Our Assistant Coaches

[huskiesnyc]

Clean house. I know this was brought up last year but can we please clean house with our assistant coaches? Maybe just keep on the new Temple guy because he's a good recruiter with connections. Ollie could sure use some help and the lack of player development and X and O's has to also fall on his staff. I want Ollie to succeed but his blind loyalty to his assistant coaches is only going to be a great disservice to himself if this continues. As far as I know Kevin Freeman and Ricky Moore's coaching resumes entirely entail that they went to UConn and were good players. And enough is enough with Miller. It's like a taking a sleeping pill listening to his SNY halftime interviews.

 

[gtcam]

Assistant coaches can't play for injured players and perform miracles for freshman or players who consistently make the same bonehead plays. Nor can they catch for guys with no hands or instill a heart where there is a lack
Are they the most experienced ACs? No Does some new blood make some sense? Yes But clean house? That isn't the priority right now

 

[Chief00]

Clean house. I know this was brought up last year but can we please clean house with our assistant coaches? Maybe just keep on the new Temple guy because he's a good recruiter with connections. Ollie could sure use some help and the lack of player development and X and O's has to also fall on his staff. I want Ollie to succeed but his blind loyalty to his assistant coaches is only going to be a great disservice to himself if this continues. As far as I know Kevin Freeman and Ricky Moore's coaching resumes entirely entail that they went to UConn and were good players. And enough is enough with Miller. It's like a taking a sleeping pill listening to his SNY halftime interviews.

I have been criticized saying this for a couple years now.

 

[huskiesnyc]

I have been criticized saying this for a couple years now.

Not by me

 

[dwalks93]

I hate to criticize coaches and blame them for all the team's problems. That said, it is hard not to look at UConn's current roster and not recognize the glaring lack of player development.

Purvis, Brimah, and Facey are all seniors who have logged significant playing minutes. Yet IMO all three of them have not significantly improved and may have actually regressed in their time at UConn. For God's sake Purvis was a high school McDonald's All American and first team all ACC Rookie and Brimah was a key contributor during UConn's 2014 National Title run.

No doubt the injuries are hurting this team but, truth be told, we lost 2 Freshman and a first year player at UConn (Larrier). That should be the death blow with 3 seniors on the team and a super sophomore in Adams. Our seniors should be carrying this team and clearly they are not. Does Enoch really look any better this year? If anything Enoch looks more confused. Why does it appear the most polished players on UConn last year were the Graduate Transfers (Miller and Gibbs)?

I am hard pressed to name one player who has significantly improved under KO and his staff. Was Daniel Hamilton significantly better as a sophomore? Was Phil Nolan better as a senior? At some point it can't all be the players and it has to be the developers.

Kemba, Napier, Rip Hamilton, and Ray Allen all improved greatly in their time at UConn. Guys like Thabeet, Hilton Armstrong, Jake Voskuhl and Josh Boone made monumental strides in their time at UConn. UConn under Calhoun didn't always recruit the best talent but it got the most out of the talent it recruited. KO is bringing in the player talent but developing the talent seems to be under achieving. A lot of that lack of player development needs to fall on the Assistant Coaches...

UConn needs our support right now but we can't purely blame the players and the injuries. I truly believe KO can turn it around but before you can fix a problem you need to identify the problem. UConn has a player development problem...

 

[mauconnfan]

They have a recruiting problem that needs to be addressed and hopefully is as we speak. The only thing I see is how important it is to recruit smart basketball players. So from KO down to Kevin Freeman it's time to address the issue which is most obvious, the basketball IQ isn't too good. When you see no improvement at all from a guy who was a "key contributor" to a NC, then you also realize he's just never gong to get it right? I mean I don't know how people do not understand how obvious it is a coach cannot help develop a player who just doesn't get it? It's KO, Glenn Millers and Ricky's fault their 5 guy missed rebounds which he was in position for and on a regular pick and roll was doing a pirouette trying to find his guy, it was laughable one of the most used plays ever he couldn't find his guy lol. Can't than a player like that and they 2-3 of them who are now "key contributors" to what will be one of the worst seasons we've seen in ages.

Do the coaches get some blame, hell yeah but it's mostly recruiting the wrong IQ'd players not the development. Not a lot of guys coming to their rescue when Niels got better his 4th year, when Boat had a great last 2-3 years, Deandre got better after JC threw him in the doghouse? Niels, smart player - Deandre, smart player - Boat, smarter player his last 2 years - Kromah, intelligent game.

Pretty easy what needs to be changed

 

[Pudge]

I hate to criticize coaches and blame them for all the team's problems. That said, it is hard not to look at UConn's current roster and not recognize the glaring lack of player development.

Purvis, Brimah, and Facey are all seniors who have logged significant playing minutes. Yet IMO all three of them have not significantly improved and may have actually regressed in their time at UConn. For God's sake Purvis was a high school McDonald's All American and first team all ACC Rookie and Brimah was a key contributor during UConn's 2014 National Title run.

