Our Albatross

[SouthBayHusky]

Whoever is blaming Ollie for this is lost.....the only thing he struck out was not getting Taurean Thompson or Justin Jackson late in recruiting.

Do you watch the games?

Adams and Purvis play all game.

Nobody can shoot or score besides them.

The big men are inept.

Could Ollie be a better offensive coach Yes, but defense wins championships and he is one of the best defensive coaches in the nation.

Wake up!!

No talent on this roster right now.

Adams & Purvis and the rest of the players are too young or Brimah and Facey who have ZERO offensive ability.

John Wooden couldn't coach this roster to an NCAA bid.

Wake up guys!

But Haith can coach a bunch of three-star freshman on Tulsa to beat Uconn?

 

[EBonz30]

Yeah. It's isn't like Ollie recruited these guys...oh wait...

It will be a dark day when Ollie leaves, Uconn is never going to be where Calhoun took them, need to accept that, this is not Kentucky, Kansas, or Duke. We also play in the American, come back to reality.

What Calhoun did was the greatest coaching job ever in elevating a program. Uconn was nobody before Calhoun, so when he retired we all needed to realize the program was going to take a hit and then we moved to the American which just made it worse.

Ollie won a title for us, his first season was one of the best coaching jobs, won 20 games when half the roster transferred. Took us to the tourney last year and won a game.

Now this year obviously we lost 2 of our best 3 players and another rotation player as well and our best player was out for two games.

Give Ollie a break, no team in the nation has had as many and integral injuries as Uconn this year.

 

[Huskybass]

How about last season? How about the year before that? How many seasons in a row does this team need to suck before some of you guys see the light? This team isnt going to become relevant on the national scene until some big changes are made.

 

[Palatine]

It will be a dark day when Ollie leaves, Uconn is never going to be where Calhoun took them, need to accept that, this is not Kentucky, Kansas, or Duke. We also play in the American, come back to reality.

What Calhoun did was the greatest coaching job ever in elevating a program. Uconn was nobody before Calhoun, so when he retired we all needed to realize the program was going to take a hit and then we moved to the American which just made it worse.

Ollie won a title for us, his first season was one of the best coaching jobs, won 20 games when half the roster transferred. Took us to the tourney last year and won a game.

Now this year obviously we lost 2 of our best 3 players and another rotation player as well and our best player was out for two games.

Give Ollie a break, no team in the nation has had as many and integral injuries as Uconn this year.

I nominate this for loser poster of the year.

 

[mauconnfan]

I nominate this for loser poster of the year.

Why? Not sure what's not a fair opinion in this post?

 

[Tenspro2002]

Why? Not sure what's not a fair opinion in this post?

Pal's comment was an overreaction, but acceptance of mediocrity does not -- and should not -- play well among this fanbase.

 

[EBonz30]

How about last season? How about the year before that? How many seasons in a row does this team need to suck before some of you guys see the light? This team isnt going to become relevant on the national scene until some big changes are made.

What are your expectations?

Not gathering.

Reality is that Uconn Men's basketball program will never be as good as when Jim Calhoun was here, it's just not setup that way.

It doesn't have the tradition nor is it even in a Power 6 conference (count the Big East).

It's Connecticut, program was never that good until one of the greatest coaches of all time came here.

We have to live in reality.

To me, an NCAA Tourney bid is a solid season.

Again, this is not Kansas, Duke, UNC, Kentucky, doesn't have that type pedigree, only when Calhoun was here and again your talking about top 5 coach of all time.

 

[Huskybass]

At a minimum, I expect UConn to contend for the AAC championship and to be a top 25 program most years. Given the program's history over the past 25 years, those are pretty modest expectations.

I do not expect to fall behind by double digits most games, to lose to teams like Northeastern and Wagner, and to have four Division 1 wins on January 6th.

In short, I expect UConn to be relevant on the national landscape, not the shitshow we have seen the past three seasons.

 

[Stainmaster]

Pal's comment was an overreaction, but acceptance of mediocrity does not -- and should not -- play well among this fanbase.

Did you honestly not expect there to be a drop-off transitioning from the greatest basketball coach in the history of the game to a first-time HC with 2 years of experience on the bench?

 

[7774]

At a minimum, I expect UConn to contend for the AAC championship and to be a top 25 program most years. Given the program's history over the past 25 years, those are pretty modest expectations.

I do not expect to fall behind by double digits most games, to lose to teams like Northeastern and Wagner, and to have four Division 1 wins on January 6th.

In short, I expect UConn to be relevant on the national landscape, not the shitshow we have seen the past three seasons.

