Message To The Team

[ucp990411]

No I am not kidding. Calhoun was one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game but not because of his recruiting skills. Pretty sure the highest ranked recruit he ever got was Donyell or Drummond, but other than that I don't think he ever got anyone in the top ten, and the list of top recruits he lost out on is a long one....Rondell Jackson, Wayne Turner, Ryan Gomes, Marcus Camby, Bill Curley, John Bagley, and a ton of other kids UConn went after or just missed the boat on. What made Calhoun great was to take kids like Brian Fair, Rip Hamilton, Kahlid, Hilton, Josh, Ray, Ollie, Ricky Moore, Emeka, Ben, Jake, and many others, and make them better players than the top ten or fifteen kids that they never got.

Charlie V, Khalid, Caron, Rudy Gay all top 10.

 

[huskyrob1]

Charlie V, Khalid, Caron, Rudy Gay all top 10.

Forgot about Gay and Charlie V, but I thought Kahlid was top twenty or even higher than that, only guy that gave him a higher ranking was Bob Gibbons. Caron was not ranked at all until he left Wisconsin and cleaned up his act at MCI.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

No I am not kidding. Calhoun was one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game but not because of his recruiting skills. Pretty sure the highest ranked recruit he ever got was Donyell or Drummond, but other than that I don't think he ever got anyone in the top ten, and the list of top recruits he lost out on is a long one....Rondell Jackson, Wayne Turner, Ryan Gomes, Marcus Camby, Bill Curley, John Bagley, and a ton of other kids UConn went after or just missed the boat on. What made Calhoun great was to take kids like Brian Fair, Rip Hamilton, Kahlid, Hilton, Josh, Ray, Ollie, Ricky Moore, Emeka, Ben, Jake, and many others, and make them better players than the top ten or fifteen kids that they never got.

This is wild stuff. Rudy Gay was a top 5 player. So was Charlie Villanueva if I recall correctly. Taliek was a McDonald's All-American, as were Kemba (or "Kimber" as Jimmy would say) and Khalid.

More importantly, if you're going to say Hurley is better, who are you relying on? Akok Akok? Rashad Anderson was ranked higher.

 

[huskyrob1]

This is wild stuff. Rudy Gay was a top 5 player. So was Charlie Villanueva if I recall correctly. Taliek was a McDonald's All-American, as were Kemba (or "Kimber" as Jimmy would say) and Khalid.

More importantly, if you're going to say Hurley is better, who are you relying on? Akok Akok? Rashad Anderson was ranked higher.

For him to get the players he got in his first year, after the Ollie disaster last year and the year before (more 30 point blowouts for one team than I can ever remember), is incredible. Did Calhoun get three or four players like that his first year in 86?

 

[ASweet3781]

If an in game adjustment means benching your over hyped star, because of stupid turnovers or missed shot after missed shot, I'm all for it. Jim Calhoun was not as good a recruiter as Dan Hurely is but a much better game coach as it stands right now. Hurley is a great sideline cheerleader but needs to work on his game coaching moves with respect to his starters and his first people off the bench. Calhoun would have yanked Adams after the first minute after the first turn over and the missed way short three attempt.

I know I'm late to this one but we are making declarations that Hurley is a better recruiter than Calhoun already? The crazy in that statement.

 

[Huskymagic]

Forgot about Gay and Charlie V, but I thought Kahlid was top twenty or even higher than that, only guy that gave him a higher ranking was Bob Gibbons. Caron was not ranked at all until he left Wisconsin and cleaned up his act at MCI.

Hurley has done a good job recruiting for next year so far, but in NO WAY has he earned the right to be a called a better recruiter than Calhoun until he does it for many years in a row and is able to produce multiple lottery picks over a long time span.

Hurley has a long way to go before he can be compared to Jim Calhoun. I like Hurley but calm down with the hyperbole.

 

[intlzncster]

I know I'm late to this one but we are making declarations that Hurley is a better recruiter than Calhoun already? The crazy in that statement.

Well, this team was supposed to make it into the second weekend of the Dance, so we might as well swing for the fences while we're at it.

 

[huskyrob1]

I know I'm late to this one but we are making declarations that Hurley is a better recruiter than Calhoun already? The crazy in that statement.

How good a recruiter was Calhoun in his first year at UConn, did he get 3 or 4 highly ranked players like Hurley just signed???
Jim Calhoun is not in the HOF because of an incredible number of top recruiting classes, that coaches like Calipari, Coach Krap, Boeheim, and John Thompson garnered. Recruiting is only part of the game anyway, JC proved that.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

“Message to the team”

L.O.L.

