Not so much fun to watch.

[huskyharry]

Few Wolf points:
He was a good team supporter and appeared to be well-liked by his teammates, so his loss likely affected their overall psyche to some extent, but IMO this was not much of a contributing factor to our current funk.

His scholarship was revoked by the UConn administration, including Coach Ollie, who verbally supported the decision. Because he is a foreign-national and would have been on the hook for >$50,000 and would not have the availability of U.S. federally-supported students loans, there was no way that he could come back to UConn without the scholarship, so this was effectively a dismissal. The dismissal helped to assuage adverse feelings about the UConn program related to prior misconduct of players and the coaching staff, so it was somewhat politically motivated.

I don't think any of us have the full story, but from what was reported, Wolf did not "beat up" his girlfriend. It is not appropriate for any man to strike a woman, let alone a 7 foot tall representative of the UConn basketball team, but it was reported that he slapped at her and knocked the glasses off her face.

I think the potential value of Wolf to this team has been dramatically over and under-stated in this thread. It is not likely that he would have led us to the Final Four. But he also would likely have been a significant step up from the dumpster fire performance we have seen from our inside players to date. He would have been much more effective defensively against opposing bigs with interior skills, such as Anderson from BCU and Thomas of Houston. I think he would have averaged something like 7 to 8 ppg and rpg with 1 to 1.5 bpg. He also was a decent passer. His presence would have allowed one of KF, PN, AB to redshirt, which from a player development perspective, all could clearly use to get bigger, stronger and learn interior skills.
However, it also would have meant that one of our current players would not have a scholarship, which might mean that we would not have one of our current players available (unless someone else played as a walk-on). Regardless, it is water-under-the-bridge and UConn will move on with the players they have.

 

[Penfield]

Like. Will Rogers said;
"There are two kinds of lies ,out and out lies ,and statistics."
This tread a wonderful example of the wisdom of that statement.

How does that relate to balls?

 

[hthusky74]

All the Wolf stuff aside (because frankly, we'll never know if it would've made a difference and who cares?) ... this is exactly how I'm feeling.

I'm usually the overly optimistic type, but I've just lost that feeling with this team as of late. Something has happened since that 2nd half against Stanford that I can't put my finger on ... but this has not been an enjoyable team to watch as of late. The remaining optimistic part of me is waiting for that moment where it all turns around though ... just hope it isn't too late.

And I get it, the team is 12-3. Why are we complaining? Because that passion from last year has suddenly disappeared. Where's that "ten toes in" and "we're all brothers" mentality that Ollie brought out in these guys that made us so excited, even without a postseason?

Screw Wolf. What if we still had Roscoe or Drummond?

 

[Waquoit]

Wolf's schollie was pulled. No one said he could NOT play hoops, but to do so, had to pay tuition, and travel to a foreign land. He was manipulated to not attend UConn for personal econ reasons. This was a once-removed-docie-doe-political-sounding thing. The moral arguments are something else.

That didn't pass the smell test to me. If it was OK for him to join the team and attend the school, it should have OK for him to get the schollie. The program got cute and cut off their nose to spite their face. Anyone that doesn't think Wolf would have helped this team is nuts. He showed good skills in the high post. That talent alone would have fit the team like a glove, a skill that no one else has shown to possess.

 

[Jerry1714]

Yeah, it's not quite that simple. In the eight games Wolf missed, Shabazz also missed two of them (both losses), and in two others, he was clearly hobbled and not near 100%. Giffey, Calhoun, and Olander also missed time, and by the time the final couple games rolled around, it was truly a group hobbling towards the finish line. The schedule also escalated after Wolf's dismissal, as we had to play Syracuse, Villanova, G'Town, and Cincy twice. Of the 16 wins the team amassed with Wolf, about half of them were against cup cakes, and in the notable wins with him in the lineup (MSU, Notre Dame), he hardly played much of a role.

Stop using rationale arguments and facts, it makes it impossible for the imbeciles to tell us Wolf was a mix between Hakeem, Kareem and David Robinson

 

[mauconnfan]

Screw Wolf. What if we still had Roscoe or Drummond?

