Props to Warde Manuel

[CTMike]

For what it's worth Nelson I think you are crazy too. But I still read your posts and would be happy to grab a beer with you before a game and chat about sports and life. You are an interesting crazy.

 

[J187Money]

Nothing is more predictable on this board than the usual suspects resorting to name calling when someone presents an intelligent viewpoint outside of conventional wisdom.

I actually appreciate your point of view generally. I just don't like you putting words in my mouth. I've been around message boards long enough to use actual words to say what I mean and not infer things.

 

[doghusky]

Obviously you are a disgruntled former employee. They were in the process of hiring such a person. I won't waste my time for you trying to find out if they did. Feel free to move on. You are wasting bandwidth.

Nope, wrong again. I'm just a fan with high level access into the inner politics in Storrs and tired sick of people giving credit to average university administrators who sat on their hands during this CR disaster...and now that we have leverage again they continue to sit on their hands. If you don't like or can't handle the truth that's your choice.

 

[Alum86]

Maybe the RockStar will announce we're leaving the AAC 25000 feet above while jetsetting between Big D and Nashville with the high rollers.
He does love a party. They do have phones on them, correct?

 

[J187Money]

Nope, wrong again. I'm just a fan with high level access into the inner politics in Storrs and tired sick of people giving credit to average university administrators who sat on their hands during this CR disaster...and now that we have leverage again they continue to sit on their hands. If you don't like or can't handle the truth that's your choice.

I'd like to understand our leverage now considering that expansion seems quiet.

I think we all agree that we sat on our hands last time. Whether it could have been salvaged is a matter of debate but the known facts don't seem to indicate so.

 

[sdhusky]

Sdhusky thinks warde handled the Ollie and Pasqualoni situations well. Got it.

Yes. I am thrilled with Diaco and Ollie.

Thrilled.

 

[Inyatkin]

We've seen a lot more former players on camera during this and the AAC tournament. I wonder if that's part of a concerted effort by the athletic department. And who was that big guy giving Ollie the hug before JC's hug? I thought it looked like Eric Heyward.

You have a better chance of seeing Tate George at a UConn celebration than Eric Hayward.

 

[CTMike]

Nope, wrong again. I'm just a fan with high level access into the inner politics in Storrs and tired sick of people giving credit to average university administrators who sat on their hands during this CR disaster...and now that we have leverage again they continue to sit on their hands. If you don't like or can't handle the truth that's your choice.

When you speak of the truth, we'd just like to hear more facts on it (if you can share). Especially when all outward appearances are that they have high aspirations for UConn.

I agree there was complacency but I attribute that more to the prior administration than the current. If that's not the case we would all be curious.

 

[RMoore1999]

The interim contract was not an insult to JC or KO, He absolutely did it the right way. I don't think it made him look weak at all. he had to assert himslf there after the way JC shoehorned KO in. You could say JC was in the wrong the way things went down but I sure am glad he pulled it off.

Calhoun "shoe-horning" KO in was brilliant. You really have to be a true Calhoun hater or Warde lover to have preferred Warde and not JC select his successor. No one more qualified than JC to select his successor. Fact.

 

[RMoore1999]

When you speak of the truth, we'd just like to hear more facts on it (if you can share). Especially when all outward appearances are that they have high aspirations for UConn.

I agree there was complacency but I attribute that more to the prior administration than the current. If that's not the case we would all be curious.

Mike, we 'd all like to hear more facts from someone like Dog, especially to the extent he's an actual insider. But if he's actually an insider, highly unlikely he'll share too much, as his status will likely change rapidly to actual outsider.

I find it strange though that anyone would dismiss his perspective out of hand. I have no idea of the truth, though obviously the story he tells is plausible.

 

[Excalibur]

Sdhusky thinks warde handled the Ollie and Pasqualoni situations well. Got it.

P not so much, but probably 3/4 of the ADs in the country give P a third year. But it was Warde's job to make the right call and he failed miserably.

I thought he handled the Ollie situation perfectly. Said so at the time. I was right then and I'm still right.

 

[Waquoit]

P not so much, but probably 3/4 of the ADs in the country give P a third year. But it was Warde's job to make the right call and he failed miserably.

I thought he handled the Ollie situation perfectly. Said so at the time. I was right then and I'm still right.

Yes to both.

 

[sportsart]

Mike, we 'd all like to hear more facts from someone like Dog, especially to the extent he's an actual insider. But if he's actually an insider, highly unlikely he'll share too much, as his status will likely change rapidly to actual outsider.

I find it strange though that anyone would dismiss his perspective out of hand. I have no idea of the truth, though obviously the story he tells is plausible.

When you find someone so dismissive of 2 people who, by all appearances, have things going in the right direction, and they are on the internet spewing total disdain, you have to believe there is something personal behind it.

