Ollie has painted him...self in a corner.

[upstater]

Not actually the deal.

It is the deal. I'm stunned many people don't understand it.

 

[businesslawyer]

Given the political debates in this country I don't know why I'm surprised that revisionist history runs rampant.

Is it true that Gibbs at the end of games has repeatedly gotten stuck taking up way too much time with the ball in his hands without going anywhere? Yes. Is it also true that Gibbs is a combo guard and not a true #1 like Adams. Yup. And is Gibbs making us forget Bazz or Kemba (or Marcus or AJ) -- nope.

Having said that, Gibbs has won us a bunch of games this year and did make All Big East teams last year. I'd love to see Jalen start giving us such great consistent play that he is never out at the end of games. But he hasn't yet proven he can achieve at the level Gibbs has.

 

[InKembaITrust]

I'm not sure what's worse, that the OP thinks he's providing useful insight or that several people seem to agree with him. Either way, the lunatics are running the asylum.

Incidentally, to whoever tried to use "de facto" in a sentence: swing and a miss, guy. Not even close.

I'll admit you got me on that.

To your first point I still say Gibbs overall hinders our collective offense more than he helps. Is he a good individual offensive player? Sure. Can he run an elite offense? absolutely not.

 

[blackbird]

I really think it's unfair to pin it on Gibbs though.

He's not a point guard. If we took Hamilton and made be the point guard, he'd look like crap too. As would Purvis or Calhoun. Quit making him do something he's not capable of doing for long periods of time.

Because he CAN shoot, and when he's in that role, he does well.

 

[Captbluefin]

I am sorry I made a error on the title. Once I clicked on post I saw it and could not fix it. My bad..


I understood there would be plenty of options on what I said.

But tell me where is the sense in doing the same destructive thing over and over again at the end of games???? It has ended repeatedly over and over again in a loss. They take the air out of the ball and loose... Usually on a poor Gibbs shot... How many game winning situations have we had at end of games?? What's our success % zero none...

 

[tykurez]

I am sorry I made a error on the title. Once I clicked on post I saw it and could not fix it. My bad..


I understood there would be plenty of options on what I said.

But tell me where is the sense in doing the same destructive thing over and over again at the end of games???? It has ended repeatedly over and over again in a loss. They take the air out of the ball and loose... Usually on a poor Gibbs shot... How many game winning situations have we had at end of games?? What's our success % zero none...

Hey no problem we all make a mistakes.

One option on what you said from me . . . a enormously big and huge u'conn fan . . . I'm sick of the loosing to . . . hope it stops soon for you're sake and mi'ne

 

[Captbluefin]

What is the definition of doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result ???? INSANITY.. Its also what this team keeps doing at the end of every game they have a chance of winning or have the lead... Let's take the air out of the ball and pray we hold off the other teams attack.. That's been Ollie's plan ... Then lets dribble the clock down and have Gibbs or Hamilton take a gave winning shot instead of feeding Miller or letting Adams take it to the rim... Which if ya have not noticed has not worked... Bazz and Boat bailed out Ollie's lack of plan at the end of games for 2 years and bought him a nice contract and a couple of season buffer from everyone calling for his head...

The man can recruit but that will end in a heartbeat if this team keeps falling flat on its face at the end of games... Also it does not look good to recruits when the only point guard who happens to be a 5* freshmen sits and pouts while the fans and the press demand to know why he was not in...

I pray that this 3 game run coming up totally changes my mind...

 

[traitor71]

Enough with the Ollie threads, he is our coach until HE decides to move on.

I hate to break it to you, but we're pretty free to discuss things that are important to the program. I would say the the head coach and the decisions he makes fit that description.

 

[joober jones]

During Ollie's playing days at UConn he ran down the clock more often than any other Calhoun-era point guard I can remember. The only difference was he was able to make things happen in the last few seconds. He needs to realize Gibbs can't do this so well.

 

[Leebo]

I pray he does not wreck Adams in the process....

I pray that this 3 game run coming up totally changes my mind...

An awful lot of prayer on this subject... they lost a rough game and can still win the league. It's not that big of a deal.

