Not sure where im going but theres a point somewhere in there

[Fishy]

These things changed. I swear the kid was 2 stars on a couple of sites
Amida Brimah, Archbishop Carroll HS C - Scout

As we were with Scout for a few years, I'm familiar with their database - when you enter a kid, he enters as a two-star no matter what. If you were committed to a team that didn't have an active Scout site, your rating was almost certainly never going to be updated from there.

 

[mauconnfan]

[ QUOTE="ConnHuskBask, post: 2073856, member: 632"]Keep seeing posts about firing Ollie? Pretty sure nobody is saying that outside of maybe 2 or 3 guys.

Most people, like myself, are concerned where the program is going and think the last three seasons have been a major disapointment.

Next year is put up or shut up time.

Steve Pikiell vs KO - hilarious

We weren't in a position of strength when JC left the program moron. Not even close - APR? You know anything? Of course you do you WENT TO UCONN. A** wipe!

 

[boog204]

I believe Khalid changed things. Certainly he was a great floor general and very good player. But it was his character that gets overlooked. He brought a looseness to the team both on and off the court. He had the moxie to deal with and not succumb to JC's overbearing personality. And he had the playmaking skills to back it up and get away with it.

Khalid is the difference between us being a historically good team and a great one. I still remember reading about how on his recruiting visit he became the leader of the team and was telling people where to go and what to do. We do not win in 99 without him and you could make the argument that without 99 there is no 04, etc.

Without Khalid, JC would have remained that coach who could not win the big one as was his rep prior.

One thing I'm a little concerned/confused with is that our style has changed a great deal. Now I know you need players, etc. but as evidenced above, we have some talent. I was reliving past glory by watching the '14 championship game and in that first half we ran some fantastic stuff. Constant motion, screening, screens for the screener, it was gorgeous to watch. Obviously, we had two of the best guards in the country. But what the hell happened to that offense? You can't blame it on having a poor frontcourt, as Amida was one of those guys in 14. We're now so content on just pounding the ball and taking contested long jumpers. Very disheartening.

 

[mauconnfan]

Ignore time, can't let these dopes get to me. Easier said than done, only one way.

Fleudy's words of wisdom I will now take in.

 

[superjohn]

[ QUOTE="ConnHuskBask, post: 2073856, member: 632"]Keep seeing posts about firing Ollie? Pretty sure nobody is saying that outside of maybe 2 or 3 guys.

Most people, like myself, are concerned where the program is going and think the last three seasons have been a major disapointment.

Next year is put up or shut up time.

And if the team crashes next year too? Then what? When JC left, we were in a position of strength because the program was on top. Now, what kind of a coach does and team that regularly misses the tournament (or gets in by winning the conference tourney) and is a mid-level AAC team get? I think we'd be out of the running for any top coaches. Steve Pikiel may be the type of coach we're talking about at best.[/QUOTE]
If Ollie shows he's not the guy then the people in charge hire someone they think is a better basketball coach. Don't see why this is so hard for many on the board to understand.

 

[yukonyc212]

Steve Pikiell vs KO - hilarious

We weren't in a position of strength when JC left the program moron. Not even close - APR? You know anything? Of course you do you WENT TO UCONN. A** wipe!

It's hilarious watching you trying to defend your point against everyone. That being which I have no clue? Somehow you're defending our results the past 3 years from a coach that's one of the highest paid in the game.

Steve Pikiell vs KO - hilarious

We weren't in a position of strength when JC left the program moron. Not even close - APR? You know anything? Of course you do you WENT TO UCONN. A** wipe!

My god ur a bag. Everyone that doesn't share your point of view is an "a$ $ hole a dope a jerkoff... etc. go play in traffic.

 

[ctchamps]

Khalid is the difference between us being a historically good team and a great one. I still remember reading about how on his recruiting visit he became the leader of the team and was telling people where to go and what to do. We do not win in 99 without him and you could make the argument that without 99 there is no 04, etc.

Without Khalid, JC would have remained that coach who could not win the big one as was his rep prior.