 

[intlzncster]

How about we give Jim Calhoun credit for 'hiring' Ollie. It was his choice after all.

Warde just went with the status quo and a nut fell into his hand. Basically Warde didn't duck up what was already in play.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

We've seen a lot more former players on camera during this and the AAC tournament. I wonder if that's part of a concerted effort by the athletic department. And who was that big guy giving Ollie the hug before JC's hug? I thought it looked like Eric Heyward.

Drummond, I think. Hope not Heyward as that young man crashed hard after leaving UConn and spent a few years in jail for rape I believe.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

P not so much, but probably 3/4 of the ADs in the country give P a third year. But it was Warde's job to make the right call and he failed miserably.

I thought he handled the Ollie situation perfectly. Said so at the time. I was right then and I'm still right.

Warde could have fired PP getting off a plane at Bradley. Whoops, wrong school. Putting aside the ‘when’ question for a moment, Warde handled the actual deed as well as he could. Everyone saw it coming expect for the old geezers coaching club down in Fairfield County.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The interim contract was not an insult to JC or KO, He absolutely did it the right way. I don't think it made him look weak at all. he had to assert himslf there after the way JC shoehorned KO in. You could say JC was in the wrong the way things went down but I sure am glad he pulled it off.

+1. No AD should be forced to accept a retiring coach's suggestion for a new hire to the flagship sports program at a major university. Many ADs would have been pissed, told Calhoun to go to hell and refused to consider his suggestion. Warde did the right thing, and decided to give Ollie a chance while engaging in some first hand observation. It became clear early on why he was the right guy, and Warde acted promptly to lock him up.

The think I appreciate about Warde is that he's former athlete and a fan. He now bleeds Husky blue the way he bleeds Michigan blue. He feels our pain. He's not just another guy in a suit pushing paper around.

 

[junglehusky]

Maybe the RockStar will announce we're leaving the AAC 25000 feet above while jetsetting between Big D and Nashville with the high rollers.
He does love a party. They do have phones on them, correct?

Seriously? You have a beef with our athletic director jetting between the men's and women's final four with our big time donors? God forbid we let them have an enjoyable experience on athletic department's dime (=not taxpayer's... Heck for all we know it might be the donors paying for it), they might be coaxed into donating more money (thus offsetting the cost of schmoozing them) for a hockey arena or expanding the Rent. Then we'd have to say something else positive about Warde, and that would make the energy vampire crowd even more miserable, and we wouldn't want that now would we?

 

[J187Money]

How about we give Jim Calhoun credit for 'hiring' Ollie. It was his choice after all. Warde just went with the status quo and a nut fell into his hand. Basically Warde didn't duck up what was already in play.

Sometimes that's the job.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Says the guy who said I was either "stupid" or a "di**head" for challenging his comments on Burrell's hops.

You're funny. Absolutely stunning lack of self awareness.

I called you a d-head because you put words in my mouth. I never said Burrell didn't have great hops. I just thought they weren't as good as Robertson's or Gay's. For what its worth, someone who was relatively close to the program told me about 10 years ago that Kirk King had the highest vertical ever measured by the staff. Seems possible, but I didn't see the "game athleticism" that there was with some of the other players.

 

[sdhusky]

Sometimes that's the job.

Yup.

 

[Nostical]

Warde and SH are simple minded collegiate administrators that don't have a clue about business/media...and big business/media is what this conf realignment bs is built on.

Bull. You should hit your knees and thank your deity that we have both of them right now--and SH is the savviest Prez we've ever had. Go ahead. Put Jurich in as Hathaway's replacement with PP already on board. Put Louisville's Prez in SH's place. Now put WM and SH at Louisville with Charlie Strong, an expanded stadium, top notch BBall, Pitino etc and tell me how UConn would have been the ACC choice over Louisville. Stop the nonsense. Enough about the piña coladas.

 

[intlzncster]

Sometimes that's the job.

I can do that . Sign me up!

 

[imno1]

Seriously? You have a beef with our athletic director jetting between the men's and women's final four with our big time donors? God forbid we let them have an enjoyable experience on athletic department's dime (=not taxpayer's... Heck for all we know it might be the donors paying for it), they might be coaxed into donating more money (thus offsetting the cost of schmoozing them) for a hockey arena or expanding the Rent. Then we'd have to say something else positive about Warde, and that would make the energy vampire crowd even more miserable, and we wouldn't want that now would we?

Plus one of the perks of the job. Who of us would't be going to all the games if we were in his position. I like that he's a rabid fan.

 

[sdhusky]

I called you a d-head because you put words in my mouth.

This is funny.

So what you are really saying is that you think Warde should have fired Ollie and not hired Diaco. Got it.