Excluding the beating Northeastern/Wagner metric, there was a lot of time during Calhoun's last 5 years that we weren't achieving your minimum standard. And that's with an all time great coach, no schlorship restrictions, no recruiting restrictions beyond the negative recruiting that goes along with having an old coach, and no stink of a tournament ban.

Also, putting last year into the "shitshow" category is a pretty big stretch. This year is what a shitshow looks like.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Did you honestly not expect there to be a drop-off transitioning from the greatest basketball coach in the history of the game to a first-time HC with 2 years of experience on the bench?

Of course I expected a drop off, though of course I also didn't expect that we'd have forced upon us a coach with so little experience.

Regardless of practicalities, this fanbase is correct not to so casually accept mediocrity.

Are you accepting of the fact that we're trending towards no longer being a nationally relevant program?

 

[Athlete94]

Did you get the "he's not playing this year" part yet?

No have not seen or heard that mentioned..

 

[traitor71]

I wouldn't fire KO after a disappointing year next year, but he'd have to sew oven mitts onto his pants with how hot his seat will be.

Next year (2017-18) we should see a talented young team that comes together throughout the year and emerges with an AAC title, a protected seed, and a Sweet 16 or better.

2018-19 there is no excuse not to be Top 10 wire to wire and a legit Final Four contender.

I fully expect the development of this team over the next 2 years to resemble periods like 2003 to 2004, 2008 to 2009. To expect less is a disservice to ourselves and this program.

If KO can't get the program to that level in 2 years, it's time to reevaluate.

What has you believing that KO can create and maintain enough intensity for that? I'll settle for just being good again. To this point it looks more and more like KO is a guy who had his 3 best players get super hot for 6 games and had a kid make a 3 point play to win a game. Beyond that, it is just all excuses as to why things have crumbled. It starts and ends at the top, period. Players don't develop? That's on the coach. Players aren't good enough? That's on the coach for not recruiting better players. The only pass Ollie should be getting is for the injuries of this season. You could probably flip the record if he had all his players to work with, I think.

 

[mauconnfan]

No have not seen or heard that mentioned..

Sorry just reading that he's already told some that the one part of his decision is he will enroll at the chosen school but will not play, instead work on his academics and work out, practice with the team. Everything which Cal told him to do.

 

[David 76]

So it is allowable on BY to title a thread in a manner so insulting to one of our players? I hope it gets taken down.

Recliner chair warriors picking on a college player. I am sure RP is more frustrated than the OP and certainly puts a lot more effort into this season.
You could talk (ad nauseam) about his playing. The albatross heading is offensive.

 

[pj]

Sorry just reading that he's already told some that the one part of his decision is he will enroll at the chosen school but will not play, instead work on his academics and work out, practice with the team. Everything which Cal told him to do.

Hami hasn't said anything, these are all reports from the same people saying he's going to Kentucky. We'll find out his college choice tonight. I'm betting that if he comes to UConn he plays this year.

 

[3rdbass]

Well today's loss was expected from pretty much all of us and this is the sad state we are in where for the first time in 25 years we are going into games expecting to lose. It is becoming clearer year by year that our achilles heel or albatross, the one player most responsible for our horrible display for 3 years running has been Rodney Purvis. This was the single biggest recruiting whiff by Ollie that is sad to say as Rodney is a good guy and good ambassador off the court for us.

Kevin Ollie should be thanking Jim Calhoun and Shabazz Napier for that title as his coaching deficiencies whether it be substitution patterns, passe attitude, recruiting whiffs has put us in a bad position moving forward. I have a hard time seeing this time get to 10 wins for the season as I think Ollie has lost this team. Kevin Ollie also should be thankful to have Brimah whose 3-point play against St. Joes was instrumental in helping us get title #4. This season is pretty much over unless HAMI commits, and we should use this opportunity to promote Brimah and audition him for the NBA like Memphis is doing with Dedric Lawson.

2017-2018 season is judgement day for Ollie, the program, and our conference affiliation moving forward. No questions about it. I am not a fan of the Killings hire. He looks to have Ollies ear and since he got here its been one thing after another with this team now looking like they don't even know how to play basketball. The level of ineptitude and lack of discipline and lack of toughness we are seeing out there is concerning to any rational UCONN fan.

Though I agree with you on RP being a whiff and KO needing to deliver next year. I don't with Killings hire being bad as recruiting has been decent and we will see how it goes forward. Recruiting is his speciality. Even though KO might have inherited some lesser talent from JC they all had certain skills that worked as a team and we still had NG,DD, SN and RB. More talent then this team presently has. He also had George Blaney to help that team which shows that maybe KO is not really a good X and O coach. We need to bring in a coach who can help him with this part of the game. I agree next year is going to be very telling what direction UCONN basketball is going forward.

