New Staff Tidbits

[CT Rhody]

Based on some salacious suggestions, purportedly you are incorrect. Allegedly albeit absent any avouchment in a few URI empathizers' commentaries, Tom Moore recruited at least one guy. C'mon @CT Rhody get in sync, Moore supposedly recruited his boss.

The question how many players to URI, not how many coaches to Uconn but we’ll regardless. Him and JC did a phenomenal sales job so give them credit.

 

[tcf15]

New UConn men’s coach Hurley has work to do assembling next season’s roster
And, of course, there’s the task of putting together a staff. Though not official yet, Tom Moore will be back at UConn after spending this past season on Hurley’s staff at Rhode Island Eric Youncofski, Hurley’s director of basketball operations, and Tripp Doherty, URI’s video coordinator, will also come along with Hurley, though it’s not known in what capacity. Kevin Freeman, UConn’s director of basketball operations, is likely to be the lone holdover from Ollie’s UConn staff.

 

[huskymedic]

Jersey native, yet finished high school living and playing in Longmeadow, MA.

Reversed... born in Springfield, graduated from Patterson (NJ) High School.

 

[Huskybass]

Good story! I took some of the kids from our neighborhood to a RU v UConn game at the RAC and after the game we were standing and talking to some friends when Kevin came out to talk to some friends. The boys I brought to the game all wearing UConn hats saw him and said hey there is a UConn guy let's get his autograph. Their older brother said leave him alone he is talking to friends. One of the friends overheard that and came up to us and whispered he's a freshman. He would love it if you asked for his autograph. We all got K Free autographs on our UConn hats. I hope we keep him because he has always been one

yes you are right and how did that work out for us?

K Free was one of my favorite UConn players. Tough, very good rebounder and ran the floor very well for a guy his size. If he can get guys to play like he did, I would be stoked.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Reversed... born in Springfield, graduated from Patterson (NJ) High School.

Something like that; partial credit?

 

[huskymedic]

Something like that; partial credit?

Yup - played for Longmeadow High for a few years. Mom was in MA, Dad was in NJ.

 

[AdamaNation]

K Free was one of my favorite UConn players. Tough, very good rebounder and ran the floor very well for a guy his size. If he can get guys to play like he did, I would be stoked.

Free. Adrien. Stanley( though more of a 3/4). My favorite pfs at UConn. Could only imagine JA and KFree banging for boards. How close are they in relative career numbers? I know Jeff has way more blocks and free probably more points and assists.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

The question how many players to URI, not how many coaches to Uconn but we’ll regardless. Him and JC did a phenomenal sales job so give them credit.

Implied, except Moore absolutely counts under the category of the actual question: "How many recruits?" for $1,000. Purportedly, some of your Rhody brethren contend Moore and Hurley held weekly discussions, Calhoun visited Kingston multiple times, participated in multiple URI practices as a visitor, met Hurley for a PGA-seasons' rounds of golf, and mutually engaged in all sorts of other unsubstantiated recruiting of URI's last head coach. Will Cox be hired as Rhody head coach, or will URI pony up for a head coach with actual head coaching experience resulting in Cox following Hurley to Storrs?

 

[Scrutineer]

Freeman was a New Jersey guy. Danny has known him a long time

Freeman went to high school in Longmeadow, MA. Did he move there from NJ?

 

[HooperScooper]

Freeman went to high school in Longmeadow, MA. Did he move there from NJ?

He played at both just like people said.

Freeman, a 6'7" power forward from Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson, New Jersey also played at Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts, played collegiate basketball at the University of Connecticut for Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun.

Kevin Freeman (basketball) - Wikipedia

 

[Tenspro2002]

I don't mind keeping Freeman on for a little while, but it should be time soon for him to leave the nest.

Frankly, the program needs to stop being a fallback jobs program for basketball alums. Nepotism got this program into the mess it's in now.

I loved KFree and Ricky Moore as players, but what did they ever do to earn their jobs on the staff?

 

[Stainmaster]

I don't mind keeping Freeman on for a little while, but it should be time soon for him to leave the nest.

