Only Solution is to bring Calhoun back

[Huskymagic]

The only real solution is for Calhoun to come back for us like Larry Brown did at SMU.

Calhoun needs to come coach for 2 years to stabilize the team and program while allowing the AD time to make a good selection for the new coach.

Calhoun would be able to recruit because he has the cache like Brown did and would allow for a good upcoming coach to come to a decent situation instead of a dumpster fire.


#CALLCALHOUN

 

[BringJimBack]

The only real solution is for Calhoun to come back for us like Larry Brown did at SMU.

Calhoun needs to come coach for 2 years to stabilize the team and program while allowing the AD time to make a good selection for the new coach.

Calhoun would be able to recruit because he has the cache like Brown did and would allow for a good upcoming coach to come to a decent situation instead of a dumpster fire.


#CALLCALHOUN

Can’t agree more. Recruiting improves, coaching improves big time and we bring instant respectability back to the program. He comes back on the cheap and the XL and Gampel will be full again!!

 

[Tenspro2002]

Setting aside the sheer unlikelihood of the scenario, I am of two minds on this:

1) JC screwed the situation up so badly by forcing KO upon us that I don't trust him to have anything to do with turning around the program
2) Given #1, he owes the program badly and with a chance to re-shine his legacy might be strongly motivated to do right by it a second time

 

[Stainmaster]

Can’t agree more. Recruiting improves, coaching improves big time and we bring instant respectability back to the program. He comes back on the cheap and the XL and Gampel will be full again!!

Are you forgetting about the bevy of negative recruiting his health brought about?

That aside, do you think someone who's dealt with his health issues wants the rigor of running a DI program?

A lot of bad takes in this thread.

 

[RayRay34]

The only real solution is for Calhoun to come back for us like Larry Brown did at SMU.

Calhoun needs to come coach for 2 years to stabilize the team and program while allowing the AD time to make a good selection for the new coach.

Calhoun would be able to recruit because he has the cache like Brown did and would allow for a good upcoming coach to come to a decent situation instead of a dumpster fire.


#CALLCALHOUN

That would be awesome... would be shocked (in a very good way) if that every played out, but who knows. If I were Calhoun and saw what was happening to the program I built I'd, at the very least, answer the phone when AD David Benedict's number showed up.

 

[Stainmaster]

2) Given #1, he owes the program badly and with a chance to re-shine his legacy might be strongly motivated to do right by it a second time

"Not a dime back"

 

[joober jones]

Why is it surprising that someone called Bring Jim Back would say this?

 

[Tenspro2002]

"Not a dime back"

It would be entirely ego-motivated, just like his departure in the first place.

The question in this case is whether his ego has been bruised enough by seeing what KO did to "his" program that he wants to get it right the second time.

To be clear, there's about a 0.01% chance of any of this happening so the discussion is moot and hypothetical, albeit interesting.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Why is it surprising that someone called Bring Jim Back would say this?

That's called a "post/handle".

 

[Ts5034]

I honestly believe if JC took this team over right now he could probably make this team look a lot more respectable, but there is zero chance this will happen. Jim Calhoun is not coming back to coach UConn.

 

[UCweCONN]

Would KO's love for the university and his significant NBA earnings lead KO to forego the buyout money. I honestly think KO is mentally exhausted and would welcome being let go. His postgame comments don't sound like those of a coach feeling the pressure of his job being on the line. Probably because he both doesn't know how to turn things around and doesn't care if he gets canned.

 

[uconnfan68]

Love Kevin, but he needs to recruits kids that can shoot, not scrappy, gritty kids that can’t run a pro offense.

 

[Sonova]

Setting aside the sheer unlikelihood of the scenario, I am of two minds on this:

1) JC screwed the situation up so badly by forcing KO upon us that I don't trust him to have anything to do with turning around the program
2) Given #1, he owes the program badly and with a chance to re-shine his legacy might be strongly motivated to do right by it a second time

The last person on planet earth who “owes” UConn basketball anything is Jim Calhoun. There is a newborn baby that was just born in a rural Chinese province who owes UConn more than JC. That “screw-up” yielded a National Championship in year 2. What’s happened after that is 100% on Kevin Ollie.