No doubt the injuries are hurting this team but, truth be told, we lost 2 Freshman and a first year player at UConn (Larrier). That should be the death blow with 3 seniors on the team and a super sophomore in Adams. Our seniors should be carrying this team and clearly they are not. Does Enoch really look any better this year? If anything Enoch looks more confused. Why does it appear the most polished players on UConn last year were the Graduate Transfers (Miller and Gibbs)?

I am hard pressed to name one player who has significantly improved under KO and his staff. Was Daniel Hamilton significantly better as a sophomore? Was Phil Nolan better as a senior? At some point it can't all be the players and it has to be the developers.

Kemba, Napier, Rip Hamilton, and Ray Allen all improved greatly in their time at UConn. Guys like Thabeet, Hilton Armstrong, Jake Voskuhl and Josh Boone made monumental strides in their time at UConn. UConn under Calhoun didn't always recruit the best talent but it got the most out of the talent it recruited. KO is bringing in the player talent but developing the talent seems to be under achieving. A lot of that lack of player development needs to fall on the Assistant Coaches...

UConn needs our support right now but we can't purely blame the players and the injuries. I truly believe KO can turn it around but before you can fix a problem you need to identify the problem. UConn has a player development problem...

How can you tell about some of these points?

What did we ever see on Facey or Enoch to this day that told you anything? Come back and talk to us in late February. Enoch may look confused ... but he really has not played minutes that mattered prior to this season. Facey HAS gotten better. He has. Just not by much. His body is certainly better.

I have nothing to say on Purvis or Brimah. They actualized into this Senior year. Brimah was a key player on a NC team. I, frankly, think you will see both of them have a nice stretch some time this year. Neither are top Conference players ... and I think we could have said that this point last year. Adams? I expect him far better; and you have 3 Freshmen that will play a ton this year.

 

[upstater]

I am hard pressed to name one player who has significantly improved under KO and his staff. Was Daniel Hamilton significantly better as a sophomore? Was Phil Nolan better as a senior? At some point it can't all be the players and it has to be the developers.

Shabazz Napier, Niels Giffey, Deandre Daniels, Ryan Boatright, etc.

 

[huskiesnyc]

They have a recruiting problem that needs to be addressed and hopefully is as we speak. The only thing I see is how important it is to recruit smart basketball players. So from KO down to Kevin Freeman it's time to address the issue which is most obvious, the basketball IQ isn't too good. When you see no improvement at all from a guy who was a "key contributor" to a NC, then you also realize he's just never gong to get it right? I mean I don't know how people do not understand how obvious it is a coach cannot help develop a player who just doesn't get it? It's KO, Glenn Millers and Ricky's fault their 5 guy missed rebounds which he was in position for and on a regular pick and roll was doing a pirouette trying to find his guy, it was laughable one of the most used plays ever he couldn't find his guy lol. Can't than a player like that and they 2-3 of them who are now "key contributors" to what will be one of the worst seasons we've seen in ages.

Do the coaches get some blame, hell yeah but it's mostly recruiting the wrong IQ'd players not the development. Not a lot of guys coming to their rescue when Niels got better his 4th year, when Boat had a great last 2-3 years, Deandre got better after JC threw him in the doghouse? Niels, smart player - Deandre, smart player - Boat, smarter player his last 2 years - Kromah, intelligent game.

Pretty easy what needs to be changed

Notre Dame has been to 2 straight Elite 8's and I heard their head coach Mike Brey on the Francesa Show 2 weeks ago asked about recruiting. He said the first characteristic he looks for in a recruit is high basketball IQ. Clearly Ollie does not as guys like Purvis standing out of bounds for 4 years are practically uncoachable. I mentioned this recently, and if Ollie can't coach them up he would be smart to recruit some intelligent players to do it for him like Shabazz and Giff. A strong coaching staff will do wonders and we certainly are paying top dollar.

 

[boog204]

Notre Dame has been to 2 straight Elite 8's and I heard their head coach Mike Brey on the Francesa Show 2 weeks ago asked about recruiting. He said the first characteristic he looks for in a recruit is high basketball IQ. Clearly Ollie does not as guys like Purvis standing out of bounds for 4 years are practically uncoachable. I mentioned this recently, and if Ollie can't coach them up he would be smart to recruit some intelligent players to do it for him like Shabazz and Giff. A strong coaching staff will do wonders and we certainly are paying top dollar.

Somewhere on the site is the classic thread, "Shabazz Napier is the worst starting point guard in the Jim Calhoun Era." Pretty sure it was started by a very well known poster here. Shabazz really wasn't considered a "smart" player until his senior year. And Giffey after a promising freshman year, was not exactly a UConn legend until he was a senior. I certainly get your point, but those guys took four years to develop into something.

