Makai Ashton Langford asks for Release

[superjohn]

This board was blaming all our failures this season on injuries and saying we would have been a really good team without said injuries. Tried to tell you it wasn't nearly that simple and got blasted for it. We are now seeing there were much bigger problems going on and it wasn't all just a case of bad luck.

I get supporting your coach and being positive but I don't get the pollyanna attitude from most of the board when there was on the court evidence that pointed to larger problems. We all want the best for UConn but the ostrich approach doesn't help anything and neither does the Ollie sucks and UConn is dead approach. We have problems with our program and it didn't just happen overnight. We aren't privy to all the behind the scenes stuff but these problems need to be fixed ASAP or it will only get worse and Benedict will be forced into action.

 

[nyhuskies13]

This is a little too hater-iffic for me. MAL is going to be a good player. He would have gotten a lot of minutes next year. We can replace him if we land a top 100 guard, and I highly preferred Tremont, but lets not act like he is a scrub. I also really wish we could nail down that Mass Rivals pipeline and that notion looks kinda dead...

Hate and turn your back on us while we're down, you get that back in spades. Kid will be average

We don't need a top 100 guard, but it could help.

Look, in 2010, we were recruiting and we were finalists for 4 top 20 guards who were all McDonald's All Americans

- Josh Selby, went to Kansas, left after a year of bust
- Brandon Knight who stayed at UK for a year and we beat in the finals
- Doron Lamb, who stayed 2 years and never materialized into a real star
- Cory Joseph, stayed for a year and was nothing special


I was pissed, along with most when we landed a no name, reclassified guy who was jumping up a year - which usually means they're not ready

And in retrospect, I'll take Shabazz Napier again over those clowns any day of the week

Like I said, MAL can keep it moving.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

I'm still in the wait and see camp.
Could it all just be going to Spartacus behind the scenes between Ollie and staff and players? Sure.
But this team needed serious change. For change to occur, people have to go to make room for other people. If MAL and Enoch and Jackson don't want to be here, and are only concerned about playing time and thinking they will just be handed a spot in the starting lineup, then peace out.
Again, it's April 1st, we have 4 scholarships, there are players out there and we just hired Raphael Chillious.
However, if we go into October with Jalen Adams, Terry Larrier and a couple kids from the rec center, then I'll be right there with y'all burning dumpsters on campus.
But Ollie, Chillious, Killings have all earned the right to have a chance to right the ship.

 

[King Husky]

Rebuilds are always way deeper than people anticipate.

Homer fans - of which this board is full of in abundance - will probably not like what they see.

Half will make huge excuses for failure. Half will us the missteps as a reason for change. Both are mostly stupid, so both are wrong.

This team was a broken piece of crap this year. Chemistry issues were abundant. Execution issues were abundant. Clear that there were ego issues, etc. Also underperformance issues. Also poor coaching issues. Throw this whole steaming pile of crap in a dumpster. Light it on fire.

And see what's left, learn from your mistakes and correct. So far - Ollie seems to be making an attempt to do that, so good on him. He doesn't have much time left on my personal good will timeline, here - but he's doing what he should have and should be abundantly obvious to anyone who watched this team play more than 3 games.

Agree with much of what you said, but based on what we've heard "he" is not the one doing this. The players are leaving (or not coming) on their own accord.

 

[Ricker]

I am particularly disturbed with the fact that Ollie has been silent and doesn't appear to think the fan base is entitled to some explanations for wholesale player defections, as well as reassurance as to how he is righting the ship. Any business product that is receiving bad press tries to get in front of the story and change the narrative. He is being paid millions by State of CT taxpayers to be the custodian of an asset that the state takes pride in. The public has a stake in this and does have a right not to be ignored. Ollie should be giving candid info and be responsive to difficult questions, at least to the beat writers. And, the AD should be the one demanding good public relations and shouldn't be off the hook for what is a snow balling public relations fiasco to compound the personnel turn over. They both take the money, which includes public relations as part of the job. It's pissing me off more as I write this.

 

[tentoes4rings]

What's most troubling is if the Durham rumor is true, that will be 3 out of 4 returning frontcourt players who left. They wouid all stand to see a lot of minutes, why leave now?

 

[intlzncster]

I am particularly disturbed with the fact that Ollie has been silent and doesn't appear to think the fan base is entitled to some explanations for wholesale player defections, as well as reassurance as to how he is righting the ship. Any business product that is receiving bad press tries to get in front of the story and change the narrative. He is being paid millions by State of CT taxpayers to be the custodian of an asset that the state takes pride in. The public has a stake in this and does have a right not to be ignored. Ollie should be giving candid info and be responsive to difficult questions, at least to the beat writers. And, the AD should be the one demanding good public relations and shouldn't be off the hook for what is a snow balling public relations fiasco to compound the personnel turn over. They both take the money, which includes public relations as part of the job. It's pissing me off more as I write this.

You don't normally get any explanation for these kinds of things. Sometimes the AD releases a boiler plate statement, but that's it.

Coach might say "we wish them well" etc. It's actually worse optics to admit problems or structural flaws.

This way, they can tell recruits, that the players who left simply wanted more playing time.