of USF at home, there really is not a "winnable" game for the rest of the season, sadly. I think it is time to put the kibosh on these "winnable game" threads until Uconn proves they are capable of playing like a halfway decent team against at least decent competition for more than a game (oregon, ucf and smu being outliers, at this point and maybe the only three decent teams this year). Uconn has played good basketball for a full 40 minutes literally 3 times.
 
Last edited:
Lets try something new. I'm going to email Ollie (since i'm blocked on twitter) and let him know I haven't jumped off the boat yet! You do the same!

I've jumped off many times btw
 
.-.
HskysNvrSlp said:
Or people react differently to life-changing events. I'm not saying his divorce had an effect on his coaching(I have no clue) but to dismiss it completely is short-sighted. I agree he is in over his head though .
Expand ...
Sometimes divorce can be the best thing that could happen to someone. It can be liberating and exhilarating. I suspect that is what happened with KO as his new found freedom allows him to act on his most base desires while he is still young (and he is young!).
 
Whtdmd said:
No real person will walk away from $10 million. It should be again the law to do that. I will be pi$$ off at one of my colleagues if he decide to return the yr end bonus because it will negatively impact the profession. AROD tried to do that and his peers told him no.
Expand ...
Perhaps Bonilla style long term pay out. Like 10 mill over 5 or 7 years? Still have hope for lots of reasons.
 
Speaking of divorce...the emotions feel like an impending one. I will always have a place in my heart for him - he is one of us - with many good and some not so good memories. There’s just been more downs than ups - too much dysfunction - and now cheating. Alright, maybe that’s a stretch...but there is that torn feeling - I want to hang on but know it’s not meant to be.
 
HooperScooper said:
I guess I have 2 questions on how I will feel about Ollie after he's not the coach any more.

1). As others mentioned, my feeling on him will depend on what happens from this NCAA investigation.

2). What happened in the last few years after the NC? Fishy keeps insinuating he was lazy and didn't pay attention to his job. If true, why did he get like that? Those articles from last spring did not paint a pretty picture about his relationships inside and outside the program. Did the divorce wreck him? And by the way he was being paid very well to do that job. If he's actually trying and just over his head then I guess I can't be that mad. But it just seems strange that things went down hill so fast. I want to know why that is.
Expand ...

Quite frankly, at this point, the divorce is the least of his problems. Maybe it was the match that started a chain reaction but with all the subsequent wreckage the cause of the fire is an interesting piece of trivia but far in the rear view mirror. .
 
.-.
8893 said:
He predicted the future wrong, but I’m not convinced that he was wrong about Ollie’s potential to be a great coach. Something changed in terms of Ollie’s willingness and/or ability to do what was necessary to grow and adapt in the job.

The job changed a bit along the way and got more challenging; in the past few years he has not risen to the challenge. That’s what stings, because rising to the challenge and working hard previously seemed to be Ollie’s most defining characteristics.

So, if Calhoun got that wrong about Ollie, I don’t think he was alone.
Expand ...

I think it’s only natural to want to succeed on your own. We all have aspirations to be independent in our own lives (work,family,school). I think the plan was for Calhoun to mentor and advise. I believe After the National Championship, Ollie felt it was time to go out on his own. It’s natural to feel this way. Not knowing what he doesn’t know, he wasn’t ready for this. Calhoun not having a purpose went his own way.
 
temery said:
He’d have to be out of his mind to walk away from six million dollars, regardless of the reason.
Expand ...

Exactly, these people who suggested this really are stupid. Point blank period. Throw me out on my ass and im gonna give u a deal.
 
UconnAlum04 said:


Awesome thread by Penfield

"He led us to the National Championship the following year. The banner will hang at UConn forever. This is how I will choose to remember him"

"It's sad to watch fans turn on a person that was loyal to us for so many years as a player and a coach. I'm not saying that calling for change is wrong or that he deserves even more chances, just that we should be decent to a man who is likely going to lose his dream job"

"It will likely take a while, but I hope some day down the road Ollie will feel welcome on campus, and I hope he will get the same reception all our former players get at when he walks into Gampel Pavilion. Let's remember that Kevin Ollie #BleedsBlue just like the rest of us"

This is exactly what I feel and wanted to say, and he did a great job articulating it.
Expand ...


Agreed. Saw it on Twitter. Props to @Penfield We do need to stay classy, even if we're a bit angry now.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
I would amend this slightly: when KO only had to focus on a small fraction of the job -- getting tough and coachable guards to develop and run the team -- he was fine.