One thing I'm a little concerned/confused with is that our style has changed a great deal. Now I know you need players, etc. but as evidenced above, we have some talent. I was reliving past glory by watching the '14 championship game and in that first half we ran some fantastic stuff. Constant motion, screening, screens for the screener, it was gorgeous to watch. Obviously, we had two of the best guards in the country. But what the hell happened to that offense? You can't blame it on having a poor frontcourt, as Amida was one of those guys in 14. We're now so content on just pounding the ball and taking contested long jumpers. Very disheartening.

In the tournament run in 14 KO had the luxury of having positional players who he could pick and chose for match ups. He frequently went small ball when situations arose and AB had long stretches where he wasn't on the court.

I imagine that had Terry not got injured KO would have gone long stretches playing Terry at the four and Kentan at the five. This would certainly have been the best option against a team like SMU or Cinci. Of course I can argue against myself that KO may not have see the light go off in Kentan just observing him in practice. If Terry didn't get injured would Kentan have gotten enough burn to get over the hump? Who knows?

 

[spudzj6]

. In contrast Geno is just as demanding with regards to demanding perfection in execution. But running his practices he doesn't apply perfection in how he coaches the players. He's funny, or needling or insisting or whatever it takes to push players to prove him wrong. I imagine KO approaches players in a manner that makes them want to prove he's right. And that's not easy for young kids.

Funny you mention Geno in the conversation, because you are spot on. I watched a video a couple years ago, a panel of 6 or 7 college coaches, who were speaking about leadership to members working at the Pentagon. Geno's most memorable conversation piece (in my mind anyway) was how he commanded the team, yet let them make the decisions. To play without having to be directed what to do. Granted he always has great talented and smart players, but he even said he gives them the tools to succeed, and then tells them to go do something with it. One player would come to him and say, coach I can take my man. Geno told her, don't tell me about it, if you can do it, just go do it. KO was also on the panel...if you have time and are an avid student of leadership, YouTube "Pentagon Sports Leadership Forum" - hall of fame coaches talking leadership.

(PS sorry for involving the women's discussion on a men's board - but in all honesty, I believe it applies to our current discussion!)

 

[mauconnfan]

This program was not in the position of strength when JC left, not sure where everyone is getting that. I mean I love JC to death and he did things beyond belief which don't even need to be replayed. But the APR, the kids leaving the program while he was still here and the fact we were leaving the BE soon thereafter, things were changing and not necessarily positive for the most part at that time. KO had to talk to Omar, Boat, Giffey, Bazz, Deandre and others to keep with the program. He then followed up with 2 really good years as HC with guys who only got better under his tutelage. Hey they even won a NC imagine that?

Now he sucks.

Amazing story huh?

 

[Fishy]

Ollie's tenure does illustrate how fine a line there is between success and failure.

If the ball tips off Amida's fingers against St. Joe's or Jalen's shot against Cincy is one inch short, we'd likely be in the final days of the Kevin Ollie era.

But they didn't and we have seven NCAA wins and an NCAA title.

 

[ctchamps]

Ignore time, can't let these dopes get to me. Easier said than done, only one way.

Fleudy's words of wisdom I will now take in.

Atta boy. Either have fun with the people you don't agree with or stay away from things. Why let anyone or anything get to you that you have control over. Illness, death, global events are things we can't control. Opinions, which have little or no consequence in the scheme of life, are not worth working ourselves up over.

I come here for several reasons the most important of course is to be with people who are passionate about the team I most support. But an additional reason is to develop my game. This game is a challenge I put on myself to see how far I can let myself go in engaging people who normally would irritate the heck out me without being irritated. It's like karate but instead of toughening up the hands I'm toughening up my negative emotions.

The last thing people want to do is to allow jaded thinking or negative thinking to take over a place. Certain individuals thrive in a negative environment. They want to pollute things because it provides them with a sense of well being. Now I'm not implying that every poster or even the majority of posters who has expressed concerns has that type of personality. And I'm well aware that negative situations creates more of a reaction than most positive experiences. Hence after victories even in good seasons you get less responses after a win than after a loss. But there are some people who do want others to feel badly when they feel badly. And they love to come to this forum blending with people who have "reasonable concerns" when things are going badly.

