Makai Ashton Langford asks for Release

[SouthBayHusky]

Many folks here are making this about us. As in the program has a problem. Conflating all these different situations may be wrong. This could all be about me. Enoch is leaving for playing time. That is about me. Vance is leaving because his talents aren't being showcased in his mind, or his dad's. That is about me. MAL may be leaving for the same reasons. He's at best the fourth guard off the bench next year especially after the year Vital had. This could be about me, not us. We want kids who are about us, not about me. Don't assume it is about us, unless we find out it is about us. It could all be about me. Pour yourself a nice glass of scotch, get a good premium cigar going and take a deep breath. Whoever is on the court in the fall will be about us, not about me. Whoever they may be I'm going to cheer for them. Go Huskies!

I've got a beautiful bridge I would love to sell you

 

[upstater]

Guards are the only thing we develop.

So, if MAL didn't decommit because of Ollie's inability to develop players, it must be other things. Like losing.

 

[mauconnfan]

They were definitely in the Hartford area when I was growing up in the 80's. I believe everybody north of Hartford were Patriots fans. Of course being down in Meriden I can see were you would only find New York fans.

Not true as there were tons of Red Sox fans. Pats just weren't there yet in the 60's-70's growing up. I mean Meriden was 2 hours to NYC and 2 hours to Boston, right in the middle. You were on or the other and we had great wiffle ball games and backyard football battles due to that. Basketball was a funny thing, most leaned to the Celts in the late 60's-70's with Hondo, Jo Jo, KC, Big Red etc etc......

 

[Walker11]

Guards are the only thing we develop.

Its going to be a lot easier to develop bigs if Chillious can recruit the type of bigs he was hired to do. There really aren't that many good bigs in college hoops if you haven't noticed. One legit big commit could flip this entire perception. I doubt we have this talking point if we land a polished 1 and done like Stone. I have bigger worries.

 

[Walker11]

I was in New Haven, and most of the people were Giants fans, a handful of Patriots fans (about 8 of us would drive up in 2 cars to Foxboro a couple times a year), with very few Jets fans.

As I said, 20% of the season ticket holder fanbase was from Connecticut.

Growing up in Fairfield in the 90's, I would say it was something like 50/30/20 Giants Jets Pats.I definitely grew up with some sad sack Pats fans who would soon become insufferable. Definitely not all front runners.

 

[3rdbass]

Not true as there were tons of Red Sox fans. Pats just weren't there yet in the 60's-70's growing up. I mean Meriden was 2 hours to NYC and 2 hours to Boston, right in the middle. You were on or the other and we had great wiffle ball games and backyard football battles due to that. Basketball was a funny thing, most leaned to the Celts in the late 60's-70's with Hondo, Jo Jo, KC, Big Red etc etc.

Well Meriden is closer to Waterbury area. I was talking about the Hartford area were there was definitely a decent amount of PATS fans there.

 

[formerlurker]

Is it OK to say now that I think he looks like Wanda Sykes?

 

[nyhuskies13]

After a day to reflect, am I the only one thinking good riddance with MAL??

It's difficult to name a decommit or transfer under Ollie or Calhoun that became a stud All-America.

Mo Harkless might have been the best player?And he left after a year

Like breaking up with a chick. Hurts at first, then you're just like, good luck being a back up point guard somewhere else with no jump shot and playing with your greatest skill being that you're a 'winner'

 

[AdamaNation]

After a day to reflect, am I the only one thinking good riddance with MAL??

It's difficult to name a decommit or transfer under Ollie or Calhoun that became a stud All-America.

Mo Harkless might have been the best player?And he left after a year

Like breaking up with a chick. Hurts at first, then you're just like, good luck being a back up point guard somewhere else with no jump shot and playing with your greatest skill being that you're a 'winner'

Hazelton became RI all time leading scorer or something didn't he?

 

[AdamaNation]

After a day to reflect, am I the only one thinking good riddance with MAL??

It's difficult to name a decommit or transfer under Ollie or Calhoun that became a stud All-America.

Mo Harkless might have been the best player?And he left after a year

Like breaking up with a chick. Hurts at first, then you're just like, good luck being a back up point guard somewhere else with no jump shot and playing with your greatest skill being that you're a 'winner'

Good point though. Guys that leave also leave our memories. Curtis was good at k state. But can't recall

 

[nyhuskies13]

Hazelton became RI all time leading scorer or something didn't he?

I don't know you, but you would've averaged 6pts and 3rbs on those Rhode Island teams

Fact that we have to reach back 11yrs to remember one also speaks volumes

 

[Paesano]

I guess this is due to the sanctions, right?

 

[nyhuskies13]

Curtis did average 10pts, 5rbs as a senior on a squad.

We also won a title that year.

Point is, we hardly ever really miss these guys. MAL hurts based on timing and general direction of the program.

But he could've saved that little tweet - no one gives . Tell your stories walkin MAL... no one is going to stay tuned

 

[Walker11]

After a day to reflect, am I the only one thinking good riddance with MAL??

It's difficult to name a decommit or transfer under Ollie or Calhoun that became a stud All-America.

Mo Harkless might have been the best player?And he left after a year

Like breaking up with a chick. Hurts at first, then you're just like, good luck being a back up point guard somewhere else with no jump shot and playing with your greatest skill being that you're a 'winner'

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...

 

[Towney007]

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.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

Yes, it does. Because this is one year. And as I've said, they are leaving because they are losing.

The next guy isn't going to recruit like this.

I agree, but how many times do you see that many players jumping ship for 1 losing season, unless of course we are referring to the performance over the last three seasons. Even that doesn't add up entirely

 

[upstater]

Good point though. Guys that leave also leave our memories. Curtis was good at k state. But can't recall

Curtis was also benched multiple times and had huge troubles with the coach. Was a head case there.

 

[upstater]

I agree, but how many times do you see that many players jumping ship for 1 losing season, unless of course we are referring to the performance over the last three seasons. Even that doesn't end up entirely

Great point. These kids think the ship is sinking, clearly. Not Enoch--I think he genuinely left because of fears about development. But the idea that UConn's losing causes fear in these kids. Remember with Harkless's handler when he said that the days of UConn winning were over? This sort of story feeds on itself.

 

[superjohn]

Not trying to disagree just saying in the 60's in Meriden CT I didn't know of one Patriot fan probably through to moving to WesMass in '90. There were Giants, Cowboys, Raiders and a few Jets and Steelers but no Pats fans at all and I'm not kidding. Not until Grogan did they even show up on anyone's radar in mid CT.. Not saying there weren't any but they would be very hard to find.

Grew up in the 80's and 90's in Northwest CT. and I also didn't know a single Patriots fan.

 

[AdamaNation]

I don't know you, but you would've averaged 6pts and 3rbs on those Rhode Island teams

Fact that we have to reach back 11yrs to remember one also speaks volumes

Maybe I did

 

[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 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.