 

[Pudge]

Notre Dame has been to 2 straight Elite 8's and I heard their head coach Mike Brey on the Francesa Show 2 weeks ago asked about recruiting. He said the first characteristic he looks for in a recruit is high basketball IQ. Clearly Ollie does not as guys like Purvis standing out of bounds for 4 years are practically uncoachable. I mentioned this recently, and if Ollie can't coach them up he would be smart to recruit some intelligent players to do it for him like Shabazz and Giff. A strong coaching staff will do wonders and we certainly are paying top dollar.

Brey has been a head coach 22 years. And probably an assistant for 7-10 years before that.

Ollie has been a Head Coach for 5.

See ... I hate to point this out ... Kevin Ollie still has a way to go and mature as a HC. And yet, you won't give him credit for one big thing - he actually won a National Championship with a superb job of delegating roles to specific players. He can still grow and learn. And recruiting? I think the 11 guys (Sophs Adams, Larrier, Enoch; FR Durham, Gilbert, Diarra, Vital,Jackson; INCOMING: Langford, Carlton, Polley) may prove to be as rich a set of 11 has we have had in a decade. He is actually doing far better in recruiting than you state. FAR BETTER

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Ollie seems extremely lost at times and I totally agree that Rodney, Brimah and Facey still do the same stupid things every game since the first time they put on the uniform.

I think people point to that as to why Ollie can't improve players but as @upstater pointed out, Napier, Griffey, Daniels all significantly improved their last two seasons under Ollie and Boat became a hell of a player under Ollie for three seasons.

We've had a few small classes due to sanctions and from some guys (Samuel, Cassell, Lublin, Hamilton) either transferring or leaving early as well.

Part of the issue to me is that we have too many guys that are just limited by players that are almost too good to be relegated to the bench but not really good enough to be like the good UConn players of the past. Looking through our current roster there's a lot of guys who just aren't anywhere near complete ball players - like a Giffey or Daniels were in 2014. It's just a hodge podge of guys that can a couple of things decently but then a poor at a handful.

KO drives me nuts, the offense is unwatchable and while he is responsible for the incoming talent I almost have to give him a pass this season.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Brey has been a head coach 22 years. And probably an assistant for 7-10 years before that.

Ollie has been a Head Coach for 5.

See ... I hate to point this out ... Kevin Ollie still has a way to go and mature as a HC. And yet, you won't give him credit for one big thing - he actually won a National Championship with a superb job of delegating roles to specific players. He can still grow and learn. And recruiting? I think the 11 guys (Sophs Adams, Larrier, Enoch; FR Durham, Gilbert, Diarra, Vital,Jackson; INCOMING: Langford, Carlton, Polley) may prove to be as rich a set of 11 has we have had in a decade. He is actually doing far better in recruiting than you state. FAR BETTER

First of all I wasn't aware that I needed to give Ollie credit for the NC in every post, but thanks for reminding me. Straight garbage coaching ever since and it took a Jalen Adams fluke to even make the tourney last year. Otherwise it would be 1 tourney appearance in 4 for KO.

I'm suggesting that Ollie gets some more help on the bench because I want him to succeed and watching his offense for 2+ years is an eye sore. UConn can't even make an inbounds pass while EVERY other team uses it as an offensive opportunity! This is the worst UConn team in 30+ and changes need to happen.

 

[boog204]

Brey has been a head coach 22 years. And probably an assistant for 7-10 years before that.

Ollie has been a Head Coach for 5.

See ... I hate to point this out ... Kevin Ollie still has a way to go and mature as a HC. And yet, you won't give him credit for one big thing - he actually won a National Championship with a superb job of delegating roles to specific players. He can still grow and learn. And recruiting? I think the 11 guys (Sophs Adams, Larrier, Enoch; FR Durham, Gilbert, Diarra, Vital,Jackson; INCOMING: Langford, Carlton, Polley) may prove to be as rich a set of 11 has we have had in a decade. He is actually doing far better in recruiting than you state. FAR BETTER

8 of the 11 were no doubt 4* or higher recruits. More than 8 depending on how you view Vital, Diarra, and Carlton. That's great talent.

 

[Yankees32123]

Shabazz Napier, Niels Giffey, Deandre Daniels, Ryan Boatright, etc.

All of whom were recruited and coached by Jim Calhoun. Of the guys Ollie has brought in and coached as head coach, there is not one player who has significantly improved.

 

[Stainmaster]

All of whom were recruited and coached by Jim Calhoun. Of the guys Ollie has brought in and coached as head coach, there is not one player who has significantly improved.

I didn't know Calhoun coached Giffey during the two-year stretch (2012-14) he actually turned into a decent player.

 

[tcf15]

All of whom were recruited and coached by Jim Calhoun. Of the guys Ollie has brought in and coached as head coach, there is not one player who has significantly improved.

