My run down of the Ollie years.

[maineuconnfan]

Uconn Fan’s Opinions Before and After Seasons with Ollie. Obviously this ultra generalizing of brief statements on each season before and after.



2012 - 2013(post-season ban)

Before: I am not sure what to expect. It really stinks that they cannot playin the post season. I just hope Calhoun knows what he was doing getting Ollie this job.



After: Not too bad. A lot of promise for a first season, considering the post-season ban. Didn’t look great, but they fought and won 20 games. I think Shabazz might have a pretty good season next year.



2013-2014(champions)

Before: Well, I think we could be a borderline top 25 team. Maybe surprise a few teams. I think our ceiling is probably a sweet sixteen, worse case scenario, we miss the bubble.



After: I guess Calhoun really new what he was doing with ollie. Players developed great throughout the season. We won our 4th title…cannot wait to see what type of recruits Ollie will begin to pull in



2014 - 2015(nit)

Before: Not really sure if Boatright will be able to carry the same load as shabazz…but I am really excited to see the Ferrari coming out along side with frosh Hamilton. I think we could be a borderline top 25 team. Not super high expectations, but I think we could compete.



After: A bit of a disappointing season. I think Purvis was a little disappointing. But there is a lot of promise in the core players coming back. I feel pretty good that we will rebound back and make the tourney next year.



2015 -2016 (25 wins and 2nd round exit)

Before: I think we will have a solid squad. Still a lot of pieces to put together with transfers. I am hoping that purvis steps up like he did at the end season. I am thinking our ceiling is probably a sweet 16 .



After: Not a disappointing season, but felt we probably could have been even a little better if the pieces had a chance to play with each other a little longer. The grad transfer thing is good, but you still need a more solid core to build around if you want to go deeper in the tourney.



2016-2017(first losing season in 30 years)

Before: On paper this team looks like it could be really solid. Great recruiting class, some nice returning talent. A little disappointing that Hamilton went out, but Larrier should pick up that slack.



After: Definitely one of the more disappointing seasons we have had. Obviously we had probably one of the most unlucky seasons as far as injuries are concerned. But I really expected them to compete for a conference title. Not enough ball handling on this team. Ollies preparation for games is beginning to be a question mark….maybe they won in 2014 because it was Calhouns guys.



2017 - 2018 ( currently 11-11)

Before: Well it has definitely been a rough year for Uconn, a losing season and a loss of a good chunk of their best recruiting class in a few years. Jalen Adams, Larrier and Gilbert is a pretty solid trio, with a good supporting cast. I am afraid we are a bubble team this year…with a ceiling of a 2nd round loss.



Currently: The program is done for. I do not know how we have hit rock bottom in 1.5 years, but somehow it has happens. It is just really weird. Ollie cannot coach to save his life. I think we should fire him..

 

[UConnJim]

Read what you wrote about coming into this year. Lost a good chunk of their best recruiting class in a few years. Your solid core of Adams, Larrier, and Gilbert lost one, the ball handler. Your "good supporting cast" was clearly not based on seeing all of the newcomers play, but based on hope, I guess. Throw in a very tough schedule and your expectations were way too optimistic coming into the season.

 

[upstater]

Go back to 2014 prior to championship. Many posters were a lot more negative.

 

[Stinger92860]

Dead program walking..we need change asap

 

[maineuconnfan]

Read what you wrote about coming into this year. Lost a good chunk of their best recruiting class in a few years. Your solid core of Adams, Larrier, and Gilbert lost one, the ball handler. Your "good supporting cast" was clearly not based on seeing all of the newcomers play, but based on hope, I guess. Throw in a very tough schedule and your expectations were way too optimistic coming into the season.

probably true...my expectations were a little higher than they should have been...but I was thinking that the Adams/Gilbert backcourt was going to be very high level and Larrier by midseason was going to be a 15 point per game guy. For supporting, I thought that Vital, Anderson would be solid and they had enough bigs to contribute by committee....but expectation was a bubble team, which really is not that high.

 

[pj]

Uconn Fan’s Opinions Before and After Seasons with Ollie. Obviously this ultra generalizing of brief statements on each season before and after.



2012 - 2013(post-season ban)

Before: I am not sure what to expect. It really stinks that they cannot playin the post season. I just hope Calhoun knows what he was doing getting Ollie this job.



After: Not too bad. A lot of promise for a first season, considering the post-season ban. Didn’t look great, but they fought and won 20 games. I think Shabazz might have a pretty good season next year.