 

[huskyharry]

During Ollie's playing days at UConn he ran down the clock more often than any other Calhoun-era point guard I can remember. The only difference was he was able to make things happen in the last few seconds. He needs to realize Gibbs can't do this so well.

Being able to control the pace was a critical aspect of our winning the 2014 championship. I think at times Coach Oliie is trying to see if you can get this team to learn how to have the same skill. Last game is a clear example where this backfired. However, I think Coach Ollie is still teaching throughout the season, particularly when it seems like we have a comfortable lead. Same thing happened at Tulane.

 

[joober jones]

Being able to control the pace was a critical aspect of our winning the 2014 championship. I think at times Coach Oliie is trying to see if you can get this team to learn how to have the same skill. Last game is a clear example where this backfired. However, I think Coach Ollie is still teaching throughout the season, particularly when it seems like we have a comfortable lead. Same thing happened at Tulane.

This I agree with.

 

[gtcam]

I don't agree with a lot that the post has portrayed
First I don't think that the decision to offer Gibbs was a mistake, the guy has proven he can score
Ollie hasn't painted himself into any corner - only in your mind
IF JA had proven himself as the unequivocal starting PG from day 1 and/or up to this date - he would be it
The biggest concern I have at this point with Gibbs is what looks like a strained relationship in the court between him and Rodney

 

[Gurleyman]

Adams obviously has the potential to be pretty good, but he's not there yet, particularly as a shooter. So a sixth man/supplemental starting role is ideal. Kemba and Bazz both had supplemental roles as freshmen. If they played well, they got heavy minutes, but they could also sit if they weren't playing well. Gibbs gives us the luxury to not need Adams to be a 35 mpg guy.

Without Gibbs, defenses don't get stretched, Miller gets double teamed a lot, and DHam always sees help defenders. Even with him, that stuff happens, but without him it would be worse.

 

[UCweCONN]

Great we won tonight but what the hell is wrong with this team? Awful perimeter defense seemingly every game. Hopefully some of the players we have coming in the next two years can defend.

 

[David 76]

Great we won tonight but what the hell is wrong with this team? Awful perimeter defense seemingly every game. Hopefully some of the players we have coming in the next two years can defend.

I think it is great defense followed by inept defense.

 

[Huskybass]

That was the least satisfying win I can remember in a long, long time. Lots of talent on this team, but no chemistry and a very low basketball IQ. Gibbs needs to play off the ball exclusively and guys need to set some picks for him. Adams and Hamilton need to play the point. Gibbs should be a spot up shooter and that's it.

Miller and Facey need more touches. They were 7 for 8 from the field last night. That's a whole lot better than forced 20 to 25' jump shots at the end of the shot clock.

 

[upstater]

What is the definition of doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result ???? INSANITY.. Its also what this team keeps doing at the end of every game they have a chance of winning or have the lead... Let's take the air out of the ball and pray we hold off the other teams attack.. That's been Ollie's plan ... Then lets dribble the clock down and have Gibbs or Hamilton take a gave winning shot instead of feeding Miller or letting Adams take it to the rim... Which if ya have not noticed has not worked... Bazz and Boat bailed out Ollie's lack of plan at the end of games for 2 years and bought him a nice contract and a couple of season buffer from everyone calling for his head...

The man can recruit but that will end in a heartbeat if this team keeps falling flat on its face at the end of games... Also it does not look good to recruits when the only point guard who happens to be a 5* freshmen sits and pouts while the fans and the press demand to know why he was not in...

I pray that this 3 game run coming up totally changes my mind...

Calhoun used to do the same exact thing.

 

[upstater]

I've been saying this all year but the problem at the end of games is panic. These players really panic. You can tell as they just screwup whatever play they've called from the start, and they are all directing one another, and then they just start running around like crazy. They don't even set timely picks.

 

[dwalks93]

Great we won tonight but what the hell is wrong with this team? Awful perimeter defense seemingly every game. Hopefully some of the players we have coming in the next two years can defend.

