reason 63 to love k. ollie

[husky99]

https://mobile.twitter.com/CoachKO_UConn/status/214047981870120963

 

[Cheddie]

I follow him on Twitter, and his tweets are always very positive and inspirational.

 

[Huskymaniac]

I like him a lot but I still don't want him to be our next head coach. I want to see him pushed out of the nest to prove himself as a head coach at a nice mid-major and develop some head coaching experience in the process. Then, if all doesn't go well with our next head coach, bring him back.

 

[caw]

I like him a lot but I still don't want him to be our next head coach. I want to see him pushed out of the nest to prove himself as a head coach at a nice mid-major and develop some head coaching experience in the process. Then, if all doesn't go well with our next head coach, bring him back.

What exactly does that mean? What standard are we holding our next coach to? How long does the next coach have to reach that point?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I like him a lot but I still don't want him to be our next head coach. I want to see him pushed out of the nest to prove himself as a head coach at a nice mid-major and develop some head coaching experience in the process. Then, if all doesn't go well with our next head coach, bring him back.

I think this seals it - Coach Ollie it is!

 

[Chin Diesel]

Screw it, I'll write it.

I guess reason #63 to love Kevin Ollie is better than #69.

 

[willie99]

we have our man

not sure why so many people don't trust the best developer of talent in this country, the man who made us what we are

throw in Ollie's personality, work ethic, street cred from NBA experience, love for UConn and RECRUITING SUCCESSES, it's a slam dunk decision

 

[Huskymaniac]

we have our man

not sure why so many people don't trust the best developer of talent in this country, the man who made us what we are

throw in Ollie's personality, work ethic, street cred from NBA experience, love for UConn and RECRUITING SUCCESSES, it's a slam dunk decision

No, it isn't. Great players aren't "slam dunks" to be great coaches and great coaches aren't "slam dunks" to be great general managers. Calhoun may very well be right in this case but that doesn't mean hiring Ollie isn't a risk nor that it is a risk UConn should take. I hope our next coach can keep UConn at the elite level, whoever it is. Douchy (littlepenismcrackhead) would love to see us take the risk and have Ollie fail.

 

[willie99]

well then, we'll just have to agree to disagree about Ollie

there's going to be some risk involved with any of the other candidates some people love, like can they recruit at a much higher level

furthermore, neither Smart not Stevens had head coaching experience before taking their current jobs. Doesn't anyone see the irony in that?

one person pointed to Buzz Williams as a great example of hiring a coach with experience. So going 14-17 at New Orleans proved he was ready for Marq

I think all three men are proof why Ollie's head coaching experience is not an issue.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

furthermore, neither Smart not Stevens had head coaching experience before taking their current jobs. Doesn't anyone see the irony in that?

The circumstances and situations are very different.

Smart and Stevens both had a lot more experience as assistants than Ollie when hired at their current positions. More importantly to me, they were hired at mid major programs - not an elite programs like UConn.

The vast majority, including me, isn't saying Ollie won't be a good coach because he very well could be.

There is just some apprehension to giving the reigns to an Top 10 All time program to a guy with a handful of years as assistant.

 

[NOTaDIME]

When Shaka Smart is beating the door down to come here, you don't hire an unproven former player as head coach. Can you imagine the buzz around this program if Smart was hired? Almost every school in the country would take a guy like that right now. He's a hot commodity and we CAN get him.

 

[willie99]

When Shaka Smart is beating the door down to come here, you don't hire an unproven former player as head coach. Can you imagine the buzz around this program if Smart was hired? Almost every school in the country would take a guy like that right now. He's a hot commodity and we CAN get him.

When Shaka Smart is beating the door down to come here

do you have a substantive source for this? internet message boards and rumors just don't mean much to me

and even if he was, we really have no idea if he can recruit at this level, we know Ollie can. There is nothing about Ollie's package to suggest he won't be successful, he literally brings everything to the table, including love for UConn.

Smart would be a good choice, I wouldn't be unhappy, but I prefer Ollie.

 

[Hoophound]

When Shaka Smart is beating the door down to come here

do you have a substantive source for this? internet message boards and rumors just don't mean much to me

and even if he was, we really have no idea if he can recruit at this level, we know Ollie can. There is nothing about Ollie's package to suggest he won't be successful, he literally brings everything to the table, including love for UConn.