2013-2014(champions)

Before: Well, I think we could be a borderline top 25 team. Maybe surprise a few teams. I think our ceiling is probably a sweet sixteen, worse case scenario, we miss the bubble.



After: I guess Calhoun really new what he was doing with ollie. Players developed great throughout the season. We won our 4th title…cannot wait to see what type of recruits Ollie will begin to pull in



2014 - 2015(nit)

Before: Not really sure if Boatright will be able to carry the same load as shabazz…but I am really excited to see the Ferrari coming out along side with frosh Hamilton. I think we could be a borderline top 25 team. Not super high expectations, but I think we could compete.



After: A bit of a disappointing season. I think Purvis was a little disappointing. But there is a lot of promise in the core players coming back. I feel pretty good that we will rebound back and make the tourney next year.



2015 -2016 (25 wins and 2nd round exit)

Before: I think we will have a solid squad. Still a lot of pieces to put together with transfers. I am hoping that purvis steps up like he did at the end season. I am thinking our ceiling is probably a sweet 16 .



After: Not a disappointing season, but felt we probably could have been even a little better if the pieces had a chance to play with each other a little longer. The grad transfer thing is good, but you still need a more solid core to build around if you want to go deeper in the tourney.



2016-2017(first losing season in 30 years)

Before: On paper this team looks like it could be really solid. Great recruiting class, some nice returning talent. A little disappointing that Hamilton went out, but Larrier should pick up that slack.



After: Definitely one of the more disappointing seasons we have had. Obviously we had probably one of the most unlucky seasons as far as injuries are concerned. But I really expected them to compete for a conference title. Not enough ball handling on this team. Ollies preparation for games is beginning to be a question mark….maybe they won in 2014 because it was Calhouns guys.



2017 - 2018 ( currently 11-11)

Before: Well it has definitely been a rough year for Uconn, a losing season and a loss of a good chunk of their best recruiting class in a few years. Jalen Adams, Larrier and Gilbert is a pretty solid trio, with a good supporting cast. I am afraid we are a bubble team this year…with a ceiling of a 2nd round loss.



Currently: The program is done for. I do not know how we have hit rock bottom in 1.5 years, but somehow it has happens. It is just really weird. Ollie cannot coach to save his life. I think we should fire him..

More or less mirrors my view. I think Ollie has had some bad luck with injuries but he also has assembled a roster that is extremely easy to defend (only one creative threat in Adams, limited guards, inexperienced bigs). The last straw is the NCAA investigation. I could see that when he got desperate and called in his NBA friends for help he was committing NCAA violations, now the NCAA is going to drop the hammer on him. The failure to strategize a roster and recruit to key needs and get players to eat and train well enough to avoid injuries is bad enough, but committing violations along the way makes his tenure a disaster. With the violations there is cause to fire him and evade the buyout, UConn will surely avail itself of that opportunity. I think KO has a lot of strengths as a coach but he just wasn't smart enough to figure out key elements of the job and failed to build a team around him that could cover for his weaknesses. Thanks for the national championship but if he wants to be a head coach, he should practice at a lower level school until he figure out how to construct a roster, recruit, build a staff, and adapt.

 

[Fishy]

Ollie, pre-national championship, was the man we needed. He wasn’t a great bench coach, but he worked and kids played for him.

Ollie, post-national championship, is Godzilla and our hopes and expectations are Tokyo.

It’s a shame - he blew what could have been a terrific career here.

 

[JMick]

Ollie, pre-national championship, was the man we needed. He wasn’t a great bench coach, but he worked and kids played for him.

Ollie, post-national championship, is Godzilla and our hopes and expectations are Tokyo.

It’s a shame - he blew what could have been a terrific career here.

Ollie would be a better coach today if we lost to St. Joes in the first round. Not to say I'd trade the championship, but we'd be a better basketball team this year.

 

[8893]

Ollie, pre-national championship, was the man we needed. He wasn’t a great bench coach, but he worked and kids played for him.

Ollie, post-national championship, is Godzilla and our hopes and expectations are Tokyo.

It’s a shame - he blew what could have been a terrific career here.

 

[Fishy]

Ollie would be a better coach today if we lost to St. Joes in the first round. Not to say I'd trade the championship, but we'd be a better basketball team this year.

Or he would have been fired two years ago.

 

[SirHypeAlot]

At what point do the bar owners in WeHa start shouldering their share of the blame?? I'm looking at you Grant's....

 

[Bryan Lord]

Dear diary...