When he had to manage the entirety of a major D-I program, he was exposed: horrible eye for talent, horrible eye for intangibles, couldn't earn the respect of his players, couldn't teach those players X's and O's, couldn't develop bigs, etc.

In other words, he would have made a great assistant coach, which is exactly what he was before JC foisted him upon the program.
Expand ...

Huskybass said:
Spot on.
Expand ...

Actually, this is not quite "spot on". I do agree that much of what Tenspro said in this post is correct, which is why I gave him the like. However, Kevin does NOT have a horrible eye for talent. The key is that Kevin has too often been unable to get these "right guys" to commit to our program.

For proof, just go back and look at the threads from the beginning of this year that were tracking how players were doing that we recruited but lost out on, or did not prioritize when we should have... and I am not talking about the obvious 5-star guys (Diallo, Bamba or even Waters. Put them on the side for the sake of this discussion, as their talent and skill level was obvious to everyone).

There are a number of guys on that list, that if they had come to UConn would have made a huge difference last year and this year. Maybe even all the difference between us having success as opposed to what has actually happened.

Myles Powell (I knew missing out on him 2 years was going to come back and bite us, as he would have been the outside threat we so desperately have needed the last 2 years. He was ranked the best pure shooter in his class, and if you have watched any Seton Hall games you can see why. He has a beautiful stroke, and is a major reason why they are a Top 20-25 team with the chance to do serious damage in the tournament come March).
Alpha Diallo (another guy ranked in the 100-150 area that fits the profile of athletic player who can actually play... and shoot well, also).
Bonzie Colson (nothing much needs to be said here, as his production over the last 3 years does all the talking needed. He is a great college player, and a lot of fun to watch play. Big miss, as has been noted by many, not going harder after him after we identified him as a possible fit AND he showed a desire to want to come here).
Ahmed Hill (has turned into the tough, athletic and skilled big man... the type we have sorely missed since Alex Oriakhi left).
Tyrique Jones (another one of those athletic bigs who also had a skill set that has developed nicely at Xavier).
Bruce Brown (the highest ranked of all these guys mentioned, but I bring him up only because at one point he was very interested in coming here, and it was our interest that apparently waned. Was there someone in his camp requesting a hand out? Honestly do not know, but nothing has come of it since, therefore let us assume there is no "there, there". So this one goes in the WTF category, as he would have seriously helped us).

EDIT: Definitely add Chris Clarke (at Virginia Tech) to this list as well. That guy is a freaking bull, and a total high-energy guy. Brings it every night. We could always use a lunch-pail guy like that here who combines good skills with strong leadership and great energy.

This sampling is proof that Ollie and staff have identified talent in the high 3* to 4* range quite well - they just didn't win (or try to win, in a couple of notable cases) those recruiting battles. That is the real lasting negative of Ollie's recent recruiting... not being able to close the deal on the right guys.
 
Last edited:
8893 said:
He predicted the future wrong, but I’m not convinced that he was wrong about Ollie’s potential to be a great coach. Something changed in terms of Ollie’s willingness and/or ability to do what was necessary to grow and adapt in the job.

The job changed a bit along the way and got more challenging; in the past few years he has not risen to the challenge. That’s what stings, because rising to the challenge and working hard previously seemed to be Ollie’s most defining characteristics.

So, if Calhoun got that wrong about Ollie, I don’t think he was alone.
Expand ...

Not alone, but there were plenty of people, including me, who thought it was a bad decision. It is a big job. A major program...or at least it was, and there were huge shoes to fill. In any other circumstance but blind nepotism, would UConn have hired a career journeyman NBA player with a total coaching experience of three years as an assistant? No. Wouldn't get a sniff. Central might have hired him. Maybe. And that's where he should have started. We needed an experienced hand who could handle the situation.
 
.-.
HuskyHawk said:
Not alone, but there were plenty of people, including me, who thought it was a bad decision. It is a big job. A major program...or at least it was, and there were huge shoes to fill. In any other circumstance but blind nepotism, would UConn have hired a career journeyman NBA player with a total coaching experience of three years as an assistant? No. Wouldn't get a sniff. Central might have hired him. Maybe. And that's where he should have started. We needed an experienced hand who could handle the situation.
Expand ...
Hindsight has proven you right. And I agree that there is no substitute for experience. But I think--or at least thought--that a good case could be made that his years on NBA benches, where he reportedly spent countless hours scouting the other teams to make the most of his scant minutes and was also viewed as a mature leader in the locker room, were the functional equivalent of at least a few more years of coaching experience. And in those first few seasons, he seemed to have a decent knack for out of bounds plays, in game adjustments and pushing the right buttons. I attributed those things more so to his NBA experience than to the few years he spent as an assistant here.

