OT: Pitt

[superjohn]

Remember when The Pete was an IMPOSSIBLE place to win?

Yep, I also remember Khalid silencing them.

 

[Mots010]

Uconn is stuck is a conference where we get paid with Monopoly money, while trying to fill the shoes of a legend. What’s Pitt’s excuse?

 

[storrsroars]

Yep, I also remember Khalid silencing them.

KEA was before the Pete. Pete opened in 2002-03.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Holy crap 3102 attendance!

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

What part of Pittsburgh are you in?

Originally from Butler, but live in the North Shore currently.

KEA was before the Pete. Pete opened in 2002-03.

Yep, that was at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse and was my first ever CBB game. Got a high five from Voskuhl as the team came to the floor for warmups.

 

[upstater]

Holy crap 3102 attendance!

And that is being generous. Pitt fans seem to think it was under 2k

 

[jibsey]

Watched a few minutes, Pitt has some players with bulk, size and skill. It’s hard to know right now how our talent compares and what would happen if we played in their league. Would our team be better than them against their schedule? Impossible to know but would we have blown out Montana? Don’t think so.

 

[storrsroars]

Originally from Butler, but live in the North Shore currently.

How's the Southern Tier location over there? Haven't been. Most of the bars there are too bro-ey and I'm no spring chicken. But enjoy the Foundry. And you've got Slice on Broadway now, so things are pretty good over there. Have a good friend in MWS and have spent considerable time at Monterrey Pub and occasionally Park House.

I'd tell you where I live, but there's a nutcase on Cesspool who wants to track me down

 

[Robertelamin]

LOL at Pitt

 

[tcf15]

 

[August_West]

Yep, I also remember Khalid silencing them.

KEA was before the Pete. Pete opened in 2002-03.

Poor Samson Johnson. Stick to giving a hard time.

 

[UConnRock]

Dixon may or may not be a genius, but Pitt was crazy to hire Stallings. He was a joke at Vandy and is just a cold, impersonal coach that is totally disconnected from his players. He took the Pitt job to watch his son play for the Pirates. He has no connection to Pitt’s recruiting hot spots. He will be gone very soon.

 

[superjohn]

Poor Samson Johnson. Stick to giving a hard time.

Gene Stallings called, he wants to let you know he retired from coaching football 2 decades ago. Stick to stuffing your face with disgusting Arby's lunch meats and not riding The Joker.

 

[August_West]

Dixon may or may not be a genius, but Pitt was crazy to hire Stallings. He was a joke at Vandy and is just a cold, impersonal coach that is totally disconnected from his players. He took the Pitt job to watch his son play for the Pirates. He has no connection to Pitt’s recruiting hot spots. He will be gone very soon.

See thats what gets me though when people on here think we are going to attract some kind of savior here when they get what they want and get KO fired. Who the hell do you think we are going to attract? a Big ACC P5 school with some recent (last 15 years) high ranked teams hired an idiot like Stallings. But somehow people think the best and brightest are salivating at a chance to come to the AAC in Storrs in front of 1/3 full Arenas?

The separation from actual reality from the hardcore Ollie detractors here is endlessly entertaining.

And yes I agree KO needs to do better. Much better. But in the current landscape of college basketball and whats out there and what our fate would be without him, it makes me want to roll the dice on a homegrown guy 3.5 years off a title. Until someone can name someone better who would actually TAKE the job, I will continue to shake my head.

 

[Guapo]

See thats what gets me though when people on here think we are going to attract some kind of savior here when they get what they want and get KO fired. Who the hell do you think we are going to attract? a Big ACC P5 school with some recent (last 15 years) high ranked teams hired an idiot like Stallings. But somehow people think the best and brightest are salivating at a chance to come to the AAC in Storrs in front of 1/3 full Arenas?

The separation from actual reality from the hardcore Ollie detractors here is endlessly entertaining.

And yes I agree KO needs to do better. Much better. But in the current landscape of college basketball and whats out there and what our fate would be without him, it makes me want to roll the dice on a homegrown guy 3.5 years off a title. Until someone can name someone better who would actually TAKE the job, I will continue to shake my head.

That is always a good question to ask when talking about firing a coach (note I do not believe UConn should fire Ollie.)

However, since you asked, I do think UConn is a more attractive position than Pitt.