One is in the NBA, doing well and the other didn't want to be here….not worthy of the thought. EW was a Husky!!

 

[mauconnfan]

Stop using rationale arguments and facts, it makes it impossible for the imbeciles to tell us Wolf was a mix between Hakeem, Kareem and David Robinson

I'm not sure anyone said that Jer but I know the "imbeciles" who think he would have been a much better choice at the 5 than anything we have are correct and anyone thinking differently would make imbeciles look real intelligent!!

 

[Jerry1714]

I'm not sure anyone said that Jer but I know the "imbeciles" who think he would have been a much better choice at the 5 than anything we have are correct and anyone thinking differently would make imbeciles look real intelligent!!

Driving with 1 flat tire as opposed to 2 will still prevent you from getting where you want to go very fast or easily.

Is he better than Nolan or Amida? Probably, but he was not or would be a difference maker. He averaged 13 min a game and 3 PPG and 3 Rebounds, Amida, is about the same. People act like Wolf was a double double guy, he was not. In fact he never had one, never had a 10 rebound game and he was over 7 feet. People need to realize what Wolf actually was.

His scholly went to Kromah, who I believe has helped this team tremendously.

 

[David 76]

Ugh!
Wolf's numbers
Freshman year: 4 min. 1.2 pts, 1.0 reb
Soph season: 0.3 min., 0.3 pts, 0.75 reb
Jr. season: 13,7 min, 3.4 pts, 3,4 reb

By comparison, TO's numbers
Freshman season 9.7 min., 1.3 pts, 1.9 reb
Soph. season 18.8 min.,4.6 pts. 4.o reb
Jr. season: 21.6 min. 4.3 pts. 3.7 reb

So there was never a year thar Wolf got more points, rebounds or minutes than TO. Particularly, JC chose to not use EW. KO only allowed EW significant minutes.
That is the basketball of this.

 

[David 76]

Now the law:
EW's was not exonerated of his charges, he wasn't even declared "not guilty" He was allowed to take a course on domestic violence in lieu of going to court. This is a regular court practice especially for for very common problems that clog the court. So he did not think he could be declared innocent or he would not acceppted the Alternative Sanction.

 

[blackbird]

Wolf screwed himself. He made a bad decision and had to deal with the consequences. Just because some other people associated w/ the University have done similar things and gotten a pass doesn't mean Ollie made the wrong call.

Best decision Ollie has made as head coach. God forbid we ask our athletes to show a little accountability.

 

[CTBasketball]

Driving with 1 flat tire as opposed to 2 will still prevent you from getting where you want to go very fast or easily.

Is he better than Nolan or Amida? Probably, but he was not or would be a difference maker. He averaged 13 min a game and 3 PPG and 3 Rebounds, Amida, is about the same. People act like Wolf was a double double guy, he was not. In fact he never had one, never had a 10 rebound game and he was over 7 feet. People need to realize what Wolf actually was.

His scholly went to Kromah, who I believe has helped this team tremendously.

He was a lot better than Nolan and Amida. Amida is going to be a Chuck Okwandu type player, Wolf had the ability to become a double-digit rebounder simply because he gave 110% to get the ball. No one else shows that hustle, and thats what matters in rebounding. And every time Wolf played over 15 minutes a game, he grabbed over 5 rebounds every time. He had a couple 9 rebound games against good competition too.

I think we would be better with Wolf and without Kromah. Just give Kromah's minutes to Omar, Niels, and Tolksdorf.

 

[David 76]

The morality:
Domestic Violence is a common problem because of a widespread disrespect for women and the acceptance of such behavior. Much progress has been made in this area over the past 20 years outside the Boneyard. I would ask you to picture your 105 pound 19 year old daughter (or a friend) facing the rage of a 250 pound, 7'1" guy who refused leave even when the police showed up.