 

[3rdbass]

If anybody didn't see this coming then they were just blinded by KO winning a championship. After how we performed last year with more talent there was no reason to think we could have been more than a .500 team with his"island of misfit toys" and relying on three guys coming off serious injuries. Especially Gilbert with a recurring shoulder problem. This was pretty much how I thought the season would play out and it is time to turn a new page on the program before it is too late.

 

[Scrutineer]

More or less mirrors my view. I think Ollie has had some bad luck with injuries but he also has assembled a roster that is extremely easy to defend (only one creative threat in Adams, limited guards, inexperienced bigs). The last straw is the NCAA investigation. I could see that when he got desperate and called in his NBA friends for help he was committing NCAA violations, now the NCAA is going to drop the hammer on him. The failure to strategize a roster and recruit to key needs and get players to eat and train well enough to avoid injuries is bad enough, but committing violations along the way makes his tenure a disaster. With the violations there is cause to fire him and evade the buyout, UConn will surely avail itself of that opportunity. I think KO has a lot of strengths as a coach but he just wasn't smart enough to figure out key elements of the job and failed to build a team around him that could cover for his weaknesses. Thanks for the national championship but if he wants to be a head coach, he should practice at a lower level school until he figure out how to construct a roster, recruit, build a staff, and adapt.

Sounds like a well thought out analysis of how Ollie's tenure has evolved and a good plan for him to follow if he chooses to stay with the college game.

What continues to puzzle me is how much his demeanor has changed since 2014, how the players seemed to rally around him those first two years and how much different it all seems today. Where's the life and fun on the bench, for example?

He seems overwhelmed and totally lost on the sideline. Almost as if he's doubting himself, but that's not too hard to imagine in view of the decline over the past four years. Calhoun used to talk about some of his teams being "fragile" and I wonder if Ollie's lack of experience with building a program, any level of program, is really the key issue that has made him appear fragile too.

 

[Chief00]

Uconn Fan’s Opinions Before and After Seasons with Ollie. Obviously this ultra generalizing of brief statements on each season before and after.



2012 - 2013(post-season ban)

Before: I am not sure what to expect. It really stinks that they cannot playin the post season. I just hope Calhoun knows what he was doing getting Ollie this job.



After: Not too bad. A lot of promise for a first season, considering the post-season ban. Didn’t look great, but they fought and won 20 games. I think Shabazz might have a pretty good season next year.



2013-2014(champions)

Before: Well, I think we could be a borderline top 25 team. Maybe surprise a few teams. I think our ceiling is probably a sweet sixteen, worse case scenario, we miss the bubble.



After: I guess Calhoun really new what he was doing with ollie. Players developed great throughout the season. We won our 4th title…cannot wait to see what type of recruits Ollie will begin to pull in



2014 - 2015(nit)

Before: Not really sure if Boatright will be able to carry the same load as shabazz…but I am really excited to see the Ferrari coming out along side with frosh Hamilton. I think we could be a borderline top 25 team. Not super high expectations, but I think we could compete.



After: A bit of a disappointing season. I think Purvis was a little disappointing. But there is a lot of promise in the core players coming back. I feel pretty good that we will rebound back and make the tourney next year.



2015 -2016 (25 wins and 2nd round exit)

Before: I think we will have a solid squad. Still a lot of pieces to put together with transfers. I am hoping that purvis steps up like he did at the end season. I am thinking our ceiling is probably a sweet 16 .



After: Not a disappointing season, but felt we probably could have been even a little better if the pieces had a chance to play with each other a little longer. The grad transfer thing is good, but you still need a more solid core to build around if you want to go deeper in the tourney.



2016-2017(first losing season in 30 years)

Before: On paper this team looks like it could be really solid. Great recruiting class, some nice returning talent. A little disappointing that Hamilton went out, but Larrier should pick up that slack.



After: Definitely one of the more disappointing seasons we have had. Obviously we had probably one of the most unlucky seasons as far as injuries are concerned. But I really expected them to compete for a conference title. Not enough ball handling on this team. Ollies preparation for games is beginning to be a question mark….maybe they won in 2014 because it was Calhouns guys.



2017 - 2018 ( currently 11-11)

Before: Well it has definitely been a rough year for Uconn, a losing season and a loss of a good chunk of their best recruiting class in a few years. Jalen Adams, Larrier and Gilbert is a pretty solid trio, with a good supporting cast. I am afraid we are a bubble team this year…with a ceiling of a 2nd round loss.