Smart would be a good choice, I wouldn't be unhappy, but I prefer Ollie.

I have not seen Ollie's package but I will take your word for it.

 

[Marty Jackson]

When Shaka Smart is beating the door down to come here, you don't hire an unproven former player as head coach. Can you imagine the buzz around this program if Smart was hired? Almost every school in the country would take a guy like that right now. He's a hot commodity and we CAN get him.

Shaka's style isnt going to get the pro ready players we've all come to expect with Calhoun. Look at boeheim.

I think Ollie will be a better coach.

 

[freescooter]

Shaka's style isnt going to get the pro ready players we've all come to expect with Calhoun. Look at boeheim.

I think Ollie will be a better coach.

You could have said that of Calhoun and even Pitino in their early years. They coached the style they needed to with the players they had. Every year we read here a post along the lines of "will this be the year UCONN brings back the press like in the old days?" and every year the answer turns out to be no. And the reason is that we no longer recruit those kind of players. We are bigger and now play a very different half court defense and half court offense. Calhoun didn't forget how to coach the fast break and the pressing defense that defined UCONN in the 1990s. I have every confidence that Smart can make the necessary adjustments, too. One othe rpoint, though. UCONN basketball isn't about getting pro-ready players. it is about winning the Big East and ultimately the NCAA tournament. If that can be accomplished with 1 future pro, terrific. If it is accomplished with no future pros, that's great too and if it is accomplished with 5, that's fine as well. But that is a secondary concern. Winning where we are is the only thing the next coach should be concerned with.

 

[husky99]

Fun thing is that i was not trying to start a debate... i was pointing out that he was a good son

 

[huskyjawz]

I follow him on Twitter, and his tweets are always very positive and inspirational.

"can't never" doesn't exactly inspire me.

 

[freescooter]

I follow him on Twitter, and his tweets are always very positive and inspirational.

The fact that some grad student sends out tweets for him inspires you? well to each his own, I guess.

 

[NOTaDIME]

At this point predicting who will be a better coach between Smart and KO is a guessing game. However, how many times has hiring the loyal assistant coach ever worked out? Emotions are brought into it because KO has brought so much to us and that could lead to trouble. I feel that Smart has proven himself as a head coach and just hiring him would make a splash with recruits. I have heard from multiple sources that Shaka is waiting for the UConn job to open up and that is why he has turned down the offers he's had. That's not to say its written in stone but I feel pretty good if we extend an offer to him he'll take it.

 

[jleves]

well then, we'll just have to agree to disagree about Ollie

there's going to be some risk involved with any of the other candidates some people love, like can they recruit at a much higher level

furthermore, neither Smart not Stevens had head coaching experience before taking their current jobs. Doesn't anyone see the irony in that?

one person pointed to Buzz Williams as a great example of hiring a coach with experience. So going 14-17 at New Orleans proved he was ready for Marq

I think all three men are proof why Ollie's head coaching experience is not an issue.

I only highlighted one sentence, although I suppose I could have done every line. However the final sentence is the important one. His lack of head coaching experience is exactly the issue. Can he recruit? Clearly comments from current players signed under his time and comments from current recruits indicate he is important in the recruiting process, has good respect with recruits and is beneficial in the recruiting process.

Can he coach? No idea. None whatsoever. Can he headcoach (I just invented a new verb)? Again, no clue.

First of all, there is less than one chance in 10,000 that any coach we can get will be as good as JC. JC is arguably one of the top 5 coaches of all time. Certainly top 10 adjusted for games played, but when you readjust for the number of good teams you have to beat in today's game, I think top 5 is a pretty easy argument. To expect the next coach to be a top 5 coach all time is ludicrous - even top 10. Another way to look at it, no other coach has won 3 NCs in the last 15 years other than JC. Coach K hasn't. Roy Williams hasn't. Nobody but JC has 3 in the last 15 years. If you stretch it to 20 years, you can add Coach K. Expecting any coach to be even close to JC is foolish. Expect some sort of letdown. One or two in the next 15 years would be more than one could expect.

Now to the meat of the discussion. Saying that Smart or Stevens had no head coaching experience before they are what they are now is silly. There are 200, 300, how many coaches in the same time frame who didn't have head coaching experience who then got head coaching experience who you have never heard of.