The best thing I can say to you and other posters who want to deflect negativity is to not take things personally. This forum will only succeed if it can maintain a balance between those who are negatively impulsive and those who are patiently positive. People don't win with what they post. They win when they drive people who disagree with them away.

 

[BUConn10]

He was Ollie's first recruit. A fair criticism is that Ollie both failed to recruit a better center since Brimah's signing and that he failed to develop him into something more than he is.

So despite getting trashed every time I bring this up, but is it finally safe to say that Ollie's recruiting philosophy has neglected the front court for years now? If Brimah is your best big man, and for four straight years you fail to recruit over him then that's pretty clear as day.

Ollie's focus on guards makes our teams look one dimensional on those nights when our 3s seem to be cursed and we have no interior presence, it could also potentially alienate prospective bigs because it may give the impression that the 4s and 5s are secondary in this system.

 

[ctchamps]

Ollie's tenure does illustrate how fine a line there is between success and failure.

If the ball tips off Amida's fingers against St. Joe's or Jalen's shot against Cincy is one inch short, we'd likely be in the final days of the Kevin Ollie era.

But they didn't and we have seven NCAA wins and an NCAA title.

Same with Bill Gates only on a much bigger scale. Success sometimes needs just a little bit of luck. But those who are given breaks managed to take advantage of those breaks and make a name for themselves.

 

[Tenspro2002]

This program was not in the position of strength when JC left, not sure where everyone is getting that. I mean I love JC to death and he did things beyond belief which don't even need to be replayed. But the APR, the kids leaving the program while he was still here and the fact we were leaving the BE soon thereafter, things were changing and not necessarily positive for the most part at that time. KO had to talk to Omar, Boat, Giffey, Bazz, Deandre and others to keep with the program. He then followed up with 2 really good years as HC with guys who only got better under his tutelage. Hey they even won a NC imagine that?

Now he sucks.

Amazing story huh?

KO had one very good coaching year under difficult circumstances.
One decent coaching year followed by an outstanding coaching month.
One pretty bad year across the board.
Another year where we underachieved, but put together a nice 4-game run to salvage at least some relevance and respectability.
A year where the team wasn't ready to play in November and then had a mulligan for the rest.

That's an acceptable coaching record for maybe half of his tenure? Is that good enough for us now?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If Ollie doesn't get the team into the NCAA Tournament at minimum next season his status going into the 2018/2019 season should be under a lot of scrutiny.

Make all the excuses you want but missing the tournament 3 times in 4 seasons is unacceptable at UConn.

 

[Fishy]

So despite getting trashed every time I bring this up, but is it finally safe to say that Ollie's recruiting philosophy has neglected the front court for years now? If Brimah is your best big man, and for four straight years you fail to recruit over him then that's pretty clear as day.

He hasn't neglected it, he just hasn't successfully recruited a better player.

It's of execution, not philosophy.

 

[ctchamps]

So despite getting trashed every time I bring this up, but is it finally safe to say that Ollie's recruiting philosophy has neglected the front court for years now? If Brimah is your best big man, and for four straight years you fail to recruit over him then that's pretty clear as day.

Ollie's focus on guards makes our teams look one dimensional on those nights when our 3s seem to be cursed and we have no interior presence, it could also potentially alienate prospective bigs because it may give the impression that the 4s and 5s are secondary in this system.

There are far more decent guards at the high school level than qualified bigs so it is easier to get great guards than bigs even when there are no sanctions in recruiting. Add sanctions and the situation gets far worse. So no one is arguing against the position KO has managed to get decent guards and failed to get decent bigs The argument is understanding why before making a blanket condemnation.

 

[Tenspro2002]

He hasn't neglected it, he just hasn't successfully recruited a better player.

It's of execution, not philosophy.

I agree with this, just not sure if it makes it any better.

The longer we go without landing and developing an impact big man, the harder it will become to attract the next one.

