Ollie 7-3

[auggie22]

Hurley had 8 Wagner and Northeastern type losses last yr in a team with 4 top 75 high school players. (They also had 2 other losses) He would never won 25 names in the AAC last yr. What this tells you is that even at the lowest point of Ollie's coaching career, Hurley's peak is no better

Yet from what little of URI I have seen, Hurley’s teams play like they have been coached and a game plan is in place. Can you say that about UCONN?

The problem with calling this Ollie’s low point is that it spans more than 50% of his head coaching career. If Ollie is 14-6 a month or so from now, this board would be back to glass-half-full. But anyone who has watched this team play knows we are much more likely to see 8-12 than 14-6.

 

[Hi-Low]

We beat Coppin State by 13. The difference between 16 and 13 is really your gripe against UConn?

That was just the common opponent example....my point was G'Town hasn't been taken to OT by cupcakes like UConn....look at their scores. G'Town has played a lousy schedule because they know they suck but at least they haven't had much trouble beating bottom feeders. UConn has had trouble with lousy teams and "good" teams (except Oregon) have embarrassed us.

It's an issue wouldn't you say?

 

[auggie22]

It truly was amazing. Not just the 2014 championship, but from the moment Calhoun stepped down, to the moment Boatright pulled down the final rebound against Kentucky.

How in the hell did we win 20 games in the real Big East with that team with nothing to play for other than dignity and improvement for next season?
Then we come out of nowhere and win as a 7 seed. I still cannot even believe it as I write this.

What happened with this program? What went wrong? I thought Ollie was a demigod at that point.

No Shabazz, no Boat, no Neils, no Miller. I think we can conclude Miller was carrying more than his own weight from a coaching standpoint. A tough, salty team with a grudge that required little motivation to perform.

 

[UConn76]

Is it stupid and naive to want Ollie here next year just so we keep our 2018 class, esp. Akinjo?

I hate the "wait 'til next year" narrative every season, but assuming no one significant transfers....

Akinjo, Gilbert, Vital backcourt
Sid Wilson, Emmitt Matthews, Polley
Cobb, Diarra, Carlton, Whaley, Kisunas

And maybe we will get VERY lucky and 1 of Adams/Larrier come back.
I was on the Ollie train, then it started to teeter after Arkansas blowout+back to back OT games. But now I'm thinking it's more the players than Ollie (which, yes, Ollie is accountable for). Maybe he just needs the right guys to fit his system, and part of me still wants to give him the benefit of the doubt.

On the other hand, if we have another bad season and a mass exodus, then it will be very hard to defend his survival another year.

Larrier not showing anything that would make an NBA team remotely interested. Looking at a G league or overseas existence...but obviously up to him.

 

[Fishy]

Okie dokie, internet tough guy.

No, no - he’d definitely be up for insulting you in person. Don’t even give that a second thought.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I can't speak for other fans, but for myself, I was hoping for more than eking out wins over the potential champs of the Mid-Atlantic and America East Conferences, no matter what their final records might be.

I've resorted to replaying the UConn-Michigan State Elite 8 game from 2014 that's still on our DVR. Now that was a close win worth cheering for.

I have a library of "stuff" also. Basically living in the past works for me since I am no longer a spring chicken . Convinced I may have seen my last UConn hoops championship. That makes me spoiled since many never experience one as a fan. I remember talking to Emeka is San Antonio before they lost to Texas (if memory isnt failing me Texas). He became my fav husky after that. Everyone remembers where they were for the Tate George "shot". SO many memories.

Thanks UConn basketball.

 

[UConnDan97]

And who created that situation?

Do you have reading comprehension issues? Or did you just selectively gloss over the part where I said, "Does Ollie need to own the recruiting misses that also led to this? Sure he does. TSam, Cassell, the folks that left this year, etc."?

Don't bother answering this one either. Some of you are just so amped up with hate for Ollie or for anyone that doesn't post a 100% scathing indictment of him that you just have to chime in...

 

[Pudge]

I can't speak for other fans, but for myself, I was hoping for more than eking out wins over the potential champs of the Mid-Atlantic and America East Conferences, no matter what their final records might be.

I've resorted to replaying the UConn-Michigan State Elite 8 game from 2014 that's still on our DVR. Now that was a close win worth cheering for.

It ain't the UConn WBB

When ... I know I've been on Men's hoop teams ... you gather 8 new characters with last year's 2 guys who played more than 10 minutes per game, YOU knew that it would be tough and rough first 5 weeks. No you can't just roll the balls out and wear UConn NC shorts. This is true of CYO as well as top 100 Men's programs. If WE recruited 8 great all star guys in CYO ball and then played a inferior team who played together as a unit the year before, you would lose or nearly lose.

It will get better.

I can't offer any more. If you have jumped ... I can't help you. These 9 games were predictable. The crap offense and Moyer killing us with offensive boards piss me off ... but the UConn stumbling start is frankly par for this level.

And ...

You cannot be a Villanova or a Creighton or a Butler or a Xavier or a Cincinnati ... without steady development of your bigs over a bunch of years AND solid guards.

Fishy pinpointed. We just collapsed over the last 18 months. This Fanbase expects instant return ... my view is the core 4 bigs arrival is hopeful. For our conference schedule.

 

[Afroabe224]

Honest question: Is it fair to call out the heart of the players this season? The ceiling HAS to be higher than this!!!

I understand that we essentially returned 2 rotation players from a bad team last year. But watching the games this season it looks like a poor man's 2009-10 UConn team.

The offense is frustrating to watch but it has been that way consistently under Ollie...

I just do not see the will to win from our "leaders" like previous Ollie teams with Boat, Shabazz, Purvis, Gibbs and even D-Ham to some extent.

