New Details on Freeman’s Departure

[HuskyHawk]

Read it on Outline. Don't get the big deal here. This is common across all sports and all of the business world. Some people are insanely driven, and put their job and career above all else. It does not surprise me at all that Dan does this. Other people want and expect a work life balance, and it seems Kevin was such a person. I've seen it over and over in my career as well.

Dan is going to burn out at this pace. And he is going to burn out his staff and maybe some players if what is reported is accurate. It's not sustainable. I recognize that it's the rebuilding phase, but at some point you need to leverage the fact that you're UConn, as they do at all the big schools. Then reloading the roster gets a bit easier.

 

[polycom]

Why did we create a position for Freeman? Did someone else lose their job? I thought our AD was broke? Don't we have to replace him as a coach? We are just going to accept that we a retirement fund for former athletes?

 

[Magic32]

Why did we create a position for Freeman? Did someone else lose their job? I thought our AD was broke? Don't we have to replace him as a coach? We are just going to accept that we a retirement fund for former athletes?

Position already existed and doubt the money is actually out of athletics budget.

 

[polycom]

Position already existed and doubt the money is actually out of athletics budget.

Did someone have the position? Had it been vacant for years? I'm just confused on how we are making this math work here...

 

[UCDaveD]

Did someone have the position? Had it been vacant for years? I'm just confused on how we are making this math work here...

One of Geno’s assistants held the job before returning to his bench I believe. I think it was only vacant for this past year.

 

[Hugo]

Freeman wanted to play the 3 his senior year because he had pro aspirations and was too undersized to be a 4 in NBA of that era, his size dictated he was a swing. He wanted to showcase his skills. it is one of the only times I can remember Calhoun capitulating to a player's wishes at the detriment of the team. Freeman was not a very effective 3 man.

I remember this as well as Kevin expressed his desire to play the 3, but with a slightly different scenario as background. If I remember correctly, we really didn't have a serviceable 3 on the team at that time, but we did have Saunders who could play the 4. My initial reaction was the same as yours in that JC may have capitulated. However, after thinking it through I believed it might work with Saunders at the 4, but was never really confident about Freeman succeeding at the 4. Not sure there was a win-win option back then.

 

[tcf15]

Transfer talk was after the 97-98 season:

PUTTING AN END TO TRANSFER RUMORS

Kevin Freeman said there have been “false things” spread around about him lately, and he doesn’t know where they are coming from. He does know this: He will be in a UConn uniform …

www.courant.com

 

[Adios]

Read it on Outline. Don't get the big deal here. This is common across all sports and all of the business world. Some people are insanely driven, and put their job and career above all else. It does not surprise me at all that Dan does this. Other people want and expect a work life balance, and it seems Kevin was such a person. I've seen it over and over in my career as well.

Dan is going to burn out at this pace. And he is going to burn out his staff and maybe some players if what is reported is accurate. It's not sustainable. I recognize that it's the rebuilding phase, but at some point you need to leverage the fact that you're UConn, as they do at all the big schools. Then reloading the roster gets a bit easier.

Unfortunately, the NBA wants people who think like Dan.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

'talented' people are a dime a dozen.
'He led the Huskies to a Big East Conference tournament championship, and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. Connecticut then went on to win the 1999 NCAA Basketball Tournament, with Freeman gaining All-West Regional honors to get the Huskies to the Final Four.'
'In the national championship game, Connecticut defeated Duke 77–74 to win their first ever national championship, snapping Duke's 32-game winning streak, and scoring the biggest point-spread upset in Championship Game history. '

kfree's grit was the soul of our first national championship. for most of the 100s of other programs, they'd prolly put up a statue of him with a plaque stating 'persevere!' i certainly haven't forgotten this champion of 'average' talent. the man's been scratching and clawing his entire life.

'well i know what's right, i got just one life.'
'you can stand me up at the gates of hell, but i won't back down.'


#FreeKFree!

 

[TRest]

Transfer talk was after the 97-98 season:

PUTTING AN END TO TRANSFER RUMORS

Kevin Freeman said there have been “false things” spread around about him lately, and he doesn’t know where they are coming from. He does know this: He will be in a UConn uniform …

www.courant.com

I distinctly remember KF coming back and shooting a lot more threes his last year, with what appeared to be JC's blessing.