This is horrible and the biggest mistake JC ever made, in my opinion, was trying to whitewash a similar situation with Nate Miles. If you think it is OK to have guys who slap around young women representing your basketball team, we are different sides of the fence. I loved that Ollie did it and he should have done it even if Wolf was a major addition to the team. Which he wasn't. And you know what? Neither was Nate Miles.

 

[Jerry1714]

He was a lot better than Nolan and Amida. Amida is going to be a Chuck Okwandu type player, Wolf had the ability to become a double-digit rebounder simply because he gave 110% to get the ball. No one else shows that hustle, and thats what matters in rebounding. And every time Wolf played over 15 minutes a game, he grabbed over 5 rebounds every time. He had a couple 9 rebound games against good competition too.

I think we would be better with Wolf and without Kromah. Just give Kromah's minutes to Omar, Niels, and Tolksdorf.

If he hustled so much why did he only play 13 min a game and average 3 rebounds a game? It is not like there was anyone on the roster who was great.

Wolf's ability has become a fairy tail around here.

 

[CTBasketball]

If he hustled so much why did he only play 13 min a game and average 3 rebounds a game? It is not like there was anyone on the roster who was great.

Wolf's ability has become a fairy tail around here.

Ollie didn't like Wolf.

 

[Jerry1714]

Ollie didn't like Wolf.

Oh ok, I get it, if Wolf played for Lavin he would be the #1 pick and averaged 20-10 but Ollie hated his terrible facial hair so Wolf just did not perform well. And because of this terrible facial hair Ollie did not play him 40 min a game, because he cares more about that than winning games and his job. Makes sense, what time in the UFO watch tonight?

 

[Strummer]

If you think it is OK to have guys who slap around young women . . . Neither was Nate Miles.

I finally know how the guys who relentlessly defend Dyson feel.

1. Nate Miles was a sack of crap before he showed up on campus. A woman claimed he was too aggressive with her, and a judge issued a restraining order. Nate violated that order the very same day.

2. Wolf was considered a fine young man and a great teammate by everybody before the incident. He DID NOT "slap his girlfriend around," as you irresponsibly put it. The police allege that he pushed her and grabbed hair.

How would I feel if any one of my daughters came home and said her boyfriend was irate and grabbed her hair? I'd feel curious. I'd ask why he was so fired up. What's that? You kicked him because you were mad that he called your sworn enemy pretty? He caught you making out with his friend?

All we ever got was the police's version of events.

It's entirely possible that the girlfriend came back the next day and apologized profusely to Wolf for who knows what. I've seen it a hundred times before - chicks who like to control men and do things to get them all fired up, then feel sorrowful when the dude freaks out and does something stupid. Reap what you sow.

Anyway, comparing Nate to Wolf is irresponsible. Nate was garbage well before he got to UConn. It was a huge mistake for JC to recruit him, and a lot of people paid the price for that mistake.

And given that Wolf is still with the woman in question, who are you to have an issue with it? You don't know what happened, and you don't know what the woman's opinion is. Do you think she's too stupid to know right from wrong? Or a stupid woman with battered woman syndrome.

Maybe he was enraged because she made him enraged doing something stupid. How bad is grabbing her hair then?

Save the "never touch a woman" BS Lancelot. I could care care less. If the alleged victim is Okay with it, who are we to judge?

 

[CTBasketball]

Oh ok, I get it, if Wolf played for Lavin he would be the #1 pick and averaged 20-10 but Ollie hated his terrible facial hair so Wolf just did not perform well. And because of this terrible facial hair Ollie did not play him 40 min a game, because he cares more about that than winning games and his job. Makes sense, what time in the UFO watch tonight?

Every game I went to I sat around the UConn bench. I went to the Washington game, the NC State game at the Garden, a couple cupcakes, etc. Ollie usually benched Wolf after 1 mistake and got in his ear. He didn't do that for anyone else and that can be held true for this year.

But I agree his facial hair was horrific.

 

[mauconnfan]

Driving with 1 flat tire as opposed to 2 will still prevent you from getting where you want to go very fast or easily.