 

[BUConn10]

He hasn't neglected it, he just hasn't successfully recruited a better player.

It's of execution, not philosophy.

Philosophy or execution, similar but not the same yes, but the result is the same.

Whether he doesn't put enough time into the front court on the recruiting trail and that's why he doesn't win on commitment day or not doesn't really matter. Fact is UConn basketball had a string of dominant centers during some of our best years, and since Calhoun left we have had stick figures up front without fail, Miller may have been the best one of the bunch.

 

[Fishy]

I agree with this, just not sure if it makes it any better.

The longer we go without landing and developing an impact big man, the harder it will become to attract the next one.

No, it's not a good thing. And you're right, it can be a problem that perpetuates itself.

Recruits are like cows in a field. They follow the leader back to the barn - he has to break through with one recruit.

I'm sure that was on his mind when he decided to take a gamble on Zach Brown.

 

[yukonyc212]

This program was not in the position of strength when JC left, not sure where everyone is getting that. I mean I love JC to death and he did things beyond belief which don't even need to be replayed. But the APR, the kids leaving the program while he was still here and the fact we were leaving the BE soon thereafter, things were changing and not necessarily positive for the most part at that time. KO had to talk to Omar, Boat, Giffey, Bazz, Deandre and others to keep with the program. He then followed up with 2 really good years as HC with guys who only got better under his tutelage. Hey they even won a NC imagine that?

Now he sucks.

Amazing story huh?

Do you think you can have a conversation without name calling like a teenager??? At what point do you continue to reward awful results? I keep harping on this but it's true. Ollie is one of the highest paid coaches in the nation. When you are paid like that you better deliver applicable results. It's no different than being a high paid CEO of a fortune 500 company. If EXXON hires a new CEO and suddenly the company's earnings nosedive for 3-4 years straight... who do you think the board is going to look at first?? The buck stops with him. The higher up the chain you get compensation wise, the less margin of error is tolerated with results. Ollie creates the rosters... he developed the players... if they dont develop for whatever reason it's on him. He brought them here. No one else in the top 10 paid coaches list misses the tournament with regularity. If we have another terrible year next year at what point do we go in another direction? I want everyone that comes through the program, (player / coach) to do well, but I can certainly see things for what they are / aren't, and the past 3 years we have been irrelevant in the national landscape. Like Fishy said... if Jalen doesn't hit a 70 footer with 1 second left in the game, we are sitting on 3 straight missed NCAA tournaments. That is completely unacceptable for a coach making 3mm plus per year.

 

[ctchamps]

Funny you mention Geno in the conversation, because you are spot on. I watched a video a couple years ago, a panel of 6 or 7 college coaches, who were speaking about leadership to members working at the Pentagon. Geno's most memorable conversation piece (in my mind anyway) was how he commanded the team, yet let them make the decisions. To play without having to be directed what to do. Granted he always has great talented and smart players, but he even said he gives them the tools to succeed, and then tells them to go do something with it. One player would come to him and say, coach I can take my man. Geno told her, don't tell me about it, if you can do it, just go do it. KO was also on the panel...if you have time and are an avid student of leadership, YouTube "Pentagon Sports Leadership Forum" - hall of fame coaches talking leadership.

(PS sorry for involving the women's discussion on a men's board - but in all honesty, I believe it applies to our current discussion!)

The worst that can happen for posting a women's discussion is @Deepster will remember us in the future and consider us for a hanging.
Kidding aside, Geno is a master at motivation. Chris Daily and Shea Ralph are the micromanaging perfectionists on his staff. I swear, Chris could be collapsing and about to die and I doubt she would allow the fall to cause a crease in her dress. Geno's a master at directing them without making them think they are directed. I don't lurk on the women't board as much as I used to so I have no idea if this has been discussed, but Imo, Geno has decided recently to coach at games looking like a street person just as a dig to Chis's rigid perfectionism.

