Public Perception of the UConn Program

[Waquoit]

KO had 10 loss season and 15 loss season.
"I think he's good but his entire reputation is rooted in 3 week run."

That's just not so. He did a great job the previous year. His reputation was built by following up a better than expected year with a championship year.

 

[HuskyCLT]

The other annoying thing they talk about is not liking the "process" of getting to the National Championship. We lost 8 games, not exactly dominant. The stupid thing about this idea is that KO always preaches about falling in love with the "process" to his players. When KO says it, it means something totally different and makes a lot more sense. KO's version of the process is working hard, learning a tough system, taking your lumps occasionally, and becoming the best team by the end of the year. The "process" is exactly why we became the National Champions that year, and it's the same reason a struggling team last year ended up playing its best basketball by the end of the year (unfortunately it was just too little too late for the tourney). The "process" that these CBS guys talk about entails just winning every regular season games to have superficial stats/rankings/seeds - those seeds proved to mean nothing. The end result is what matters because the "process" is what made us the best team.

 

[David 76]

That 10 loss season was brilliant under the circumstances. Almost as brilliant as the NC year.

In general, it was good to listen to something outside of our myopic views are fans. In all honesty, after , I think next year, Ollie can leave with a greatly reduced penalty. As much as I hope he stays, we have no idea if he will. The inconsistency to me was: 1) they don't know if Ollie ia a great coach yet, but 2) they are sure we will drop off if he leaves. Crazy.

I thought it was funny that they seemed to give Indiana points because their coach might leave.

 

[itgoeslike]

Knowledgeable and casual fans alike recognize UConn's success, even if some of the pundits have a blind spot for it. Whatever the cause, these types of omissions don't help. Perhaps there's some sort of agenda (cue conspiracy kitty), or it could simply be that half these guys are really new/bad at what they do. UConn has made a pretty good living making them look silly, then they scramble to adjust, which makes winning a little more sweeter. Someone should publish a list of the 15 worst sports writers based upon past predictions (along with a list of their missteps).

 

[HooperScooper]

Around 24:00 mark they explain why UConn wasn't on the top 15 programs list: http://www.cbssports.com/audio/player?playlist=http://podcasts.cstv.com/feeds/mensbasketball.xml&trackGuid=http://cstvpodcast.cstv.com.edgesuite.net/mensbasketball0708/091615_mbb.mp3

The sequel article.

The Trifecta: Snubs of list of programs with potential in next 5 years

1) Which school do you regret leaving off our list of the top 15 programs best positioned to succeed over the next five years?

Parrish: The omission that received the most criticism -- and I sort of expected it -- was UConn because a lot of the things we valued with other programs are also in place at UConn. The Huskies have a national-championship winning coach, a Top-25 roster heading into this season and, at this moment, the second-best recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports. Simply put, that's why I placed UConn on my list of the 15 college basketball programs that are best positioned to succeed over the next five years. But you dudes out-voted me. So, please, explain yourselves to the UConn fans who are likely right now posting about you relentlessly on a message board somewhere.

Sam Vecenie can suck my left nut.

 

[ctchamps]

The other annoying thing they talk about is not liking the "process" of getting to the National Championship. We lost 8 games, not exactly dominant. The stupid thing about this idea is that KO always preaches about falling in love with the "process" to his players. When KO says it, it means something totally different and makes a lot more sense. KO's version of the process is working hard, learning a tough system, taking your lumps occasionally, and becoming the best team by the end of the year. The "process" is exactly why we became the National Champions that year, and it's the same reason a struggling team last year ended up playing its best basketball by the end of the year (unfortunately it was just too little too late for the tourney). The "process" that these CBS guys talk about entails just winning every regular season games to have superficial stats/rankings/seeds - those seeds proved to mean nothing. The end result is what matters because the "process" is what made us the best team.

Which is why I think some of us weigh the value of NC's so heavily. Going undefeated for an entire season is the goal of every coach. But it shouldn't be the goal if it comes at the expense of the biggest prize.

There are programs that have had tremendous success during the season year after year and yet some posters rightfully understand it won't translate into success during tournament time. Certainly some luck comes into play. Certainly the construction of the team comes into play. But part of the failure is coaching. And part of that coaching failure is the result of not developing a team with different approaches to their style of play during the regular season.

JC was not only a master at getting the most from his individual players, but getting the most out of his teams. He was a brilliant tactician. He understood what he had and what he had to go against and worked towards that end goal. It has been written extensively that he planned well ahead during that first championship season for Duke. He anticipated correctly who was the opponent that could stop that team. I am strongly convinced KO has this capability and is employing it. The last championship is a perfect example. I think he learned a lot from JC. Plus I think he is ahead of JC in relating to players, fans and the media. I don't care what others write. We are in for a long period of fun.

 

[4in16]

The sequel article.

The Trifecta: Snubs of list of programs with potential in next 5 years

1) Which school do you regret leaving off our list of the top 15 programs best positioned to succeed over the next five years?

Parrish: The omission that received the most criticism -- and I sort of expected it -- was UConn because a lot of the things we valued with other programs are also in place at UConn. The Huskies have a national-championship winning coach, a Top-25 roster heading into this season and, at this moment, the second-best recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports. Simply put, that's why I placed UConn on my list of the 15 college basketball programs that are best positioned to succeed over the next five years. But you dudes out-voted me. So, please, explain yourselves to the UConn fans who are likely right now posting about you relentlessly on a message board somewhere.