 

[CL82]

Read it on Outline. Don't get the big deal here. This is common across all sports and all of the business world. Some people are insanely driven, and put their job and career above all else. It does not surprise me at all that Dan does this. Other people want and expect a work life balance, and it seems Kevin was such a person. I've seen it over and over in my career as well.

Dan is going to burn out at this pace. And he is going to burn out his staff and maybe some players if what is reported is accurate. It's not sustainable. I recognize that it's the rebuilding phase, but at some point you need to leverage the fact that you're UConn, as they do at all the big schools. Then reloading the roster gets a bit easier.

Remember that you’re reading these facts through some guys lens. I agree though there may have been different job expectations. Coaching at a top major DI program should be a demanding gig. These guys are paid a premium because of it. There are plenty of programs with lower expectations, less stress, and a lower salary.

As for Danny burning out, who knows? But we had a guy here for a while who was pretty intense and somehow managed to last long enough to get us three national championships. The right guy thrives in that atmosphere.

 

[JimCtheGOAT]

Read it on Outline. Don't get the big deal here. This is common across all sports and all of the business world. Some people are insanely driven, and put their job and career above all else. It does not surprise me at all that Dan does this. Other people want and expect a work life balance, and it seems Kevin was such a person. I've seen it over and over in my career as well.

Dan is going to burn out at this pace. And he is going to burn out his staff and maybe some players if what is reported is accurate. It's not sustainable. I recognize that it's the rebuilding phase, but at some point you need to leverage the fact that you're UConn, as they do at all the big schools. Then reloading the roster gets a bit easier.

True, but Hurley probably realizes the rebuild is going well, but next year is our chance to really become UConn again. This year was undercut by injuries and COVID, which prevented us from having the year we could have. And now its year 4 for him so no more "the program was in shambles" crutch. We're also potentially one shooter away from taking a step up to true contenders, so that's not a huge ask.

In short, I'm not so sure he would react this way every year, but he realizes this is a huge year and I can see why he would be pissed if we weren't going all out in the portal.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Remember that you’re reading these facts through some guys lens. I agree though there may have been different job expectations. Coaching at a top major DI program should be a demanding gig. These guys are paid a premium because of it. There are plenty of programs with lower expectations, less stress, and a lower salary.

As for Danny burning out, who knows? But we had a guy here for a while who was pretty intense and somehow managed to last long enough to get us three national championships. The right guy thrives in that atmosphere.

Agree with you and @JimCtheGOAT that this may be temporary while he gets us to "back". I know Calhoun was intense. I really doubt that Calhoun got angry with assistants for taking a long weekend with their families. Maybe Dan was angry he wasn't told. But if he wasn't told, why? Because he'd say no? If that's the answer, he has a problem with his approach as a manager. I seem to recall Jim spending a fair amount of time at Hilton Head.

 

[8893]

Agree with you and @JimCtheGOAT that this may be temporary while he gets us to "back". I know Calhoun was intense. I really doubt that Calhoun got angry with assistants for taking a long weekend with their families. Maybe Dan was angry he wasn't told. But if he wasn't told, why? Because he'd say no? If that's the answer, he has a problem with his approach as a manager. I seem to recall Jim spending a fair amount of time at Hilton Head.

Maybe he's just pissed that they didn't invite him?

 

[BGesus4]

Maybe he's just pissed that they didn't invite him?

Either that or too much air in the chip bag

 

[CL82]

Agree with you and @JimCtheGOAT that this may be temporary while he gets us to "back". I know Calhoun was intense. I really doubt that Calhoun got angry with assistants for taking a long weekend with their families.

But would he if it was out of state in COVID era? Would he have if that vacation was in the middle of of the biggest player grab in college basketball history, and particularly one in which UConn came up empty? I'd don't know, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if the answer was 'hell yeah!'.

 

[CL82]

Either that or too much air in the chip bag

How many of us have lost our tempers after opening a bulging chip bag only to be disappointed by the actual content? I believe that Fishy once killed a man in Reno because of it and has sworn off chips ever since.

 

[dennismenace]

Remember that you’re reading these facts through some guys lens. I agree though there may have been different job expectations. Coaching at a top major DI program should be a demanding gig. These guys are paid a premium because of it. There are plenty of programs with lower expectations, less stress, and a lower salary.