What is wrong with this team is we have no "closer." We do not have a guard with the leadership qualities right now who can stabilize this team when they start to panic. By experience Gibbs should be the guy but it almost appears to be the opposite situation. Whether it is the last game against Temple or Tulsa, the opposing team finally gets hot and starts knocking down threes. The pressure then shifts to the UConn offense. That is when Gibbs seems to pound the ball outside the top of key and does not run an offense. A couple of poor shots caused by a dwindling shot clock and suddenly we have guards double dribbling, hooking defenders for silly offensive fouls, and throwing the ball out of bounds. Moreover UConn's bad offense and rushed shots leads to easy break out transition baskets and pull up 3 pointers which Temple and Tulsa made with amazing consistency in the second half.

Last night in the Tulsa game the biggest baskets down the stretch were made by Dham (2 back to back 3 points), and a runner by Purvis. Those big baskets need to be made by your point guard if you want to succeed on a regular basis. There is a reason Walker, Napier and Boatright are UConn legends. On the other hand, Gibbs missed a layup and missed several wide open teammates for break away layups down the stretch. It almost appeared Gibbs was more interested in getting to foul line than he was facilitating for teammates. Perhaps that is a little unfair as Gibbs is a very good free-throw shooter but he even misses some of those key free throws when they count the most.

I do not like to hate on players but a lot of our problems stem from Gibbs. He is a key component to our offense and can stretch a defense but he cannot run an offense and does not always play a team game. Almost every time I see a bad possession with a forced shot due to the shot clock it includes a lot of Gibb's dribbling. Moreover, I do like the body language between Gibbs, Purvis and Adams...it just seems like there is a lot of friction there.

Right now UConn lacks a mental toughness and going into the Tulsa game its confidence was shattered. The good news is UConn did enough last night to win. They held off a streaking Tulsa team in the second half and got the win. UConn's play may have left a lot to be desired down the stretch but UConn did accomplish what it could not against Temple, it found a way to win. Hopefully we can build on it but if we are going to do something in the tournament UConn needs a leader at the guard position.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Calhoun used to do the same exact thing.

Not entirely true. When we had the shooters, we used to run them around screens and double screens and only if that produced nothing, the guards would try to create something. KO doesn't seem to run the screens JC used to to get shooters open, which is head scratching since he ran plenty of these plays when he was PG. Ray and Rip used to run their guys off screens all day long.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Adams obviously has the potential to be pretty good, but he's not there yet, particularly as a shooter. So a sixth man/supplemental starting role is ideal. Kemba and Bazz both had supplemental roles as freshmen. If they played well, they got heavy minutes, but they could also sit if they weren't playing well. Gibbs gives us the luxury to not need Adams to be a 35 mpg guy.

Without Gibbs, defenses don't get stretched, Miller gets double teamed a lot, and DHam always sees help defenders. Even with him, that stuff happens, but without him it would be worse.

Its surprising just how bad Jalen's outside shot is at this point. I expected him to be a considerably better shooter. The 3 just doesn't seem to be something in his arsenal right now.

 

[djct1999]

Gibbs single-handedly won atleast three game for us. He is an upper-tier high major player and absolutely deserves to start on this team. To blame him is insane to me. Even more insane is this criticism of Ollie's ability to handle his players. If there is one thing KO can do, he can relate to these kids. Without knowing why Adams is in the doghouse, I do not for one second doubt Ollie on this. I trust what he does and why is with good reason.

 

[junglehusky]

Allow myself to introduce my...self

 

[dwalks93]

Its surprising just how bad Jalen's outside shot is at this point. I expected him to be a considerably better shooter. The 3 just doesn't seem to be something in his arsenal right now.

I agree with you that Adam's perimeter shooting is not yet at a big time PG level. That said, I remember thinking the same thing about Kemba Walker as a freshman. I think a lot of fast athletic PGs succeed in HS by pure athleticism and do not develop that consistent 3 point perimeter shooting until college.

Adam is going to be a great PG and 2 years from now he will be nailing big perimeter shots with regularity. For Adams, it is just a matter of development and practice. Unfortunately for this year UConn has a PG in Adam who cannot consistently shoot and a PG in Gibbs who can shoot but does not have the speed and passing to be a PG....That has been our biggest problem this season.