UConn is closer to better recruiting areas in NYC and Boston and has significant brand equity in both locations and throughout the youth basketball system.

Plus, the basketball training facility is amongst the newest and best in the country.

Conference affiliation means a lot, we know that, however I think for arguments like this we put too much emphasis on it.

Honestly, when we assume any p5 conference job is better than ours then we play right into the hands of the media created narrative that there is a vast separation in quality when there clearly is not.

Schools like Gonzaga, Wichita State, and the top teir NBE schools all manage to play with the power 5 boys, and we can too.

UConn got screwed in conference realignment but UConn has a lot going for it both in the basketball world and beyond.

A lot of us need to a better job recognizing that and cease with the constant fatalism that permeates certain corners of this fan base.

 

[August_West]

Schools like Gonzaga, Wichita State, and the top teir NBE schools all manage to play with the power 5 boys, and we can too.

Watch what happens when Few and Marshall are gone. Especially Wichita St.

Few is 18 years at Gonzaga - Marshall 10 at witchita Ollie 5 at UConn.

 

[Guapo]

Watch what happens when Few and Marshall are gone. Especially Wichita St.

Few is 18 years at Gonzaga - Marshall 10 at witchita Ollie 5 at UConn.

Well obviously the next hire will be very important for them, however I think they've made themselves into the type of program where they can attract a really good coach.

 

[Guapo]

Watch what happens when Few and Marshall are gone. Especially Wichita St.

Few is 18 years at Gonzaga - Marshall 10 at witchita Ollie 5 at UConn.

Honest question, do you think every single Power 5 job is a better job than UConn?

 

[jibsey]

I keep dreaming if we were P5 the type of players we would be getting

 

[Rocktheworld]

Well obviously the next hire will be very important for them, however I think they've made themselves into the type of program where they can attract a really good coach.

So you’re saying they’re gonna be the next Butler?

Except Wichita state is in, well, Wichita KS; and is in the AAC, not NBE

 

[Guapo]

So you’re saying they’re gonna be the next Butler?

Except Wichita state is in, well, Wichita KS; and is in the AAC, not NBE

They have significant fan support, a decent facility, and the limitless pockets of the Koch Brothers.

So, yes I think they'll be fine.

 

[August_West]

Honest question, do you think every single Power 5 job is a better job than UConn?

Not every one. But many. It’s a Herculean task to recruit in our situation and will get worse as the confence money disparity becomes more pronounced.

 

[Guapo]

Not every one. But many. It’s a Herculean task to recruit in our situation and will get worse as the confence money disparity becomes more pronounced.

I understand that, we are all worried.

I don't mean to minimize the situation we are in conference wise, however I think the money disparity is a bigger deal in football than basketball.

There is a long history of basketball programs from smaller schools competing with the big football schools.

Ollie is still landing 4 star recruits and Gilbert was a McD's AA.

Imagine what we could do after a run in the tourney?

As I've stated before, we have the facilities and the brand (though we need successful seasons in the very near future to keep that equity up).

If push ever came to shove, I'm confident that the administration would do everything it could, including making some very hard choices within the Athletic Department, in order to keep funding for the basketball program competitive.

Long story short; it's a challenge but other schools have shown that it is a challenge that can be overcome.

 

[Robertelamin]

Current Pitt roster has only three schollie holdovers, all seniors. Only Luther would possibly crack UConn's roster as a bench player. Other two are useless.

It's kinda weird that the big gripe with Dixon was his micromanagement and not letting offensive minded players play offense. Stallings is a 180-degree in that his teams don't defend well and the offensive schemes are pretty wide open. He had to scramble this year after losing Cam Johnson and Nix. He does have a couple of decent recruits already for 2018, but this season is going to be a disaster, possibly worse than Penn State, which I don't recall has ever happened.

They lost to Penn St. by 31 today...

 

[JonnyRI]

They have significant fan support, a decent facility, and the limitless pockets of the Koch Brothers.

So, yes I think they'll be fine.

You bring up a great point in terms of one of our biggest needs.

UConn needs a gazillionaire alumnus. Gampel needs an upgrade? No prob, he shells out $250mil for it.

Tough for students to get to XL? He hires 3000 Uber’s for every game.

Someone needs to make this happen.