Multi-year Extension for Ollie

[UConnDan97]

Anyways, I'll stop at this point. I'm extremely happy for Kevin Ollie, and I want to echo UConNYC's comment that hopefully this is the turning point for WM, and more importantly, for the future of UConn. Well done, Kevin!!!

 

[Inyatkin]

You don't believe that the PR would have been properly taken care of through the provision in the contract on APR standards which is reported to be in there anyway?

Not if we had three guys (theoretically) flunk out first semester after the extension was made.

 

[junglehusky]

First, we both agree that Ollie handled the entire situation with class. No doubt about it.

Secondly, if you believe that this was about academics, and it seems based on what you wrote that you do, then I would have follow-up questions for you.

1) If he was going to put a provision into the contract for APR performance, why would he need to wait for the first semester's grades to be released?

Apparently this is issue is important enough to WM (and possibly higher up the chain) that WM wanted to see how KO would handle the team's academics in the first semester, and going forward the issue will continue to be of central importance, hence the provision in the contract for future performance.

2) Did he believe that players like Olander, Boatright, Napier, Giffey, Wolf, Evans (H.C.), Daniels, and everyone else that's back from last year would not continue their adequate academic performance without Calhoun there? If so, why?

I don't know what he believed or not, but again, I think he wanted to see how KO would handle all aspects of the program including academics. It's one thing to be an assistant, it's another to be responsible for running the whole show.

Finally, I disagree with you that losing 1 or 2 recruits doesn't affect a program. Of course it affects a program. Especially a program with an extremely uncertain conference future. Let's just hope that we are good enough to make our way through it...

I didn't quite say it's won't affect the program, I said it wouldn't affect us long term. The short term loss of 1-2 recruits can be offset by the long term benefit of taking the time to make the right decision, as confidently as possible with as much information as possible, with the right priorities. That's my feeling, though I understand fans wanted a resolution the day after Calhoun retired.

 

[UConnDan97]

Not if we had three guys (theoretically) flunk out first semester after the extension was made.

Again, if that were the case then based on what Huskymedic just posted, Kevin could have been fired anyway. So no, it didn't matter. Again, I'll wrap it up by saying it is a great day for Kevin and for UConn. Here's to hoping for many more great days to come...

 

[huskymedic]

Neill Ostrout (@NeillOstrout)
12/29/12, 5:03 PM
Manuel: "Briefly he’s shown that he can coach, lead this team on the court and academically."

These were the metrics that were set in the beginning and he passed with flying colors...

 

[Adios]

The wait was all about seeing how well Ollie can coach. He's proving himself.

 

[Dann]

ko nailed the press conf. i missed the begining if warde or some 1 spoke tho. ko was great. its not about 1 or 5 years. hes our guy the next 30 and its a dam crime warde handled it like he did. its about the family and warde bein g a outsider can go himself imho.

 

[UConn990411]

Exactly! So then there was absolutely no academic reason to wait for the semester's end...

I think you've made your opinion clear. Enough already.

Like ace, I wanted Ollie to get an extension from the get-go, but I think Warde handled it reasonably well. He wanted to see how Ollie - who had 0 head coaching experience and was an assistant for just two years - would perform at the helm, which includes everything from practices and games to players' grades. Warde felt that if losing a couple recruits in the short-term was what it cost to make the right long-term decision, then it was a price he'd be willing to pay.

Again, I was in favor in Ollie getting locked up immediately, but I appreciate that he never gets rushed into a decision. (Although I don't agree with holding onto PP.)

 

[suzyq]

The one to the left is how I earned my BS in chemistry. The one to the right is where I did post-graduate work. I was using it as a way to show people who were down on the current state of UConn that things are continuing to get better....much better....and that the dark cloud will soon be on its way somewhere else.

What year did you get your BS?

 

[Dann]

I think you've made your opinion clear. Enough already.

Like ace, I wanted Ollie to get an extension from the get-go, but I think Warde handled it reasonably well. He wanted to see how Ollie - who had 0 head coaching experience and was an assistant for just two years - would perform at the helm, which includes everything from practices and games to players' grades. Warde felt that if losing a couple recruits in the short-term was what it cost to make the right long-term decision, then it was a price he'd be willing to pay.