I get that this may not be a top-75 team talent wise but we should still run the likes of Coppin and Columbia just by showing up to the gym.

 

[Paesano]

There is a way out of this. If the AD can't figure it out, he can PM me.

I found this thread interesting. For the record, the AD never had to contact me. He figured the way out on his own.

 

[Milo65]

Some of the quotes in here are pure gold.

 

[raf46]

We were national champions less then 4 yrs ago. Won the AAC less then 2. Good class coming in 18 and expect a very better class in 2019. Ollie got the winning pedigree

He deserved another year.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He deserved another year.

He didn’t deserve the year he just finished.

 

[Dove]

He deserved another year.

He brought in Chillz. Had Killz. Had a decent recruiting class lined up.

Yeah, it looked promising.

There must be something bigger than unapproved workouts behind the curtain to get Ollie bounced. I am hoping Athletic Director...Dave is pointing at empty seats, poor work ethic and depleted coffers for "just cause".

 

[HuskyHawk]

He brought in Chillz. Had Killz. Had a decent recruiting class lined up.

Yeah, it looked promising.

There must be something bigger than unapproved workouts behind the curtain to get Ollie bounced. I am hoping Athletic Director...Dave is pointing at empty seats, poor work ethic and depleted coffers for "just cause".

Did you watch the games? This was the worst prepared, worst coached team in all of Division 1. Chill and Kills were brought in to be yes men for a HC who doesn’t know what he is doing. They are a couple of zeros on the bench. It did not look promising.

 

[Huskybass]

He brought in Chillz. Had Killz. Had a decent recruiting class lined up.

Yeah, it looked promising.

There must be something bigger than unapproved workouts behind the curtain to get Ollie bounced. I am hoping Athletic Director...Dave is pointing at empty seats, poor work ethic and depleted coffers for "just cause".

I think "Just Cause" involves more than poor results and resulting financial loss. I believe that the investigation by the NCAA relates to at least 5 former recruits. My gut tells me something to do with Sid could constitute "cause". I am sure we will learn more in the next week or two.

 

[Huskybass]

Did you watch the games? This was the worst prepared, worst coached team in all of Division 1. Chill and Kills were brought in to be yes men for a HC who doesn’t know what he is doing. They are a couple of zeros on the bench. It did not look promising.

Agreed, this had to be the most underwhelming coaching staff I have ever seen at a major D1 school. Chillious might be a top notch recruiter, but between Washington and here, his team's were a combined 14-31 over his last 45 games. The bench often looked overwhelmed this season. Stunning to me that a relative handful still wanted one more year of this.

 

[Dove]

Did you watch the games? This was the worst prepared, worst coached team in all of Division 1. Chill and Kills were brought in to be yes men for a HC who doesn’t know what he is doing. They are a couple of zeros on the bench. It did not look promising.

Without a doubt lethargy was a pronounced characteristic of Ollie's team from top to bottom. But if he was fired for that then Athletic Director...Dave has to tie that to poor attendance etc.

 

[Huskybass]

He deserved another year.

NOBODY deserved another year of this epic mess.

 

[Paesano]

Some of the quotes in here are pure gold.

If you like this thread, you will love going back down this memory lane:

The Athletic: KO Article

I found these while going back to see when I first implied that firing for cause was a way out of paying the full 10mill. It was December 9th. A couple of other posters came to the same conclusion in the above thread.

 

[Mano]

Is this making you guys feel good about yourselves?

 

[Paesano]

Is this making you guys feel good about yourselves?

It gives me hope for the team's future and it gives me hope for the AD.

Will the Ollie disciples support the next coach like they did Ollie. I hope so. At least, initially.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Did you watch the games? This was the worst prepared, worst coached team in all of Division 1. Chill and Kills were brought in to be yes men for a HC who doesn’t know what he is doing. They are a couple of zeros on the bench. It did not look promising.

During the past week, I took @jleves to heart and refrained from conjecture about KO's future. I found more than enough of amusement here to keep me logged in & engaged. And, within six days, the termination decision was revealed. I found myself liking the swift certainty of it, and it seems as though there's an engineered display of support emanating from major CT print media to get the message out that JC, SH, boosters, etc. are aligned with DB's announcement and the "just cause" angle.

Do I know the full back story or road ahead? Nope. I think that all but a very few here are speculating in ways that could show up like some of the comments in this resurrected thread. I can remain both interested and patient, even a little lightheaded from uncertainty, but read @HuskyHawk's first sentence above: the team's on-court performance was on display for 32 regular season games this year. It was on display 33 times last year. We've collectively found ourselves more than not questioning KO and the team's play ever since the 2014 NC. The Boneyard has not been the only place of such observation, as it extended into the national media as well.

My humble request is for suggestions of games to re-watch from the 2014-15 season up until today. There must be some (lion-hearted Boat, Brimah scores 40+, a DHam triple double?, Shawn Miller steadiness come to mind but represent individuals and not the team), but nothing generates the memories or experience of links posted recently of games with great teams & legendary players against top-notch opponents. I really would like to see something from the past four seasons to soften my stance. And I wish us well.

 

[Mano]

It gives me hope for the team's future and it gives me hope for the AD.

Will the Ollie disciples support the next coach like they did Ollie. I hope so. At least, initially.

I will support whoever succeeds KO vociferously. The I-told-ya-so’s just seem petty.

 

[huskyrob1]

He brought in Chillz. Had Killz. Had a decent recruiting class lined up.

Yeah, it looked promising.

There must be something bigger than unapproved workouts behind the curtain to get Ollie bounced. I am hoping Athletic Director...Dave is pointing at empty seats, poor work ethic and depleted coffers for "just cause".

There is.