The fact is they got head coaching experience and proved they could win. That's way more important than a guy who hasn't had the experience and we hope can win. Saying they didn't have head coaching experience as an argument that Ollie should get a shot is missing the point of experience. There are 300+ guys who got head coaching experience that we do not want. There are two or so that have proven they can coach who make good choices.

Extrapolating that Smart and Stevens didn't have head coaching experience before they had success as a reason that Ollie will have success is ridiculous. The odds are against him. The fact that they have had success is why they are good candidates. It's not ironic that they didn't have head coaching experience before success and Ollie doesn't have head coaching experience, it's just a common denominator. It doesn't mean Ollie will.

One more way to look at it - there are maybe 10 to 15 coaches that anyone would take to lead their program as a lock - maybe not even that many (JC, K, JB, Izzo, etc.). The problem is most of those 15 or so aren't going anywhere. So there is a small handful of successful coaches that you can actually choose from.

Bottom line, if Smart wants to come here, you take him over Ollie. One is proven, one might be the next top 5 coach but he's more likely to be the next bust. You just have to play the odds here.

That said, if Ollie is the next coach, I hope he stays for 25+ years and gets 5 national championships and goes down as one of the top 5 ever....

 

[Huskymaniac]

Bottom line, if Smart wants to come here, you take him over Ollie. One is proven, one might be the next top 5 coach but he's more likely to be the next bust. You just have to play the odds here.

That said, if Ollie is the next coach, I hope he stays for 25+ years and gets 5 national championships and goes down as one of the top 5 ever....

Totally agree. I don't think anyone here hates Ollie or wants to see him fail if he becomes our next coach. If that is how it goes down, I hope to god that Calhoun is right and Ollie delivers us some great teams. But playing the odds is exactly the point. Based on experience and what they have proven they could do, Smart is a lower risk choice. It may very well turn out that Ollie is a better coach. But until he proves himself somewhere, the odds are low that he is. If we did choose Smart, it wouldn't be a statement that we think he is better than Ollie. It is a statement that he is a lower risk choice than Ollie. Like you said, just playing the odds.

I haven't disagreed with Calhoun on much over the years and for good reason. The man is a basketball genius. But he isn't god and has made some mistakes. He is making one now. Not because he is wrong about Ollie but because he is pushing for the program to pick the riskier choice. If UConn had his attitude back in the mid-80s, we wouldn't have hired Calhoun. We would have hired the assistant of one of the top teams at the time. But we picked the head coach of a mid-major program that had proven he could bring teams with limited talent much further than one would expect. That shows hard work, good coaching in game, good game prep and good player development.

And no one is saying Smart is a lock to win a National Chamionship if he coaches at UConn. Donahue has been a surprising disappointment at BC. It happens. Having said that, I am not sticking a fork in Donahue yet. And I think Smart is lower risk than Donahue was. Now the guy I would really love to get is Brad Stevens.......

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The fact that some grad student sends out tweets for him inspires you? well to each his own, I guess.

You think Kevin Ollie calls the SID on a sunday to say "Hey, man, put up a tweet about me going to Home Depot with my dad"?

 

[tykurez]

The fact that some grad student sends out tweets for him inspires you? well to each his own, I guess.

No disrespect to KO, but if that's a grad student's use of the english language then I'm not sure what to say.

 

[freescooter]

As far as Stevens and Smart and the lack of head coaching experience. they were both hired at mid-majors. If folks don't get the difference between Virginia Commonwealth and the University of Connecticut in terms of where they are as basketball programs, I'm afraid I just don't know what to tell you. It is amazing that Stevens got Butler to 2 championship games, and probably more amazing that Smart got VCU to a Final Four. It was somewhat unexpected, but not exactly a total shock that UCONN went to the Championship game in 2011. Just FYI, both Stevens (7 years) and Smart (10 years) had more experience as assistant coaches than Ollie will have. the desire to hire Ollie is 100% an ego trip for Jim Calhoun. he wants to be able to say he picked the next coach.

 

[aceboon]

you guys literally discuss this every single week, same replies and everything. ya'll might as well just save them to word docs and save time by copy and pasting them in the thread next week discussing it again.