Nice showing at the parade

[Husky25]

I love everything about Ollie with the glaring exception of very poor grammar. It hurts my ears to listen to him. I think it's terrific that he can "speak" the language of the students and players, but with a 4-year college degree from a prestigious University, you'd think he'd be able to string together a complete sentence. Like ones that have at least a noun and a verb.

I hope you're joking, because I was.

 

[EricLA]

I hope you're joking, because I was.

No. I'm 100% serious. I had 6 UCONN alums over my house for the men's NC and none of them post on the BY. But every one of them cringed and had negative things to say about his speaking ability as we watched the post game and interviews. Additionally, as several of my coworkers congratulated me knowing I'm a huge UCONN fan, their 2nd comment was "but man, your HC needs some English lessons". It's something that obviously MANY people noticed, and none of it was positive.

 

[rt bb fan]

When Geno first came to Uconn, his grammar and public speaking were not that great. But he worked at it , so hopefully Coach Ollie will realize he needs to use better grammar also.

 

[HoopsFan21]

When Geno first came to Uconn, his grammar and public speaking were not that great. But he worked at it , so hopefully Coach Ollie will realize he needs to use better grammar also.

To be fair, English is Geno's second language. It's also a language he mostly had to teach himself as a kid.

 

[Husky25]

No. I'm 100% serious. I had 6 UCONN alums over my house for the men's NC and none of them post on the BY. But every one of them cringed and had negative things to say about his speaking ability as we watched the post game and interviews. Additionally, as several of my coworkers congratulated me knowing I'm a huge UCONN fan, their 2nd comment was "but man, your HC needs some English lessons". It's something that obviously MANY people noticed, and none of it was positive.

So none of you, your 6 friends, or Mushnick are gonna fall for the banana in the tailpipe?

Ollie could "speak" only in sign language and write in hieroglyphics (Which he does, I suppose, on his court diagram dry-erase board), and I wouldn't care. His guys just won the national championship. At the end of the day, he speaks an American dialect with an accent.

I reckon you don't like the way Steve Spurrier communicates either?

 

[Husky25]

To be fair, English is Geno's second language. It's also a language he mostly had to teach himself as a kid.

It sort of sounded like Geno tipped a few back as the busses entered the state house's back parking lot. The guy next to me thought he sounded a little dusty as well.

 

[Geno-ista]

Just an interjection about the Gov - he has a speech impediment and is dyslexic. I am sure he was over excited (we know he had no voice left) and meant no harm. This is not a political statement or endorsement, just asking for a moment of charity....

He is dyslexic also- didn't know that. I appreciate your response, and maybe I'm a little more sensitive as an Italian, but I think 3-4 tries in vain at Geno's name speaks volumes about him. It means nothing in the big picture. I 'm still euphoric!!!!!!

 

[Geno-ista]

Listen to the chatter between Geno and his players at the beginning of the video at Nan's link. Can anyone make out who they are talking about. It sounds like Sadie Edwards, but not sure. Some really inside stuff... Don't think they knew they were live....

Can you or anyone tell me exactly how to find this link---for some reason I cannot find this link to the video and the audio that you guys are referring to? Thanks in advance!

 

[EricLA]

So none of you, your 6 friends, or Mushnick are gonna fall for the banana in the tailpipe?

Ollie could "speak" only in sign language and write in hieroglyphics (Which he does, I suppose, on his court diagram dry-erase board), and I wouldn't care. His guys just won the national championship. At the end of the day, he speaks an American dialect with an accent.

I reckon you don't like the way Steve Spurrier communicates either?

Hey, all I'm saying is it's the one thing about Ollie that needs to improve, and almost every impartial fan who commented on UCONN had something negative to say about his grammar. Either he'll fix it or he won't. But it will always be something that is noticed when in a huge spotlight like he was/is.

 

[TDiNozzo]

Can you or anyone tell me exactly how to find this link---for some reason I cannot find this link to the video and the audio that you guys are referring to? Thanks in advance!

Click on Nan"s link... it"s now the video under that video thats ready to play.... on the lower right... 1 hour 3 minutes 37 seconds....

 

[Husky25]

Hey, all I'm saying is it's the one thing about Ollie that needs to improve, and almost every impartial fan who commented on UCONN had something negative to say about his grammar. Either he'll fix it or he won't. But it will always be something that is noticed when in a huge spotlight like he was/is.

It pi$$es me off because for all of Calhoun's detractors (and there are many), his speech pattern may have been called out by fans, but not by Nationally known New York based columnists.

Your speech and grammar patterns are largely determined by the time you are a teenager. They are what they are. Ollie is not a news anchor. He doesn't need to spend calories conscientiously perfecting his non-regional diction, when he should be recruiting, coaching or otherwise promoting his basketball program. I've seen articles that indicate he was the lead recruiter on Daniels, Boatright and Facey (can't prove it definitively, but...), so no, I think his grammar will have zero effect on recruiting.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Just an interjection about the Gov - he has a speech impediment and is dyslexic. I am sure he was over excited (we know he had no voice left) and meant no harm. This is not a political statement or endorsement, just asking for a moment of charity....