Is he better than Nolan or Amida? Probably, but he was not or would be a difference maker. He averaged 13 min a game and 3 PPG and 3 Rebounds, Amida, is about the same. People act like Wolf was a double double guy, he was not. In fact he never had one, never had a 10 rebound game and he was over 7 feet. People need to realize what Wolf actually was.

His scholly went to Kromah, who I believe has helped this team tremendously.

Maybe you need to realize what people are saying……..high post guy who can catch, pass off the post, is 7'1", can make a shot and has a nice little jump hook and was improving…..want to name me the guy doing that right now…..if we did get 20-25 minutes out of him and 7/7/2 we would be better…..plus he's ton smarter, better on the hedge……..just enough of a difference to make it easier on everyone. We don't have that, not sure what you're seeing but good for you!

Kromah is a tremendous addition and I'm glad we have him I agree………but trade TO for EW and we are 14-1…….I'm happy with what we have but the conversation is such…….

Hopefully Nolan and Brimah make us stop these threads soon because they are tiring and basically irrelevant……..I will say this, TO cannot play more that 5 minutes today as UCF will take him away from the basket where he can't guard a chair……..

 

[mauconnfan]

Best decision Ollie has made as head coach. God forbid we ask our athletes to show a little accountability.

it's funny how everyone was there and knows what happened? Is it possible we kept a bug guy that was worst? Who knows, I know most here don't!

 

[Jerry1714]

Maybe you need to realize what people are saying……..high post guy who can catch, pass off the post, is 7'1", can make a shot and has a nice little jump hook and was improving…..want to name me the guy doing that right now…..if we did get 20-25 minutes out of him and 7/7/2 we would be better…..plus he's ton smarter, better on the hedge……..just enough of a difference to make it easier on everyone. We don't have that, not sure what you're seeing but good for you!

Kromah is a tremendous addition and I'm glad we have him I agree………but trade TO for EW and we are 14-1…….I'm happy with what we have but the conversation is such…….

Hopefully Nolan and Brimah make us stop these threads soon because they are tiring and basically irrelevant……..I will say this, TO cannot play more that 5 minutes today as UCF will take him away from the basket where he can't guard a chair……..

We don't beat Washington without Kromah, Amida had a better game today than Wolf ever had. The narrative about Wolf's jumpshot is comical. He also shot about 35% from the line. Not sure what Wolf you watched but good for you, he seemed awesome, id love to have him.

People have said we are a final four team with Wolf, that is wrong.

Also potential wise, Wolf is not in the same galaxy as Amida.

 

[Penfield]

Who didn't have fun watching that?? BRIMAH!

 

[breezy]

He was a lot better than Nolan and Amida. Amida is going to be a Chuck Okwandu type player, Wolf had the ability to become a double-digit rebounder simply because he gave 110% to get the ball. No one else shows that hustle, and thats what matters in rebounding. And every time Wolf played over 15 minutes a game, he grabbed over 5 rebounds every time. He had a couple 9 rebound games against good competition too.

I think we would be better with Wolf and without Kromah. Just give Kromah's minutes to Omar, Niels, and Tolksdorf.

I don't know if I'd call tonight's game a "Chuck Okwandu" type performance.

 

[CTBasketball]

I don't know if I'd call tonight's game a "Chuck Okwandu" type performance.

I ate my words tonight that's for sure. Amida played great and we play great when we integrate bigs into the offense.

 

[mauconnfan]

We don't beat Washington without Kromah, Amida had a better game today than Wolf ever had. The narrative about Wolf's jumpshot is comical. He also shot about 35% from the line. Not sure what Wolf you watched but good for you, he seemed awesome, id love to have him.

People have said we are a final four team with Wolf, that is wrong.

Also potential wise, Wolf is not in the same galaxy as Amida.

Figured you would use the Brimah game tonight her….seen your act way too long. I admitted to liking Kromah a ton and I never said Wolf would make us a FF team or even close….but you have fun in your own little circle jerk world, you'll never change!