As for Danny burning out, who knows? But we had a guy here for a while who was pretty intense and somehow managed to last long enough to get us three national championships. The right guy thrives in that atmosphere.

Exactly. Danny is demanding of himself and his staff. Everyone has to figure that out for themselves in any position; the sacrifice is great but so are the financial and achievement goals and rewards. But it has to be in harmony with your family and life goals. You can't have the money and the prestige without the sacrifices. And as has been pointed out by many; most of the article(s) are nothing more than speculation by unnamed sources.

Best wishes to all. I will always admire KF as a warrior who helped leave a great legacy in building this program with JC and his teammates.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

How many of us have lost our tempers after opening a bulging chip bag only to be disappointed by the actual content? I believe that Fishy once killed a man in Reno because of it and has sworn off chips ever since.

as a member of the 'nacho cheez doritos' fan club, i can certainly attest to the great and grave disappointment when, periodically, u open a bag and it's full of mostly crumbs and chip dust. turrible, cuz you just know that u'll end up with an orange mess all over ur face and hands. orange nose and fingernails are not a good look. i luv reno, 'the biggest little city in the world.'

 

[RMoore1999]

Right. And the following season all he did was brick line drive jumpers off the back iron.

The fact of the matter is this. Dan Hurley is not a UConn alum or a branch on the Calhoun coaching tree. There will always be an attachment from some alumni to the school, as with all schools. But the ties with people like Freeman or Ollie or other former players is not the same as it was before and likely going to weaken further over time.

Said differently. I want the best coaching staff to position us to win....and I don't care if the new guy wore a UConn jersey.

Agreed.

My attachment to the past as an alum is craving the return of the high that the 18 league championships and 4 National Titles since 1990 provided. Some pretty sweet highs...

 

[Pudge]

Read it on Outline. Don't get the big deal here. This is common across all sports and all of the business world. Some people are insanely driven, and put their job and career above all else. It does not surprise me at all that Dan does this. Other people want and expect a work life balance, and it seems Kevin was such a person. I've seen it over and over in my career as well.

Dan is going to burn out at this pace. And he is going to burn out his staff and maybe some players if what is reported is accurate. It's not sustainable. I recognize that it's the rebuilding phase, but at some point you need to leverage the fact that you're UConn, as they do at all the big schools. Then reloading the roster gets a bit easier.

yeah but ...

LOOK at who Dan Hurley's father is. READ some of the books, articles, talk to people who know him. LOOK at Calhoun. There is a level of coaching that is this 24/7 ... and we label that old school (but it ain't). He could be the newco version of a guy who is just wired for this. I learned a lot of my behavior from my Dad and I bet a lot of us did model our workday around what we saw. I want the right Transfer - by the way - not just filler. It is not surprising to me that Hurley had previous relationships with both Cole and Martin. Calhoun often said (maybe Edsall too) ... you do not want to take on some kid who is running from problems. No matter the talent; you need to be far more questioning of transfers - and rigorous in due diligence.

 

[Umami Zen]

Serious question.. Did Kimani have the same conversation with DH (that Freeman had) about his disappointment with how the Fla trip was handled? Or was it strictly a KFree discussion?

Realize this is conjecture but curious if anyone thinks it was KFree only.. IF yes..Why?

 

[Tenspro2002]

Freeman wanted to play the 3 his senior year because he had pro aspirations and was too undersized to be a 4 in NBA of that era, his size dictated he was a swing. He wanted to showcase his skills. it is one of the only times I can remember Calhoun capitulating to a player's wishes at the detriment of the team. Freeman was not a very effective 3 man.

The irony is he'd be a textbook college 4 in today's game, including shooting from the perimeter.

 

[HooperScooper]

The irony is he'd be a textbook college 4 in today's game, including shooting from the perimeter.

Well if he could actually shoot. Maybe in today's world he would practice more and get good at it.

 

[QDOG5]

Recruiting exclusively in the state of New Jersey doesn't require tireless work by your assistant coaches.

Everytime I log on to my computer I hear about Duke getting this or that 5 star recruit. Can we maybe land one or two of those once in a while?

Duke just got Theo John so they're going for 3 star guys in the portal.