Post of The Day

 

[Geno-ista]

It pi es me off because for all of Calhoun's detractors (and there are many), his speech pattern may have been called out by fans, but not by Nationally known New York based columnists.

Your speech and grammar patterns are largely determined by the time you are a teenager. They are what they are. Ollie is not a news anchor. He doesn't need to spend calories conscientiously perfecting his non-regional diction, when he should be recruiting, coaching or otherwise promoting him basketball program. I've seen articles that indicate he was the lead recruiter on Daniels, Boatright and Facey (can't prove it definitively, but...), so no I think his grammar will have zero effect on recruiting.

Kudos- every word comes from his heart- that's what I love. He alone has recharged my passion for the Men's team. He has his priorities straight. He is an easy person to love. And he doesn't have to prove anything to "no-one"- not any more!!! Go KO!

 

[Icebear]

Ollie grew up in South LA. Overcoming those linguistics can be incredibly tough because they are core to us by the end of high school. Even when they are overcome it is easy to slip back into it under stress. Do not confuse it with intelligence.

Go KO!!!
Go Huskies!!!

 

[UcMiami]

I loved this piece from one of John's columns leading up to the 1000 career game, re the issue with recruits coming in:
“We were having practice, he got mad at us, he left and then he came back,” said Tammi Sweet, a junior in 1985-86. “He was upset that we weren’t hustling. Finally, it was just me and him there. He said to me, ‘You weren’t working hard enough,’ I looked at him and said, ‘My high school coach would be appalled to hear what you are saying to me; there is no one on this court that is working harder than I.
“He didn’t skip a beat. He looked right at me and said, ‘Yeah, but are you working as hard as you can.’ I sent him a card many years after I graduated to tell him what a pivotal moment for me because it was true. It was so profound in that moment. And that is when he got my respect. That’s when I decided that I would follow him.”

On the language issue - I am on the older side, and I have to say that a number of athletes in college and in the pros bother me with their use of the English language. A lot of it is societal and a changing definition of acceptable usage, but it does still matter in 'professional' careers. The difference between real and really has almost been lost for example. And while first and foremost a coach needs to be a good communicator and it appears KO is, as head and face of a program being articulate as well is a very good thing.

 

[winlots]

First off, my own language tends toward the very salty, so I'm not casting stones. That said, Ollie and all of our major sport coaches are probably the MOST visible speaking representatives of UCONN to the public at-large. And they represent a university clearly wants to be seen as one of the top schools academically (for a variety of reasons, some of which are quite familiar to the Yarders).....on a par with those in the Big Ten, ACC, etc. In Ollie's case, he is also seen and known and heard as a REPRESENTATIVE of the EDUCATION which UCONN provides, having been a student there. Seems to me it wouldn't take much to fix what needs fixing.

 

[CaliHuskyFan]

I don't think the comments mean all that much at this point. Remember the public, on-the-record comments that Geno et al. have made about Kiah Stokes' practice habits early in her career? It's easy to imagine that some of the things they said off-the-record were harsh. And yet, she seems to have worked out well enough.

P.S.: Keep listening closely, especially in the 3-5 minute mark of the video (roughly). You can hear the players and Geno apparently talking about a prominent player from last year's class who did not commit to UConn...among other things.

Geno has said in the past that almost all high school kids think they are working hard. Many outwork their teammates and that is their yardstick. Unfortunately, it is not an accurate measure. Reality is a kid stepping onto the UCONN will never have worked as hard as the first day they step on the UCONN campus.

Iri10, it was the comment about her letter of intent that really caught me off guard, not what was said about alleged laziness. I understand your point about Kiah, but Geno made those public comments about Stokes when she was a freshman and enrolled at the Uconn campus. The incoming recruit referenced in the video is still in High School and has not been a part of Uconn official practices as a team member yet. There is now another thread on it but I am going to stay out of it. Geno's comments about the other three incoming recruits were positive and I am so psyched about our incoming class. I also agree, you are right that Stokes has worked out in the long run and I am really excited to watch her play next year!

 

[iri10]

Iri10, it was the comment about her letter of intent that really caught me off guard, not what was said about alleged laziness.

That comment was probably the least meaningful, most Geno-joking bit of the conversation, IMO - the bit that showed he wasn't too worried yet. Even if he were the sort to question recruits about their commitment before the 1st official practice, he wouldn't have his current players relay the question to the recruit. ("Ask her if she wants out of her letter..." )

 

[alexrgct]

Ollie grew up in South LA. Overcoming those linguistics can be incredibly tough because they are core to us by the end of high school. Even when they are overcome it is easy to slip back into it under stress. Do not confuse it with intelligence.

Go KO!!!
Go Huskies!!!

KO is obviously very, very intelligent. I couldn't be more impressed with the job he did to prepare his players over those six games. Dumb coaches don't beat Nova, ISU, Michigan State, Florida, and Kentucky in consecutive games. If he's got issues with diction/syntax/etc., the only question is whether he can communicate effectively. Based on how UConn performed after timeouts against Kentucky and Florida, it seems clear to me that Ollie's communication is excellent.