Sometimes, maybe it's OK to shoot the messenger.

 

[intlzncster]

How good a recruiter was Calhoun in his first year at UConn, did he get 3 or 4 highly ranked players like Hurley just signed???
Jim Calhoun is not in the HOF because of an incredible number of top recruiting classes, that coaches like Calipari, Coach Krap, Boeheim, and John Thompson garnered. Recruiting is only part of the game anyway, JC proved that.

UCONN when JC came in <> UCONN when Hurley came in.

 

[ucp990411]

This is wild stuff. Rudy Gay was a top 5 player. So was Charlie Villanueva if I recall correctly. Taliek was a McDonald's All-American, as were Kemba (or "Kimber" as Jimmy would say) and Khalid.

More importantly, if you're going to say Hurley is better, who are you relying on? Akok Akok? Rashad Anderson was ranked higher.

Khalid was 8. Caron was the top prep player in the country. RIP was McDonalds I believe. Scott Hazleton was McDonalds. Ricky was in the 20’s. So on. The man certainly could recruit. And as far as not getting them all, back then nobody got them all. The one that hurt was Curley.

 

[huskyrob1]

UCONN when JC came in <> UCONN when Hurley came in.

Really???? UConn was in by far the top basketball conference in the country, the Big East had just sent three teams to the final four. What Hurely just did recruiting in the AAC is pretty good.

 

[3RingsCT]

I said it early on in the season....we have to wait until Hurley gets his guys. This is Ollie’s team with a couple extra pieces. Honestly, not an overly talented team.

Look that Ollie did with Calhoun players. Won a NC. He did absolutely nothing with his own players.

Hurley at least has a track record of developing players and turning programs around. He needs a few years. We can’t get all up in arms after one game. Yeah, it was brutal, but let’s move on. This program has had bad losses in the past and will again in the future.

We all wanted Hurley and went nuts when we got him. Our fan base is so impatient. Fact is we are not that talented. Let’s have this conversation 2 seasons from now and see where we are.

 

[huskyrob1]

I said it early on in the season....we have to wait until Hurley gets his guys. This is Ollie’s team with a couple extra pieces. Honestly, not an overly talented team.

Look that Ollie did with Calhoun players. Won a NC. He did absolutely nothing with his own players.

Hurley at least has a track record of developing players and turning programs around. He needs a few years. We can’t get all up in arms after one game. Yeah, it was brutal, but let’s move on. This program has had bad losses in the past and will again in the future.

We all wanted Hurley and went nuts when we got him. Our fan base is so impatient. Fact is we are not that talented. Let’s have this conversation 2 seasons from now and see where we are.

If you or anyone else didn't think JC did some coaching that year or at the FF, then I have a bridge to sell you.

 

[3RingsCT]

If you or anyone else didn't think JC did some coaching that year or at the FF, then I have a bridge to sell you.

Not sure if he was actually “coaching”, but probably had influenced Ollie in ways. That’s when they were still “talking”. That’s all gone now.

In any event, he had players developed by Calhoun. He never developed any of his own.

Let’s give Hurley a couple years to see what he can develop.

 

[huskyrob1]

Not sure if he was actually “coaching”, but probably had influenced Ollie in ways. That’s when they were still “talking”. That’s all gone now.

In any event, he had players developed by Calhoun. He never developed any of his own.

Let’s give Hurley a couple years to see what he can develop.

I'd say he's done pretty well so far with Vital, Cobb, Gilbert, Polley, Yakwe, and Wilson. Adams is a lost cause, developing Adams would been a challenge for even Calhoun.

 

[Yorkeez4]

If you indicated wins/losses on the UConn schedule at the beginning of the year would the record be better, the same, or worse than it currently is? I’m going with the same or worse. Hurley is doing a good job with what he has. JC built the program but until ‘99 he was the best coach to never make the final four. And on occasion during JC’s tenure there were games that his team got destroyed and fans were shaking their heads. I think JC is the best ever because of where UConn started and what he did. His record against coach K speaks for itself. Give Hurley a chance.

On a side note - Years ago when doing my grid for the tournament I had Villanova losing early because Jay Wright was the coach. He has grown over the years and now in games I think will be close I pick Villanova because of Jay Wright.

 

[intlzncster]

Really???? UConn was in by far the top basketball conference in the country, the Big East had just sent three teams to the final four. What Hurely just did recruiting in the AAC is pretty good.