 

[Dogdeacon]

The worst that can happen for posting a women's discussion is @Deepster will remember us in the future and consider us for a hanging.
Kidding aside, Geno is a master at motivation. Chris Daily and Shea Ralph are the micromanaging perfectionists on his staff. I swear, Chris could be collapsing and about to die and I doubt she would allow the fall to cause a crease in her dress. Geno's a master at directing them without making them think they are directed. I don't lurk on the women't board as much as I used to so I have no idea if this has been discussed, but Imo, Geno has decided recently to coach at games looking like a street person just as a dig to Chis's rigid perfectionism.

Wow, a huge digression spun right back into a discussion about coaching attire. Bravo. So you are saying Ollie's so worried about his wardrobe that he's simultaneously not coaching well and not hiring well coiffed assistants that would pay similar attention to detail in their player management & recruiting!

 

[ctchamps]

Wow, a huge digression spun right back into a discussion about coaching attire. Bravo. So you are saying Ollie's so worried about his wardrobe that he's simultaneously not coaching well and not hiring well coiffed assistants that would pay similar attention to detail in their player management & recruiting!

Now I love the women's team and feel that Geno would not be nearly as successful without Chris Daly. They are perfect complements to one another and each bring strengths to coaching the other lacks. But if Chris was an assistant on the men's team, Jalen would only enter the game in a mummy suit.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Atta boy. Either have fun with the people you don't agree with or stay away from things. Why let anyone or anything get to you that you have control over. Illness, death, global events are things we can't control. Opinions, which have little or no consequence in the scheme of life, are not worth working ourselves up over.

I come here for several reasons the most important of course is to be with people who are passionate about the team I most support. But an additional reason is to develop my game. This game is a challenge I put on myself to see how far I can let myself go in engaging people who normally would irritate the heck out me without being irritated. It's like karate but instead of toughening up the hands I'm toughening up my negative emotions....

I tell my kids that there are two things in life that you shouldn't get angry or frustrated over. The first are the things you can control. The second are the things you can't control.

 

[ctchamps]

I tell my kids that there are two things in life that you shouldn't get angry or frustrated over. The first are the things you can control. The second are the things you can't control.

As I said before I love your avatar. Matt Smith playing Dr. Who holding a sonic screwdriver. You a fan or just enjoyed the play on words?

 

[Dogdeacon]

I tell my kids that there are two things in life that you shouldn't get angry or frustrated over. The first are the things you can control. The second are the things you can't control.

You are Mickey Rivers?

 

[TheChamps990411]

Ok...no talent on the roster... who's fault is that?

Whos fault? How about playing in a conference,less national exposure and the apr nonsense that set the program back a couple years. We won a national title and everyone was thinking the apr nonsense didnt effect us but it has and that has contributed to where we are today.

 

[shizzle787]

Ollie should be given a mulligan for this season. However, the previous two teams both vastly underperformed their talent levels and expectations. The 2015/16 team should have been a Sweet 16 team and instead got bounced by Arizona St. in the NIT. Last year's team had one of the best starting five's in America and should have been a Final Four team. They both underperformed bigly. Next year's team should be at minimum a Sweet 16 team. If not, serious questions should be asked.

 

[boog204]

KO had one very good coaching year under difficult circumstances.
One decent coaching year followed by an outstanding coaching month.
One pretty bad year across the board.
Another year where we underachieved, but put together a nice 4-game run to salvage at least some relevance and respectability.
A year where the team wasn't ready to play in November and then had a mulligan for the rest.

That's an acceptable coaching record for maybe half of his tenure? Is that good enough for us now?

Winning a title, especially in the manner we did and against the teams we did buys KO extra time and leeway. But, you are pretty accurate in your assessment and it's a little disheartening to see it laid out this way. Throughout KOs tenure we have been consistently inconsistent. Great streaks and awful ones.

This year injuries have obviously decimated us but that does not excuse what we were when we were healthy. And we were absolutely awful. I know, it is difficult to mesh new players to old players/new roles, etc. It is difficult. But we are UConn and these are high major D1 players. You do it. There is no acceptable excuse for us looking as completely unprepared as we were to start this season. The precedent was set from the start and that is as much as the coach as it is on injuries.