Frankly, the program needs to stop being a fallback jobs program for basketball alums. Nepotism got this program into the mess it's in now.

I loved KFree and Ricky Moore as players, but what did they ever do to earn their jobs on the staff?

It seems like this argument is well on its way towards disregarding a coach's qualifications and abilities/treating UConn alumni status as a disqualifying factor.

The staff should be comprised of the best people for each job no matter which school they played for or got their degree from. Reactionary-style pushback against potential staffers based on their alma mater can be just as damaging to a program as nepotism. The suggestion that Ollie is indicative of how hiring alums would affect the program going forward is dubious as well.

Also, I don't know if you ever complained about KO pushing away experienced voices (Hobbes, Miller) and bringing in a bunch of yes-men (Kill+Chill), it's pretty hard to reconcile that argument with the one you're making now.

 

[intlzncster]

I don't mind keeping Freeman on for a little while, but it should be time soon for him to leave the nest.

Frankly, the program needs to stop being a fallback jobs program for basketball alums. Nepotism got this program into the mess it's in now.

I loved KFree and Ricky Moore as players, but what did they ever do to earn their jobs on the staff?

Ricky aside, nobody with any with any credentials takes a DoB position. It's a get your foot in the door job. That's what Kfree is doing. What's the big deal about that?

 

[Stainmaster]

Ricky aside, nobody with any with any credentials takes a DoB position. It's a get your foot in the door job. That's what Kfree is doing. What's the big deal about that?

Hurley's DBO at URI, who's following him here, was one of his former players there. Red flag alert!

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't mind keeping Freeman on for a little while, but it should be time soon for him to leave the nest.

Frankly, the program needs to stop being a fallback jobs program for basketball alums. Nepotism got this program into the mess it's in now.

I loved KFree and Ricky Moore as players, but what did they ever do to earn their jobs on the staff?

Sorry, but asking what somebody did to earn their way onto the staff in basketball ops is nuts. That's not like being a coach. Schools use that slot for recent grads with no post-college experience whatsoever who hope to get into coaching.

True story -- a few years ago Maurice Joseph, now the GW coach, was brought in as about a 24 year old by Mike Lonergan to be DOBO at GW. His biggest job was to take everyone's order for Subway before busrides back to DC from games in Philly and Richmond.

 

[JMick]

Sorry, but asking what somebody did to earn their way onto the staff in basketball ops is nuts. That's not like being a coach. Schools use that slot for recent grads with no post-college experience whatsoever who hope to get into coaching.

True story -- a few years ago Maurice Joseph, now the GW coach, was brought in as about a 24 year old by Mike Lonergan to be DOBO at GW. His biggest job was to take everyone's order for Subway before busrides back to DC from games in Philly and Richmond.

Yeah it's basically the business equivalent to an internship. You find people that you think have potential and let them learn the ropes

 

[Husky25]

Rhode Island targeting naming replacement for Dan Hurley after Final Four | Zagsblog
Cox was never tabbed “coach-in-waiting,” despite reports, but he does have language in his contract that says if he is not named head coach following Hurley’s departure for another job, he would be paid $150,000, sources said.
...
Other names linked to the job are Vermont coach John Becker, UMBC coach Ryan Odom and former Louisville coach Rick Pitino, although multiple sources said it’s unlikely Pitino would get the job at this point.

How in the world does Pitino not come with a show cause penalty attached?

 

[gtcam]

I don't mind keeping Freeman on for a little while, but it should be time soon for him to leave the nest.

Frankly, the program needs to stop being a fallback jobs program for basketball alums. Nepotism got this program into the mess it's in now.

I loved KFree and Ricky Moore as players, but what did they ever do to earn their jobs on the staff?

