No Time for Fair Weather Fans ...

[August_West]

I've been a fan longer than most on this board. I was a fan long before I was an alum.

This is really, really bad. We are looking into the abyss.

Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Like @OkaForPrez, I'm 10 toes in.

Ollie will right this ship. Like it or not, on the way to greatness you have to be tested and you have to respond to adversity. The experience of fixing this team and this year will make Ollie a better coach and his players better players.

One of the obvious differences between this and past successful UConn teams is in the grit-and-effort indicators. Loose defense giving up open shots, poor rebounding, lack of screens sacrificing the body for a team-mate's offense, lack of crisp execution at both ends.

JC had made his own career through grit and effort and he excelled at imparting that attitude to his players. Ollie, too, made his career with grit and effort, but he hasn't necessarily learned how to impart that same attitude. He is a nice guy and nice guys prefer to persuade, not demand; to respect others as they are, rather than to demand that they change. But his players may need him to become more demanding.

Ollie has so many other strengths as a coach that if he can lead his kids to emotional and attitudinal toughness, he will be great.

But, it's easier for everyone, coaches and players alike, to buckle down and give what needs to be given if they know that the fans have their backs.

We don't need whining and complaining from spoiled fans two games into the season. Buckle up! Show some grit as a fan! Fight to recover. There is plenty of time for this team to shape up, win the AAC, and go into the NCAA tourney on a roll.

I think we're allowed to complain after losing to not one, but two teams that we should've beat. If people want to vent that's fine. I've been a fan since 1979 when I watched in the Field House. I've seen bad teams, good teams and great teams and if I want to express my opinion about two losses I should be able to do that without being called a whiner or a fair-weather fan.

 

[Henry]

Fair weather fan? I had to stop watching early in the second half. The effort wasn't there. Since the championship something has been missing. Most of us can't put a finger on it but know something isn't right with this team. I was hoping for more at least for the first 2 games.