 

[uc1990]

I agree that Calhoun coming back would be the only solution... besides not being good until Ollie contract runs out. I truly believe if Ollie couldn't make a good run n the next 3 years (I think that is what he has left on his contract) he would step down, because he loves Uconn. I have said it before, the only thing that could make the uconn program really go down possibly forever or a really long time is firing Ollie.
I doubt he can make this team even an NIT team this year (and that is his fault because he put it together and couldn't keep his great recruiting class to stay) they are just not good enough.(Mostly defensively) I like every kids potential on the team they just need to improve on so many things it is tough and overwhelming to even think of what they need to work on. They are all first year players.
Remember Calhoun had classes of recruits that were supposed to be good and didn't make tournaments through out his career. All our eggs in the Larrier basket and he is so bad on defense he probably isn't worth his offensive production. Love to think it is his acl recovery and he will be great soon but... we will see cause Ollie will play him.
I remember in 94 when Calhoun couldn't win a title with Ray Allen I thought we should fire him and get a good in game coach that could win a title and I thought that for a few years.Until 1999. Boy was I wrong. Good thing they didn't have the boneyard for me to post #fireCalhoun. That would have been stupid!

 

[Bryan Lord]

TLDR: doomed

 

[zls44]

Would KO's love for the university and his significant NBA earnings lead KO to forego the buyout money.

 

[UConnJim]

You don't blow up the roster after last season unless you think your job is secure for a couple of years, which Ollie is with his buyout.

UConn has 2 players on the roster that played together for a grand total of one year. Has that ever happened to any decent team? I'm as pissed as anyone about the performance today, but we are a collection of players that have never played together and we have lost our best PG. We lost 4 top 100 recruits and replaced them with grad transfers and jucos. It was pretty clear it was going to be a difficult start to the season given the schedule.

 

[zls44]

We lost 4 top 100 recruits and replaced them with grad transfers and jucos.

This...this isn't a fact in KO's favor.

 

[Kemba429]

If he wanted to be a head coach again it wouldve already happened. 0% chance of this happening.

 

[upstater]

Setting aside the sheer unlikelihood of the scenario, I am of two minds on this:

1) JC screwed the situation up so badly by forcing KO upon us that I don't trust him to have anything to do with turning around the program
2) Given #1, he owes the program badly and with a chance to re-shine his legacy might be strongly motivated to do right by it a second time

I would not have changed a thing because of 2014. Too many people want to criticize the way Calhoun forced Ollie upon the school, but 2014 doesn't happen without Calhoun's gambit.

 

[TitleTown]

Setting aside the sheer unlikelihood of the scenario, I am of two minds on this:

1) JC screwed the situation up so badly by forcing KO upon us that I don't trust him to have anything to do with turning around the program
2) Given #1, he owes the program badly and with a chance to re-shine his legacy might be strongly motivated to do right by it a second time

Exactly!!! It is staggering to think that job was handed over to a coach that NEVER held a head coaching job before in his life. I don't care how close Ollie and Calhoun were, how good of a guy Ollie was, how big of an ambassador for UConn basketball Ollie was, he had NO BUSINESS being hired as the head coach! At the time of Calhoun's retirement, the UConn job was one of the best in the country and could/should have attracted one of the best coaches in the country.

 

[upstater]

Larry Brown was coaching when he went to SMU. He didn't come out of retirement. He was at Charlotte before that. Took a year off. Then went to SMU, brought them respectability, and got the school BANNED.

 

[zls44]

Exactly!!! It is staggering to think that job was handed over to a coach that NEVER held a head coaching job before in his life. I don't care how close Ollie and Calhoun were, how good of a guy Ollie was, how big of an ambassador for UConn basketball Ollie was, he had NO BUSINESS being hired as the head coach! At the time of Calhoun's retirement, the UConn job was one of the best in the country and could/should have attracted one of the best coaches in the country.

Remember how much vitriol was lobbed at Warde Manuel for having the AUDACITY to not immediately give KO a 10-year deal?

 

[mustangxc]

The reason Larry Brown worked at SMU is because SMU required him to hire a HCIW. Tim Jankovich was ready to run the show during Larry's 9 game suspension and again last season when Larry Brown abruptly resigned. Jankovich was a huge part of the SMU rebuild because he brought SMU his best player from Illinois State who also turned out to be SMU's best player throughout his career. If Calhoun came back to UCONN I think the program would need to insist he hire a HCIW ready to go the minute he steps down. Otherwise you are back to square one.

 

[BlueDogs]

I'd vote to do just about anything other than allowing this schnit show to continue.