diggerfoot
Humanity Hiker
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I'm not going to argue whether a seven-month contract was the "right" thing to do. I think it was but I can see some legitimate counterarguments. However, seven months was wise when you consider how various people are impacted, starting with Ollie.
Ollie is similar to Calhoun in wanting to punch his way out of a corner. Offering a multiyear contract with a wink of the eye meaning "but if you screw up" would not motivate him as well as "you've got a year, prove yourself." That's been Ollie's MO his whole life; that's what he is comfortable with and motivates him whether we think it's "right" or not.
Recruits could go either way but there are some things to keep in mind. A recruit like XRM, whether he comes to UConn or not, is already sold on Ollie. We can safely say that from listening to Ollie and getting close to him he has no doubt that Ollie will be there for the long term, whether that's true or not. The same can be said for any current recruit that at this point is still considering UConn because of Ollie. If they believe in Ollie they also believe wholeheartedly, whether right or wrong, that he's a winner that will be at UConn long term. Recruits not believing that are already out of the picture, thus any negative impact from the short contract will be on future recruits we start in with.
But there are only a few months of a short contract ahead. After that there will be either a long contract or no contract. These particular few months are not the most crucial time, nor are they the only time. If you are a betting man that Ollie stays long term, you no doubt are also betting he will overcome the minor inconvenience of a few month setback in opening doors with NEW recruits.
Finally, at this stage it is good to present at least the facade of institutional control. I understand the arguments that Calhoun should be a better judge than Manuel regarding a new coach, but this contract did indeed allow Calhoun to choose while at least suggesting that Manuel intends to accept responsibility for making sure everything works well. Like most Boneyarders I think we've gotten a raw deal, but I also think we could have done better and I like at least the appearance of someone being on the watch. I'll decide later whether that watch is overbearing or not.
What Manuel decides come April may be open to praise or blame, but this move is rather proper (for the institution), safe (for recruits) and even motivational (for Ollie).
Ollie is similar to Calhoun in wanting to punch his way out of a corner. Offering a multiyear contract with a wink of the eye meaning "but if you screw up" would not motivate him as well as "you've got a year, prove yourself." That's been Ollie's MO his whole life; that's what he is comfortable with and motivates him whether we think it's "right" or not.
Recruits could go either way but there are some things to keep in mind. A recruit like XRM, whether he comes to UConn or not, is already sold on Ollie. We can safely say that from listening to Ollie and getting close to him he has no doubt that Ollie will be there for the long term, whether that's true or not. The same can be said for any current recruit that at this point is still considering UConn because of Ollie. If they believe in Ollie they also believe wholeheartedly, whether right or wrong, that he's a winner that will be at UConn long term. Recruits not believing that are already out of the picture, thus any negative impact from the short contract will be on future recruits we start in with.
But there are only a few months of a short contract ahead. After that there will be either a long contract or no contract. These particular few months are not the most crucial time, nor are they the only time. If you are a betting man that Ollie stays long term, you no doubt are also betting he will overcome the minor inconvenience of a few month setback in opening doors with NEW recruits.
Finally, at this stage it is good to present at least the facade of institutional control. I understand the arguments that Calhoun should be a better judge than Manuel regarding a new coach, but this contract did indeed allow Calhoun to choose while at least suggesting that Manuel intends to accept responsibility for making sure everything works well. Like most Boneyarders I think we've gotten a raw deal, but I also think we could have done better and I like at least the appearance of someone being on the watch. I'll decide later whether that watch is overbearing or not.
What Manuel decides come April may be open to praise or blame, but this move is rather proper (for the institution), safe (for recruits) and even motivational (for Ollie).