On the back of a historic program, laden down with 4 National Championships, buttloads of conference championships, and effectively 'blue blood' status.

Not the backwater Storrs was in 1986.

Hurley has mentioned that what he has predominantly sold was UCONN's glorious history.

JC basically sold the old 'I'm whup your into shape if you come here' thing.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

For him to get the players he got in his first year, after the Ollie disaster last year and the year before (more 30 point blowouts for one team than I can ever remember), is incredible. Did Calhoun get three or four players like that his first year in 86?

You're not doing much for your argument. The program has been down the last couple years but Hurley took the job almost exclusively because of the brand Calhoun built, and the opportunity he saw to build on and take advantage of that. That brand quite obviously did not exist when Calhoun took the job.

 

[huskyrob1]

You're not doing much for your argument. The program has been down the last couple years but Hurley took the job almost exclusively because of the brand Calhoun built, and the opportunity he saw to build on and take advantage of that. That brand quite obviously did not exist when Calhoun took the job.

Build on what??? Hurley was building on a record number of 30 point blowouts over two years? That brand didn't help Kevin Ollie one bit either. Lol. I agree Hurley took the job because UConn had won four NC's in the past with the banners and all hanging in Gampel, but going forward, any "brand" will be his and his alone.

 

[Yardigan]

Build on what??? Hurley was building on a record number of 30 point blowouts over two years? That brand didn't help Kevin Ollie one bit either. Lol. I agree Hurley took the job because UConn had won four NC's in the past with the banners and all hanging in Gampel, but going forward, any "brand" will be his and his alone.

That sounds kinda silly...even to a new guy. Calhoun will always be major part of the UConn 'brand'...
Hurls would have to be Wooden-like for that not to be the case.

 

[huskyrob1]

On the back of a historic program, laden down with 4 National Championships, buttloads of conference championships, and effectively 'blue blood' status.

Not the backwater Storrs was in 1986.

Hurley has mentioned that what he has predominantly sold was UCONN's glorious history.

JC basically sold the old 'I'm whup your into shape if you come here' thing.

That 86-87 backwater (Phil Gamble and company) would have beaten last year's team by 30 like everyone else did. The past glory and Blueblood status had become an embarrassment, why do you think Calhoun won't talk to KO, everything Calhoun built came crashing down to nothing, and being in a new conference (AAC) didn't help matters either.

 

[gtcam]

I have no idea about JC's intricacies in recruiting as well as not knowing DH's or KO's.
But I do know that DH is no JC and can find it hard to imagine that he will ever attain the heights that JC attained.
Not because he might not have the ability but he is not coaching in the best college basketball league in history and will not have that built in recruiting advantage. Period.
I think DH will get UConn to a high level of play and respect but if UConn doesn't get on a level playing field with the P5s as far as money and exposure it's going to be near impossible.
As far as a message to the team?
I can only say that there is a ton of work ahead for the players and DH - both displayed a ton of weaknesses on Saturday. Until the players and the coach come to terms on what they have to work on in order to play as tough as they can and much smarter and coach with a plan to fit most any situation, the upcoming conference season is going to be a repeat of the last two. This team has more talent than the previous two but some teams in the league have also gotten a bit stronger.

 

[huskyrob1]

That sounds kinda silly...even to a new guy. Calhoun will always be major part of the UConn 'brand'...
Hurls would have to be Wooden-like for that not to be the case.

Oh ok I got it, the only thing Hurely has to say to new recruits is "Jim Calhoun" and they will come. Only thing silly is you and a few other lifetime fans sitting on your high horse. A dynasty is only a dynasty when it ends.

 

[intlzncster]

That 86-87 backwater (Phil Gamble and company) would have beaten last year's team by 30 like everyone else did.

Fine, did anyone on the national stage care about UCONN whatsoever? Heck half probably didn't even know UCONN played D1 basketball.

People talked about UK, KU, UNC, UCLA, Indiana, Georgetown et al

The past glory and Blueblood status had become an embarrassment,

Of course. That's why they fired KO. Now the rumor on the ground is that Hurley's bringing it back. Recruits like Kofi and Akok are talking about it. High school coaches and AAU are talking about it. Media is talking about it.

why do you think Calhoun won't talk to KO, everything Calhoun built came crashing down to nothing, and being in a new conference (AAC) didn't help matters either.

JC doesn't talk to KO, not because of what happened to the program, but because KO shut him out, tried to big time him. He who had mentored KO and built what he was given. JC is loyal, and he expects the same in return.