I hear you about loving them as players

K Free is DoBO not a coach and nearly all schools bring in someone fresh out of school to perform these duties. And if he does a
good job and is capable of moving ahead, according to the HC, we should cut ties just because he is a UConn alum?
I feel RM was brought on board because he showed some promise as an assistant coach at Dartmouth and when an opening of an admin asst to JC opened up he came to UConn in spring of 2012. KO gave him the assistant coach job when he became Head Coach. He has been instrumental in getting players such as AG to UConn

As far as nepotism is concerned, I may be wrong, but are Kitch and Chill not UConn alums?

 

[Tenspro2002]

It seems like this argument is well on its way towards disregarding a coach's qualifications and abilities/treating UConn alumni status as a disqualifying factor.

The staff should be comprised of the best people for each job no matter which school they played for or got their degree from. Reactionary-style pushback against potential staffers based on their alma mater can be just as damaging to a program as nepotism. The suggestion that Ollie is indicative of how hiring alums would affect the program going forward is dubious as well.

Also, I don't know if you ever complained about KO pushing away experienced voices (Hobbes, Miller) and bringing in a bunch of yes-men (Kill+Chill), it's pretty hard to reconcile that argument with the one you're making now.

Not at all -- being an alum is neither qualifying nor disqualifying. But over the past decade we sure hired a bunch of underqualified alums.

I was indifferent about Hobbs and in favor of replacing Miller, with the hope that a more talented recruiter would rectify the many high-profile failures we had in that area (Diallo being the icing on the cake). I also hoped that new, outsider voices would challenge KO on X's and O's and player development strategy, but it appears -- as you say -- that they were basically yes-men.

On KFree as DBO, in and of itself it's not a problem, but given other hirings and promotions, he seemed to be handed the job with an expectation of being an assistant-coach-in-waiting. I hope that he gets a chance to start building his assistant coaching resume at a lesser institution and work his way up.

 

[bazzketball13]

KFree Deserves a shot. He’s payed his dues as DBO. eventually if no one takes a chance on him we may never know if he’s capable or not.

 

[Husky25]

KFree Deserves a shot. He’s payed his dues as DBO. eventually if no one takes a chance on him we may never know if he’s capable or not.

I know he is not able to get out on the road in a recruiting capacity, but is he allowed to lend a hand on the practice floor?

I love Freeman. He is quite possibly my favorite UConn player of all time (I'm biased toward undersized, lunchpail, overachieving power forwards), but if he had any responsibility for coaching the big men while he has been DBO, it maybe time to find another position.

 

[TRest]

Ricky aside, nobody with any with any credentials takes a DoB position. It's a get your foot in the door job. That's what Kfree is doing. What's the big deal about that?

My only problem with him retaining the position is he is 40 years old and been doing it for over 5 years already. He should have transitioned by now into a coaching job here or elsewhere.

 

[Tyler2Rings]

Its important to hold over someone from the previous staff. It helps smooth over the transition--provides an outlet for guys who might have been more comfortable with Ollie's staff and helps them get used to the new regime. KO kept George Blaney for his first year (and Glen Miller for longer) and Calhoun retained Dickenman from the previous staff.

 

[TRest]

Its important to hold over someone from the previous staff. It helps smooth over the transition--provides an outlet for guys who might have been more comfortable with Ollie's staff and helps them get used to the new regime. KO kept George Blaney for his first year (and Glen Miller for longer) and Calhoun retained Dickenman from the previous staff.

I get that aspect, but everybody above agrees this is an entry-level position for recent graduates who want to get started somewhere on a coaching position. Based on the old Courant story about him, Kevin can't do any coaching at all, just life advisor type stuff.

 

[SubbaBub]

The value of alums begins and ends with their devotion to the school meaning they aren't just in it for themselves. So long as that is not their only qualification, it is a good thing that doesn't need bashing.

Speaking of not needing bashing. Can we stop treating KO as if he were Diaco?

He didn't work out as a long term leader of the program, he won a title that wasn't just JC's players he was instrumental. He failed to capitalize on that in the succeeding recruiting years, he lost the locker room and had a disastrous first losing season in 30 years. He could have been fired then but UConn gave him a chance to recover anand he failed. Time to move on.

None of that changes the fact that he was and remains a beloved former player and coach. Let's just move on.