Again, I was in favor in Ollie getting locked up immediately, but I appreciate that he never gets rushed into a decision. (Although I don't agree with holding onto PP.)

so u dont see the trend then? he plays it safe or just wrong and as result we take hit after hit prmedia/games wise? hes everthing up. BLINDERS

 

[huskyharry]

Great news. Congratulations Coach Ollie!

 

[DogMania]

How many recruits did we lose or have a huge impact on?

Uconn's future, great to hear

First off congrats, KO! I wish you a long and successful career coaching our Huskies.

secoundly, I'm sure we missed out on one or two recruits, but it's time to turn the page. Nothing anyone can do about that. Let's hope KO and his staff pull in some talented 2013 recruits this spring and begin to build toward a great 2014 class.

 

[whaler11]

just wait to the press conf. i really want to know why the process went the way it did. i honestly can't imagine a answert that would be acceptable. i can't.

Obviously they aren't going to show up and say that they had a pissing match with Calhoun. You know why the process went the way it did. It was about who is in charge and they didn't like the way that Calhoun manipulated the situation so they penalized Ollie for it.

 

[whaler11]

Look at the brightside for Ollie. He ended up with 5 years instead of 2 or 3 based on how he handled it.

 

[Dann]

after watching that.....WOW.......

 

[aceboon]

Look at the brightside for Ollie. He ended up with 5 years instead of 2 or 3 based on how he handled it.

good point, even more stability than a 2-3 year deal with a buyout like many of us initially wanted.

 

[whaler11]

after watching that.....WOW.......

I can't believe I'm going to ask this but... can you expand on your thoughts?

 

[junglehusky]

this is where we split off, ko is a bball coach, not the bball coach, tutor and teacher.

Yes I think this is the main point of disagreement... the MBB coach isn't there just to recruit, isn't there just to win games and diagram plays, he is there to Run. The. Program. Academics and compliance not part of the job? It's in the freakin' job description (assuming the job description is like the posting for the FB coach that someone linked to after RE went to maryland). The MBB head coach is the leader, and the leader is responsible for the whole program. No excuses.


Is it unfair that Memphis or Louisville doesn't have to meet the academic standards that UConn does? Perhaps. But that's the kind of institution we are and will be. Especially if we want to be taken seriously as a B1G candidate. And some people on the Boneyard don't care about this and that's their right. But I bet there are many times more people who are UConn alums who don't post on the Boneyard who do care.

The other point that comes out... I guess I think what the fanbase thinks / says is not as important as what's happening behind closed doors. Yes perception is important... but even if part of perception is shaped by ESPN or whoever, the main source of perception should come from how the university is being run and how the teams are being run. IMHO it's just not the structure of UConn sports that everything is being done out in public, that the athletic director has to submit everything for the public's stamp of approval. Maybe that's how things are run at some places but to me that's not a sign of strong leadership. Strong leadership is establishing core values, then setting high standards and making sure you have the people to meet and exceed those standards. And... don't talk about it, be about it.

Most of the complaining I saw on this board, the football board or the CR board was about not winning enough (valid) or not talking publicly about business (not valid, but many disagree here). I thought it was kind of strange that fans really pilloried WM and SH for saying we want to win more, I guess they thought it was empty promises but if MBB and FB get back to winning conference championships (and WBB continues) then UConn's mojo will be going in the right direction again. That's worth a million times more than any reassuring press conference where Warde "defines his vision" or whatever. Apart from improving PR, I just think words don't matter as much as action.

 

[Dann]

I can't believe I'm going to ask this but... can you expand on your thoughts?

all of his excuses for waiting were exactly all the bs we have talked about. guys not a rock star, hes a chump. at one point he said something like he wasn't over ko's shoulder all the time he had other stuff to do. if we had a actual horde i would have jumped all over that. like what else were u doing warde? certainly not anything in marketing, football, puck or anything that matters these days. ahhhhh!!!

to his credit he didn't come out and say we waited for grades this semester becuase as i said and others have also, is a freaking asinine idea to claim that some posters here like to do. he said they were important but ot the reason or w/e. still to much for me but...he did stress academics and the arp overall which is fine considering where we are right now. the horde will play the midterm grades up becuase they are idiots. i have no probelm with the apr contract langauge either, i think that was actualy the first positive idea i have sene from him media wise. but the whole thing still in the end stinks of his ego vs jc/thefamily and every other fan/alum who saw this for what it was. and for that alone i want him away from this school. when u pile on all the other things, i don't understand how ppl here are so ok with things. its disgusting.