KO coached all those guys from freshman year to senior year. Lead recruiter for Daniels and Boat. If assistant coaches are as important as OP suggests, KO gets as much credit for those guys as Calhoun does.

 

[Kitaman]

All of whom were recruited and coached by Jim Calhoun. Of the guys Ollie has brought in and coached as head coach, there is not one player who has significantly improved.

Too early to be definitive. This group are his players so the measurements begin now, but with injuries he gets a pass this season. Need to wait about 5 years or so to get a good pic. Amida, and Facey come with an asterisk (recruiting violations). He gets credit for Bazz and Napier though and he coached the hell out of those guards even with JC was here.

The ones to look at roght now are Jalen, Durham, Enoch and Vance. Those 4 seem to have the best NBA potential on this squad, particularly in height, build and skills to work with. Obviously more will be coming in, but on this sqaud if 2 of the 4 don't get an NBA career going it wouldn't be a good start. Although their are other factors, all in all it could be coaching attributed.

 

[upstater]

All of whom were recruited and coached by Jim Calhoun. Of the guys Ollie has brought in and coached as head coach, there is not one player who has significantly improved.

Ah, moving the goalposts I see.

Ollie coached Ryan Boatright for 3 years. Boatright was nowhere near that good as a freshman under Calhoun. Heck, Boatright missed 1/4 of the season. Deandre Daniels hardly played under Calhoun. He was very consistent and not very good as a soph. He turned it on as a junior. Shabazz Napier caused a heap of frustrations here in Calhoun's last year. People on this board killed Napier. Everyone's favorite whipping boy. Then, under Ollie, he suddenly became all world. Niels Giffey struggled with his shooting until his senior year.

 

[upstater]

First of all I wasn't aware that I needed to give Ollie credit for the NC in every post, but thanks for reminding me. Straight garbage coaching ever since and it took a Jalen Adams fluke to even make the tourney last year. Otherwise it would be 1 tourney appearance in 4 for KO.

So UConn would have been out of the tourney, but Tulsa would have been in. Great thinking genius.

 

[7774]

All of whom were recruited and coached by Jim Calhoun. Of the guys Ollie has brought in and coached as head coach, there is not one player who has significantly improved.

Jalen Adams has obviously improved.

 

[Chief00]

They have a recruiting problem that needs to be addressed and hopefully is as we speak. The only thing I see is how important it is to recruit smart basketball players. So from KO down to Kevin Freeman it's time to address the issue which is most obvious, the basketball IQ isn't too good. When you see no improvement at all from a guy who was a "key contributor" to a NC, then you also realize he's just never gong to get it right? I mean I don't know how people do not understand how obvious it is a coach cannot help develop a player who just doesn't get it? It's KO, Glenn Millers and Ricky's fault their 5 guy missed rebounds which he was in position for and on a regular pick and roll was doing a pirouette trying to find his guy, it was laughable one of the most used plays ever he couldn't find his guy lol. Can't than a player like that and they 2-3 of them who are now "key contributors" to what will be one of the worst seasons we've seen in ages.

Do the coaches get some blame, hell yeah but it's mostly recruiting the wrong IQ'd players not the development. Not a lot of guys coming to their rescue when Niels got better his 4th year, when Boat had a great last 2-3 years, Deandre got better after JC threw him in the doghouse? Niels, smart player - Deandre, smart player - Boat, smarter player his last 2 years - Kromah, intelligent game.

Pretty easy what needs to be changed

I do hold Glen accountable for the total lack of Bigs development. It's not only basketball IQ it's shooting and strength - they have been overlooked in our recruiting.

 

[Chief00]

Hobbs and KO worked well with guards.
But Hobbs is gone and KO really has a different focus as head coach. Calhoun had Glen Miller in a totally different role - I believe he never would have made him a Bigs coach.
George was good at individual instruction with Bigs on offense and rebounding. He is missed.
Glen should do scouting reports and tour of facilities.

That's a good point about Shonn and Gibbs being more polish than our seniors this year.

 

[tower1]

Ah, moving the goalposts I see.

Ollie coached Ryan Boatright for 3 years. Boatright was nowhere near that good as a freshman under Calhoun. Heck, Boatright missed 1/4 of the season. Deandre Daniels hardly played under Calhoun. He was very consistent and not very good as a soph. He turned it on as a junior. Shabazz Napier caused a heap of frustrations here in Calhoun's last year. People on this board killed Napier. Everyone's favorite whipping boy. Then, under Ollie, he suddenly became all world. Niels Giffey struggled with his shooting until his senior year.

Upstater, no player developement by our current coaching staff. Wake up we need a change before we become the laughing stock of college Basketball. Look at our football program because they waited to long to replace bad coaches.

 

[David 76]

Funny, they didn't look Polish.