 

[upstater]

So it is allowable on BY to title a thread in a manner so insulting to one of our players? I hope it gets taken down.

Recliner chair warriors picking on a college player. I am sure RP is more frustrated than the OP and certainly puts a lot more effort into this season.
You could talk (ad nauseam) about his playing. The albatross heading is offensive.

The Boneyard has taken a bad turn. The posters here are awful now. It was almost as bad in 2014, before they won a national championship.

 

[intlzncster]

I wouldn't fire KO after a disappointing year next year, but he'd have to sew oven mitts onto his pants with how hot his seat will be.

Next year (2017-18) we should see a talented young team that comes together throughout the year and emerges with an AAC title, a protected seed, and a Sweet 16 or better.

2018-19 there is no excuse not to be Top 10 wire to wire and a legit Final Four contender.

I fully expect the development of this team over the next 2 years to resemble periods like 2003 to 2004, 2008 to 2009. To expect less is a disservice to ourselves and this program.

If KO can't get the program to that level in 2 years, it's time to reevaluate.

Do you remember all the posters calling for JC's head his last few years? The game had past him by, etc etc. There's a very, very slim line between average and greatness.

I doubt any coach in the country, sans K or Cal, was going to come in and be gangbusters off the spot. Definitely no coach who would have actually taken the job. Without patience you'll never get where you want to go. Yes, I understand you don't want to sink a program, but if all UCONN has to offer is a 'name', then without JC, they are sunk no matter what they do. Especially in today's climate.

 

[huskymagic]

Rodney is making my point clearer. Another game we should and could have won was messed up by the albatross that plagues the team. What could have been(LJ Peak) ended with Rodney Purvis and our play has been what we have seen the last 3 years.

 

[August_West]

Rodney is making my point clearer. Another game we should and could have won was messed up by the albatross that plagues the team. What could have been(LJ Peak) ended with Rodney Purvis and our play has been what we have seen the last 3 years.

Dont forget brimah
7 minutes 5 fouls. Clueless

 

[gtcam]

Rodney is making my point clearer. Another game we should and could have won was messed up by the albatross that plagues the team. What could have been(LJ Peak) ended with Rodney Purvis and our play has been what we have seen the last 3 years.

As Mau said at the start of this last week
STHU
you and Uconngb are broken records
the fact that Kelis Fisher didn't touch the ball in the 2nd half, the fact that AB couldn't play 10 minutes, the fact that UConn was playing 6 men vs 11 men (who were bigger, stronger and less tired), the fact that VJ faced special attention in the second half and really didn't know how to react - none of these things came into play
ITS RP and ONLY RP
Got it

 

[willie99]

I expected to win

 

[uconngb]

As Mau said at the start of this last week
STHU
you and Uconngb are broken records
the fact that Kelis Fisher didn't touch the ball in the 2nd half, the fact that AB couldn't play 10 minutes, the fact that UConn was playing 6 men vs 11 men (who were bigger, stronger and less tired), the fact that VJ faced special attention in the second half and really didn't know how to react - none of these things came into play
ITS RP and ONLY RP
Got it

Just like you and your litany of excuses and explanations have grown tedious and are a broken record. There are multiple threads with multiple people talking about the single biggest issue on this team, and you and one or two others whistling past the graveyard. I've been quick to commend RP on the rare occasion that he hasn't been awful, but I think the evidence is in and overwhelming. At this point, we should focus on the future, start Vital and bring RP off the bench. What's the worst that could happen, we might be under .500??? Oh wait......

(By the way, Georgetown played 7 guys more than 5 minutes today, while UConn played 6. Hardly a huge bench advantage).

 

[upstater]

Just like you and your litany of excuses and explanations have grown tedious and are a broken record. There are multiple threads with multiple people talking about the single biggest issue on this team, and you and one or two others whistling past the graveyard. I've been quick to commend RP on the rare occasion that he hasn't been awful, but I think the evidence is in and overwhelming. At this point, we should focus on the future, start Vital and bring RP off the bench. What's the worst that could happen, we might be under .500??? Oh wait.

(By the way, Georgetown played 7 guys more than 5 minutes today, while UConn played 6. Hardly a huge bench advantage).

They gave up 45 points in 16 minutes to close the game.

Thats the story.

I think you're missing it.

and it wasn't fast break points either from UConn boneheaded plays or misses.