 

[huskymedic]

I can't believe I'm going to ask this but... can you expand on your thoughts?

Let me paraphrase what he will say... #%^*# Warde #die %#** clown #firedumb$hit $***#%!!!!!

 

[huskymedic]

Dom Amore (@AmoreCourant)
12/29/12, 5:23 PM
Warde Manuel - end of academic term and good grades was key to decision

“@KevinRDuffy: Manuel said UConn'd academic performance in the first semester played a role”

You must have turned to vomit.

 

[Dann]

Yes I think this is the main point of disagreement... the MBB coach isn't there just to recruit, isn't there just to win games and diagram plays, he is there to Run. The. Program. Academics and compliance not part of the job? It's in the freakin' job description (assuming the job description is like the posting for the FB coach that someone linked to after RE went to maryland). The MBB head coach is the leader, and the leader is responsible for the whole program. No excuses.

its all fine and jolly to have this type of talk in the contract and job descriptions but u dont live in the real world if u think coach k or roy or izzo etc give 2 about a report card. they each have 30 ppl under them in the ath dept whose sole jobs are to keep those players gradesa nd in check. we had only a few and hathaway us over letting it get out of hand. 2 of the ppl who had those jobs were bad apples who viewded the job as a playful time with players as much as a serious part of the program. thats us. no matter how much iu want to make a bball coach job out to be everything good in college sports, its not. its a business and he is here to win games and ships. with ko we also have the family dynamic which is great also. school does not factor into it past media and talk to make sure u cover yourself. running the program is all talk bs. is he the leader? sure but school work comes right after play station time on his list of things 2 handle, which is its not on the list. the closest he gets to grades type is he calls in the advisors once a week to have the 30 minute meeting and make sure each kid is doing what he has to do. thats it.

 

[junglehusky]

Maybe KO isn't breaking down polynomials or the krebs cycle or whatever... but he is responsible for the tutors and advisors that do. I'm sure he'd be the first to say that, even if you think it's a joke.

 

[UConn5]

If the APR thing is a big deal then put a clause in Ollie's original contract. That way you don't lose recruits and you maintain the ability to get rid of Ollie if he doesn't live up to expectations. It's over now, so whatever, but count me among those who think that Manuel handled this extremely poorly. Seemed pretty transparent that he was waiting on this so that he could claim that it was he, and not Jim Calhoun, who decided that Kevin Ollie should be the next coach.

 

[Dann]

welp my rants are done. warde the pooch big time but i'm gald ko finally has a contract in the end. i just dont want ppl here to think things are all good now becuase they are not. ppl seem to missing the overall boat of issues.

raise of hands, who here would not have wanted the following:
hired ko to a 3 year deal right away with a low buyout after year 2, plan to redo the contract if all is well after year 2 to a nice 5 year or w/e long term one. this brings stabiulity and a easy out for warde. saves face and all the other issues. u can even work apr issue into it back then. think of all the nonsense it would have prevented. media heads ripping uconn, players in the emdia etc etc. one less fire. plus doing this u give ko a much less $$ havey contract. now take that $ and buyout the fball staff(p and gdl). name brown HC 8 games in instead of letting him walk to bc or hire a new staff all togetehr or w/e u wish, just buyout p and g with the $ saved form ko deal shortterm wise. now u have a new vision in fball instea dof the crap we have now.

honestly, considering everything going on from more crappy marketing to CR to blah blah blah how could u say no to this approach? it didn't take me long to think it up and im a illerate, drunk stupid sob who is here only to piss off uconn fans it seems who are short becuase everything goes over there dam heads. every 10 or so posters here i find 1 who gets it and ses the true colors in this who dragged out process, i thank god u few ppl exist.

unfuckingreal

go huskies, beat the out of trees and other huskies and warde. #B1GHARDER