Currently: The program is done for. I do not know how we have hit rock bottom in 1.5 years, but somehow it has happens. It is just really weird. Ollie cannot coach to save his life. I think we should fire him..

Hamilton left because he hated school, Daniels left due to bad advice. If these two careers were somehow managed better and stretched out a year or two - Ollie’s tenure would have been significantly better. KO never had continuity with his guys, so the end result is not enough talent at any point in time after 2014. The chaos of KO’s “system” is only not dysfunctional if he has significant talent on his team. The extra pass to the open shooter is not part of KO’s system. Taking someone off the dribble and creating is but you need guys that can do that.

 

[Scrutineer]

Ollie, pre-national championship, was the man we needed. He wasn’t a great bench coach, but he worked and kids played for him.

Ollie, post-national championship, is Godzilla and our hopes and expectations are Tokyo.

It’s a shame - he blew what could have been a terrific career here.

It is a shame. Do you think we'll ever know the full story on why things have so badly fallen apart?

I go back and forth on whether he should get one more year, largely because I rarely missed a game from the late 70's to 2011 and saw his growth as a player and family man and UConn's rise to national prominence, and can't believe Calhoun could be so wrong on who should succeed him and build on his legacy.

Or are his six years the equal of Pasqualoni's and Diaco's and it's time to move on?

 

[Austin316]

Lol we haven’t hit rock bottom in my opinion. Even Jay Wright has his ups and downs. You people are cry babies.

 

[donyell34]

If this isn't rock bottom I wonder what the hell is!!

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Come for the misreading of OP as Mau, stay for the ouch .

 

[Huskybass]

Lol we haven’t hit rock bottom in my opinion. Even Jay Wright has his ups and downs. You people are cry babies.

What exactly would you consider to be rock bottom? We have lost six games this season by between 20 and 35 points and have a losing record over the past two seasons. We have not beaten a ranked team in years and nobody on the team looks happy, including the coaching staff. The Daily Campus has used words like "slaughtered" in headlines after our blowout losses. While I understand your desire to be optimistic, this isn't a pretty picture.

Jay Wright has won 119 games over the past 4 seasons. We have won 72 games in that same span.

 

[boog204]

Lol we haven’t hit rock bottom in my opinion. Even Jay Wright has his ups and downs. You people are cry babies.

Jay Wright had one down season (11-12). They rebounded by winning 20 and making the tournament the next year and are well on their way to their 5th straight 29+ win season since. We are on our way to our second straight losing season and will be missing the tournament for the third time in four years. And the year we did make it, we underachieved as a team by most viewpoints. You cannot compare the two.

 

[Austin316]

Jay Wright had one down season (11-12). They rebounded by winning 20 and making the tournament the next year and are well on their way to their 5th straight 29+ win season since. We are on our way to our second straight losing season and will be missing the tournament for the third time in four years. And the year we did make it, we underachieved as a team by most viewpoints. You cannot compare the two.

I can do whatever I want to do...

I can compare apples to horses, frogs to alligators, hell I can compare pogo sticks to the Empire State Building if I want.

The fact of the matter is this, every coach has a down year or 2 before rebounding.

 

[Austin316]

What exactly would you consider to be rock bottom? We have lost six games this season by between 20 and 35 points and have a losing record over the past two seasons. We have not beaten a ranked team in years and nobody on the team looks happy, including the coaching staff. The Daily Campus has used words like "slaughtered" in headlines after our blowout losses. While I understand your desire to be optimistic, this isn't a pretty picture.

Jay Wright has won 119 games over the past 4 seasons. We have won 72 games in that same span.

If that is rock bottom to you when what is going 0-30?

Why are u looking at his last 4 years? He’s a developed coach. Ur comparing his last 4 years of coaching to KOs first 4?? Why?

 

[Huskybass]

If that is rock bottom to you when what is going 0-30?

Why are u looking at his last 4 years? He’s a developed coach. Ur comparing his last 4 years of coaching to KOs first 4?? Why?

Because the last 2-3 years have far more to do with the state of the program than anything that happened prior to that. During KO's first two years, he had guys on the bench like Blaney, Hobbs and Miller to help him. Since their departures, things have gotten really bad. That's why.

 

[KodiacKemba]

I can do whatever I want to do...

I can compare apples to horses, frogs to alligators, hell I can compare pogo sticks to the Empire State Building if I want.

The fact of the matter is this, every coach has a down year or 2 before rebounding.

Lolololololol