But, in retrospect, it looks like there were a number of factors in play. Yes, better players. And yes, better coaching assistants. But I still believe that Ollie himself was different for the first few seasons. He was engaged. He was passionate. I thought he would continue to adapt and grow with the job, but maybe the combination of the divorce, his own intoxication with his immediate success and, ultimately, his apparent limitations combined to lead us here.

It's a tough call imo. Like most things, I don't think it's black or white; I think there is a lot of grey. And I have a hard time adopting the narrative that he lucked into that early success with someone else's players and that he is essentially our equivalent of "Chauncey Gardiner."
 
8893 said:
Hindsight has proven you right. And I agree that there is no substitute for experience. But I think--or at least thought--that a good case could be made that his years on NBA benches, where he reportedly spent countless hours scouting the other teams to make the most of his scant minutes and was also viewed as a mature leader in the locker room, were the functional equivalent of at least a few more years of coaching experience. And in those first few seasons, he seemed to have a decent knack for out of bounds plays, in game adjustments and pushing the right buttons. I attributed those things more so to his NBA experience than to the few years he spent as an assistant here.

But, in retrospect, it looks like there were a number of factors in play. Yes, better players. And yes, better coaching assistants. But I still believe that Ollie himself was different for the first few seasons. He was engaged. He was passionate. I thought he would continue to adapt and grow with the job, but maybe the combination of the divorce, his own intoxication with his immediate success and, ultimately, his apparent limitations combined to lead us here.

It's a tough call imo. Like most things, I don't think it's black or white; I think there is a lot of grey. And I have a hard time adopting the narrative that he lucked into that early success with someone else's players and that he is essentially our equivalent of "Chauncey Gardiner."
Expand ...

I can't argue with that. I hoped playing experience would help. And I fully supported him when he got the job. I certainly never rooted for him to fail, and don't now.

What I think was/is missing related to the difference in being the leader of a program and merely "understanding basketball" along with the differences in the college and NBA games. That's both on court, and off court. Coaching kids out of HS and coaching NBA players, even young ones, is not the same. The game itself is different. Not may coaches make the transition effectively. Stevens did. Pitino didn't. Cal didn't. Larry Brown did. Another negative that I thought would be a positive, was the fact that Kevin moved around from team to team. Exposure to several head coaches? Yes. Deep understanding of how they run their team, and how they structure the offense and defense and find players for it? Probably not. By way of example, one year working with Belichick is not the same as 8 years working with him.

I sense that Kevin is a guy who kind of coaches by the seat of his pants. He lets the team go where it will and coaches by instinct and feel. When you're got a veteran team with talent, that may be a great approach. When you've got a young team that needs consistency and firm direction, it's a terrible approach.
 
Looking back at the 2014 championship roster, that team was pretty well stacked.

Shabazz- Superstar
Boat- Star
Giffey- Star
Daniels- Star
Kromah-excellent role player who did many things well
Nolan-underated role player, especially on the defensive end
Brimah-role player, rim protector, St.Joe's hero

That's a nice mix of players to work with. No denying that KO did a great job in years 1 and 2. But the cupboard has never been refilled nor properly utilized since then.
 
Great thread. However for me, his legacy will be stained for a little while.
 
Huskybass said:
Looking back at the 2014 championship roster, that team was pretty well stacked.

Shabazz- Superstar
Boat- Star
Giffey- Star
Daniels- Star
Kromah-excellent role player who did many things well
Nolan-underated role player, especially on the defensive end
Brimah-role player, rim protector, St.Joe's hero

That's a nice mix of players to work with. No denying that KO did a great job in years 1 and 2. But the cupboard has never been refilled nor properly utilized since then.
Expand ...
Don’t forget Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith transfers and would have been a senior and Junior on that team. Drummond went to the NBA after the 11-12 season and could have been a Junior on the 2014 team and If Lamb stayed he would have been a senior.

That’s how loaded JC’s teams were. One man goes down and another steps up.
 
.-.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,336
Messages
4,565,292
Members
10,465
Latest member
agiglax


Top Bottom