Sam Vecenie can suck my left nut.

UConn fans posting relentlessly on a message board somewhere, no way.

 

[HooperScooper]

UConn fans posting relentlessly on a message board somewhere, no way.

Yeah I laughed at that one also. I get the sense that a lot of these national college basketball writers frequent team message boards. I know David Borges and Dom Amore check out the Boneyard. Always wondered if they post.

 

[HuskyCLT]

The sequel article.

The Trifecta: Snubs of list of programs with potential in next 5 years

1) Which school do you regret leaving off our list of the top 15 programs best positioned to succeed over the next five years?

Parrish: The omission that received the most criticism -- and I sort of expected it -- was UConn because a lot of the things we valued with other programs are also in place at UConn. The Huskies have a national-championship winning coach, a Top-25 roster heading into this season and, at this moment, the second-best recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports. Simply put, that's why I placed UConn on my list of the 15 college basketball programs that are best positioned to succeed over the next five years. But you dudes out-voted me. So, please, explain yourselves to the UConn fans who are likely right now posting about you relentlessly on a message board somewhere.

Sam Vecenie can suck my left nut.

The funny thing is, they never even talked about why we weren't on the list, they just basically said who they thought could be their last in. I don't even think we are #15 on that list, I think we're much higher. If you want to put Gonzaga at #6 who has never even been to a Final 4 and plays in a conference significantly worse than ours - then it is fair to say that our future looks as bright as almost any of these teams, save a few. At least Parrish recognizes the significance of recent CHAMPIONSHIPS to our program and to Kevin Ollie, and the impact of a Top 25 roster this year and a TOP 2 RECRUITING CLASS next year in relation to our success over the next 5 years. Hey Norlander and Vecenie, since you're reading this message board: kick rocks, you suck at your jobs.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Level of uncertainty of Ollie staying at Connecticut.
He's a good coach and a good recruiter.
UConn 2014 result was good but "process wasn't impressive...and I'm a process guy."
UConn # 2 for 2016 but NCST may have a better recruiting class, eventually.
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KO had 10 loss season and 15 loss season.
"I think he's good but his entire reputation is rooted in 3 week run."
------------
UConn 4 NC in 15 years but it is ridiculous that they won. St. Joe's "should have" beaten them.
KO won't be a coach by 2020.
They are a top 20 program, I'd put them at #18, but they aren't close to being a top 15 program.

I'll let the logical inconsistencies speak for themselves.

I'm not sure what 'St. Joe's should have beaten them' means. They had one of their best shooting games of the season against a team with one of the best FG% defenses in the country. They 'should have' been rolled by 15-20 points. We then proceeded to work Nova, Iowa State, Michigan State, Florida, and Kentucky. What a crock. Did Norlander say that? He's such a chode.

 

[ElPresidente]

The sequel article.

The Trifecta: Snubs of list of programs with potential in next 5 years

1) Which school do you regret leaving off our list of the top 15 programs best positioned to succeed over the next five years?

Parrish: The omission that received the most criticism -- and I sort of expected it -- was UConn because a lot of the things we valued with other programs are also in place at UConn. The Huskies have a national-championship winning coach, a Top-25 roster heading into this season and, at this moment, the second-best recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports. Simply put, that's why I placed UConn on my list of the 15 college basketball programs that are best positioned to succeed over the next five years. But you dudes out-voted me. So, please, explain yourselves to the UConn fans who are likely right now posting about you relentlessly on a message board somewhere.

Sam Vecenie can suck my left nut.

While tickling the right one!

 

[Waquoit]

UConn fans posting relentlessly on a message board somewhere, no way.

Not somewhere, he knows exactly where.

 

[BUConn10]

I know I'm overreacting here but I still haven't gotten over the stupidity of the article, it almost seems like they are trolling us. Come on, Wichita State... GONZAGA?! There are absolutely zero areas of this sport where they excel.

 

[Stainmaster]

I know I'm overreacting here but I still haven't gotten over the stupidity of the article, it almost seems like they are trolling us. Come on, Wichita State... GONZAGA?! There are absolutely zero areas of this sport where they excel.

Calm down. I know you're a passionate fan, but it doesn't do any of us any good to get this riled up over it.

 

[ctchamps]

Yeah I laughed at that one also. I get the sense that a lot of these national college basketball writers frequent team message boards. I know David Borges and Dom Amore check out the Boneyard. Always wondered if they post.

I know JJ does. He pm'd me once. There are a lot of useful ideas in many threads

If you slog through all the posts and pick the salient points presented in threads even when people argue you can come away with a more complete picture of things. Contrary to what some of us would like to think it is very rare for any one person not named @DogMania or @champs99and04 to present a complete analysis of the issue being argued. Arguments get bogged down when people insist everyone must accept their opinion as opposed to presenting the opinion and allowing the observer to decide if the point is valid or not.

Remove all the emotional bickering, distill the cognitive thinking and you come away with an essence of the issue. The problem is it can make your head spin. Although I'm not always sure if it is the thread or the alcohol I take to get through the thread that's the cause.

 

[ctchamps]

Calm down. I know you're a passionate fan, but it doesn't do any of us any good to get this riled up over it.

Disagree. If you need to take a dump it's unwise to hold it. Let it out. The problem only occurs if you think diarrhea is a good thing.