Ollie has Calhoun's support at UConn

[Clockshop]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...-calhoun-encouragement-men-college-basketball

Calhoun said it would be a mistake to wait until after the season when the chaos of a coaching search would occur and the opportunity to lock in recruits would be lost. The Huskies have two commitments from New York in wing Kentan Facey and point guard Terrence Samuel. Those two players and any others need to know who will be coaching UConn if they're going to honor or make a commitment.

 

[YearoftheHusky]

Love Calhoun, and he is right, but he is going to comment now on locking in a coach so that we don't lose recruits? Oh the irony.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Boy, the people at ESPN are smart!

 

[freescooter]

Oh my goodness...Stop the presses!!! Stop the Presses!!! Calhoun wants the guy he picked to get a long term contract! OY! Coach, you're retired. go play golf with the Whales and land some big money. Leave the basketball program to the new head coach.

 

[husky99]

Oh my goodness...Stop the presses!!! Stop the Presses!!! Calhoun wants the guy he picked to get a long term contract! OY! Coach, you're retired. go play golf with the Whales and land some big money. Leave the basketball program to the new head coach.

Is there away to block all freescooter posts. I am ok for a giant picture of a jackass instead of the chance of reading his post. Very few people on this board add so little

 

[UCONNfan1]

Of course JC wants Ollie signed to a long term contract. KO is JC's protoge. But I don't get the comment about the opportunity lost for recruits. Ollie was never going to get XRM or Parker, even if he had a 5 year contract. He hasn't coached a single game yet and I hardly think elite players like that would have taken a chance on an unproven coach. Now I could be wrong, but I think my reasoning is logical.

There's no reason to think Ollie can't put together a solid 2013 class. He already has 2 kids. Get Bell and one other. The thing is, for recruiting the 2014, Ollie will be locked in by then. If all goes as planned, the AD does a nationwide search in April and by May 1, Ollie is the HC for the next 3-5 years. That gives him the entire summer to recruit kids who won't be coming to campus for another 1.5 years.

All the chest thumping and angst about him "only" getting a 1 year contract seems misplaced. The only way the 1 year contract hurts Ollie is if kids he really really wants (wanted) won't come to UCONN EXCLUSIVELY BECAUSE of his 1 year contract. Until I read that a guy like Parker or XRM says "I wanted UCONN but the 1 year contract for Ollie scared me away", I'll continue to believe the 1 year contract was the right call.

 

[ctchamps]

Of course JC wants Ollie signed to a long term contract. KO is JC's protoge. But I don't get the comment about the opportunity lost for recruits. Ollie was never going to get XRM or Parker, even if he had a 5 year contract. He hasn't coached a single game yet and I hardly think elite players like that would have taken a chance on an unproven coach. Now I could be wrong, but I think my reasoning is logical.

There's no reason to think Ollie can't put together a solid 2013 class. He already has 2 kids. Get Bell and one other. The thing is, for recruiting the 2014, Ollie will be locked in by then. If all goes as planned, the AD does a nationwide search in April and by May 1, Ollie is the HC for the next 3-5 years. That gives him the entire summer to recruit kids who won't be coming to campus for another 1.5 years.

All the chest thumping and angst about him "only" getting a 1 year contract seems misplaced. The only way the 1 year contract hurts Ollie is if kids he really really wants (wanted) won't come to UCONN EXCLUSIVELY BECAUSE of his 1 year contract. Until I read that a guy like Parker or XRM says "I wanted UCONN but the 1 year contract for Ollie scared me away", I'll continue to believe the 1 year contract was the right call.

Those two kids are not locked in.

Nothing wrong with KO having to prove himself as a coach. The problem is the state of the team. There are no proven four's or fives. Outside of Shabazz there is no real experience with the returning players. TO and RB played sub minutes. So how do you judge this team. I felt they were going to have significant problems even if JC returned this season.

There is no way of knowing what the detriments are with a short term contract. We can't say for sure how it affects recruiting. This issue isn't black or white. But every perceived negative by a potential recruit does harm recruiting. Kids will listen to KO differently if they hear he has several years to prove himself vs. the current contract. Outside of the elite players, the coaching relationship does matter for recruits and if they are not certain who will be there when they join the team they will commit elsewhere. I'm not saying this is Manuel's fault. No one is to blame.

But the decision to give a short term contract can't be dismissed because we would prefer a nationwide search or we prefer the AD be the one to make the choice of who coaches the team. He bears responsibility for the decision because he did have other options which he chose not to utilize.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Is there away to block all freescooter posts. I am ok for a giant picture of a jackass instead of the chance of reading his post. Very few people on this board add so little

He adds a lot (of negativity).

In all seriousness, though, it is good to have differing opinions (of course, mine's the only one that matters). If we all agreed all the time, we wouldn't have much to talk about.

 

[ctchamps]

He adds a lot (of negativity).

In all seriousness, though, it is good to have differing opinions (of course, mine's the only one that matters). If we all agreed all the time, we wouldn't have much to talk about.

Love diversity of opinions. The best thing to avoid letting annoying people bother us is not to let them bother us.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Love diversity of opinions. The best thing to avoid letting annoying people bother us is not to let them bother us.

Precisely, though I still choose to let them bother me.

 

[Pudge]

I am a UCLA alum as well. So the Lavin analogy is interesting.

My initial view is that Ollie is doing great: let's see his Team on the floor. There are perfectly reasonable explanations why Manual & Herbst went with his current contract. I think Ollie will meet the test. And ... I'm firm in the belief that finding that mid level guy to replace JC is far harder than out free scooters of this world think. I believe Lavin is a fraud ... But good recruiter. Ollie? I see a higher arc

 

[UConn990411]

Is there a more useless reporter out there than Andy Katz?

 

[RichZ]

To me, a recruit's mindset would have to include the thought, "If the University won't commit to Ollie, why would I want to?"

 

[PolisHusky]

In other news, JC admits to winning 3 national championships at UConn. Stay tuned.... More to follow at 11.

 

[connectikev]

I am a UCLA alum as well. So the Lavin analogy is interesting.

My initial view is that Ollie is doing great: let's see his Team on the floor. There are perfectly reasonable explanations why Manual & Herbst went with his current contract. I think Ollie will meet the test. And ... I'm firm in the belief that finding that mid level guy to replace JC is far harder than out free scooters of this world think. I believe Lavin is a fraud ... But good recruiter. Ollie? I see a higher arc

This... KO's has surely been doing and saying all the correct things. The players are all doing and saying the correct things. What transpires during the course of the season will be the gauge. I expect that the Huskies will look great, playing with great energy during the early portion of the schedule. It's what happens after the bump in the road (and there is always a bump in the road) that will determine Ko's success.
Its a tough proposition; with little to play for (compared to every other opponent), the temptation to "get mine" or even to lay down, is my largest concern. If KO keeps the team in stride, playing his game, and fighting for every possession, that should do it in my mind.
January is too early to make that call. By early March we should all already know which way the decision is going to be made. - And that's still early enough to attract quality recruits.....

 

[upstater]

UConn really needs to keep the momentum going. The college landscape is littered with schools that failed. Time is a factor.